Tri-State Outdoor News

When it comes to turkey hunting, I like a classic hunt as much as the next guy. One where I can call as much as I want with the tom answering every time – often with multiple gobbles to the point where it sounds as if he is about to choke and strutting around like he owns the place. The reality, however, is that these types of hunts are few and far between.

With turkey hunting growing in popularity each year, Gobblers run into more and more hunters trying to sound like seductive hens therefore becoming more educated and tougher to hunt. Like it or not, one of the best ways to consistently tote a bird out of the woods over your shoulder is to hunt them more like deer. By this, I mean that careful scouting and patience will pay big dividends on tough toms. This is especially important if you are hunting smaller tracts of land that do not afford you the opportunity to run and gun thus covering lots of ground.
Once you know where the birds like to roost, make it a point to know their preferred hang outs – such as feeding and dusting areas and strut zones. It seems that gobblers get more reluctant each year to come running to the calls.  If a gobbler is already in the company of hens, he may respond to your amorous notes with a courtesy gobble– but usually nothing more – while continuing on his merry way. By knowing where the flock is heading, you won’t have to worry about trying to call that gobble in. You can simply get there and wait on him.

Learning to keep quiet is also a plus. Sure, we paid good money for calls, and we love to hear gobblers answer them, but try playing on a gobbler’s curiosity by calling to him less frequently. This is not to say that if you got a tom fired up that you should back off. In this situation, keep him going and call as much as you want. But, if the tom is uninterested in your best calling efforts, call it quits, or at least back off and see what he does.

As turkey hunters, we were likely trained early on to believe that decoys must be packed in our vest before heading for the woods. The truth is that sometimes even decoys can limit your chances. Remember, it is natural for the hens to go to the gobblers, thus when a longbeard lays eyes on your hen decoys, he may be apt to hang up out of range and expect the hens to come to him. Using a jake or gobbler decoy in your set-up will help, but if I have cover around me, I may opt to ditch the dekes. This way, if a gobbler shows up, I can try to make him come searching for the hen he can’t see.

One last tip on getting those stubborn toms is to go where he was. Often, a gobbler will hang up, either in sight or out of sight and sooner or later, and we’ve all had it happen to us, the tom simply gives up waiting on that hen to show herself and he moves off. Now is the time to go to where he was giving that gobbler the feeling he didn’t wait around long enough. Generally, that tom will drift back to that spot and now you’ve got him.

Sure, there will be those toms that will be in the mood to play the game and afford that classic hunt, but they will be easy to recognize early on, and can’t be counted on. Next time, don’t be afraid to tackle the tough ones, instead make it a challenge to learn a new way of turkey hunting. Hey, taking the quiet, stealthy approach may not be as exciting as the turkey hunts we envision, but with certain birds may be your best option for getting to use your deep fryer.