hypothetical turkey situation...what do you do?

[LKing]

Let's say it's 8:30 am. Tom has come down from the roost, gobbled a little, made off with some hens for a spell and now is on his way back to where you originally had set up near his roost. You know he is coming back to the area due to the fact that he's gobbling a little here and there, getting closer, perhaps within 100yards. You give a yelp and he answers....now what?

Do you continue to yelp as long as he answers?

Do you drop the calls and stay silent even if he continues to gobble?

In a nutshell, if a tom is on his way to your area, and you get him to answer once, should you continue to "chat" with him?

[wpcyouth26]

This is a great question...one I have been wondering about myself. I can't wait to see what you seasoned, veteran turkey hunters with far more wisdom than I have to say about it....but I will venture a guess.

I'm guessing that what you should do in this situation is to pull back on the calling a bit...maybe occasionally do some soft, flirty cluking and puring to keep the ole boy interested and moving your way. But if he's gobblin' on his own and you can tell he's still moving in the right direction, I wouldn't think you would need to "chat" because he would probably set up camp and start strutin' wanting that over zelous hen he's hearing to come to him.

I was in a situation almost exactly like this last Friday and I tried to "chat" with him and he hung up at about 50 to 75 yards and wouldn't come any further. I think it's because I was calling way to much...looking back on it now it would seem the old addage, "less is more" might be true in this situation. I guess the only time you would want to "chat" in a senario like this is if you can tell he has a hen with him. Chatting with her and mimicking her calls would probably bring her in and him right along with her.

[X Legion General]

If I have a bird answering me at 100 yards and getting closer I shut up. Every time you make him gobble he is probably stopping to strut and wait on the hen. He already knows your there and where you are. If you are quiet he will more likely come looking for you. If I do call it is soft clucks and purrs telling him I am content were I am. When I have the urge to start calling alot I always tell myself I am trying to call in a bird not just make him gobble. If you over call that may be all you get, alot of gobbling and a bird waiting for the hen.
In contrast some birds come in lit up and I think calling to them keeps them coming. You have to learn to read the temperment of each bird. If you yelp or cutt and the bird cutts you off with a gobble, and in a few minutes you call again and he gobbles again but is alot closer he is lit up. I usually try to keep him that way. That doesnt mean constant calling, but every few minutes a series of aggresive cutts or excited yelps to keep that big boy coming and fired up.

[TheBowhunter]

sounds like the dominate hen is pulling away the Toms, Try a fighting call done with the push pull box use two or buy the one from Knight and Hale has a double these make great hen atraction which pull tom intow behind them.

[rybohunter]

If he is coming, let him come. It is so easy to want to keep calling. If it's quiet too long, give a few soft calls.

[Deer_Tracker]

You shutup and let the bird come to you. If you feel he has been silent to long give a few clucks to try and get an answer out of him to see where he is. Hens normally go to the tom's so you need him to come looking for you. I had one gobbling once and he was coming in. So i got silent and waited for a bit. Apparently he couldn't take that because he came running into my lap.

[Bldhound]

There is a old saying it goes kinda like this "If your foe is making a mistake, dont correct him." So if that Tom is coming back to your call put the call down(this is the hardest thing for us turkey hunters to learn b/c we want to get all of our $$$$ worth out of that call). Thats just my .02 worth.

[SpurIA]

If I was in this situation I woud put the calls on the back burner, and maybe rustle some leaves. I think that too many people take to heart what you see on all of the TV shows where they call every 30 seconds just to get the bird or birds to gobble for the camera. Granted that will work sometimes but like one of the other posters said everytime you call that bird will more than likly stop coming and go into strut. That is just my opinion.

[JoeA]

If' you've made a few soft calls, and he's still coming, he knows where you are. Let him come. Maybe some light scratching and 1-2 soft contented clucks would be good, but why mess up a good thing. The advice on not correcting your enemy is well put.

[JW]

Let the bird tell you what he wants...it may be the silent treatment, it may be a few soft clucks, it may be you will need to get aggresive.

Each situation in the 20 years I have hunted have been different.

For instance you say he knows where you are and is on his way back with an occasional gobble. As long as he tells me he is still moving in my direction I would be silent as others have said. Make sure your gun is almost in ready position - propped up and ready to take the shot based on how close you feel his calling is tellin you where he is at.

Now do listen for hens - either with him or it may be what he is going too. That will be tough. But hear a hen and again if you can get that hen to talk to you foroget about that Tom and concentrate just on her - beacuse if she comes guess who comes along with her. If he goes silent - I would wait a good half hour......and maybe start off with the sofest call I could make......wiat a few more mintues....get a bit louder...and keep doing that until at the last moment I would cutt to force him to Gobble and tell me where he is at. But he might be right on top of you so do wait between each set of these calls. You make sure you are all eyes.....he may do an end round run on you!

But that is what i would do.

JW