what did i do wrong??

Jackelope · 04-19-2006, 06:21 PM

so opening morning about 8:30 my first season we had a gobbler talking his head off to us, would not come to us. yelp, cut, purr, fighting purr, blah blah blah. nothing.
we were on a small ridge with a narrow draw-clearing then an uphill with some thicck brush and a meadow behind it. we thought he was in the meadow. about 30 min. into our calling him, we heard hens yelping, never saw any of them. about an hour in, he just shut up.
any ideas or did he just have enolugh ladies with him he wasn't gonna go anywhere??
tagged out on day 2 so it really doesn't matter this year, just curious what i should have done. you guys are the experts.

ryncam16 · 04-19-2006, 06:24 PM

well just a suggestion next time call a few times. Then just shut up and he would probly get curious and come in or he could of just been so henned up but im not to sure.

bradisthebest · 04-19-2006, 06:25 PM

I think it is ovious that the bird was henned up and if i were u i would of tryed to challeng the yelping hens just my thoughts.

Jackelope · 04-19-2006, 06:30 PM

how do you challenge hens(#1) and i'm guessing that would have brought the hens in and the tom would have followed???
thanks for the input.
he was definitely henned up, no question there...

Adrian J Hare · 04-19-2006, 06:49 PM

They wern't on the other side of the Medow were they ? This would have hung them up. The guys are right I would have challeged the hens and seen if I could have got them to come to the call as well...BT

Madeline · 04-19-2006, 06:53 PM

hey if you are already tagged out, unless your calling for somebody else i wouldnt be out there calling them. they get called at enough and you mite hurt your hunt next year. thats my opion who knows . far as your bird hes most likly henned up. find were your birds like to go and set up between there and your birds. also be patiant running and gunning mite work with when your birds arent messed with but here in md most of the birds i ve been hunting are pretty smart and they usally dont just come running in!!! the one i got yesterday toke me 1 1/2 hours to finnally to get him to come in!

Arrowmaster · 04-19-2006, 08:53 PM

henned up id say.

Arrowmaster · 04-19-2006, 08:53 PM

henned up id say.

old longbeards · 04-19-2006, 09:39 PM

sounds like there was a dominant hen in that group....and she decided she didnt want the tom to leave her for you...lol...you didnt do anything wrong....that happens in the turkey woods..

Jackelope · 04-20-2006, 08:59 AM

The group was on the other side of the meadow and as we later discovered, there was a patch of thick brush in between too. i guess i need to figure out how to calll hens too. i was hoping it was just one of those things that happens once in a while. didn't want to think i blew it. BTW, this was opening morning, 2 hours in and nobody else was around us, so i don't think they were called to too much. we tagged out on day 2 in a different area and never went back up that part of the mountain.
thanks for the advice from everybody.
i am hooked for sure.