ranchand99

How did you get your toughest turkey?How did you figure him out?I'm hoping this part along with the other will help all of us be better turkey hunters this year..

I'll start.

A couple of years ago,I was in a club with a few other guys.I found a bird on the 2nd weekend,and I tried calling to him,but he wouldn't come.I didn't know it at the time,but one of the other guys had shot one gobbler at the same spot opening weekend.SO,he was call shy,and every hen in the woods were going to him.He would answer,but never come,and he would just lose interest,and leave.The second day I decided to go into his strut zone,and wait on him.

I guesstimated where,he liked to strut,and sat down way before light.Daylight came,and there was gobbling.He gobbled,for awhile,and thenI started calling to him.As soon as I started,so did the hens!Dang it.Then he wouldn't even answer me,but when that raspy sick sounding hen would yelp,he would gobble at her.

SO I sat,and waited for him to come to his strut zone.He gobbled about 75yds away,and then one to my right gobbled!I could see the one from the right going to the left.I heard wings flapping,and then silence.15 minutes later gobbling resumed.I called,again he was coming!He got about 65yds,and I could see him,but he hung up.I didn't want to shoot that far.He strutted in place for 25 minutes.He wouldn't even respond when I called,just strut,and drum.Then a couple of jets started coming over,on their way to the bombing range,and after a few passes,he tucked up,and fed off.I came out,and saw one of the other guys,he said you've got one more day then he's mine.Hmmm.I didn't know if he was serious or not,and I didn't know the guy very well,so I knew I had to do something drastic.

Next morning I was in the same place.No gobbling.I was nervous because I thought it may be my last chance,as I would be back to work,and the other guy had the next week off.I sat for1 1/2 hours with nothing.Finally I heard a gobble.I called.Nothing.Called again,1 gobble.In the same place.So I decided to take a chance.I crawled in the direction I heard the last gobble.I was scanning as I crawled,and saw him courting a hen.I sat still.I watched them breed.He was in range...45yds.When she left he went back to strutting on a little hump.Like he was king of the hill.I called one more time,and he marched towards me about 35yds,and I got him.

He weighed 16 lbs,He had a whopping 6 1/2" beard that looked like it had been cut straight across with a pair of scissors,and the sharpest 1 1/16" spurs I have ever seen.I guess all you need to be is fast with a set of sharp spurs to beat everyone up in the turkey world.[8D]Still the toughest turkey I have ever gotten.SO,that's when I learned to make a move in.

ranchand99

Hey 'come on guys no tough turkey stories?I know they weren't all easy birds.I was hoping that if we shared stories someone might say/read something that could help someone else this year.Maybe you'd be out afield,and run across a turkey that was doing like someone elses,and try a trick that worked on that bird.Let's help each other out.Don't be shy!

Bobgobble2

Sorry 99,little late on the post.....Heres one hunt I can recollect on a couple of gobblers.My buddy and I had made are way early into a nice set-up on a small ridge above a couple of gobblers that were breaking the early morning stillness rattling out some nice gobbles.We had been sitting there for some 10 minutes relaxing anticipating what was going to happen once they hit the ground when all of the sudden both birds were airborne obviousily spooked by some jack@#$ that I believe had intentions of roost shootin em!Anyway both birds sailed down the canyon into the predawn gray and this guy walks up out of the draw the birds were roosted in below us.He was on the next ridge over from us and begins to blow a crow call for awhile and than shake a shaker tube to obviousily try and raise a gobble!Disgusted to say the least I knew these birds had been being hunted and upon not hearing a gobbler respond to this fella I told my buddy I aint goin nowhere!He looked at me kinda funny a said we're pretty much screwed here and I told him he was probably right but maybe this guy would leave if nothin answered him!The only thing I did at this point was move our set-up about 50 yards in the direction the birds had flown!I did this because on multiple occasions I've had gobblers that were together come back to a break-up point just like hunting young fall birds to regroup.So there we sat for almost 2 hours without a sound from a gobbler or otherhunter!Groggy from taking in some warm sunshine and dozing off I lazily raised up and sent a few soft yelps down the canyon the birds flew in "nothing".Only about a couple minutes later I did it again,once again nothin!!As I began to relax again I heard it,chickvvrrooommmmmm,chickvvrrooommmm.At first I thought naaaa,and then I heard it again and whispered to my buddy did you hear that?He looked over at me and saidhear what?I said listen and this time there wasno doubt as he heard it too!Ilooked down the ridge we were on and heres a gobbler in fullstrut not 40 yards out headed are way.Funny thing was thespittin-&-drummin I heard wasn't from that bird but one directly below me not 20 yards and closing!I raised my gun towards the drumming and as his fan appeared it made the shot though only 10 yards pretty easy.
Though this may not of sounded like such a toughbird withthe way he came to the call it was a tough hunt.In most cases with other hunters screwing up your woods,boogering birds,callin all over the place,sends most hunters headed somewhere else or home!Trust me I darn near headed to the house!Folks its tough sitten in one place for a good length of time!For many this aint what turkey huntin is all about!Good gobblin birds is what everybody looks for but sometimes you just have to deal with what your dealtand hopewhatever you do works!Call it lucky yes i'll take it but apply someexperience/woodsmanship/thought to that luck too and sometimes more than not it'll pay-off!The ups and downs of this sport through the course of a days hunt can be amazing!!!

ultimag

I can share a tactic I use on the toughest turkeys and that is henned up gobblers, I have used this with pretty good success,I like to roost him yhe night before, study where he is at and think like the bird where is he going to pitch down too? they normally like to pitch into an open area if he is roosted just below a ridgeline yhey normally pitch into the ridgetop after i figure where they might pitch too I will slip in well before flydown setup and be still I do not call just wait until they hit the ground in front of me if they move off I will try and circle ahead of them and re set up in there line of travel I may have to setup somewhere I think they might head off the roost if I cannot get in real close listen to the boss hen and challenge her I normally wait until they hit the ground I like to listen to that Boss hen and mimick her my success has gone up over the years because i have roosted these birds before and know there tendancies and the lay of the land these birds are Merriams and I have been hunting these areas for 12 years allot of trial and error believe me

ranchand99

Thanks guys.Those are some good tips.We have our share of roost shooters too Bob,especially on the WMA.