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ORIGINAL: GMMAT
1. How long do you think it would take turkeys to cover 2-300 yds on their normal, everyday pattern?
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That depends on if they were in travel/search and breed or search and feed mode, or if they were just pecking along minding their scractching. I've seen a turkey cover 300 yards in not much more than a minute when they are motivated by what comes naturally in the spring.
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2. What if you're seen? Is it game over for the rest of the day in that area?
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Yes and no. The gobbling is probably over, but turkeys don't just take the ball and go home when they get bumped. The measure of a turkey hunter is how he responds when he gets beat. You just have to change stratigies and try and know where he went to.
Example.... in the spring of 2003, I was hunting on a farm in Sussex Co, VA with my Dad. He and I were having a pow-wow of sorts on an access road just off the field at about 9:30am when a gobbler ran out in the access road about 150 yards distant. There we stood, no facemasks, no nothing. The bird putted and ran down the road and I assumed into the 8 year cutover on the right hand side of the road. I took up arms and went after him. I went down to a spot where if I were a turkey I would have gone into the cutover. I sat and called VERY softly for about 30 minutes. At that point, I decided to get up and move around that block and try to call him through it, rather than back where he had been spooked (thats an important consideration!!!!). When I stood up, I heard a putt about 20 yards BEHIND me.... that bird had gone into the thick undergrowth on the left of the road, not the way I'd of thought he'd gone! For anyone keeping score, thats TWO bumps in less than an hour.
I got back on the road and ran down about 150 yards more where a gas line heads off to the right, dividing the thick stuff he was in. There was a large creek on the far side, the road on the opposite side and the field the bird had already been in behind. So the bird had to either go back to the field he was in earlier, out on the road where he was bumped twice, across the creek, or come out on the gas line (full of food) and to me.
IMPORTANT: I changed calls and calling tactics, and also put out the whore (hard body decoy). I set up and knew where he would come out if he did..... and I committed myself to that spot until 12... but it didn't take that long. I set up and gave it about 20 minutes just to settle down, then gave a very short run of yelps... then committed to clucks and purrs. It was a little warm, no wind. 15 minutes later, the bird showed himself at the end of the gasline about 70 yards to my right (but I was set up to shoot that way). He worked his way down very slowly, very cautiously, but never took his eyes off the decoy. I let him get close.... real close... and shot him at 15 yards (and dang near missed him to boot.... got him right on the back of the head with half the pattern (took most of his head off.... but it was a close call when your pattern is the size of a CD). Bird was at least 4 years old, 19#, 11.5" with matching 1 1/4" spurs. But more importantly I learned that a bird that has been bumped is not invinciable.... you just have to get ahead of him!
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3. These turkeys are used to a "liitle" human intervention. The cattle farmer is there every day to feed. If they see me (moving).......might they just think I was there to feed?
Thanks.
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Maybe. Ever notice how deer will stand in the wide open when you are just there to horse around or scout or something similar... but when you are hunting its almost like they know why you are there and they can see the bow/gun in your hand? I suspect they pick up on body language and just as soon as humans try to sneak or the game thinks its been spotted, the gig is up and they will bolt.
Run and gun bowhunting from your blind
