Tried my Ol' Betsy yesterday, on live birds

[ronmc1954]

Well went out scouting yesterday and saw quite a few birds grouped together feeding. I thought I would try my slate call on 6 birds about 50 yards away. Keep in mine this is my first turkey season and my first time using a call. I have been practicing with the call and I thought it was starting to sound pretty good (for a beginner).
Well here's what happened: Saw the birds in a corn field as I was driving down the road so I pulled over and stuck the call out the window just to see their reaction. No camo, out in the open and sitting in my IH Scout with the window down. I did not expect them to come running to me LOL but they all took off like a bat out of h_ll. Not quite what I expected.
So I guess that was a little discouraging but I did see quite a few birda all together and there were some big old toms in the bunch so that was exciting.
I guess I am just rambling, sorry.

Ron

[TeocTom]

Ron,
You may want to try to resist the urge (I know it is hard) to call to the birds right now while you are scouting. Try to focus more on patterning the birds and where they are hanging around. You can get those birds spooked well before season starts and that will decrease your odds of success. Nothing wrong with trying out the old call, but try to focus more on what they are doing [;)]

[1Morgan]

I agree with Eric. If these are not the birds you will be hunting, then no big deal. If they are "your" birds, you are teaching them your calling sounds and associating those sounds with your truck and you. They are running now and may do the same when you are leaned up against a tree. Be careful and have fun.

[ronmc1954]

Thanks guys I know what your saying about spooking, I know I should not have done it and I will not do it again until season start up. I had the call with me thinking it might help locate some birds and they are "my" birds. I just did not expect them to bolt the way they did.
I did talk to my brother in law who lives on the place and he pointed to a hollow with a couple of roost trees I should keep an eye on. I did see another bunch that had a few REALLY nice toms in it they were a long way off but glassing them I saw some nice longbeards!!!

Thanks for the advice
Ron

[TeocTom]

Now that you know where they are roosting you are ahead of the game!
Keeping up with any changes from now to opening day will help out tremendously.

Now that you know where they are, you can go early one morning and get close enough where you can watch them in action. No calls, just listening and watching. You can observe their sounds and behaviour on a one on one basis, which is the best teacher you will get.

Keep at em!

[mark hay]

Ron , do you think they ran from you because your calling was off key or you implied the wrong thing to them . I doubt it very much .
 
 I think those same turkeys are familiar with the traffic . Their familiarity with the traffic over time has become a daily or maybe a weekly experience without pressure . We don't really know just how many trucks stop where you did to watch or even call to the birds , now do we ?
 
 Step over here a moment .
 You or I could go out into a favorite feeding ground dressed in blue jeans and red plaid shirt . Find a good seat and sit down . Become very still and remain motionless and quiet . We may have to sit there a week or 10 days but those turkeys will be along . Sure they'll look you over but as long as you don't move or make any turkey sounds from your calls they will not spook . Over and over we read a story from deer hunters that were sitting in their stand and along comes a flock of turkeys and the turkeys paid no attention to the blaze orange blob in the tree . Now had this or probably most , if not all deer hunters that experience this would ease out a call and make a few yelps or such , I'd bet that those turkeys would leave in a hurry .
 They see things very well . And grow accustom to some things like autos . But when a turkey sound comes from that auto ,,or tree stand ,,,or red plaid shirt , what do they see ?,,,not a turkey . This is why it is best to blend in with your surroundings when hunting , and make no calls when the turkey can see your position .
 
 Many times my wife and I would be way off in the hills driving in places unseen by our eyes before that day . Eventually we'd spot a turkey somewhere . One particular bird comes to mind as I write this . A hen was feeding alone at around 250 yards from the road . I pulled over and shut off the engine . We sat there glassing the ol' girl for quite  a while without her showing any concern at all. Then I put in a mouthcall and made one series of keekee's . She stopped , looked our way for not quite one second and took to running hard ,,,,,away from us .
 This goes along with that other thread about how well turkeys see and hear . If they hear it , they know where to look .

[ronmc1954]

Many times my wife and I would be way off in the hills driving in places unseen by our eyes before that day . Eventually we'd spot a turkey somewhere . One particular bird comes to mind as I write this . A hen was feeding alone at around 250 yards from the road . I pulled over and shut off the engine . We sat there glassing the ol' girl for quite a while without her showing any concern at all. Then I put in a mouthcall and made one series of keekee's . She stopped , looked our way for not quite one second and took to running hard ,,,,,away from us .
This goes along with that other thread about how well turkeys see and hear . If they hear it , they know where to look .

Very well put Mark, that's pretty much what happened to me. The same area during deer season I was sitting against an old bare tree stump and about 10 turkeys milled around me for about 15 min. So what your saying is right on with what I have experianced so far. Makes a lot of sense!!
Thanks Mark and TeocTom for the advice.
Ron

[shaman]

Mark, I  agree with everything you said, except for the part about hunter orange up a tree.
 
Lordy!  My birds go nuts when they see my orange poncho when I'm up a tree in the Fall.  Yikes!  Sometimes its downright hilarious.
 
Mind you, they don't necessarily run off, but it makes them do strange things.
 

[mark hay]

True enough William . It just re-emphasizes the fact that there is always an exception to the general rule concerning turkeys . I can't think of ''WORDBIRDS'' signature ,,,it says it better than I do.

[cyclone]

It was probably the Scout that sent them a runnin...[:D]

Goodness, I haven't seen one on the road in decades! Had 5 altogether throughout the younger years, 60, 69, 70, 71 and 77 for the final one..

Oh the memories...[;)]