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first time turkey hunting help

rsmith

rsmith

Member
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Hello everyone, today was my first day ever turkey hunting and it was awesome. Heard 2 Toms gobbling away for about 30 minutes, only problem was they wouldn't come in past 50 yards. What are some calls or tactics you use to get old Tommy boy to come in that last 20-30 yards?
 
Mouth calls are invaluable for the last distance. Since I am not the best at them, I stay patient and let the decoys do the trick.
 
Wish I could help you out. But, I hunt turkeys the same way I hunt deer. I never call or use decoys. I scout birds and pattern their normal routines and set up at an ambush point. Most turkeys use the same routes almost daily unless they are disturbed. The bird I took this morning was taken from a one man chair blind that I sat up last Wednesday afternoon. This blind sits in the wide open in grass that is no more than two inches tall. But, the turkeys follow a woods edge that is less than twenty yards from where I sat up the blind. Knowing where they travel is key IMO. I've never hunt near a roosting bird so very seldom do I get a shot right after fly down.
 
rsmith said:
What are some calls or tactics you use to get old Tommy boy to come in that last 20-30 yards?
Click to expand...

Try soft clucks and purrs when in close, or spitting and drumming if you know how. If possible scratch the leaves like a feeding hen...that is the best call by far. Some times they won't cross a log or even a stick once they get that close....or even an ant mound. But then again, the same bird may come all the way in tomorrow under the same circumstances or run the other way at your first call. Just keep going!
 
The bird I had close today wouldn't walk around a briar bush even though he'd done it a few minutes before I got there based on the location of his gobbles. They are odd creatures.

Best piece of advice I've ever received came from Joe: "Call because they want you to call, not because you've been calling." I do WAY less calling these days and it seems to be more effective. I'm still a newbie since I picked this up late in life and coaching baseball made it tough to hunt much. However I've seen the silent treatment keep them staying vocal and as long as they are talking, you have a chance.
 
bowhunter1023 said:
The bird I had close today wouldn't walk around a briar bush even though he'd done it a few minutes before I got there based on the location of his gobbles. They are odd creatures.

Best piece of advice I've ever received came from Joe: "Call because they want you to call, not because you've been calling." I do WAY less calling these days and it seems to be more effective. I'm still a newbie since I picked this up late in life and coaching baseball made it tough to hunt much. However I've seen the silent treatment keep them staying vocal and as long as they are talking, you have a chance.
Click to expand...

I will keep that in mind, thank you all for your suggestions. I cleared out a little more of the brush so if he steps in that spot again I am confident I can make that shot with my bow
 
That tom I killed today came in and went inside the tree line around my decoys then came back the same way. I ranged a tree where I knew he'd be coming out and whacked his ass. Moral of the story, don't assume the bird will come in close to your decoys, take the shot when it presents itself.
 
My advice would be not to overcall. If you call a few times and get him gobbling shut up for a bit. If you keep calling hes gonna end up waiting for you to come to him, but if you get quiet he's hopefully going to come in your direction. When hes gettin in close a few soft calls dont hurt. If you can use a diaphragm call thats your best bet because thats less movement for you. Good luck i hope things pan out for ya! :smiley_coolpeace:
 
Like all the others have said you can easily over call a bird. My dad told me this: turkeys are kinda like women, sometimes it's just best to keep your mouth shut.

However if you get a hen talking, start mocking her with your calls and it'll typically get her fired up and she'll come into you. Nothing better than a live decoy. Also buy this CD and practice on your way to work, mouth calls are a god send.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/H-S-...=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=03345884&rid=20
 
teej89 said:
Like all the others have said you can easily over call a bird. My dad told me this: turkeys are kinda like women, sometimes it's just best to keep your mouth shut.

However if you get a hen talking, start mocking her with your calls and it'll typically get her fired up and she'll come into you. Nothing better than a live decoy. Also buy this CD and practice on your way to work, mouth calls are a god send.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/H-S-...=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=03345884&rid=20
Click to expand...

Exactly right about mocking the hen, that's what I did yesterday. The hen came hauling ass 200 yards up the gas line and brought 6 Jakes and my big tom with her.
 
The others have it nailed with not over calling. In the wild the hen is supposed to go to the gobbler and when he knows you are right there he will stop. Clucks and purrs and if you are in a blind it's easy to have a small pile of leaves you can play in to sound like turkeys walking and scratching.
 
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