RE: need help
breck,
JW! is right on. I've got4 examples. On opening morning this year, myself and a friend got set up before daylight, I was calling for him. I called in 2 gobblers and he missed the shot. I went back that afternoon by myself, set up a blind at 2 p.m., 6 p.m. a hen came in, I never touched my call, she was clucking so light I could hardly hear her, 10 minutes later a gobbler came in to her, I let her do the talking and he is history.
I was working 2 different birds, each in a different area, regardless of which one I worked, same thing would happen. They would fly down, gobbling their heads off and struting, I'd call and they wouldmove off away from me, just couldn't turn them. After about 2 weeks of this I went in the woods about 5 a.m. or so, got set up. When this one bird started gobbling in front of me I kept quiet, then another started behind me. Three hens flew down in front of me, then the first gobbler flew down, and then the one behind me. The one behind me joined the gobbler and hens in front & left of me. The hens started feeding their way across in front of me, softly clucking & purring, I kept quiet. The 2 gobblers walked past me, no shot, and they went out of sight away from me and the hens.
As I was watching the hens feed past me & out of sight, to my surprise, the 2 gobblers came up on me from behind me, they was watching the hens, which I could no longer see, I got both of those gobblers and never once called to them, I let the hens do the work.
Another friend was having problems with a bird that wouldn't come to him, I told him to try moving in early and not call, or wait til the bird went off somewhere and ease in and set up, no matter what time it was. He did, and got that bird. He said he never called, just set up where the birdflew down that morning, and eventually that bird came back.
dog1