WITH THE SEASON COMING TO AN END HERE, ABOUT 10 DAYS LEFT. WHAT METHODS HAVE ANY OF YOU GUYS USED LATE IN THE SEASON TO FILL YOUR TAG. I AM LOOKING FOR ALL THE HELP I CAN GET!!!
Location: In the hills of ,West Virginia west virginia USA
Posts: 888
RE: LATE SEASON TATICS
...Try the best you can to roost a bird,get in tight call a few soft yelps,you got to find and locate
him first then get as close to him as you can but always check him with soft calling but dont
be afraid to pour him out some loud excited calls........
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Public or private grounds??? Gobbling birds or a silent woods??
On public lands, by now, you' re going to have birds that probably have heard all the fake hen calling they can stand, and when they hear more calling, they run the other way, so, at best, on public land, you should only call softly and infrequently. Also, they' ve probably heard all the locator calling imaginable, and are not likely to shock gobble to one more hoot owl, one more crow call. So if you hear nothing when trying these locator calls, consider other calls--a goose flute, a duck call, a pileated woodpecker, a screaming peacock, even a portable air horn might be worth trying.
On private lands where there has been limited hunting pressure this rule might not apply, and you might be able to get good locator response and you might get birds that aren' t call shy. Still, I think softer and infrequent calling should be the rule of the day. Locator calling can include hoot owl and crow, if there' s not been too much pressure.
If the toms are in their second gobbling phase, then you should have great success at locating, and then a modest amount of yelping and clucking should produce, but be ready, as a late season gobbler might come a running if he thinks he' s got a lonesome hen in the neigborhood.
I' d use a strong run and gun approach throughout the day.
HOWEVER, I would also go to the area of known roost sites in the evening and listen for the sounds of a bird flying up to roost. Knowing if there are birds in the area is most critical at this time, as some of the toms have been harvested, and so the available population of harvestable birds is reduced.
Lastly, I would limit my decoy usage to a single hen, only. No jakes or other tom types, no multiple hen sets.
I read about a study, somewhere, about where the toms go when heavily pressured. The reporter claimed they went to the heaviest available cover, and stood in that stuff all day. Bear that in mind, as well. If you hear one, you might not get him to " expose" himself, and you might have to go to where he is. Of course if you opt to use stealth, you must use MAXIMUM CAUTION, as you might be sneaking up on another hunter, a situation that is risky for both you and the other hunter.
Silent woods, public lands, might as well set up and hope one walks by--little else to do, really. If they won' t gobble, and have been pressured all season long, not much else to do, IMHO.
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Peace.
"Always do the right thing- this will gratify some and astonish the rest."-- Mark Twain
You got some excellent advice from snowdog2.
try to locate some birds first. Man it would be great if you knew where they fed or where they roost. If you do, set up in those areas and be ready for a long day. These birds are more than likely call shy. So make it short and sweet, and long in between. Just a few yelps and clucks, then shut up for at least 30 minutes. Then just sit, wait, and enjoy the day. Oh yah, DO NOT fall asleep, these birds will come up on you and you will never know it, You have to keep an extremely watchful eye. If you have fields, try locating some birds in a field, sneak up to the edge, set up, and call just a few times, then sit and wait. If you want to use decoys only use one, and make it a hen. No more. Best of luck to ya and i am just telling you what works for me. Other stuff may work for other hunters?
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LATE SEASON TATICS
[:-] good luck
