help for a first time longbeard chaser

[dbenham]

I am usually found in the duck woods but due to the bad season, I have decided to scratch the turkey itch that has been bugging me for a couple of years.
I am lucky enough to have free access to my father-in-laws property in Miss. I have done some scouting and there are plenty of birds. After 4 hunts I have had a couple of exciting moments.
On my first hunt I was bouncing around the woods and edges of fields trying yelps and shock calls to locate a bird, but heard nothing. It was below 40 degrees that morning, does that effect how a turkey gobbles? Finally I just gave up on killing one my first day out but didn't want to leave the woods yet. While sitting there unprepared clucking and purring on a slate call, i catch a huge sillouette out of the corner of my eye. He was about 40 yards away and came in completly silent. when he was behind a tree, i started fumbling around trying to get set up and he must have heard me. he stayed behind the tree and was more patient than I was. After about 3 minuest of holding my gun up and my heart beating out of my chest, I thought he might have snuck away, when i moved to peak around the tree, he took off. Still a decent first effort i guess.
The next was yesterday. As soon as I hit the woods some crows flew over and triggered a gobble. I tried a mouth call, then a slate call, and nothing. Then I broke out the box call, and he cut me off with a gobble. From then on he was hammering me on every call. I might have been calling too much because he was hung up about 200 yards away. I couldn't go further because he was off of my property, and i would have been calling from a downhill position. I deciced to slow up my calling and wait him out, when the farmer on one of the other properties cranked up a tractor, and that was the last gobble I heard. Still, we had exchanged about 20 yelps and gobbles. For me it was very exciting.
How do ya'll handle a hung up bird?
Any tips on position and calling techniques would be helpful

[gspsonny03]

Well, I'm no expert, by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd almost bet that the second encounter involved a tom who already had a bunch of hens with him, and if that was the case, he'd be pretty tough to drag away from what he already had. That's not to say that you couldn't, it just means that it's tougher to do. Welcome to the board and to the turkey experience. Can't help you that much, because I'm not that good my self, but I hope you enjoy it.

[Nulle]

Hens are really a problem and one of the big mistakes is also calling too much. Petty good for the first time for sure.

[Jack]

Sounds like you're doing pretty well....
I strongly agree with Nulle- most people call too much, IMO. It's awful hard not to reply every time he gobbles, when he's answering right back, but, once he knows where you are, and thinks you're a hen that's ready to go, you'd probably be best to cut way down on your calls, or go quiet. Get him curious, he may come and investigate.
Also, the more you call, the more precisely he locates you. If you call so much he knows the calls are coming from the base of one particular tree, he's gonna expect to see a hen there- and maybe break off if he doesn't.
If he thinks a hen's in the area, but not sure exactly where, he's gonna come in and search around- giving you more shot opportunities.
That's my theory, anyway. It's free, and worth just what ya paid for it.;)

[rubicon]

These guys are giving you expert advice. I start out before daylight with a crow or owl call and when when the gobbler answers I get set up and throw out a decoy and call only enough to get an answer so I can tell how close he is.

[dbenham]

I have heard different opinions on using or not using decoys in the woods, what do ya'll think?

[Jack]

I use a hen decoy whenever I can, and sometimes a jake decoy, too.
I don't think they're magic, but I do believe they can do 2 things for you: reassure the gobbler that there is a hen there, and, divert his attention from that funny lookin' lump under the tree (you).
I can't think of a downside to using one, except it's more crud to carry.....

[popplecop]

Good advice so far. As far as temperture goes don't worry about 40 above, sometimes we could be so lucky to have those days in April. Have called them in in the snow, with the ground being white. If they are without hens at that time they'll come. Good luck with your hunting, but watch out it will become addictting.

[Jack]

......", but watch out it will become addictting."
Oh, HELL YEAH it will:D

[ol_spark]

Why did he hang up? Was it a fence, ditch, creek, brush line he had to cross or a bunch of hens? If it was the geography of the land then you could circle around and get in front of him. It is a lot easier to call a turkey in the direction he wants to go than somewhere else. Knowing the lay of the land and turkey movement can put the odds in your favor. Even if they are henned up. Sometimes if you call to aggressively the boss hen will go the other direction and this in turn takes the gobbler with her. Giving the impression that he hung up. Try him a little later in the day as the hens may go the the nest. Call a little lower in volumn. Call to the hen in a non chalantly mode just so she'll come to see what's going on. Each situation is different, but without knowing why he hung up, it is hard to suggest a specific thing to try.
Now the being on property where you can't hunt is a tough nut to crack, as far as getting around on a bird. I've had similar problems hunting in Kansas where strick attention had to be paid to property borders. The key to getting birds there was persistence. We could hunt all day and it proved to be the later hours that the toms were receptive to our calls. But the trick still is to know why he hung up. Tomorrow use a different call. That somtimes does the trick also.
Good luck in solving the puzzle.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

For sure if you don't want to get addicted to it....don't try it...If you think deer season is exciting...BUT so far nothing is mentioned of the # 1 thing......SAFETY.....be sure of your target and all around it.....don't hesitate to hang orange around the tree you sit under....make yourself known to other hunters...without letting the bird read your signs....I have hung orange strips on the logging road by my stand that say CAUTION...along with orange hats in the tree above the orange band around the tree and still have had slob hunters move in and sit not 25yds from my daughter and me and my decoys....and even face us.....that didn't last long at all I will assure you, he had a day in the woods to remember.....lmao....




born to be outdoors...thanks dad

[swampdogg]

everybody gave good advice the only thing i didn't see is this. the only sure thing in turkey hunting is that there are no sure things. 2 days in a row same call, same turkey, same everything he may do the same thing both days he might do the exact oppisite or he might not be there. each turkey is different, you have to take his temperature what does he want that day and give it to him. if won't shut up call to him,if he's mellow be the same. if he's got hens make them mad, start a cat fight so to speak everything she does do the same and add a putt or cluck or something as if to say OH YEAH. i hate to say it ,but you goofed up gettting into turkey hunting. come about mid-march my wife sends me out side to practice on the calls, she won't sleep in the same bed i'll mumble about turkey hunting in my sleep. but i do that for every season, hmm maybe she's got the problem, and i'm the normal one. i did that with a straight face.