tight lipped birds
 

i was just curious if anyone else hunts property where the birds just dont seem to talk a lot.... i have been hunting a piece of farmland for 2 years now with a pretty stable turkey population. i have seen numerous birds, but rarely do i hear any. toms only seem to gobble on the roost, and i have only heard one hen cutting before sunrise. only one other person hunts there, so they aren' t really seeing a lot of pressure.... what tips can you give me?

RE: tight lipped birds
 

Sounds like ya got a hen problem.Just to dang many.Later in the day when the hens move off to nest the gobblers will be more cooperative.Somethin to try is move in as close as you can while they are still on the roost.Try to seperate the gobblers from the hens,then set up and call.Spookin a bird off the roost isn' t always a bad thing.It can sometimes work to your advantage.Good Luck

RE: tight lipped birds
 

I' ll agree with what Jalvja said as well. The time frame between 9am and 12 noon might pay off better than first thing in the morning if the hen population is high.

RE: tight lipped birds
 

I just got back from a little scouting trip and it doent look promising. All my honey holes look dried up!!!! Looks like I will have my work cut out for me this spring!!!!

RE: tight lipped birds
 

I have seen the same thing here in S Texas over the past two seasons. A couple of years ago they were gobbling their heads off - then all that quit this past season. This year seems to be better than last year, but isn' t what it used to be. I was out on opening weekend two weeks ago and had one walk up right behind me without a sound - he had a hen with him - when I gave out a soft call they were about 15 feet behind me. Then I heard the gobble! IF I had waited another 30 seconds.... well you know the rest.

RE: tight lipped birds
 

i will agree that the hen to tom ratio is really out of wack, but i guess there is nothing i can do about it. i' ve only been turkey hunting for 2 years now, but it' s an added challenge when the birds come in silently. thanks for the tips... i' ve tried waiting later in the morning, but so far i haven' t heard them crank up yet. i' ll keep trying.

RE: tight lipped birds
 

CAO, Scatter them,just like a fall hunt.watch the direction the gobbler goes get between him and the hens then start callin.

RE: tight lipped birds
 

I don' t have a thing to back this up and its purely my opinion, but around here when we don' t have a good acorn crop in the fall and winter it seems the birds don' t gobble as good the next spring.

RE: tight lipped birds
 

Try this one also, along with the others given here. Pattern their movements, just like you try to do with a buck. Setup on the route they use after flydown. Call very little to none at all. maybe a couple clucks, and very soft yelps. Wait for them to come your way naturally. If a hen does get talking, match her call for call. Piss off the hen, and bring her in, tommy may follow. If this doesn' t work I' d try the later morning hunt once his hens have left.