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.

Last season, I found myself in a situation in which I felt like I needed to get as close as possible to a particular bird. I had nearly killed him the night before in a picked corn field. I called him in from about 250 yards away as he was making his way across the field towards his roost tree. His only saving grace that evening was an extremely low flying jet that spooked him at the last minute – just as I was beginning to put some tension on the trigger.

I felt my odds were good for the next morning’s hunt, but I just wasn’t sure about trying to coax him across that field again. I phoned a good friend and accomplished turkey hunter from Illinois that evening and asked for his advice. I made sure to inform him that this bird was roosted on the bank of a creek, and that there was no way for me to get to him other than crossing the wide open picked corn field.

He advised me to get to my hunting spot well before I normally would and to make my way across the field. He said that I should have my decoys set up and be in position about a halfhour before the gobbler woke up and began gobbling, and that was the only way he felt that I could pull it off. Still, I was nervous about creeping so close to that gobbler with nothing between us but air. Had there been more cover I may have felt better about it.

Nonetheless, the next morning found me slowly picking my way across the field plenty earlier than I normally would. Upon reaching the area near where the tom was roosted, I quickly set up a full strut decoy along with a hen decoy. As daylight approached and the gobbler sounded off, I was shocked to find that I was a mere 40 yards from him with no trees between us. I slowly got myself ready, knowing that I now wouldn’t be able to move for fear of being picked off.

As fly down time approached, I was surprised to see that the gobbler had a hen roosted in the tree with him. This had me concerned as I was afraid he wouldn’t pay my decoys any mind having the real thing with him.
The hen pitched down first, landing right amongst the decoys. “Now, if the gobbler would only do the same thing,” I thought to myself. “He better hurry though, I don’t know how long I can keep from being picked off by her.”

Well, he didn’t do the same thing. Instead he flew in a direction parallel and away from me – landing in a spot about 80 yards away. After several tense minutes, the hen began losing interest in the decoys and began making her way towards the gobbler. “Great,” I thought, “He definitely won’t come this way now. She is going to drag him off the other direction.” To make matters worse, the direction that the tom flew down in, and the direction in which she was heading, was right to the area where I nearly killed him at the previous evening.
But before I could even get frustrated about possibly setting up in the wrong spot, the gobbler turned and started marching right towards my position – even passing by the hen on his way. At the moment just before he tried to teach that decoy a lesson, I couldn’t turn any more to the right and I let the hammer fall. Although it would have been a hoot to watch the show once he pounced on the decoy.

Could I have killed this bird on the other side of the field where I sat the previous evening? I can’t say. But I can say that I do believe that by successfully getting as close as I did to him, he must have felt compelled to confront the intruder who garnered his lovers interest for a few minutes. And it took nearly no effort for him to come such a little distance too. So, if you find yourself in a situation where crowding the roost is no option, and cover is minimal, remember to pack it in early.

The 2008 season was Indiana’s fourth modern-day fall turkey hunting season. Hunters experienced a 4 percent increase in success when compared to the 585 turkeys taken during the 2007 fall turkey season. The record is 716 turkeys in 2005.

During the 14-day archery-only season, Oct. 1 to 14, hunters killed 132 turkeys, accounting for 22 percent of the total. The majority of the fall harvest occurred during the combined shotgun and archery season, Oct. 15 to 19, when hunters killed 478 turkeys, accounting for 78 percent of the total fall harvest.

Adult male turkeys accounted for 74.5 percent of the harvest, with the remaining 25.5 percent consisting of juvenile birds. The juvenile- to-adult ratio was 1 to 3. According to DNR biologist Steve Backs, the high adult proportion was probably related to a combination of hunter selectivity and belowaverage brood production in 2008.

Harrison County topped the hunter success list with 40 turkeys, followed by Switzerland (36), and Pike (31).

Well, over the years, I have found that wind direction can also play an important role in turkey hunting – although for a much different reason.

Turkeys don’t have the sense of smell of a deer. If they did, we would be lucky to ever kill one. But they do sometimes use the wind in order to help dictate their travel routes, especially gobblers who are searching for hens.

It makes really sense when you think about it. When a gobbler is seeking out receptive hens for breeding, he listens for their yelps, clucks and purrs which indicate she is seeking company. Gobblers can maximize their effectiveness and cover more territory by traveling with the wind in their face when on the move looking for lovesick hens. Doing so reduces the amount of ground they have to cover to effectively check the same area and it allows them to hear from greater distances. I first learned this from good friend and Illinois hunting outfitter Herb Schulz. After he pointed this out to me, I started paying closer attention to his theory.

Illinois turkey hunter Herb Schultz plays the wind while calling to gobblers.

The more I hunted over the next few seasons, the more apparent it became that, while not absolute, often times gobblers will travel into the wind when searching for hens. Remember this when setting up decoys and positioning yourself in order to be prepared for a shot from downwind.

On one particular hunt in Illinois, I put this notion to the test. I had been hunting a particular flock of birds for a few days without any luck. On the third morning of my hunt, I set up in an area where I though I would catch one off the roost. As luck would have it, the birds roosted across the field and down the next hollow from where they had been roosting the previous three nights. By the time I made it to the field edge, I could hear one spitting and drumming just over the rise in the middle of the field. I had to stay put and hope to call him in. It didn’t work, and he eventually moved on. By this time, gobbling had come to a stop and the woods sounded dead. With no real plan, I just switched positions in the field and decided to sit awhile.

From time to time I would pull out my trusted handmade friction call made by southern Indiana’s own Mark Kaiser and give a few sweet yelps and clucks. After about an hour of doing so without a response, I finally struck a bird from a long way away across a road. The bird was far enough away that I didn’t think much of it. Eventually though, the bird sounded pretty close. I kept up my infrequent calling routine until I saw the bird crest a hill about twenty five yards in front of me, accompanied by three other gobblers. The rest is, as they say, is history.

This bird came from a great distance to within a stones throw – with the wind in his face. Sure this could have been a coincidence, but I have noticed too many gobblers doing this very same thing over the years.

It was a cloudy, gray, cold day with a temperature of about 35 degrees . The wind was blowing at 20 mph and coming from the northwest. It was the second to the last day of muzzleloader season for deer. I had taken a doe with the crossbow earlier in the season and another doe during the shotgun season. I was hoping to bag the big buck that was running with a herd of seven does where I live in Shelby County.

Here, the woods are few and far between. The local farmers have cleared most of the woodlots except for some small ones here and there. When I talk to the old timers they tell me even before their time and as far back as the 1800’s a lot of the forests were gone. What would I give for the old days?

I charged my mule last night and shot the old load out of the Thompson Center Scout before cleaning her up. The Scout was reloaded with 90 gr. of FF black powder and a new round ball was slammed home. Now she was ready to go to the woods. I sure like the Thompson Center Scout. They stopped making them 24 years ago after they had a big fire that burned up the dies used to make them.

I got on the mule and headed south on the paved trail. It’s a half mile to get to the neighbors lane that goes back to the woods. I have to go past a wood lot to get there. I didn’t see anything from the rode. As I traveled the length of the woods to get to a row of ash trees I continued to look for deer, but I didn’t see any. I used the last tree for my blind.

I got there at two in the afternoon and sat there until dark. Right at dark I could see six or seven figures coming out of the woods, they were 80 yards away. It was to dark too shoot so I grabbed my trusty Brinkman flashlight and shined it in the direction of the deer. All I could see were eyeballs. Shooting a deer was not my plan but I have taken a few coyotes like that. It was time to head back to the cabin so I thought I would go home by way of the field instead of the road, it would be much safer. The wind had quit and the sky had cleared, the moon was full and the stars came out. It was going to be a beautiful night. I often sit out in the open field on nights like this and just gaze at the stars.

I road my mule to the corner of the field were the county roads crossed so I could get up on the paved road. I misjudged the spot where I usually get on the road and rolled the mule on top of me and down into the ditch.

By now you’ve probably figured out that I am not riding a real mule, it’s an electric four wheeled scooter. I have had multiple sclerosis’s for 21 years. At the time of this story I had been inflected for seven years. As I write this I have no use of my left arm or my legs and very little use of my right arm. That is enough talk about me, if you would like to know more about MS or to donate to MS Societies call 1-800-FIGHT-MS. Please consider donating. MS ended my hunting, fishing and blacksmithing career. Not being able to feed myself, brush my teeth or do any type of physical activity is pure hell. I still have my memories and I will go on.

Now back to the story. I rolled the mule over in the ditch trying to get up on the road at the crossroad. A lady driving by saw me turn over so she stopped and turned her flashers. All heck broke loose, she jumped out of her car yelling are you all right, are you all rite!

Yes, I’m fine I said. I could hear barking coming from my house down the road, it was my dog Larry. Soon the lights came on. The lady who stopped to help me went to my house and alerted my companion, Jean. By then, two pickup trucks stopped and tuned on their flasher lights. It looked like downtown New York City with all of the light’s flashing, my dog barking and my woman yelling, “ What are you doing in that ditch.” “Looking for deer tracks what does it look like?” I said.

We rolled my scooter over then the two men lifted me up and put me back on my mule. I am always getting stuck or rolling my mule over because I don’t sit around. MS has not held me down and never will!

Eventually I was headed for my cabin to get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow would be the first day of muzzleloader season.

Awake way before daylight, I had a quick bite to eat and headed out the door. There was a very heavy frost, almost like it had snowed. It was the kind of frost that sticks to everything. Mercy, it was beautiful out. I looked to the East past the neighbor’s woods, with my monocular and I could see gray spots. MS had blinded the left eye a long time ago so there was no need for binoculars. I headed for the other end of the field, which is about a quarter of a mile from the road. The deer follow a fencerow that runs from half way between the woods and where I could see them feeding now. I could count them; there were seven of them, none of them bucks. Any one of them will top off my freezer just fine. I waited for them for a half an hour. The sun came out, mercy how much nicer could it get. Suddenly, all seven does headed my way, they were all in a row one right behind the other.

What a sight to see. They were 100 yards away from me when they stopped and looked back. The first doe was the biggest, she stood there stomping and snorting, getting ever so close. The Scout was resting on the fence. I’d like to have her a little closer. I let out a “BAAAAA” and she stepped closer. Now she was about 65 yards away. I leveled the sight to the middle of her neck and pulled the trigger. When the smoke cleared there were only six tails going the other way. She was down. I just sat there and enjoyed the moment. The round ball had done a fine job. I called the farmer on my cell phone. He came and threw her up on the tailgate of his pickup. I gutted her right there. What did I do after gutting her? I checked her in of course. We didn’t go to the butcher shop. I took the doe home and my big strong Polish girl friend skinned the back legs down and sawed the lower legs off below the hokes. Then she dragged it into the woodshed for me. We hung the deer from the come-along that was attached to the ceiling rafters. As we slowly raised her I performed the skinning ritual. After further trimming I gave the doe a good rubdown with various spices and herbs. Before applying the black pepper, salt, Dash, ground celery compound I wet the deer with apple cider vinegar, it helps the rub stick to the meat. I give the ribs to my tycoon buddy, Kenny. He cooks them on the open fire when he’s camping.

My butchering system is very time consuming. I go to extremes to properly prepare the meet for the freezer. You may think this is too much trouble and haul your deer to the butcher’s. If so, that’s OK, he has to make a living too. My final step before freezing the meet is to cool and age it. I do this by wrapping the meet in a sheet and hanging it back in the woodshed for four to seven days depending on the temperature. A fan is used to circulate the air during the cooling process. Before my girl friend Jean and I complete the final cutting and wrapping of the meet we treat ourselves to the back straps. You should do the same. You won’t be sorry.

I would like to dedicate this article to my girl friend Jean, she is my arms and my legs and to my cousin Dean Shadley the retired DNR Conservation Officer (and contributor to the Tri-State Outdoor News) for giving me my computer.

In the first few days after the rut, bucks tend to hunker down and rest for a few days, moving very little. But once they get their legs back under them, they know that if they are going to survive the winter, they have to strap the feedbag on in order to gain back as much of the weight as they can that they lost during the rigors of the rut.

But late season food sources are not only good places to hunt for bucks but does visit them routinely too. The deer become more predictable during the late season, regularly visiting food sources each evening.

Cut cornfields, winter wheat and soybean fields will all attract deer in the late season. Mast crops such as acorns are usually not a key food source at this time of year since they have mostly been eaten up by animals. In grain fields, if there is snow on the ground, look for areas where the deer have pawed through the snow to get to the grain. This will tell you where they have been feeding.

Stick close to food sources such a cut crop fields during the late season because the deer will be doing the same.

Once you have located an active food source, evening hunting will be your best bet. Morning hunts can pay off here, but you may end up spooking deer out of the fields as you enter your stand. Stick close to bedding areas for morning hunts.

Keeping the wind in your favor is as important now as ever. By now, deer have been hunted for awhile and are extremely wary. They also tend to group up during the late season, meaning you may likely have several deer in the food source at any given time. If they detect you, it could be game over for that hunt.

Dress appropriately. This is as important to success as anything. You won’t be effective if you are not comfortable. Trying to make the shot or remain still while half frozen will only lead to failure. If you get too cold, get down. You can always hunt another day, or perhaps you can find a brush pile or some cover to hunt from that is out of the wind.

Maintain your equipment as well. Things like to go wrong when the temperatures drop, and they invariably will. Making sure your bow or muzzle loader is properly cleaned and lubricated can go a long way to help you out in frigid temperatures.

Most importantly during the late season – don’t give up. It’s not over until darkness falls on the last day, and even though deer are very skittish now, they still have to obey their stomachs. Yes, it’s often tough to get out there and brave the elements, especially on those bitterly cold, windy days. I admit that I have often been guilty of opting to stay home rather than brave the elements, but if you have the mustard, remember – it only takes that one trip out for the deer you are after to step out.