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Could use turkey advice

Rossignol

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I need some thoughts sealing the fate of the turkeys.

I can go out without having heard any the night before or in the morning and call and get them to respond and even come towards me, in some cases very close. I called for about half an hour this morning and had one come on to the property and begin calling back only for a small flock to take flight and leave before any of us saw each other. Sometimes they get within sight but keep moving. I'm not using a decoy right now though. I've had the area all around light up with birds responding to my calls, but they aren't coming in.

Any thoughts? Is this just turkey hunting? I'm still a complete turkey hunting noob but have come a long way with calling at least just by mimicking their responses. Just wondering what I may be missing.
 
Sometimes they do that.
But just a couple of questions...
Are you wearing sunglasses? Take em off.
Are you well camod?
Do you move or fidget while calling? Less movement...they have great vision...
Why no decoy? Need at least one...so they see who they are responding to. It's not required but it helps...
Are you over calling? Less is more sometimes...
 
Rarely wearing glasses, but so far not yet this season. Last season yes, and had a hen walk all around the blind to see where the calls were coming from.

Allison is covered in head to toe in camo. I recently tried something different based on the recommendation of my neighbor. I leave the windows open in the blind and its just always black inside so I've been wearing black.

When Allison and I are together, I sit back and sit low. The only movement is from my hands while she is on the gun. So far this season, one turkey was moving through too fast for me to put the call down and switch to the gun. This morning, they were in the area but not close enough to see us, before they flew off. So, in cases they've been close, like the hen I mentioned above, we've not been seen. But they haven't been close enough to tell this season.

I'm not using a decoy for now. I believe if I were, they may have a reason to pause. I think with our property, it's a place to move through and not really a rest stop.

I call based on what they're doing. If they start making a bunch of noise, I keep up with them. I saw a hen a few weeks ago. She crossed from a couple or few properties over. She was yelping all the way while a group on the other side of the creek were making all kinds of noise. So I matched what was going on. Typically in the am, I use a couple yelps and clucks to see if I hear anything else. I just do as much or as little as they are. This morning though I called quite a bit. They weren't on my property this morning, I didn't hear them fly down, but I called the way I've heard them start in the morning after they get moving and they showed up right before flying away. I'm not certain something didn't spook them this morning.

I hope that helps, definitely interested in thoughts based on my answers! Thanks Mr. RipJack!
 
What are you using for a call? Box, pot, or wingbone?
 
Oh, the one day that the hen circled our blind, I was wearing glasses.

Allison took a photo that day;

image.jpg
 
Pre-season scouting is important. By walking ridge tops and egress lanes in areas populated by turkeys, and then stopping to give an occasional hen a call, owl hoot or gobble, plus doing a lot of listening, you should be able to locate some gobblers. While in the woods, look for turkey signs such as scratching in leaves, droppings, tracks or even feathers. Once the gobblers are located, it is best if you can determine their roosting areas. The most productive times to be afield listening for gobblers are early morning just prior to sunrise and again just before sunset. The gobbler is generally the most vocal at these times as he lets local hens know where he is.

Pick a spot with a good field of vision and put your camo'd self against a tree wider than your shoulders and higher than your head ( or a blind )...and don't move around alot . Turkeys are very situation aware, and have good eyesight and hearing...call once in awhile and let them answer ( this is a shock gobble )...don't call again until they gobble again and seem to get closer. If on public land, be aware that any sound you here could be another hunter. If on your own posted land...listen and call but not so much as to confuse or scare them....just enough to keep them walking in...be patient.

As far as equipment...I'm sure you have that covered.

Good Luck Brother...!!
 
Ive never ben able to call a bird in during the fall season. In the sprkng when they are.getting busy and are.more vocal yes, but not in tbe fall. Only ones i se are just passers buy. So far I've never filled a fall tag despite having trail cams full of pictures.

Id bunting open areas a x decoy is a must. They need to be able to see wat they know is there. In heavier woods you can more easily hunt without as tbey need to get closer to scope it out.

Be as ready as you can to make the shot before calling. They can see a minute hand move on a clock, you will have a hard time defeating tbeir eyes and the rest of the flocks. Pop up blinds are miracles for this. Turkeys are not adverse to them like deer. My vest also has a strap on the sjoulder to bold the but of the gun so its held up whkle i call.
 
Michigan Toms and Jakes are tough...ask anyone from Detroit !! :cool:
 
Ive never ben able to call a bird in during the fall season...

So far this season, they're answering and coming closer, but that brings me to your next point.

Only ones i se are just passers buy.

Same here.

In heavier woods you can more easily hunt without as tbey need to get closer to scope it out.

That's what I've been counting on too as that's my scenery, but I'm wondering if a decoy wouldn't give them pause especially given the above, that they seem just to be moving through.

Be as ready as you can to make the shot before calling. They can see a minute hand move on a clock, you will have a hard time defeating tbeir eyes and the rest of the flocks. Pop up blinds are miracles for this. Turkeys are not adverse to them like deer. My vest also has a strap on the sjoulder to bold the but of the gun so its held up whkle i call.

That's what I'm having a hard time with and ultimately why I didn't take the shot a couple weeks ago. The bird was calling back the entire time it moved through from one property, across mine, and eventually to the rest of the flock on another property. I wish my daughter had been with me that time. She hasn't missed a morning since! We use a blind, and as I described above, I leave it open all the time. I could maybe one day invest in one of those vests!
 
You could easily make a sling similar to my vest. Its just a loop snapped to the shoulder.

Calls that can be activated with one hand and or attach to the gun work good when birds are close. Im no expert with a mouth call but its easy to learn clucks and purrs to seal the deal.

Back to decoys, yes it may pull a passer buy but if the woods are that thick how far will it be seen? Decoys are a judgement call ive been foiled by them a lot. I can expand but my info is more spring season specific.
 
Exactly John....which is why I said to Brad to do roost surveillance as a way to decide where to put his blind...( at least 75 yards away from it ).

The most productive times to be afield listening for gobblers are early morning just prior to sunrise and again just before sunset. The Tom is generally the most vocal at these times as he lets local hens know where he is.
 
To the point of scouting, I don't do much scouting.

I don't leave my property. Much. I've crossed, property lines to look around a little, found feathers, and a couple places they've scratched.

The toms aren't gobbling at all right now. Maybe it's a fall season thing? I don't really go looking to find where they roost. I know they roost in and around the area, sometimes close to my property. At best I'll hear a yelp in the evening or early morning before they fly down for the day.

The biggest thing is getting them to stop and hang out for awhile.
 
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