Not sure if I'm doing the whole turkey hunting thing right and figure that y'all could help. I'm trying to teach myself by reading and spending time in the woods. Right now I try to get out to an area with a little sign a 1/2 hr. before sun up. I slowly walk along making calls hoping to hear a gobble. If I hear one I set up my decoys and sit 20 or so yards back against a tree out of the line of sight that I expect they will come from. Only had a few times that I've actually needed to set up so far. I had 1 coming to me last year but another hunter was between us and got him before he got to me. Good thing was that he said he thought he lucked out and got between a hen and gobbler and that my calls sounded good.
I've been reading on this and other forums and it seems to me that most people just go to an area with sign or known roost spots, set up decoys, make some calls here and there and wait for a bird to show up. I really enjoy the walking but would like to get my 1st bird though. Where I've been hunting in Big Cypress there is not a lot of sign but I do know of atleast 3 spots that always seem to have fresh tracks. I'm gonna go out tomorrow morning and am thinking about just setting up at 1 of those spots before sun up. My thinking is that I'll try it and if I don't see anything by 9 I'll go farther back to another spot till 1. I've never heard any birds in these spots but seem to always see fresh tracks in these areas all year long.
I really can't try to roost them the night before cause the closest spot is about a 1/2hr ride back and the furthest is about an hour back to the truck. Then it's 1 1/2 hr ride back to the house. Then to get out of the house in the morning by 3 makes it a really tiring weekend.
Am I doing it all wrong or should I go ahead with this game plan and see how it works? On my lease I know of 4 roosting spots and am hoping I'll have good luck there. At least I can try to roost them the night before there and hope for the best in the morning. Any advice I can get is appreciated. Thanks guys.
Best thing you can do is what your doing. I'm not a great turkey hunter but have called a few in. Last time I hunted in Richloam one morning I had a guy stalk up on my decoy,and another time I called a guy up to me.It gets frustrating, I try and stay away from public land or at least go during the week.
Dony,
I like to park my butt down right at first light, and call about every 15 minutes or so. I usually do not get up for at least an hour and half to 2 hours. Then I get up and cover some ground. Ill walk 50-75 yards and call. I always make sure I have a big tree or some bushes to get down into very close when I stop and make a call
Most of my bigger birds I have killed on WMA's have snuck in silent. If you are walking and calling (and they are not gobbling), then you never really know if they are there or not. I think we call in many more birds than we actually see, because they are silent and see us first
You're going about it just fine. Couple things I would suggest, when you think you've sat long enough, wait 20 more minutes. When that 20 minutes is up, give it 15 more... then get up and move. And if you've been calling and getting no response, get aggressive. Sometimes, the louder and more high frequency you call, the more likely you are to get a shock gobble and raise his interests.
I just got back in from scouting some public land. I was there for fly down and had 3 birds gobbling in different directions. One was within 100 yards of my first sit. Called him up in 20 minutes. The other two went away from me. I got up and walked a ways down the road and got another 2 gobblers to fire off. Called in a hen with a gobbler in tow. A little later as it started to warm up, the birds were moving and bugging but not talking. I made a big loop and came back to where I had heard another bird and called soft with no response. I called again and no response. I went into a very aggresive cut/yelp sequence and he gobbled his head off for 5 minutes straight. He came in 40 minutes later, spitting and drumming but never again gobbled. The best part... he came in through knee deep water from about 200 yards.
The birds are anxious to get cranked up. Be patient, stay after it and hunt the gobble. By that I mean when you hear him, try to cut your distance down as quick as possible and then call again. If he answers, set up and shut up. He knows right where you are. If he doesn't answer, start soft and get louder and more excited. When he finally answers, if he gobbled several times, he's usually coming. If it's a one and done gobble, chances are he's telling you, "Well girl, I'm here! Come and getcha some if you're serious. But I ain't chasin tail, woman."
When that happens, back out, move down a ways and reset. Start to call again and see if he responds. If he does, just be patient, stick with him and keep working him. You either get him fired up, or you go home and chase him another day.
Good luck!
Final Approach & Duck Junkies Pro-Staff
Shoot em in the lips, boys!
Thanks for the help guys. I feel much better about how I've been going about it. I'm gonna try to sit in a spot in the morning where I've seen some fresh tracks for a few hours and then go back to the same walking and calling thing. I know that the area I'm hunting is not the best but it has a lot less pressure than some of the other WMA's from what I've been reading. Thanks again and hopefully I'll be able to update with a happy ending. :toast
