HELP! Toms are making me mad!
Alright...im looking for some MAJOR help. I live in California...a little different...it seems like everyone else is coming from the east. The property I am hunting is private...10,000 acres turkey heaven...im the only one that hunts it. I am having some problems though. I thought these birds would be easy since they have never been hunted until this year. I have only hunted a small section of property where there are roughly 20 birds...about 9 longbeards. I cannot get these birds to respond to ANYTHING. I know they are henned up but they wont even reply to an owl call or crow call. They dont even gobble from the roost at a real owl calling. I went out yesterday...and heard 4 gobbles all day...two in the morning about 500 yards away. None of these were in reply to anything I do. This is very hard because I dont know where to locate them after they come of the roost...If they arent talking...they disappear. I actually drove up on two toms on my atv and I spooked them but i got off set up really fast and they gobbled back 4 times (dont ask me why they still gobbled)...this was about 930. But it seems they only gobble when you are within 50 yards. During the day...(from 9-on) they dont reply to ANY locators that i have tried or any calls at all. Help. I am getting frusterated. This is the 4th time I have walked up on birds without knowing they are there since they wont respond. PLEASE i need suggestions! Thanks guys.