Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Question for guys who know how to call...!

This has happened numerous times to me. Call in a group of gobblers, they get to the top of the rise in the field 75 yds away, see my set up, gobble like there's no tomorrow (on Saturday went for half an hour), then just turn around and strut away.

Did the same early Sunday morning, except as they were moving away a jake with them decided to investigate, as they always do. Came in with a baby gobble and nearly no beard at all, but he'll be good eatin'.

Q: How do I get them d*mn gobblers to keep coming in...???!!!

Which way is your hen decoy facing? I put mine looking to the side and slightly towards me.

Are you using a mouth call? Some soft hen sounds might work once they spot your decoys.

Also, in my area (North Texas) the turkeys are hard to call in during the middle of April. They're easier to hunt at the beginning and end of the month.

Good job, you got a turkey!! There's always the 'next round' to try and get that elusive big tom.

This time I think the hen decoy was broadside to both me and the gobblers. I had a jake to go along with that one.

It was early, so I was still using slate for both quiet purrs and clucks, as well as brief yelping. The gobblers seemed impressed as they were gobbling pretty good as they walked away. I don't do mouth calls.

In my neck of the woods, earlier the better, and I did pull the early hunt.

I've had that exact same result when I went west a few counties and hunted Rio Grandes.

Try the fighting purr. (You won't need dekes.) And get ready.

Steve.
Maker of the Northern Scratchbox turkey call

I'll have to figure out how to do this...

#1 rule- don't overcall

those toms probably saw a live hen.
if they do, nothing you can do will
turn them away from that.
better luck next time, and at least
you got one

Learning to sit while peeing your pants and NOT CALLING... now that is the hard lesson to learn.

Call... get answer, call again to confirm your date, next sound he should hear is BOOM!

When I violate this rule my chance of going BOOM! goes way down.

Like Ron White says so eloquently "I had the right to remain silent, but not the ability"

Don't know how she did it. This is my baby sister with her first gobbler. And she did it on her own 1 week ago. Liberty, Ut on some of her land.

If I remember, 10" beard. Not bad for her first time.

Used a Benelli Performance Shop SBE II Turkey Edition 12g 3.5" mag to get the job done.

I think she said it was approx 40 yards away.

Wow...doesn't get any better.

Take a turkey fan, either a real one or a manmade one, and use that to hide yourself, and slip up on them. It works, I've seen it in action. As far as calling goes, once they start coming, I judge their 'temperature". If he seems hot, I will keep him excited with some calling. If he seems a little hesitant, I'll softly cluck or even be quiet. The hard part is learning to judge a turkey's behavior, as each one will be different.

If they would'a started coming in I would'a stopped calling...

Take a turkey fan, either a real one or a manmade one, and use that to hide yourself, and slip up on them. It works, I've seen it in action. As far as calling goes, once they start coming, I judge their 'temperature". If he seems hot, I will keep him excited with some calling. If he seems a little hesitant, I'll softly cluck or even be quiet. The hard part is learning to judge a turkey's behavior, as each one will be different.

First time I've heard of that.

A long way with a clear line of sight to the hen and with no movement toward them doesnt lend any desire or urgency to hunt her down as if you were in the woods squeakin away is my guess.

I always try turkey small talk....whines, and quiet purrs, and puts....it says Im cool, its cool and safe over here too. A single easy yelp thrown in afterward. Feeding type talk.

Good advice not to overcall with the yelp, but I find the more small talk I do, the curiouser they get.

sorry, but no way i'd ever tempt fate to do that. there's just
too many pinhead nitwits out and about that make "soundshots"
and will shoot at the first thing they see moving, deer, turkey
or otherwise. i've been on public land hog hunting wearing the
required orange and we had a turkey hunter (orange not required)
draw down on us because he thought we "sounded like some turkeys
moving through the woods". i can't be sure these days that someone
would summon help if they shot me, or try to leave the scene and
conceal the fact that they shot someone accidentally. that said,
i've used decoys, but never put one close to me where someone
might mistakenly shoot at it and hit me.

Not on public land and not in States that allow rifles to be used.

i wouldn't do it on my own land or any private or public land,
rifle or shotgun hunting either one.
people trespass everywhere these days, and many take a shot
with little discretion at all or no regard for a safe backstop

They do sell gobble calls, but for these reasons I don't have an interest in adding the use to my bag of tricks.

don't use a decoy...