Need a Trad Gang Turkey Tutorial

[Missouri CK]

Missouri Turkey season wrapped up this weekend and I am seasoning my tag soup again this year. Still had lots of fun but I'm starting to think I need some help.

So in an effort to learn a little more and to get some others input I would like to pose some questions to all you turkey hunters out here.

For some background info I'll explain my situations. Every time I set up this season I had birds gobbling within 150 yards or less.  Twice the birds were close enough I saw them fly out of the tree. In all of these encounters the birds appeared unspooked. My blind was already set up in all but one situation and so sounds were minimal. Nothing flew while I was getting into my setups and I had lots of gobbling on the roost. In only one of my encounters did I hear/see any hens (she flew into my set up but gobbler flew past and stayed away). I think I was predominately dealing with a lone gobbler or groups of gobblers.  All of the above encounters the gobbler either flew off away from me or hopped down and moved away.  I tried to keep my calling under 4-5 soft yelping series or purrs.  Nothing aggressive and I certainly didn't answer the gobbler every time he sounded off. I used a jake deke once with the hen the first week and after that only a hen. I tried a B mobile/gobbler set up last year and had birds enter the strutting area and then bug out as if they were scared so I haven't tried that again.

What do you guys do with gobblers who appear interested and gobble excessively (45 mins to 1 1/2 hours) on the roost but consistently refuse to come into a strutting area they typically use?

How close is too close?  Am I getting too close to these birds and spooking them even though they continue to gobble and answer calls after day break?

When dealing with call shy birds has anyone tried a radical option like scattering the birds off the roost at dusk in a similar fashion to fall turkey hunting?

I've heard some people say to just put the dekes out and shut up if you know it’s an area turkeys frequent. Anyone tried not calling at all?  

Feel free to answer my questions or just give your thoughts on ways to be a better trad bow turkey hunter.  

Thanks.

Chris

[Overspined]

I am dealing with similar turkeys. I don't call until they fly down. That helps. I have typically had near zero luck with decoys unless the hens drag the toms in. Even the hens are decoy shy for me lately. I was just setting up on the perimeter of the strutting zone and had good luck, birds just out of range several times. Dad got one w/ shotgun doing that with me. I can't think of a time I had a tom come right into the decoy without a hen in the lead. NOT 1 in almost 20 yrs of hunting them now. Usually I have the most luck not using a decoy and they have to look for you. I find even my pop up blind scares the turkeys I hunt here in Michigan too. Only again if the hens lead will the toms follow. This year I just sat on a very slightly elevated seat in some cover on the edge of the strut zone with no decoys and I don't call until they either chose another area and I might get them back, or just a little yelping every 1/2 hr to get them in looking. Seems to be working better than a blind and decoys. I was asking for help too as I have very decoy and blind shy birds. Frustrating isn't it!!!

[Friend]

For call shy, decoy shy and blind shy birds for the serious , I mean serious hunter. The following has tripled my shot opportunities.

1. Access where the birds normally want to go in the 1st place. Not where they go when trying to avoid your calling, dekes and blind.

2. Brush in blind totally. Only the shooting window ports should be visible. Your blind should be difficult for a hunter to pick out.

3. Leave dekes at home.

4. Light tree call or fly down cackle. Three to four note yelp once he its the ground. No more calling for two hours. Call once every 2 hrs. If you called more than four times by 11:00 then you most likely have called too much.

Everyone, including myself, wants to have the birds work like on TV and videos. I will try different methods to employ dekes. However, when I am betting on a set-up, the dekes stay home along with my aresenal of calls. I will force myself to bring only one call. Patience, confidence and past experience help tremendously in executing this strategy.

[Whip]

I've been dealing with the same kind of things lately.  I've hunted turkeys for years, and in the past had great success with decoys, calling, and blinds.  The past 5 years or so are a complete reversal.  It is now rare to hear a bird gobble after he leaves the roost tree in the morning.  I've had birds come on their own into the field, and upon spotting the decoys or blind (or both) turn and walk the opposite direction.  
It has gotten to the point where turkey hunting has become more of an ambush situation just trying to be where you think they might walk by.  Certainly not nearly as much fun as turkey hunting used to be.  Sitting in a brushed in blind for hours on end without calling, no decoys, and never hearing a gobble is some of the most boring hunting I do.

[Mudd]

I wish I had some sage advice for you but seeing how my tags went into the soup pot too, I'll just read along...lol

God bless,Mudd

[wapiti792]

I too have been dealing with birds like that in Kentucky...call shy, non-ground gobbling suckers that seem to walk away if I call to them. I found my answer the other day when I watched a silent hen hit the ground and walk away from my call dragging a gobbling bird with her. I figure between the quiet hens and the fact that I believe predators come to gobbling turkies (human and other wise)it takes the right hot bird with no hens to even get in the game.

In Illinois I have found the opposite. I don't know what it is. A DNA thing or perhaps they haven't learned that a gobbling turkey is going to be a dead turkey or what. Also, both birds killed with "another weapon" were killed when a hen came to me cutting and helping to my call, dragging the puffed up birds with her. I missed 2 birds with my longbow this year in IL after they came into my setup being very vocal.

I am interested to hear what others do with these tough birds. It was a tough year: henned up birds, other hunters, and mmmmmissses  

[Charlie Lamb]

I think we should all just pick a central location to meet and invite Curt Cabrera. When he gets there we jump him and beat the snot out of him....smartass!!
   

I've been hunting turkeys in Missouri since back in the sixties. It's never been easy, but easy is not really what I want.
I just want half a chance to have one come in. My calling, my blind, my decoys and my best efforts have all been ignored for the most part and it's getting old.

[Bowmania]

Every year that I get a bird, I think I have it figured out for the next year.  Never works the following year, so disregard the following!!!!

Most of what I've read suggest a male decoy - tom or jake.  This year I hunted 3 days of our 5 day season with a tom or jake.  Used a two hens on the last two days and got a 25 pounder on the 5th day.  I was in a blind - no brushing (had brushed the heck out of it for the first 3 days) and had one hen out at 3 yards (moveable hen up and down, l and r) plus a submissive (Pretty Girl) hen at 5 yards.  Bird came in to the submissive hen - shot at 5 yds.

Bowmania

[Bowmania]

I should probably add that the 5th day was rainy and windy, real windy.  I didn't hear a gobble all AM.  The last time I called was a lull in the wind at around 7 - 7:30, killed bird at 9:25 AM.

Bowmania

[Spurs]

I will give you some thoughts on my first trad season.  I finally killed a bird.  I am a veteran turkey hunter.  I have been hunting turkeys since I can remember.  Killing a bird with a bow takes a totally different approach.
Patience, Patience, Patience.  

I sort of use the same theory that I do when I am shotgunning, but being stationary makes the archery a whole lot easier.  I am not saying that you can't run and bow, but I struck out more doing this than stopping, taking a deep breath, and devising a plan.

The bird that you mention is all too common with Eastern species.  The are honory creatures.

You seem to have the right idea by setting up on the strut zone.  I take a similar approach with a bow.  I use a three and out method.  

1.  Try decoys.  I have learned from guys on this board that the more realistic the better.  This is definately the best advise.  I have spooked several birds with a strutter.  I would use no more than a jake and hen to start.  If he doesn't like the jake try a hen only.  Try fighting purrs with the jake.

2.  If he is gobbling crazily on the roost and no hens are talking, try and cut his gobble witha yelp a couple times.  This is the only time that I would advise calling to a turkey on the roost.  If he doesn't fly your direction or start meandering your way.  Don't try this again.

3.  If he is consitantly flying down under his tree or to the right or left, then it is time to start thinking of a new position without decoys.

I like to take a gobblers temp with these methods before I move.  The key is patience.  It may take 3 trys before you move, but this will give you an idea of how to devise your next plan.  Remember that if you have time to hunt all day that if the gobbler answers you at any point, he knows you are there, and will not forget your location.  He will more than likely drop by at some point that day.  It could be immeadiately or it could be noon or later.  It all depends on how many hens that he has at his disposal.  This is where extreme patience comes in.  It is unfortunate for a working man that turkeys can't tell time. Lol.!

These are just some opinions and methods that have worked for me.  I used these methods this season by hunting from a blind.  I had many encounters with the birds just out of range, but hey that is bowhunting.  Good luck, and hope this helps.

[Whip]

I have tried a strutting gobbler decoy, strutting jake decoy, non-strutting jake, all on numerous occasions. - have never, NOT ONCE, had a gobbler come within shooting range of one of those decoys during the past five years.

All of this hunting has taken place on the same piece of property that used to produce great results to decoys, blinds, and calling. At one time it was typical that gobblers would strut around in the fields and gobble for a good couple of hours after hitting the ground. If you didn't hav e action in the initial set up there would be time to move in on a vocal bird.

That has drastically changed, and my only guess is that it is a some type of learned response. The strange thing is that this year I even drew a tag for the first season here so the birds had not been hunted, yet still acted the same way. Maybe the neighbors are out calling to them before season even starts?  I just don't know. But what used to be an exciting hunt has gotten to be long hours of boredom. Still a nice time of year to be in the woods, but no way could I say that it is exciting.

[Missouri CK]

Whip,

Glad to see I'm not the only one with this issue.  I had success with calling birds up until about 4 years ago when it started getting a lot harder.  I used to always be able to call one up in the late morning.  The would come in silent often but one time I had over 10 jakes come in at one time.  Now the late morning is just nature viewing.  

Any body try the scattering trick?

Other than that I guess the issue is just relocating to a different hunting location where the birds act different.

Spurs,

Next year I'll try your idea of not calling at the strut zone and see if they come in on their own.  The land owner saw them at my spot several mornings during the week while I wasn't hunting so they were using the area. Just seems wierd to not answer the gobbler at all during the daybreak time frame.  Takes a lot of patience to just hope he comes in on his own.

[LCH]

I had turkeys all around me this season gobbling strutting ect. I made several blinds and hunted out of my double bull. I have plastic decoys Strutting gobler w/ real tail feathers and hens.

These decoys in my opinion are mainly for gun hunters. I don't think I will use them anymore while hunting with a longbow. I need the turkey within 20 yards unalarmed to kill him.

The best medicine all things being equal is a real mounted bird. My friend hunted the same places 3 times with plastic decoys and no oportunities w/ a compound and double bull blind. He went 3 more times with a friends (who was tagged out 2 birds w/ compound)mounted hen and jake decoys. He killed a mature tom the first 2 times out, the third time he took a kid w/ a gun and had to shoot the gobbler off the jake decoy.

He called only 1 to 2 times when the birds saw the decoys they came straight to them and payed no attention to the blind. They do the same thing to the plastic ones but usually stop short of committing and leave.

Just what I observed this season. I could have killed at least 5 gobblers with a compound this season but none came closer than 30 yards in the open for a shot. LCH

[Gatekeeper]

Good Thread, Chris    

 

Originally posted by Whip:
 Certainly not nearly as much fun as turkey hunting used to be.  Sitting in a brushed in blind for hours on end without calling, no decoys, and never hearing a gobble is some of the most boring hunting I do.

Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:

I've been hunting turkeys in Missouri since back in the sixties. It's never been easy, but easy is not really what I want.
I just want half a chance to have one come in. My calling, my blind, my decoys and my best efforts have all been ignored for the most part and it's getting old.

WOW! Thanks guys.

I thought it was just me. I didn’t even bother going out this year. It seems all I do is wind up sitting frustrated and bored in a blind waiting for a bird that never shows.    I have hunted spring turkey for only four years and I have NEVER had a turkey come in to my calling or my setup. I’ve heard them around me but have never had a visual while hunting them. This year I said screw it I have other things to do.

Like you wrote Charlie, if only a bird would come in and giving me some hope I would be hooked and it would give me an opportunity to study the animal and try to learn from him. As it stands, I like hunting them in the fall a lot more...less restrictions and more hunting time.

drastic measures;  go around to the far side of where your hunting, call loud and lousy, make plenty of noise, then sneak out and around to your blind and wait paitiently.. im guessing the hens seen you and were taking the boys the other way.  the hens wouldnt be roosting they were on nests.

[Don Stokes]

I think predators help to make the gobblers act like this. Free-ranging dogs and coyotes will definitely come to gobbling. Add hunters to the picture, and it's no wonder the gobblers get suspicious or die.

I took my Missouri bird this year after sitting in my blind for more than three hours, calling only occasionally after fly-down. I used a single hen decoy.

[Friend]

One tactic that my hunting buddies & I employ at times has proven to be very effective. Example.. If birds are using two corners of one end of the field, we place a blind out in the open of one corner and go to the extreme in brushing the blind ,which we plan to hunt, in the other corner. The birds will skirt the dummy set-up and move to the other corner. So far no birds have walked past the dummy set-up and made us feel like dummies. This set-up has doubled our odds for a shot opportunity.

[Friend]

I also use decoys in a similar manner as the dummy blind set-up to push birds vs using decoys to attrack birds.

[Gehrke145]

I never had birds shy from the blind.  Decoys once in a while but not much.  I've had the same luck with our mountains birds, easterns, and rio's.  If I have birds shy from the deks I just pull them and leave them in the truck.  With hen'd up gobblers I've had great luck with a big strutter pulling in the hens with the goggler bringing up the rear?  I don't really worry to much if they dont gobble on the ground or in the tree.  The birds I hunt in WI never seem to gobble.  That being said I spend alot of time behind good glass watching were they move.

[maineac]

I don't know.  I have been trying with a bow for just two seasons now.  Took a jake last year.  I have built close to twenty ground blinds in areas I have traditionally found birds in years past when shotgun hunting.  This has been a strange year with the early green up.  either our birds are gobbling sporadically, or moving around and using different roost sites. Had birds pulled away by a real hen on one encounter.  she might have known I was there but I have had hens pull gobblers away more often than bring them in, like they wanted to keep them from the hen I was pretending to be.  Had one coming to the decoys, but he cut to close to the blind and spotted me when I made eye contact (don't look them in the eye!) at 6 yards before he entered a shooting lane.  I took one with a shotgun one morning on the way to work when I spotted it strutting and made a set up a couple of hundred yards away leaning against a wide open oak trunk.  He came in on a string.  Couldn't have pulled it off that quick with a bow because I couldn't have found enough cover, or maybe I could have.  This bird wanted a hen and left one to come to a couple of yelps.  Sometimes it is just finding the right bird at the right time after hours of playing with the wrong birds.