You have to remember that Gobblers spend almost their whole lives together with other gobblers. During the mating season they'll be found following hens around sometimes with other gobblers and a lot of times by themselves because they ran the other gobblers off. You need to decide what your calling strategy is going to be. I've never used the haint but it has a pretty good tone and some times you can make every call in your arsenal for nothing then the ambulance will drive by and you'll hear them. I've used shaker calls effectively for years and turn to them more now than when I was younger.
The mating season changes and you have to alter your call strategy with the changes. Sometimes a shaker call will chase another gobbler off and others it will attract them. What works in the early season will not work as well in the late season. In the early season they're hearing hens all the time in the late season when they haven't heard a hen in a week its another game. Sometimes they hear another gobbler in an area they've staked out and they think that's fighting words. Some times they'll hang around in the same tree for every night for a week.
You can't have to many calls there's no telling what will turn them on. I have made some of the best call sequences I can to no avail and switch to the raspiest piece of junk I have in my bag and they answer.
Good luck and shot straight y'all. Especially at the beedy eyed thunder chicken.
Damn, so I'm not the only one!
Last spring I was stymied by early season conditions (a very cold spring) Hen calls only brought in other hens, lots, but no boys with 'em. return trip two weeks after season and the gobblers were just going nuts for hens.
This is why I have spent my last winter mastering the Haint... well MASTERING may not be entirely accurate, but I am way better than I was and I think I can pull it off. I make my own box calls and as each one is completely different in tone I carry at least several with me at all times- squeeky to coarse. Osage orange- pinion pine.
I am really ;looking forward to using the haint as shaking a box may trigger a gobble but the haint if done well is just unreal good.
Funny thing is two years back on the last day I had 9 big gobblers that would only gobble for each other in the yard hens were long forgotten. A longer and more encompassing season sure would be nice... As on a day every gobbler is suicidal, the trick is to be there on THAT day!
My game plan (can you tell I'm READY for this season?) Is to stake out his mid day hangout and challenge him for strutting rights. This will mean most hunters are already back at home after the usual am attack plan has failed. With this timing I hope to not get shot as much... hopefully none.
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