mauser06

told you guys id let you know how i made out today.....hunted the spot i got busted last saturday...and where another hunter moved in on me working a bird and got busted this passed saturday...got there at 515...sat down in the field instead of walking in in the dark...they been roosting all around the ridge since they logged last spring so i dont like walking in in the dark......536 one sounded off....same bird same tree as this passed sat....last sat i was on the left of him...today i went in on the right...he was gobbling the whole time...and shut up as i was about to sit down...uht oh....stood still a minute...was about to sit down...GOBBLE obble obble..OMG! hes on the ground! its 545am...they usually dont start gobbling at that spot till 545!..to make a long story short ill leave out little details....but i worked him from 545 till about 7-730ish..he quieted down a bit and wasnt responding good anymore...i wasnt calling much at all...enough to let him know i was there and keep his intrest...he would walk back and forth about 100-120yds away on a ridge....i moved to 2 other trees in the area just trying to fire him up...didnt work..kept tabs on him with the crow call...and he responded to cutting hard on the box call....8-830 he slowly moved away..only 100yds or so..but i took that opptotunity to move on him.....moved 100yds or so..but instead of me and him both being on the ridge i was "beside him"..its a wierd hard to explain set of woods lol...again...responded to cutting and the crow call till 9 and then was done....waited till 930ish and i had to throw in the towel...i figured i could slip out quick with the field edge being right there...and i got up at 4am yesterday and didnt get to bed till midnight last night...so if i dont take a nap now im going to end up taking one unwillingly! and i was starving because i havent eaten in a while.....FINALS week at college(i was done yesterday im home now) and turkey season=sleep and food deprivation!! majorly....i just ate....now its nap time.....i dont think staying out there would helped......he had like 4hrs to come to me.....thats the longest i ever sat! lol...it was good to finally get some good work in on a bird.......any guesses to what his problem was? i got 3 potential solutions.......1) majorly henned up..maybe thats why he woke up and flew down early???? 2) hes callshy and wanted ME to goto HIM after saturdays episode of him coming to me and another hunted busting him...or 3)...my favorite..he doesnt like hens yet! lol.....i think i did my part pretty dangged good today.....except for being home but i didnt have much choice im dead tired and no food didnt help...i know where he sleeps...ill be back....i wish i could sneak into where he hung up...but its open and close to his roost....but ill see what i can do next time im out....i might need a break tomarrow we will see....i got time left to hunt though....any thoughts on today??? thanx guys your a big help.....i just gota stick with it...im bound and determined to bring atleast one hom this season

Strut&Rut

Mauser, you forgot one...

4) I overcalled and never made him search for that hot hen...

The more you fire them up, the more unwilling they are to search for the hen. When they're really hot, sometimes you just gotta shut up and let them do the work. I know it's hard, and definitely not as exciting as calling them into the gun, but it's how the majority of mature late-season toms get bagged...

Get some sleep, and good luck.

On another note, when our season started in CT last Wednesday, the majority of hens were leaving for the next in the afternoon. This morning not a single sound, and on my way to work ~9 I spied a lone gobbler out "searching". Not sure about your area, but our birds are in the post-breeding lull, and I'm sure your birds are close to the same breeding stage...

jepcho

Keep after them, you'll get one sooner or later.

mauser06

for the first 2hrs or so id hope i didnt overcall.....expecially the first hour or so....if i did i did ill never know....but i wasnt talkin to much at all....if he wanted to come i think he woulda came or acted more interested?? even when he hit the ground he wasnt gobbling too hard......on a hottness scale from 1-10 he was like a 5 or 6...hed gobble but not much on his own....and wasnt cutting my calls or double and triple gobbling.... ..i think i was waitin so long between calls most were courtasy gobbles....i think he was content right where was was....he never moved far.......im thinking he wanted me to goto him...i may called wrong...probably shouldnt have cutt to make him gobble...but i only did that a couple times and that was the only call id make for atleast 15-30 minshe gobbled at crows.trains...etc...but i dont know..wish i did! i still think he was henned up or callshy and possibly i overcalled..ill admit it im unsure if i did.....but if i did ill never know......and if i didnt do what i did id be sitting there under a tree WAITING for a turkey to walk within range of my gun not calling him in.......that aint no fun to me..i dont know....keep the tips comin...i keep them ALL in mind...

PS.......i JUST woke up! lol AND im still tired but wont sleep tonite if i sleep longer