Doall

I have been fortunate enough to kill a couple of dominant birds in the past 5 years. These are theturkeys that really get me fired up. Ireally love hunting these birds but they can be frustrating.If this bird is a 4 or 5 year old turkey then get prepared for some frustrating encounters.

I didn't have a strutter decoy on either of the two I killed, but I think the selective use of one is a good tactic, just don't overdo it. I would really do my homework with preseason scouting and try to figure out what the turkey is doing. Since you have been hunting him previously you probably already know his habits. The trouble with these types of turkeys, as you no doubt know, is that they are the alpha male and control all the hens. I have never been able to call or decoy a dominant bird away from his flock of hens, but that was with hen decoys. I killed both of the birds I'm referring to at midday later in the season when the hens starting leaving him to nest. Only then was I able to call him after he was left alone, and both times he came in very slowly and cautiously.

Patience in dealing with him is my best advice. My turkey hunting mentor told me once that when you encounter one of these turkeys the best thing to do is go find another turkey, but come back to him later in the day. That is good advice, as you can drive yourself insane by spending all your time chasing him.

Wholelottagobble posted some good results using a B-mobile. I have a B-mobile and would likely give that a try once I determined where he hangs out with his herem. The key is getting set up covertly and throwing B-mobile at him when he is willing to fight. Most likely that is earlier in the season rather than later. I agree with facing B-mobile toward you, and I would probably use a real fan rather than the artificial one (though I think the silk fan they provide looks good too).

Good luck

Mouthcaller