snowdog2

If you've hunted turkeys much, you've probably spooked a tom or two. So what's everyone's strategy thereafter??

For me, if it is a "soft" spook, where the tom probably saw movement and then just"eased away", as opposed to a full out "flight from danger", I'll stop, sit and wait a bit, then call. If it is a busted with alarm putts and flight, I'll watch the bird's direction and try to relocate to the next "best area" that tom might be at, in a circuitous approach that'll take some time. If its a "spooked for reasons unknown" after working the bird, like maybe it didn't like the decoy setup, but I don't know why it didn't finish, I'll "return in an hour" depending on time of day--an early bird MIGHT return at mid-morning, for example--and try the same approximate location but with a different setup. If I spook a whole flock, in the woods, I'll move to get ahead of them, if I can, if I sppok them from a field, I'll go inside the woods and see what I can do--always on the other side of their general direction/"flight path".

I can remember spooking a field flock in Kansas a couple of years ago as I walked along a field road/field edge. Those birds were a quarter mile away out in the field, evidently saw me and scooted to the woods, just from seeing me walking along the edge that far away (and there was a treeline breaking up my silhouette). I went into the woods and in their direction, but got no calling. I left that area and hunted another area. Mid afternoon, I walked along that same field road (after scanning the field as much as I could, to be sure they weren't back in that field), and spooked them again--I saw them about the same time they evidently saw me. This time they were all the way at the other end of the field, over 1/2 mile away, and still scooted to the woods. You'd think I'd learn, but I guess I'm basically an idiot. I don't walk on that road anymore.

I read somewhere (in a Turkey Hunting magazine, I think) that not all spooked birds will be unhuntable for the rest of the day. I'm no Ray Eye, but I think he said (in that article) that he would SOMETIMES have success calling hard right on the spook, and I always think that, since I know where at least one turkey is, the one I spooked, I should work it. I know they don't have a tremendous memory, forget fear after they've run off a couple hundred yards, and spook at the craziest things (like a running deer),but not at other things (like grazing deer).

So, what do you guys do when you spook a turkey (besides kick yourself)?

Mr. Longbeard

Find another

bwhunter501

Thats always the easiest thing to do but if you have no other choice it really depends on the bird but i would keep calling to a minimal and change locations.

Mr. Longbeard

If you loose sight of the gobbler chances are the bird that you think is the one that you spooked is prob another turkey anyhow...[]

fshafly2

If you have a hen or jake come right up to your calling, while the old boy is hanging back,and they start to alarm putt, just aggressively cutt over their alarmcalls. It's worked for me more than once over the years - sometimes relaxing the alarmed bird, and once in a blue moon,the gob I am after troll rights on in to see what all the discussion is about. Definitely worth trying as you have little to lose at that stage.
-fsh

old longbeards

i move on to the next flock i've located before....try for one of those. But at sometime in the day, i'll go back to that first bird and try for him again. a fifty/fifty chance he'll forget what spooked him earlier...and try to find this new girlfriend thats calling for him

Finch

Thats a very good idea!