turkey stump
 

I have been hunting turkeys for about 2 years now and I go out almost every spring in new york state and will call turkeys get them gobblin back and never see them again...i use a box call and sometimes a crow call to locate...im looking for tips on calls to use and what to do i hunt in central new york...please help

RE: turkey stump
 

It takes time buddy:DI Would suggest watching some turkey hunting video's and getting your hands on some good reading material!!! There are a lot of good reads out there on the subject of spring gobbler hunting...

I learned a lot about turkey hunting from video's... Back in the later 80's and early 90's the video's were a lot less comerciallized... And the hunters were actually hunting, not trying to sell there calls/ground blinds/decoys;););)

So I really don't know how much the DVD's of today will help you... But the reading material is still out there:D

Good luck

RE: turkey stump
 

There are a whole lot of different variables here.....I suppose it is possible that they could have seen you, or maybe you over called, or maybe they were henned up.
As mentioned above it takes time.....trust me you are going to screw up a whole bunch of times, but just learn from your mistakes and go from there. I would really recommend going with a veteran turkey hunter if you have the chance. Best of luck, and keep at it!

RE: turkey stump
 

If the turkey is answering, dont over call. as long as he is answering spread your calls out a bit. its gonna be hard but let him gobble twice before you respond. or if he is really hot let him go three times.
Patience is the key.

RE: turkey stump
 

I sometimes believe I do overcall it is extremely frustrating when I hear several gobblers at once and not a one shows up, Im also wondering about using decoys and what ones to use whether it be just hens or hens and a tom

RE: turkey stump
 

There could be several things that could be going on. You really need to give more detail to us so we can help. When are they gobbling while their on the roost, or on the ground? Are you walking or set up when your calling? Remember they could be henned up (like stated above). They could be going to their strut zone as well.

RE: turkey stump
 

MHO

I don't think anybody can tell somebody how to turkey hunt;)

RE: turkey stump
 

I am sitting on the ground about 10 minutes before it even cracks light and when they gobble back to my call they are on the ground it seems like most of the time they are calling but getting farther away im assuming they are henned up

RE: turkey stump
 

Do you change calling locations ?
Do you work the same birds for a number of days ?
Do you change calls ?
Do you change your calling rythem ?
Do you move around ?
Do you try the silent treatment ?
Do you try to relocate after flydown ?
Do you try leaf scratching instead of calling ?
There are so many things to try and without knowing the way you work the birds its hard to answer your question here. You would be better to read and ask questions on setups and learn different ways to work birds....

RE: turkey stump
 

i do work the same birds i dont move only if i can tell they are moving away i dont change calls i dont do the silent treatment i use a box call i am thinkin of switching to a slate call it seems to be more realistic not as loud and i have decoys but debate on using them, i dont feel they are close enough to scratch the leaves and hear it.

RE: turkey stump
 

What part of central NY do you hunt? I hunt a lot in New Berlin, NY in Otsego County and I know last year they were real henned up near us. They would gobble on the roost but then once they hit the ground they would go their own way. However turkeys usually have a set travel route, so you might want to spend some more time scouting and figure out where they go off the roost. Its a lot easier to call a bird to a place he wants to go, instead of calling him away from his normal route. If you are sure hens are the problem you might want to try to call to the hens instead of the gobbler. The best thing i've found is when a hen starts calling immediately cut her off and call over top of her. If she is yelping interrupt her yelp with one of your own, but make yours a little louder and a little faster. If she is giving you that aggrivated cluck, start cutting back at her. A lot of times you will make those hens so mad they will come marching in looking to teach you a lesson, and sometimes their boyfriend will follow.

frankw08
 

Everyone on here is giving you good info, I'm not sure how to do it, but I think you can go back thru the forum (I don't know how far back you can go either) and read what others' have done to be successful. I'll guarantee you there are plenty of turkey hunters that you'll get some good advice from.

I started turkey hunting over 30 years ago, taught myself, and made so many mistakes it's embarrassing to tell about them. However, I learned from each mistake and what makes them worse is, I still make some of them. If you started 2 years ago, hang in there, you have just begun an addiction compared to know other.

Good Luck,
dog1

RE: turkey stump
 

I hunt very close to New Berlin, I actually hunt in columbus just off of Route 8 and it seemed like the birds were henned up alot this year

RE: turkey stump
 

frankw - well I'm glad I'm not the only one in the area that struggled with the birds last year haha. I managed to take two nice birds but down in the Hudson Valley area where they seemed much more cooperative. The last couple years I've had some luck hunting the birds hard at the end of the season. It seems like when I first started turkey hunting about 12 years or so ago the first two weeks were the best and the last two weeks were really slow. As of late it seems like that has reversed and I haven't had nearly as much luck the first two weeks, but the last two weeks the birds were much more active. My best guess would be that the couple mild winters we had meant more hens survived and with so many hens to go around the birds don't have to respond to calls, they just gobble up some hens off the roost and go to strut zones. As the season goes on and more and more hens start to go to nest I think all of a sudden the Toms start to get lonely and are easier to work.

This is why i think early in the year you have to hunt them almost like deer by getting into their natural travel routes because they usually will not leave hens to come to your calls (hen in the hand is worth two in the bush i guess, haha). Then if you still cant get them close enough start working on the hens. I have come to think that calling to the hens is even more fun then calling to the toms, because once you get those hens fired up it turns into a real pissing match haha. I've found this strategy to be very effective because very often the hens will come matching in to find you, especially if you have a real mouthy boss hen in the flock. Invariably the gobbler will follow them right in, usually pulling up the rear locked in a strut (I guess they like chick fights just like us, haha). The difficult thing about this strategy is that when the hens come in you have that many more eyes looking for you and you have to be extra careful with your movement. If you have one a decoy is often killer here because it gives the birds something to focus on.

RE: turkey stump
 

i agree that in the past ive had alot of gobbling in the early weeks and the later weeks were just a hit because you would have to sit there and wait for them instead of hear them coming. i cant wait to bag my first one it seems like i work so hard and get nothing in return i start to say im not going to hunt them no more but i do.