Phil from Maine

I think kellyquinn has a great idea on watching around the watering holes. They will almost always come into water when they can for a drink or what ever..

Where I hunt they become call shy before the season opens up on them for the most part. This is because there is a lot of unexperienced turkey hunters trying to test their calling out 2 weeks prior to opening day. I tend to try and get out past those areas if I can. But, when I can not I will find a location I know they have been going to and set up 100 to 150 yards back. I will look for an opening that they can strut in when trying to attract a hen. One of the things I look for in there is droppings whether from the tom or hens. Because we all know if hens are around the toms are not far away. For as far as them gobbling back that really never happened very much during the last 2 years. I hardly hear a gobble and then there is one right in front of me.. This way they tend to catch me by surprise. I also sometimes resort to just a hen decoy when setting up in these kinds of location as I just want the tom looking for a hen and not so much of a fight. I hope this helps.. Sometimes the clearing is just an old logging or skidder road if you have them there is all it takes.. The birds may still be wise but are less cautious in this type of surrounding..

camokenny

Some of the tricks that I have tried on shy gobblers is to get close and only cluck and purr softly. throw the yelps away. I also add some leaf scratching in with the soft calling. Try putting yourself between your decoy and the gobbler only if it is safe in your area to do so.
What I cant understand is them being on the limb at that time of day. Do you have a lot of yotes in the area? Ground predators would cause them to fly up at times. Fog or rain will keep them on the limb longer in the morning. Sudden hunting pressure might do it till they decided to leave the area.
Hope this helps.

Phil from Maine

I think camokenny has offered some great advice as well. I normally do the scratching thing once they start to come in and then hold up on me. The scratching sometimes gets them moving again. Some times there is very little you can do to get them to move again.

Hunting pressure is one part of why they fly back up on the roost again. At least here it is if an area is being hunted hard. That or they move back farther into the woods and will rarely show themselves. No answering calls or anything making one think they are not there. Then the moment they spot you it is into the air they fly. So that is when I try to find a clearing in the woods and try to locate some droppings in them. The turkeys will still strut and just a small opening can allow it for them.. I hope the info we have shared will help you out some.. Then again next year they may act better for everyone..

jepcho

Hey guys. Just checking back in. Havent been on in a while. The wedding went great and we had a blast on our honeymoon. South Florida has some beautiful woods! I cant wait to hunt turkeys there someday. We spent most of our time at the beach, which I always have in Florida. But we did get out on some wooded nature trails as well as an airboat in the everglades, which was a lot of fun.

camokenny

Congrates jep. It is very awesome in florida however I could not live there. To crowded for me and the deer are not nearly as big as the Midwest.

Phil from Maine

Congrats to you and your new wife jepcho!! I hope the both of you have many years together! I am a lot like camokenny though.. I love Florida for a visit and had a great time when I was down there in 91. But would rather be away from all that hussle and bussle type of stuff. I love these old dirt roads that we travel on endlessly for miles and the trout fishing and all that goes with living out in the boone docks..

bigc870

camokenny, That is is some good advice. I know of a good water hole way back in the woods about 1-1.5 miles off the road but it is a pretty easy walk in. I have never set up on a water hole before, I will sure give it a shot next year.

The spot I hunted this year had a lot of hunting pressure and I am sure they were being called at for several weeks before season but most people that were hunting were not moving around alot. I walked all over that place when know hunters were not in there already and I never seen another person up moving around, I did make the mistake of getting close to some decoys but I was a pretty good distance away, I seen them through my binoculars so I don't think I hurt the other hunter much. I just hate when that happens.

I wish Missouri would have a law like in either Kentucky or Tennessee that says you can't call with a turkey call until season starts but you can use locator calls before season, just nothing that makes a turkey sound in your possession.

I know this would be hard to enforce but most hunters would follow the rule and not call before season. I have ask the MDC about this and they feel since it would be too hard to enforce that it would not make a difference, but it only makes sense to me because it would improve hunter satisfaction IMHO.

Thanks to everyone for the advice!!!

jepcho Good luck on your marriage!!!!!!!

I have been married to my better half for 22 years and we have been together 23.5 years and I only turned 40 last month!!

camokenny

I have called to a many longbeards before season opens. I have a state park a short drive from the house that is loaded with turkeys so I go there a play before seasons open up just to knock the rust off or to try new calls. One morning I called in 22 gobblers before ten am just moving around and calling. They don't allow turkey hunting in state parks so no harm. Its sure a way to get pumped before season.