What do you do when.....

[rybohunter]

Nothings gobbling and you don't have room to just keep covering distance to find a bird that may fire up? I hunt a place, birds gobble sometimes early then shut up. It's made up of a lot of fields and I don't want to walk around much for fear of spooking them. Do I just sit and continue calling?Sit and do nothing?

[Rick James]

First of all, I am defininitely a run and gunner when I have the room.....I did over 4 miles yesterday near Oneonta hoping to pick up an active bird after the birds I found on the roost henned up. When I simply don't have the room, and there is no where else w/ the room within reasonable driving distance to continue huntingthat morning, I will setup a decoy spread and sit in the blind in an area where the decoys can be seen from quite some distance. I have taken a few this way.....the places I hunt often will have the turkeys in the fields around9am or so chasing bugs and insects.I actually had a jake within 10 yards of my blind on Saturday in PA doing this exact scenario. I will usually very very passively call when in this situation and then shut up once they are within 75 yards or so and allow the decoys to bring them in out of curiosity.

[ktbearpaws]

Most of the time I run and gun in those conditions.
But, last friday, I was hunting in a spot and I didn't get there til after 9am.
For the first hour I made a series of calls every ten minutes. "Nothing"
For the next hour I made a series every 15 minutes. Stll "nothing".
From 11AM- 11:45 i kept quiet.
Well,round 12pm I made another series of calls. Again "nothing".
So I decided to call it a day I stood up and started walking to my vehicle.
After "crunching" the leaves for 50 yards or so...Alla sudden ""GOBBLE"!
Just 30 -40 yards over the bank.
I quickly grabbed a tree, made a couple clucks and cutt..."GOBBLE,GOBBLE". And he came arunnin. I could hear him in the leaves.
In about 5seconds he was on me."Bang " Turkey dinner!!
Taught methree valueable lessons.
1) Just cause you don't hear them, don't mean they don't hear you.
2) Just cause you don't hear them gobblin, don't mean they ain't there.
3) Just because they ain't gobblin, don't mean they won't.