Learn how to hunt birds with these personalities, and you will become a master turkey hunter in no time.
By John Trout Jr.
One of the most challenging aspects of turkey hunting is dealing with the different personalities of spring gobblers — no two are alike. You never know “who” you will set up on, and there’s no predicting if and how a bird will respond to your calls.
Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Consider a bird I hunted last spring on opening morning in Illinois. My wife Vikki and I set up on a gobbler before dawn, deciding it best to avoid calling until light prevailed. The turkey sounded eager and I doubted he had hens nearby. Therefore, we weren’t shocked when he answered every call after hitting the ground or when he walked into gun range without hesitation. As Vikki tagged him, we both agreed he was “easy.”
Several days later, on opening morning in Indiana, I set up 100 yards from a similar sounding turkey. Trying not to sound too eager myself, I called only once while the bird remained roosted. When he flew down, he still gobbled continuously. I called with a little more enthusiasm, but it didn’t persuade him either way. Unlike the Illinois turkey, this gobbler headed away, and his gobbling grew fainter. I’m still waiting on that one to show.
Neither turkey’s behavior was a surprise. I’m sure you’ve bumped heads with your share of birds, and will agree no two gobblers possess identical personalities. There are similarities, but that’s it. Over the years I’ve identified five gobblers that possess personalities as different as night and day. Knowing which one you’re facing is often what it takes to put a bird on the ground.
Gobbler 1: No Questions Asked
Let’s start with the most cooperative turkey. Gobbler 1 does everything you want. When you set up on him and make a call, he usually answers. In case you didn’t hear him, he gobbles again. However, that’s not all he does right. He approaches closer and closer. The only thing that might go wrong is you become so amazed with how favorably he reacts that you won’t be ready when he comes walking in.
The Illinois bird was a perfect example. I doubt we could have done anything wrong that morning. Had I written a list of things for this gobbler to do, it would have been no different than what he did.
Gobbler 1 may walk or run in. He may gobble all the way or just some of the time. But, if you can recognize you’re dealing with Gobbler l, you can avoid mistakes. The most common error is not waiting on the bird to show. It only takes a little patience to come out the winner when facing this bird.
Gobbler 2: All Mouth
How many times have you set up on a bird and called, only to have him gobble and gobble? Unlike Gobbler 1, which cooperates to the fullest, All Mouth tends to stay put.
Consider a Kentucky bird I hunted a couple years ago. I heard him midmorning when a crow flew overhead. I moved in and set up about 125 yards from him, along the side of a ridge. I called and he gobbled. A few moments later I called and he gobbled again. In the 30 minutes of silence that followed, I kept watching for his white head, but didn’t see it. That’s when I thought something might be wrong. I called again and he gobbled from the exact spot he was a half-hour earlier.
I never killed that turkey, although I desperately tried for the next two hours. I have on occasion taken an All-Mouth gobbler, but only after employing a few sneaky tactics.
First, understand that Gobbler 2 loves letting you know exactly where he is all the time, and he’s waiting on you. He might have his feet firmly planted on his strutting zone. Or, perhaps he lacks the confidence to move.
Regardless of why he gobbles from the same place, you must do what he expects and get as close as possible. The less distance he must travel, the better chance he’ll come to you. Consistently changing your setup often builds this turkey’s confidence. Killing him might depend upon your patience and energy level.
Gobbler 3: Sneaky and Quiet
Some gobblers talk a lot, however, nearly each one is sneaky, with the exception of Gobbler 1. Unfortunately, Gobbler 3 has two unfavorable personality characteristics: He’s both sneaky and quiet. He prefers to keep his location secret, and not to be where you think he is.
As turkeys become educated to hunters, the more Gobbler 3s there seem to be. Here’s how it works. You set up and call. This turkey might answer right away, or he might give a delayed response. More than likely, though, you probably won’t hear him gobble much more, regardless of whether you call. The silence is almost unbearable. You never know what to do. Is he coming? Is he standing where you last heard him? Is he on his way to drive another hunter crazy?
Gobbler 3 never shows up in front of you. He seems to know exactly which direction you face, and will always come in behind you, or to your side. He’s as sneaky as they come and downright tough to kill.
Photo credit Jason Houser.
The key to shooting him often depends upon the setup. I never set up with my back to the turkey. That wouldn’t make much sense. However, I often study terrain to avoid facing directly at a turkey. I always sit looking into the most suitable terrain for a turkey to come in, and make sure I can swing my gun clearly from side to side. Finally, never assume a turkey won’t come out of the thickest thicket. I’ve seen a few Gobbler 3s walk out of areas where the devil himself wouldn’t venture.
Gobbler 4: Rides the Brakes
This bird is quite cooperative until he gets to that imaginary line separating him from life and death. He might gobble consistently, or only now and again. However, at least he moves toward you. He might come in quickly or slowly, but he’s very cooperative — until he stops dead in his tracks, usually 50 or 60 yards away and often just out of view.
Think how many times you faced a gobbler you just knew you would kill. There was no doubt in your mind when the bird approached — until he stopped and refused to move.
A gobbler hanging up is nothing new. Killing this bird, though, often requires a new tactic or two. In fact, I believe this is the one turkey that requires the best calling strategies, or sometimes no calling at all.
We’ve heard various tactics from the pros, such as, “The more you call, the better a breeding tom likes it,” or “Call sparingly and keep a bird guessing.” Some say, “It depends upon the turkey you face.”
Calling one time too many is a good way to hang up a gobbler, as I’ve discovered the hard way on many occasions. That’s why I stop calling when a bird hangs up. How long I stay quiet depends upon the bird. I give him the chance to make the next move and, sometimes, the quiet is all he can stand. He might hang up and soon start gobbling for a response. Although he doesn’t come to you, he still wants to know you’re there.
If this doesn’t work, and the gobbler moves away when you don’t talk back, it might be best to try advanced calling techniques. One example is a bird I named Gabby, for obvious reasons.
Another hunter and I set up on him with only a couple days left in the season. Gabby talked all the way in but hung up. He was your typical Gobbler 4. When we played the silent game, though, Gabby left. We did the same thing the next day and Gabby followed suit. I quit calling and he seemingly became bored.
We might have killed old Gabby if we had just one more day. You see, when Gobbler 4 gets bored with silence, you have to remember what brought him in — hen talk.
However, it often takes that special call, such as hens fighting, or cutting, to force him to cross the imaginary line. If that doesn’t work, try the traditional tactic of scratching leaves, which often gives a bird the confidence to break and come in.
Gobbler 5: See You Around
Gobbler 5 is similar to Gobbler 2 and Gobbler 4. He usually doesn’t mind gobbling when you call, when a hawk squalls overhead or when a clap of thunder echoes through the woods. He gobbles at almost everything, keeping your confidence soaring.
This bird likes to hear himself talk, but nothing more. The closer you get to him and call, the farther he seems to be. He’s always moving away, never toward you. It’s like he says, “Hello to you, too, but I have other things to do.”
Several years ago, I wrote a book chapter that included stories of some of the toughest birds taken by many of the nation’s top turkey hunters. In many cases, these hunters were facing Gobbler 5.
Even if such a bird is with hens the game’s not over. Persistence was the key for hunters who killed gobblers of this personality. You have to stay with them and refuse to give up or take “no” for an answer. Sometimes this bird requires lots of stamina. You must move to get in front of him. Sometimes you must follow him and keep him talking, waiting for him to change his negative attitude. It might even require an off-the-wall tactic.
I remember facing a Gobbler 5 several years ago. I would have gladly pursued another turkey but, as far as I knew, it was this bird or nothing. That was a good thing. It took more than three hours to do him in, but he taught me more in a few hours than others had in many seasons. By the way, the bird finally came in only after I gobbled. It took persistence, patience and an unusual tactic.
Summary
Who knows which gobbler you will face first this spring? Perhaps it will be Gobbler l. He’ll do everything right, which means you won’t have to face Gobbler 2, 3, 4 or 5. Now let’s get back to reality. Odds are you’ll bump into one of the obstinate birds. The good news, though, is none are unkillable. Regardless of which turkey you face, you can come out the winner if you use the right tactics. And now for the bad news: There could be a Gobbler 6 out there somewhere, waiting for you.
Editor’s note: The late John Trout Jr. was one of the country’s top turkey hunting writers and photographers. He spent his 30-plus-year career hunting pressured turkeys across North America.
