| Author | Message | ||
| Freddy McGuire (Vaturkey)
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For me every hunt is a learning experience but a tough old gobbler that I hunted in 1988 taught me a whole lot over the 11 days that I hunted him. I finally killed the turkey on Friday the 13th... One of my most memorable hunts ever. That turkey taught me the value of being a good woodsman and letting the turkeys tell you what to do. He was a bird that had been hunted hard in the early part of the season and would go totally silent at the sound of a turkey call. I finally got him in range by setting up in a favorite strutting area and scratching in the leaves. It was so hard not to call to the approaching gobbler but I held my ground and it worked out perfect... Is there one particular turkey or turkey hunt that you consider your greatest learning experience? | ||
| GN |
Seems like every one of them gives me a post graduate course anymore. I think there is a bird way back in the early days of my Tennesee spring hunting that taught me the art of learning to be patient. I heard a bird answer a prospecting call I made late in the morning. I heard a very faint gobble cut in at the end of my call but I had no idea how far away it was...I was not real experienced then and was also in very steep terrain on a mountin that runs for forty miles with lots of deep hollows off it...so he could have been one holow over but I would have sworn he was two miles away. This was pre-video stuff and I had no mentor other than what I read. Somewhere I read that if one answered your call eventually he would come to it. SO I made myself comfortable(I thought) and set up on a flat place on a ridge and waited. ABout every 20 minutes I would make some kind of a call and a light one at that(again having read the cautions about calling too loud). Seems like after my calls I went from where I could hear a muffled response and then a louder response to then a response that sounded like he was going the other way away from me and then he would sound closer. I sat there for over two hours and finally I could hear the bird walking in the leaves under the edge of the hill as it came right in to me. I had readjusted my aching tailbone several times during the seige, but I had proved (to myself anyway)that I could sit him out..a lesson that is sometimes hard for me to remmeber nowadays as I tend to get antsy and want to move a little from time to time...but if they are not intereferred with by another hunter many many birds will eventually come to your calls.At least I have convinced myself of that and have kileld a bunch of birds by waiting them out. Patience and a confidence that eventually he will show up are traits that have to be learned, but are key weapons for a good hunter I think. . | ||
| Dale |
GN brings up a very good point. I've killed more birds that walked in silently than came in gobbling. I've killed quite a few birds that gobbled only once or twice and an hour later showed up unannounced. Don't get me wrong, more than 50% of the time, my patience gave out before the bird showed up and no sooner than I started to move, there he'd be in all his glory to give the cordial putt putt. Patience is definately a virtue. On my very first turkey hunt, having never seen a turkey in the wild and having never hunted turkey before, I got a real education. I didn't have mentors or videos to go by. I had practiced for three months with a mouth call and had turned out a pretty decent yelp. With no scouting, I set up on an oak flat that simply "looked good" at daybreak. I let out a series of yelps about every 15 minutes. On my third series of yelps, I see this dark figure walking down a bottom and up across the flat. Honestly, I thought it was a crow, having never seen a turkey in the wild. I watched this "crow" walk within 20 yards of me, walk past me up over a logging road and disappear. Turning my attention back to turkey hunting, I let go with a series of loud yelps. I about jumped out of my skin when that "crow" triple gobbled. I had let a turkey walk right by me without even knowing I was looking at a turkey. I must have dueled with that bird for over an hour before he disappeared. The "crow" came in totally silent. Later in my hunting "education", I learned that the bird was a jake. It took another 10 years for me to get my first bird. But, I learned a valuable lesson that sunny Saturday on my 16th birthday...humility is a trait every turkey hunter must carry. | ||
| shopson |
I had to make five different setups on a bird one morning, and he still wouldn't come off that strut zone. Back and forth, again and again. Double and triple gobbling at each setup. On my last setup with the same things happening, I decided to try something different. I waited til he was at the far end of his zone, got up and moved closer, with a slate and diaphragm, started clucking and purring like two hens feeding away from him. Made it back to my tree and sat two wait it out. He stopped gobbling, to me a good sign.My decoy was in place and I just waited. He had spotted my decoy before I new he was there and when I first saw him, He was in range and stalking my pretty decoy. For him the rest is history. Moral of the story,be persistent, move if you safely can, and try something different if necessary. | ||
| Turkey576 |
It seems like to me every hunt that I sweat and my glasses get fogged and I get all cut up and bruised is when I take a bird. Turkey seem to never do what you want them to do. Just when you think you have your tag filled something changes. I think all turkey hunters need a plan "B" and "C" etc......  I believe that the harder we work the more birds we will tote out, and if we do not see anything we still had fun and enjoyed the moments. | ||
| TScottW99
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that's a good question Freddy! I know I still have a LOT to learn and i'm learning every time a gobbler and I go at it. I guess that ol' Craig County gobbler tought me a ton of lessons last year. Patience, Woodsmanship, soft calling, loud calling, proper setup & you can learn ALOT without ever firing a shot Hopefully he made it through the summer and winter and will be ready to teach me a couple more new lessons this year. ;-) hoping to go scouting in his neck of the woods in the morning. | ||
| Ryan Tucker
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I had a turkey I called the "Road Gobbler", that I worked for about two weeks. I actually called him in silent and spooked him twice. I made him gobble a total of 10 times during two weeks, but hunted him almost everyday. It was a great lesson in patience. | ||
| GOBBLENOW |
Like Ryan, I have had some grudge matches too. I hunted one for half a spring two years ago and never got it in range. Those grudge match birds can get to the place they have the potential to mess up your mind and your season if it becomes too much like work. I almost got to the place I dreaded getting up and driving the 1.5 hours each way to get my butt kicked...that is when it is time to forget that bird for a while and go find another one. There are times during the season that birds are so henned up that they will not come to traditional spring tactics or calls at all and you are pushing rope to try to hunt that specific one at that time using any method..other times they are suicidal and you think you have the whole thing figured out. there is a lot to learning when birds are "ready "in a geographic area and when they are not...I have sort of learned that birds at higher elevations tend to trail lower elevation birds in all stages of the season(assembly, henned-up, nesting) and thus can move back and forth on high/low take advantage at the perceived "stage" of the season in each place. Many times this works and other times it just makes me think I know what I a m doing even tho I may be totally out of the ballgame. I have also tried to develope hunting areas in different elevations so I have some options every day. | ||
| HODY |
I have had a few of those Grudge match birds also. The one I was proud to kill a few years back caught me in a very ineresting situation. I had hunted the bird for several days off and on and one morning was at the top of a hill and heard nothing, so I eased down to toward the bottom. After owl hooting again, nothing. It was getting light so I eased down about half way a let out a soft tree yelp and GOOOBBBLLE right next to me. I was walking down the edge of a pine cut and he was less than 50 yards away still in a big oak. I hit the deck and of course like a dummy called again. He answered, and I called some more. I was hiding in tall grass at the edge of the pines and when I think about it now I was really stupid for continuing to call. I finally figured out to shut up and at about 8 am he flew down and away from me. After 3 more setups, he finally came in silent totally opposite the way I thought he would but since I heard him walking I was able to swing around on him and make the kill. It was so exciting to hear him answer up in the tree I never really thought about the fact that he could not see the hen. He was actually double gobbling and strutting on the limb. Nothin like experience to make you think about these situations a bit differently. | ||
| Daddyjan |
The second Gobbler that i took w/ my bow tought me lots about patiance.Its the only hunt that was text book,i heard the distant Gobbler sounding off behind myhouse just before dark on a fri. eve.I slipped back in there and started to call to him he started to Gobble his head off i could tell he was comming fast so stopped calling.It only took about 15 min and i cpould tell he had made it to the edge of the swamp that starts about 30yrds behinde my pasture,where my property line comes to a point next to an old goat pen .Darkness was comming on fast so started yelping agian,and finished it off w/ a series of fly up cackles and wing beats.Each time i did this he would Gobble his fool head off.I thought it might be a jake but i knew where i would hunt Sat. morn.Pretty soon i heard the faint sounds of wings in the distance,so i eased out of there went back to the house got my burlap blind and my decoys and set up at the corner of the fence line hoping it would bring him straight to me.I could hardly sleep that nite ,my wife had been fussing about me hunting so far from home so when i told her i was hutting close by she was pleased but skeptical about my chances.Finaly the alarm sounded and o jumped out of bed...what was that noise?,,,OH NO !!! rain and i dont mean a shower I mean rain hard and fast.Well i knew where that bird was and i knew he wouldnt sit that tree all day so i took my time and ate abig breakfast and waited for dawn.I went out to the barn at first light and shot a few practice arrows,then took off for my blind .I had no sooner sat down when i heard hen calls from the other side of the swamp where the heck did they come from??I shot back some tree yelps and soft cluks and the Tom answered loudly he sounded much older than the nite before a solide long gobble.Just as quick as the hens started they stopped,so i did a fly down and started to call agressivly which sent the big bird to sounding off every few seconds.Then the bottom fell out and for the next hour and a half i heared nothing but thundering rain i was getting soaked,i called to give myself something to do.Finaly the rain slacked off and i stood and streched my back out i thought i would pack it in after another 30 min.or so .I got out my Little Duce slat call and hit three sharp cutts on it .I dont belive i have ever heard a gobble as loud and clear as that one i thought he was in the blind w/ me.I sat down so fast me jaw snapped shut,i popped in a mouth call in and grabbed my bow turning to put my left shoulder to the bird.All was quiet two soft yelps brought another thunderous gobble,my heart leapin my throat at the sound .Then i saw it the white head comming thru the wet underbrush,just over the edge of the swamp ,he marched rite up to the fence then turned rightr a round and walked the other way a soft cluck brought his up that is when he saw the decoys juast 10yds to the left of my hide.He went back to the fence and followed it until he was about 9yds from me,i came to full draw as he walked behind a tree,he turned and came right at me.I though ok jan pick a spot now it is time to shoot,i focused my attention on the top of his beard and the little voice inside my head said shoot!!!The sound abig mech head makes on a dirrect hitw/ a turkey i unforgetable and hard to disribe.my little voice said good hit and sure enough after a short flight thr big tom lay face down in the swamp.I went and picked him up just 29yds away from my blind.I said a prayer of thanks and then started owl hooting like some fool on dope,i was high as a kite.The bird weighed 20lbs 3ozs{after drip drying} w/ an 11in. beard and 1in. spurs.I got a Trophy certificate for him at the big game show that year.When you put one to bed and wake him up then take him home in your orange bag ,man that just cant be beatJMF | ||
| turkeypicker |
Good question Freddy! I have too many stories to pick just one. I think calling a gobbler is sort of like courting a girl (although I'm getting too old to know about all of that). You have to get a feel for what each bird is doing and what appeals to him, then go with that gut instinct. Some like it fast...some will only have it slow. My experience tells me that if you are uncertain about what the bird wants, err on the slow approach. You'll know it when you find a bird that likes it hot...man those are the fun ones. It took me years and many successful and unsuccessful hunts to get good at calling birds, and to this day I am made a fool of more often than not, by the turkeys of course (My wife has had me trained for years)! The challenge and diversity of the hunt (no two birds doing the same thing) is why working turkeys is so much fun to me. If each hunt were the same every time, it would get old fast. I think some of my best and most memorable hunts were ones where I didn't get the bird too. My son and I chased one bird that we appropriately named "Houdini". Houdini is a legend now with us. Never heard a bird gobble so much that I didn't kill. Man this room gets me fired up....can almost hear those cardinals singing now. |