GRR! need some help guys!

[chris1221]

thats some really good advice mark, ive really underestimated a turkeys hearing.  like deano, this is only my second season seriously hunting turkey.  in my first season, on my 4th hunt, i killed a tom with an 11 inch beard and 1 1/4 spurs.  killing that bird was great, but i believe it also led me to fall into some beginners arrogance.  that bird came in so easily it was like he wanted to die haha.  i let all of the hunting fundamentals go by the wayside and figured if i could call that bird in, then i could call any bird in haha.  i went hunting this morning with no luck, but then again i never heard the first gobble.  when i hit the woods in the morning, im gonna park a little further away, go a little earlier and walk a little slower to try and get in to my spot un-noticed.  im hoping i can seal the deal tomorrow, because i may only have one or two more chances to get out in the morning before the season closes, which is may 16 here in east TN.  thanks for your wisdom

[DeanoZ]

In this instance I will not call until I am comfortable about there location and mine , or if I have heard another hunter in the nearby area .

Ok Mark, so what I'm reading is you don't do any cold calling?  You'll only call if you know birds are in the area?  In my case I don't always have time to scout..certainly not more than once or twice...and I've only roosted a bird once.  Yet this evening I saw them in the privately owned field across from the public land, just before sunset and headed for the treeline where I'm certain they would roost.  I can't see or hear them flydown so in my case i tended to begin my calling shortly after or at Sunrise, figuring they have flown down by then.  I guess my question is, if I don't know where they are at, is it wrong to call?  Do i sit and wait to hear a gobble before i make the first call?  And what if that goes on for a few hours, its 9am and I have not heard a single sound...do I go to another location and wait to hear something...or call?

[dam3391]

Being a VT hunter and being out this weekend, something just isn't right with the birds...  There are some pockets on UN-PRESSURED land that were hot from what I hear.  My experience was that the birds were all messed up, which I expected.  The weather has been unseasonably warm up here and everything is about two to three weeks ahead of schedule.

I didn't get much response to calling either.  Had a young 2 year old come in silent then light up about 100 yards from my position.  He only gobbled 4 times and circled very weary.  It was a complete rat race on public land up here this weekend.  Idiots are very frustrating...

[mark hay]

ORIGINAL: DeanoZ

In this instance I will not call until I am comfortable about there location and mine , or if I have heard another hunter in the nearby area .

Ok Mark, so what I'm reading is you don't do any cold calling?  You'll only call if you know birds are in the area?  In my case I don't always have time to scout..certainly not more than once or twice...and I've only roosted a bird once.  Yet this evening I saw them in the privately owned field across from the public land, just before sunset and headed for the treeline where I'm certain they would roost.  I can't see or hear them flydown so in my case i tended to begin my calling shortly after or at Sunrise, figuring they have flown down by then.  I guess my question is, if I don't know where they are at, is it wrong to call?  Do i sit and wait to hear a gobble before i make the first call?  And what if that goes on for a few hours, its 9am and I have not heard a single sound...do I go to another location and wait to hear something...or call?

 
If I hear a bird ,,whether it is on the roost or at 11:00 , I will be careful with my calls . I mean careful because of where I'm hunting . They are sensitive to overcalling and foreign sounds of any type . Even if it is a roosted bird before sun up , and he only gobbles once , I'll be very soft and subtle and stingy with my calls . Just loud enough for him to hear it .
 
 But , if pitch out time has passed , and I have heard nothing , I'll move from time to time calling like a moving hen that's looking or feeding . Scratchin' and purrin' , with an occasional cluck , whine or very ,very faint yelps .
 
 I haven't always had the mind set to be sensitive and soft with the calls . I have so far this season maintained a consistent calling pattern of soft and few . Three to 5 soft yelps . Later a series of soft clucks and purrs , or maybe some whines . Then after a few moments some loud leaf scratching and a soft purr .
 Cold calling ,like so many other things about turkey hunting , works ,,,,,,,just not every time . But we have to try if we are to learn ,,,and enough time spent in the spring or fall woods cold calling will at some point strike a bird that will at the least talk back.
 
 I can't tell you how many times I have yelped as I moved around . Then one day ,,in the same general area , a gobbler responds . Is he a new comer to that area or has he been ignoring me before ,,,or have I unknowingly spooked him with my movement , and he was safely far enough away that there was no need to PUTT! He simply ran off .I don't care as long as I get a chance to work him with the CALL.
 
 I returned to work today . I work with a young man who I have been trying to teach what I know about the birds and the calls and set up . He's a better student than I am a teacher .
 My last day of work , was the day before youth season . I cornered Chad before I left that day . I told him ,,,,'' KEEP IT SOFT ,,,DON'T OVER CALL,,,MIX IT UP ''.
 I was absolutely thrilled to find out today that he worked three of those high pressured birds on the same public land where I hunt, in two days  . Something always went wrong ,,,,,,but he worked the birds . He told me today how he would lightly do this ,,change calls and softly do that . And the birds responded . And they were moving around , from spot to spot ,,,cold calling softly .
 
If your birds are consistently roosting on private ground , can you get to a concealed spot to call from that will allow them to hear you ?  If so , after his hens stop coming to him he'll be more willing to come visit you . Call to him on the roost . Call to him after he hits the ground .Even if he is 500 yards away . Time means nothing to a turkey . He just might walk to you ,,might even fly! Stay alert ,,,he just might sneak in ,,,if he comes gobbling ,,that's all the better .
 
You may need to do some scouting while you are hunting ,,in another part of your hunting area . I like to have back up birds . If this one gets spooked or I flat out screw it up ,,,I go across the area to a different bird .

[WIHunter13]

Hey VT. Maybe if they aren't responding to the "hen talk", toss a fighting purr in there and see if you can switch their mindset. I know every situation is different but I was having the same problem you had last week. We followed two birds in some thick cover while we walked alongside them down a marshy path for more than a half mile. I threw everything I had with me at them and they gobbled every time but never committed or came out into the open until I used the fighting purr. As soon as I did that both of them ran out of the woods looking for the fight. Unfortunately they came in TOO fast and the guys I was calling for weren't ready to shoot. I just always keep that in the back of mind when yelping and hen talk doesn't seem to do the trick. Hope your problem gets fixed, GOODLUCK!  

[chris1221]

well i went hunting this morning- in the pouring rain- and wasnt suprised that i didnt hear any gobbleing.  so i sat still, sent 3 soft yelps and a few clucks out and then put my call away.  i sat for about an hour and a half but then my impatients got the best of me and i decided to get out and go to another property.  i walked out of the private land i was hunting talking on my cell phone and hustleing to get out of the rain. when i got back to my truck which was about a half mile away across a wide open field, i looked back across the field and proceeded to watch a hen followed by the gobbler ive spent the last week hunting casually walk about 300 yards RIGHT INTO MY SETUP!  needless to say i was sick to my stomach haha.  i stalked around and setup on them but it was too late. they flew across the river to another property and i never got a shot.  but im now a believer that less is better when it comes to calling.  now if i can keep that stupid voice that tells me to move out of my head i might be in business

[DeanoZ]

ORIGINAL: mark hay

If I hear a bird ,,whether it is on the roost or at 11:00 , I will be careful with my calls . I mean careful because of where I'm hunting . They are sensitive to overcalling and foreign sounds of any type . Even if it is a roosted bird before sun up , and he only gobbles once , I'll be very soft and subtle and stingy with my calls . Just loud enough for him to hear it .

But , if pitch out time has passed , and I have heard nothing , I'll move from time to time calling like a moving hen that's looking or feeding . Scratchin' and purrin' , with an occasional cluck , whine or very ,very faint yelps .

I haven't always had the mind set to be sensitive and soft with the calls . I have so far this season maintained a consistent calling pattern of soft and few . Three to 5 soft yelps . Later a series of soft clucks and purrs , or maybe some whines . Then after a few moments some loud leaf scratching and a soft purr .
Cold calling ,like so many other things about turkey hunting , works ,,,,,,,just not every time . But we have to try if we are to learn ,,,and enough time spent in the spring or fall woods cold calling will at some point strike a bird that will at the least talk back.

I can't tell you how many times I have yelped as I moved around . Then one day ,,in the same general area , a gobbler responds . Is he a new comer to that area or has he been ignoring me before ,,,or have I unknowingly spooked him with my movement , and he was safely far enough away that there was no need to PUTT! He simply ran off .I don't care as long as I get a chance to work him with the CALL.

I returned to work today . I work with a young man who I have been trying to teach what I know about the birds and the calls and set up . He's a better student than I am a teacher .
My last day of work , was the day before youth season . I cornered Chad before I left that day . I told him ,,,,'' KEEP IT SOFT ,,,DON'T OVER CALL,,,MIX IT UP ''.
I was absolutely thrilled to find out today that he worked three of those high pressured birds on the same public land where I hunt, in two days  . Something always went wrong ,,,,,,but he worked the birds . He told me today how he would lightly do this ,,change calls and softly do that . And the birds responded . And they were moving around , from spot to spot ,,,cold calling softly .

If your birds are consistently roosting on private ground , can you get to a concealed spot to call from that will allow them to hear you ?  If so , after his hens stop coming to him he'll be more willing to come visit you . Call to him on the roost . Call to him after he hits the ground .Even if he is 500 yards away . Time means nothing to a turkey . He just might walk to you ,,might even fly! Stay alert ,,,he just might sneak in ,,,if he comes gobbling ,,that's all the better .

You may need to do some scouting while you are hunting ,,in another part of your hunting area . I like to have back up birds . If this one gets spooked or I flat out screw it up ,,,I go across the area to a different bird .

Mark as always your thoughts and advice are much appreciated...see my new post in the "Strategies" forum...I think you'd be proud..at least of my more conservative calling approach!  I've definitely toned down the calling a lot...did not do one yelp and I still have more to tone down but at least I can see the difference its making.
 
After all was said and done and especially after today's hunt I now know they are roosting in both the public and private areas...mattr of fact my setups have been smack dab in the middle of it all.  so I plan to focus my hunting there, but have in mind another spot to go to if things look bleak and I don't hear anything all morning.  Staying alert and watching for the sneak-ins is key...this Tom is a wary bird...he knows what time it is, lol!

[dam3391]

well the VT report keeps getting more frustrating.  The birds are clammed up pretty bad and weary and tentative.  They are doing some gobbling on roost, but go silent when they hit the ground.  They are also coming in silent.  Decoy's freak them out.

Its time for Al Queda!