When to move on

[turkeythug]

I am new to this great sport of turkey hunting today was my 1st day hunting and our states season opener. I belong to a fish and game club were I have plenty of private land to hunt as well as plenty of public nearby my house. I been scouting birds for a couple of weeks in those areas very little calling and just using a owl call on a few occasions. Today I did not hear not even 1 gobbler my question is how long do you guys generally wait before you move to another location if you hear no action. I was in the woods 1hr before sunrise setup my decoys in a area were i've seen fresh tracks the day before. I waited until 1/2 hr after sunrise before I made my 1st call. No response I called about evry 1/2 hr to 45 min for 3 hrs before I moved to another location still no luck. So is there rule of thumb I should follow if the woods are silent when should I move on. Thanks for any input guys.

[grizzly]

John the first thing i would ask is have you seen any turkeys in the areas where you're hunting i'm not  a big fan of locater  calls i do use a crow call now and then  . getting there an hour before sunrise is fine but why are you waiting on calling i usealy start calling the minute sunrise comes as for your qestion it depends if i know if there's birds in the area i work it for two or three hours moving carefuly from time to time if i'm hunting a new area i don't know if i don't get a responce in half hour i'll move on i hope that helps . turkey hunting is a lot of learning from mistakes and dissapointment but when every thing comes together and you get that first bird the feeling that you'll feel you be hooked for life [:)] good luck on the season and be safe 

[eggshell]

I agree with the Grizz, if you hear nothing at first light start moving and prospecting. If you know birds are there and this is an area they have been frequenting then sit and wait a while. If your stuck prospecting you want to do it early in the day. After a couple of days in a silent area move on to a new area and check back in a few days. Unless I have hard evidence of a bird's presence and habits in an area I won't sit on a spot hoping for success. 

[turkeythug]

Thanks guys for the great feedback. Well it looks like my buddy from the club bagged a longbird 1 hr after I left the area to go check some public property. I have seen plenty of turkey in the 3 pieces of private I hunt and there only 4 members that hunt turkey in our club the rest are deer hunters. I did see fresh tracks and drag marks in the area where I setup the day before. i will not wait to call next time I will try @ sunrise and maintain my patience. How far do I move before I setup to do my next call if I hear nothing after 1 hr or 2 is 100yrds good? My buddy who bagged that longbird has been hunting this property for a few years and he told me if it rains they just seem to disapear. So that morning he told me he saw my truck in the morning went to the other club property and when he heard no activity he went home @ 7am grab some chow then headed back out @ 10 and bagged the longbird @ 10:30 he said thanks for calling in those birds for me. He was passing me and waved just as i left the area go figure. My day will come this is great stuff I'm hooked already. Thanks again guys this is a great forum

[eddie234]

I'd talk to your buddy that got the bird. If he's been hunting that property long and knows their habits he could be a great person to talk to. See if he would be willing to be your mentor? I'm learning this all on my own to and it's all about experience.

[xcal1ber]

I agree with everyone else. Theres really no need to start calling that late, I try to use some soft tree yelps at first light when the song birds start chirping good,, Like they said if you know for a fact turkeys frequent that area then i would stay a little longer in that spot but if u really havent seen turkeys then i would start cuttin an runnin about 30 mins after daylight.... Hope this helps, good luck to ya man!

[xcal1ber]

Also to try to answer your question on how far to move,,, i think it really depends on how the weather is and how the terrain you hunts lays out. For EX. if the wind is blowing pretty hard and the terrain is more mountainous, then i probably would stop and call every 100 yards simply because the turkeys wont be able to hear you as good, especially when things start greening out more..... But if the wind is calm and you hunt more flat terrain then i think you should go 200-250 yards each time because a turkey has good hearing so if theres no natural barriers or weather to dampen sound then the turkeys are going to hear you from a pretty good ways....
Once again hope this helps. 

[hckyplayer8]

I agree with the 30 mins or so cutt and run guys. I'm not a real big fan of pot hunting (which is why I absolutely love spring gobbler) and would much rather have an influence on the outcome of my hunt by good ol fashion hardwork than just sitting and waiting for something to walk within hearing distance.

That said, if you do hear a gobble or two and he goes silent, I wouldn't up and move for at least an hr and half. Try to stay in one spot as long as possible as most of the times they are still there and all you do is frighten them away.

[TeocTom]

This is an old one, but I will throw in what I typically do. I know the land I hunt very well, and the birds there are consistent believe it or not. I have a place where I make a b-line to before sun up so that I can listen before calling. I sit there for at least 30-40 minutes to let the woods settle and then I listen for any hens tree calling or maybe a Tom soundin off on his own.
If I do not hear anything, then I give out some lazy, sleepy tree yelps and build into a fly down scenario.
If nothing bites or sounds off within the hour I then generally move slowly down the line and stop occasionally to call.
Everything depends on the surroundings, weather, etc....

The best thing to do is waht Grizz said......roost them the night before, come back well before daylight and hopefully get between them and a food source or strut zone. That is the best and ideal way to set up.

[Cut N Run]

You got some great suggestions & tips above. Here's my 2 cents for what it's worth... (probably half of that);

Because the size of the place I primarily hunt is not huge and turkeys will often roost on neighboring properties (where I sometimes can't hear 'em), I go to where I find the most sign that has a good place for me to set up nearby. There has to be a reason they're using it. If you're seeing tracks AND drag marks, you are in the right place. Turkeys travel widely in Spring and if you have one of their favored hang out areas, ride it out. It is easier to call a gobbler to a place he already wants to go to.

Sometimes mid-morning can be one of the best times to Spring gobbler hunt. Many of my better gobblers have come later in the morning than near flydown. Even though it's Spring, gobblers don't always holler their heads off. You mentioned that you were hunting early on in your season. The gobbler was probably busy with real hens and didn't need to go chasing off after one hen he heard in the distance. The guy who killed that gobbler probably just happened to be in the right place at the right time and caught that longbeard after the hens went to their nests and left him alone.

They say that football is a game of inches. Well, turkey hunting is a game of minutes. You had to have good cause to set up in the area you were hunting, or you wouldn't have been there in the first place. Sometimes by forcing yourself to sit an extra 10, 20, or 30 minutes can be the difference in seeing nothing or tagging a gobbler. Lots of turkey hunters run & run quite successfully, but the configuration of the property I hunt and my physical limitations don't allow me to get around as quietly as I used to be able to, & it has made me develop my patience. Plus, I'm far more likely to bump birds where I hunt by trying to run & gun.

There is never always and always never when turkey hunting and that's part of what makes them so addicting to hunt for. I hope any part of this helps you, because it works for me.

Jim