Decision Time: Farview

[Brian Lovett]

In "Decision Time," Editor Brian Lovett will share a scenario from his 20-plus years hunting turkeys. Each hinges on a critical decision. Post what choice you would have made, and then see how things actually turned out.

Farview

Shots in the dark are often, well, shots in the dark. Now and then, however, a few connect.

That's where two friends and I found ourselves one sunny April morning in Missouri. We'd roosted a bird the previous evening on a high, open point, and also located some birds about 300 yards away in some big timber. The next morning, we tried to play the middle and get between the turkeys on a narrow field where they seemed to congregate every day. When the high-country bird and timber turkeys started gobbling, we realized we were right where we needed to be.

The birds were vocal that morning, but none rushed in. No matter. After all, they were each relatively far away, and the entire point of our setup was that we were in a spot where they loved to travel at various points during the day. Patience was the play. The timber birds gobbled regularly on the ground, even though they didn't move much. And the high-point bird made slow, steady progress from his roost tree to the top of the open field where we sat. Better, the birds gobbled at each other, so competition was a factor.

When the sun started to get high and hot, however, the birds got quiet. By then, we'd been sitting for more than 90 minutes, and I knew one of my buddies was getting antsy. As he fidgeted and craned his neck here and there, I pondered our next move. Did we stick with the plan — which had worked to that point — and wait things out? Or did we use the lull to attempt to gain position on a turkey? It was a classic move-or-sit scenario, and although no tension filled the air, our hunt absolutely depended on the correct decision.

What would you have done? Post your decision below.

Click here for Lovett's decision.

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[WillowRidgeCalls]

I would sit it out and wait for the birds to move into that field, unless they have a bunch of hens that they are chasing around. At about 9ish I'd get a little more aggressive on my calling to see if that would pull a bird out into the open for a look see.

[Cut N Run]

I'm in the wait it out camp too. Maybe those timber birds had hens that might leave them as the day wore on. Perhaps the gobbler on the high point might come to the field to show off. The only move I'm making is to stay in the shade. Patience will get you more turkeys than lucky guesses.

Jim

[dewey]

After only 90 minutes I would sit still and wait for the gobblers to show. It is a huge bonus to have the gobblers gobbling at each other and you in the middle.

Dewey

[Gobblerman]

My superior inductive (or is it deductive?...) reasoning would make me assume that you had been hunting these birds for a few days in order to be aware that they were congregating in a particular location with some regularity. ...Which, in turn, would make me assume that they were, therefore, probably in one of those "I'm not coming to your calling regardless of what you do" modes. Hence, I have concluded that the reason you had chosen to make the decision to wait them out rather than hunt them off the roost was because they had not been responsive to calling in a typical roost set-up situation, and most likely, had not been inclined to deviate from their routine to come to calls later in the morning.

So, I must conclude that you had chosen your course of action with these birds because you had patterned them and knew that this was, without question, your best bet for success. So, the question I would ask would be..."Having committed yourselves to this set-up, why would any of you get antsy and want to abandon it after only 90 minutes of waiting?" From the description of the circumstances, there is little doubt in my mind that one or more gobblers will be dispatched, in time, by sticking to the plan.

In summary, have faith in your strategy, tell your partners to stay still and alert,....and at some point, snoods will hit the dirt.

[Bobbyparks]

My superior inductive (or is it deductive?...) reasoning would make me assume that you had been hunting these birds for a few days in order to be aware that they were congregating in a particular location with some regularity. ...Which, in turn, would make me assume that they were, therefore, probably in one of those "I'm not coming to your calling regardless of what you do" modes. Hence, I have concluded that the reason you had chosen to make the decision to wait them out rather than hunt them off the roost was because they had not been responsive to calling in a typical roost set-up situation, and most likely, had not been inclined to deviate from their routine to come to calls later in the morning.

So, I must conclude that you had chosen your course of action with these birds because you had patterned them and knew that this was, without question, your best bet for success. So, the question I would ask would be..."Having committed yourselves to this set-up, why would any of you get antsy and want to abandon it after only 90 minutes of waiting?" From the description of the circumstances, there is little doubt in my mind that one or more gobblers will be dispatched, in time, by sticking to the plan.

In summary, have faith in your strategy, tell your partners to stay still and alert,....and at some point, snoods will hit the dirt.

Dang Jim.....Your induciveness and deduct abilities are working for you buddy.....this makes too much sense and well thought out.....I'll second the motion

Although at times this kind of situation could go either way.... It would come down to what I knew about the spot and confidence...if I only felt okay about the bird movements...I'd likley get up and take a peek...but If I felt good about it and that the pattern and plan is solid ........and its just a matter of time...I'd settle my buddy down and stick with it for sure and give it time to work...