ranchand99

How have you been beaten by smart gobblers?

'Come on admit it.We get beat every year.What did you try,and how did he get away?I think we can alllearn from this.WHat do you think my mistakes were?WHat were yours?

I'll start.

Last year as I was roosting birds theevening before season,I heard one loud-mouthed turkey gobbling on the ground,and gobbling on his way towards the road.I heard him fly up.Then I heard some more birds behind me,and a deep sounding gobbler.The loud-mouthed bird is the one I decided to try with my wife the next morning,as the other deep sounding tom wouldn't respond to the hoot owl,very much.

Later I decided to go for the deep sounding tom.Three other hunters were after this bird,and I thought I could get him.He was staying around a 200 acre patch of woods.There were only 2 birds on the place.I found out he had been shot down on the 2nd weekend,but had gotten away.No one had heard him again.He was presumed dead.The other loud-mouthed tom didn't make it through the first week.I started my quest,by tracking all the roads,and found a few tracks on one side of the block.Iwas walked along a road glassing down thinned pine rows.WHOAH!There he is!I got down,he didn't see me.Beard swinging low,and head so red.He was about 75yds away.I called to him,and he looked back..then eased off.I didn't know it at the time,but that would be the closest I ever got to him.

On my next hunt I tracked him again.I went in where I had saw him before.Nothing.I hunted in that area all morning.Calling sparingly,glassing thinned rows.I did see one hen.I started to leave,and as I cut around the corner.There he was!He ran into the block I had been in all morning.

OK,The next day I parked way away,and drove my bike in.No gobbling...I biked the entire block,searched every nook and cranny then I found some tracks..on the other side of the block.This tom is not patternable!I was easing out the back way around 1pm,and came to a corner where I had seen the last set of fresh tracks.

I'm not getting busted this time,so I peeped the corner..no bird.I go back to my truck,half way to the spot where I had seen tracks...THERE HE IS!busted!3 sigtings 3 different spots.He would not respond to any calls.He would not come to any calls.Actually I believe they made him go the other way.

2 days before I got my last bird ofseason.I had one more chance with this bird.I'm gonna get him...SHhyeea right.I get down there,and come in from a 4th different direction.There he is in the road,and he ran off.I turned around and left.This bird was a road bird.He wouldn't gobble.He had no pattern.The bushes were real thick along the road,so I had to go down the road.I changed approaches everytime,hehehe I guess so did he ..What do you guys think I could have done different?I just can't let that one go.I had to give him credit he broke me down a notch....

drhntr178

It sounds like to me that you had him patterend and didnt even know it. He busted you 3 different times, almost a fourth,in the road. How many times are you gonna let that happen before you get there before light, set up IN THE ROAD where you spotted him,and do some soft calling. And then wait there until the end of shooting time. Patience, Patience, Patience, my friend. It seems like this is something you didnt have. Quit running around spooking birds and sit down.

ranchand99

I tried that.He never showed.I'm a seasoned hunter,and this joker flat out skunked me.I sat in several spots 2 hours at the time,sometimes calling,sometimes not,and I sat on the roads too.I guess there are unkillable turkeys.[8D]

Bobgobble2

99,Turkeys like this aren't much fun!The ? is why was he acting like he was?The answer could be a # of things,possibly boogered up with huntin pressure,the prescence of a more dominant bird you didn't know about,or maybe he was cycled out(rut)!!Dont know,but anytime you have birds that dont respond to a call makes for tough huntin.About theonly things that I do in situations like this is move to and set-up in areas particularly late in the season hens nest in and call softly and sparingly!The other thing is just take a chance even though I may not hear anything,and set-upon the freshest sign!It sucks sitting for sometimes hoursto not hear or see a thing but than again I've had it pay-off on birds such as this before!And yes I do believe that there are turkeys that I dont care how well yousound just arent interested that particular day.But tomorrow may light it up!!!

ranchand99

I think it was because he had been shot already earlier in the season.I guess bushwhacking is the only way to get a tom like that.[8D]You're right though bob,turkeys can be fickle.I think now I should have set close to where I had seen the hen,and put my decoys out,and just waited,no calling at all.I'll bet he would have shown himself around there.I can't beleive I didn't do that.It was in may,and our turkeys started gobbling back in Late feb.Our season came in around the last of march,so he had been hunted pretty hard by some others for over a month.I know,Usually in late season a tom will go close to hens nests to get them up,He may have changed his roost sights,but his destination was the same.I'll bet he was coming to that hen I saw.I think you hit the nail on the head.I wish I had it to do over again.Oh well...Thanks bob!