# Turkey Help



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

First off let me say "I know where the birds are" I have seen them every day since the opener of the general season. I have seen them above me, I have seen them below me. I don't need anyone to tell me their secret spot, what I need is someone to tell me how the hell to close the deal on one of these smart bastages. I am a waterfowler not a turkey hunter. I have had the turkeys respond to calling almost every day, but I can't get them to come to me. I have been patient and hugged a tree every **** night for a week and can't get them to come in. I had the mountain to myself tonight and birds all around me but couldn't get one in close enough. Most of the Toms I see are with hens, although the other evening I saw 3 Toms together and no hens, they would fan and strut every time I called but showed no interest in moving my way. At this point I would roll around in a tuna can if I thought that would get the horny buggers in range. Any suggestions? These critters are kicking my arse, but I am having a ball trying to learn them.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

My guess, you're calling too much. Make that bird hunt for you. And as far as toms with hens, forget it. Unless you call the hens in you're wasting your breath. Lone toms can be easier unless they've been burned by calling before. Also, make sure the birds have a clear easy path to get to you with no obstructions like fences, ditches, rivers, trees, etc. Try using a stuffer decoy. Nothing works like the real thing. I have them for sale if you're interested.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

Hint- there is no better time to call in a Tom than when he has been separated from his hens. Well, how does one get a group of turkeys to separate? By doing exactly what some folks on here get all upset about. Just try to do it on a group that other guys aren't sitting around watching like you've been doing for a week. They'll get on here and lambaste you for not knowing how to turkey hunt, when in fact you're doing exactly what needs to be done by moving right in on the birds to break up the flock. 

This tactic works great right before roosting time in the evening. Tom wants his ladies in bed with him so Jake doesn't move in on his girls during the night. A soft cluck or purr is all it takes. No need to go striking the striker repeatedly like so many guys do. At this point the Tom is actively looking for the hens he's lost and that's when the decoys really work their magic.


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## cliff spab (Dec 5, 2010)

That is actually really smart, ive never thot of that


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Busting up the flock just boogers them up worse and makes them even more call shy than they already are. Booger em too bad and they'll just flat leave the country. Go down south and talk like that and you'll get laughed out of the bar. Bad idea...This tactic is best left for the fall. If you're patient and smart you'll just wait for the hens to leave the toms by themselves. They do this every time they go lay an egg in the nest. Usually around ten in the morning. Then there's that magical few days when the hen leaves the tom for good to go sit on the nest. The toms are left walking around with no ladies and they still have the love thang on their minds. They can be really easy to call in then. I've seen toms racing to see who can get to me first. It's really is fun to watch them fight over who gets to have their head shot off. :twisted:


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

> Busting up the flock just boogers them up worse and makes them even more call shy than they already are. Booger em too bad and they'll just flat leave the country. Go down south and talk like that and you'll get laughed out of the bar. Bad idea...


I learned the tactic from some old school ranch boys when I lived in Texas. 

I successfully used this method in each of the past two years. It works like a charm. All you have to do is disappear over the ridge and under a tree for an hour after you break up the flock. Make sure everything has quieted down. Then give a quiet little cluck and old Tom will fire right back at you. It's the perfect strategy.

As TEX wrote, Toms will get lonely toward the end of the hunt when the hens start to abandon them. The birds literally will run right at you. It's so much fun!


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Good information here.....I probably have been calling too much, I think a few clucks this next outing and I will just sit and watch. It has been a fun hunt so far and a learning experience for sure. I was in 1" of fresh snow last night and there were literally tracks everywhere and birds everywhere, I just don't know what the hell I'm doing. 20 days to go and I am not giving up until I get one or the season ends.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

I should have known you were hunting Texas... :shock: All rules are off down there. _(O)_ That state has more turkeys than people...


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

> I should have known you were hunting Texas... :shock: All rules are off down there. _(O)_ That state has more turkeys than people...


There is some truth to those statements. :lol: There are far more deer and turkeys in Texas than in Utah. I lived in a 4 buck, 4 bird county (meaning you could take four animals with a purchased license). Hogs were unlimited and without season.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

BirdDogger said:


> > I should have known you were hunting Texas... :shock: All rules are off down there. _(O)_ That state has more turkeys than people...
> 
> 
> There is some truth to those statements. :lol: There are far more deer and turkeys in Texas than in Utah. I lived in a 4 buck, 4 bird county (meaning you could take four animals with a purchased license). Hogs were unlimited and without season.


Taking this slightly off track....Texas is mostly PRIVATE land while Utah is mostly PUBLIC land....just saying. :O•-:


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

proutdoors said:


> BirdDogger said:
> 
> 
> > > I should have known you were hunting Texas... :shock: All rules are off down there. _(O)_ That state has more turkeys than people...
> ...


 :lol: And yet even with the high pressure rate on the limited public lands there, them boys be a killing on them. They simply know how to hunt turkeys! :shock:

FM, give Tex's tip a try, Its the best one you have gotten, plus I know it works, I did it twice while in OK this year, worked like a charm. :mrgreen:


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## tigerpincer (Dec 5, 2009)

The best bit of advice I received last year when I was learning was this. In nature when a Tom gobbles the hen goes to him. We are going against nature when we try to convince a Tom to come to the hen/us. That is why it can be so important to not over call. If you just keep yapping at a gobbling Tom He might just sit tight and wait for you to come to him as a hen normally should. Locate the bird. Set up as close to him as possible without major obstacles between you. Give him a few soft yelps, clucks n purrs. Then be quiet a while. You can also try turning your body away from the bird to make it sound like you are leaving. Also dont get stuck using just one call. Sometimes different sounds can make the deciding difference to a Tom. Learn how to do more than just yelp if you havent allready. I think allot of guys over use the yelp. soft easy clucks, purrs and cutting can be very effective. Then just be patient and hope to have lady luck on your side. All this said I am no Turkey expert. This is only my second year turkey hunting. Most of the things I have said here is advice I received from others or watching videos etc.... However I was able to call in my first Turkey last year, a friends first turkey this year and my girlfriends frist bird this year that came in why my bird this year. So this advice has served me well to this point. Another lesson I learned was as hard as it can be to sit tight when they shut up after talking to you, sit tight. Many times when they shut up its because they are moving in. I blew my sons youth hunt last year during our learning curve by getting impatient because the birds werent coming in fast enough for me. I got up and tried to move in closer on them. We ended up getting busted by the birds. They were on their way in and we might have had some success if we had just held tight. 

Good luck to ya!!


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## Elkoholic8 (Jan 15, 2008)

Hey guys I have a few questions for you
1 When do the birds come off the roost? as soon as it's light enough to see or a little after?
2 When do they fly back up? I assume it's a little before dark?
3 do they fly in from a ways off or do they walk right under the tree before they fly up? should I sit near the trees until dark like you would for big game?
4 How long do you sit and call at each location before you move? 20-30 minutes?

Thanks.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

1. The birds I've hunted come off the roost very early, before I can see to shoot for sure. The calls are still working if you catch the birds first thing by surprise. I took a buddy up on Saturday and we had two hens come right in to my decoy after I called first thing in the morning. 

2. Birds get into trees right before dark.

3. Some turkeys walk to the tree and others will fly across a big canyon to find the tree they like. I've seen them do both. Setting up near the roosting tree right before dark is a perfect setup.

4. 20-30 minutes? Much longer if there are turkeys in the area. I watched a video the other day where the guy sat for 8 hours. If you know turkeys are using a specific area, you can count on them to return at some point. Find a pile of poop? Sit near it. They're kind of funny birds in that they'll return to the same place to continue the pile.


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## huntarch (Mar 12, 2008)

In my humble opinion you are doing everything right. You know where the birds are and you are patiently waiting. If you have a decoy and set up in the area you know they will be you can just sit and quietly call and eventually a bird will cross your path. You said it yourself 20 days left. I set up my jake decoy and a hen tonight and a tom and three hens came past me. When that tom saw the jake decoy next to the hen decoy he went right over to claim his territory....that's when I blew his head off.


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