Calling all hens

jhoffman · 02-23-2005, 02:14 PM

Here is the situation I have encountered for the last couple of spring turkey seasons in WNY. I get into the woods a good hour before light and get situated - I start calling at first light with a couple of soft yelps - I usually end up with 2 or 3 birds gobbling back and sound like they are comming in - I don't over call, just enough to keep thier attention and keep them comming.

The bird will sound like they are comming in and then the will turn and head off in another direction. Still gobblin in response to my calls.

I am guessing that they meet up with other hens and wander away with them. What is a good technique to call the hens away from the tom to get him to come on the rest of the way?

Champlain Islander · 02-23-2005, 04:12 PM

Sounds to me like the toms were roosted near all the hens and when they hit the ground he will follow them where ever they go. One thing you can do is try to pattern them and keep the calling to a minimum. Chances are they will probably do the exact same thing the next day if they are roosted in the same place. You might have better luck a little later in the season and closer to mid morning when most of the available hens are on their nests. Without competition from the real thing your odds will increase.

MikeE51848 · 02-23-2005, 04:13 PM

I'm guessing they don't like what your saying. Have you tried using decoys?

Mr. Longbeard · 02-23-2005, 04:37 PM

As long as they have the real thing you don't stand a chance!!!! Unless you can persuade the hens to come to ya. Good luck on that. Every time I try that they head the other way

jhoffman · 02-23-2005, 05:02 PM

Thanks for the input.

I have been Turkey hunting since I was 12 and I usually end up getting a bird but the last couple of seasons have been wierd.

My dad and I make our own calls they are box calls with a piece of slate - very simple desigh\n just have to get the right thickness on the box walls.

and sand a ice flat and even side on the slate your're using.

Even had a right up in one of Quakerboys newletters once We ran into someone field testing their calls and he said he wasn't hearing anything. My dad leaned out the car window gave a couple yelps and got a gobble right off the bat. The guy was pretty impressed so we gave him a call and he added it to his article. Pretty cool.

I do use a decoy when I am calling. One other problem I have is I end up calling for other hunters. Last season opening day. I got set up started calling and had 3 birds working. I had one commin in then someone shot real close to where I was. I called again in a few minutes and 2 of the 3 gobbled back. I had them working again and the same thing happened again from behind me this time.

Later that day I found where both birds were killed. People came into the woods heard the bird gobble and heard me call and just set up between me and the bird that's all I can figure cause there wasn't any other calleing happening besides me.

No too ethical. What do you think?

MikeE51848 · 02-23-2005, 05:05 PM

Sounds like you know what you're doing. Maybe just a run of bad luck? And make sure you've got your back up against a big tree!

germain · 02-23-2005, 05:38 PM

I've had two things work for me in this situation.
1-call the hens in.Get agressive with cutts and excited clucks.In other words get the hens mad at ya.Better yet imitate the calls they are using,this really tee's them off.
2-wait until later in the morning when the hens go to nest.In my experiences most times the gobblers remember you calling and come back for more lovin.This worked for me alot of times.
Another method requires scouting.Find out where the gobblers are going to the hens and set up accordingly.

jhoffman · 02-24-2005, 05:54 AM

Thanks for the advice.

In PA what time do you have to be out of the woods for Spring Turkey - In NY you have to out by noon.

I thought about doing what you said about calling later into the day because of the fact that the majority of hens would be on the nest but, don't have the opportunity to be in the woods after noon due to the regs.

Champlain Islander · 02-24-2005, 06:29 AM

jhoffman I sympathize with your experiences about getting cut off or cut out of the action. You do all the work and someone else gets to do the killing. I had a similar thing happen to me about 10 years ago. I had a whole group of toms located near a main road on a non posted farm. First morning I got set up near the roost and heard them come out of the trees. I started to call and 7 answered back and were coming. Everything went OK until they crested the ridge line and I discovered that I wasn't quite in range. They strutted back and forth along the ridge but wouldn't come any closer. If I had set up a decoy it might have brought them in but the main problem was that I set up in the wrong place. Too far from the spot where they would have appeared. Good lesson learned. All at once the shots rang out and birds were going every which way. I never saw or heard anyone else come into the birds but 2 guys heard the gobbling and worked their way into position on the blind side of the ridge. Scared me to death and I now hunt away from the roads. Takes more scouting but when you hunt to obvious birds that everyone else sees you get problems with cut offs. We have to be out of the woods at noon so I target about 10:00am as the time to get after the toms who lost the hens to the nest. Most of my birds over 20 pounds have come later in the morning.

germain · 02-24-2005, 04:58 PM

Noon in PA also hoffman.There's talk of passing all day hunting which I oppose.