Originally Posted by
Timbrhuntr
Interesting I personally have called toms both up and down hills and then I have had some refuse either way lol
Timber - I've also called them both directions - but in general, it's much easier to call them up the hill than down.
The hens naturally go to the toms to begin with, and therefore when the hen doesn't come to him - then the gobbler thinks (1) she's already with a tom, (2) there's something in the way, or (3) she's found her ideal nesting spot and not moving. These theories have been taught and talked about for decades by hunters like Ray Eye, Knight & Hale and the late-great Lovett Williams.
It's always been proposed as a simple survival instinct because when birds look down a hill and don't see a hen - something screams - this isn't right. The only times I get it to work well are in areas where it's really thick (so transition from open woods to overgrown pasture) or where there are sharp bends in the logging road/deer path - in those instances, the tom realizes he can't the hen because of the terrain, and is therefore more willing to commit. Decoys are the only success I've had when he's on a hardwood ridge and I'm in an open creek bottom, and even then they hang up 8/10 times (at least for me).
Even when you call them up a hill, most of them get a little cagey they get near the summit/peak. If the terrain allows it, they will usually skirt it and move in a somewhat zig-zag pattern until they crest it.
I'll also note this is for Easterns. I know the Rio hybrids in Oregon were easier to pull down hills, and I suspect the Merriams in the mountains or big hills (like the Black Hills) will move in either direction if the mood strikes them, largely because those species travel greater distances anyway.