Turks won' t come in close enough
 

I live and hunt in PA. I' m fairly new at spring turkey hunting (3rd season). I got one my first season, but I think it was more luck than anything. I went out this morning before work... had turks talking to me all over. Had 2 different gobblers come in (seperate times) and stop at around 60-75 yards all puffed up just standing there. I tried to call softly, but they wouldn' t come in. After bout 10 minutes of it standing there, I hit a sour note with my mouth call (oops) and the first one walked away after. 10 mins later a hen and gobbler came in, and the gobbler puffed up at my decoy at 75 yards, and went with the other lady... any idea how to get them to come in closer? Anything would help. Thanks.

RE: Turks won' t come in close enough
 

Sounds like the toms in your area are becoming call shy, when this happens try not to call too much and try setting up 2-4 decoys using hens and jakes place one hen ahead of a jake like its getting ready to bread the hen, this will usually tick the tom off and he may come in to kick some turkey butt. Dont place the decoys right infromt of you either, place them to the sides of you so the tom has an area to cross that offers you a good shot. Also when it becomes late in the spring season its always a good idea to put your gobbler to bed, then you know where he is in the morning and try to setup about 100 yards from his roost and get out there well before sun up, dont begin calling till the sun illuminates the sky with a pinkish color and or you here the red bird (cardinal) sing. The red bird is the first bird in the woods to make any noise. At that time you should start out with a couple roost clucks. That should get the tom to gobble and come out of roost, if he only gobbles at you once dont worry, he has acknowledged that there is a hen in the area and he is comming to check it out. If he doesnt gobble at your first call call just a tad bit louder that will normally get him to gobble at ya and acknowledge that you are there. I have been in the same situation that you were/are in and these tips that I found out along the way of my 13 years of turkey hunting seem to help me out alot. Give them a try I think yo umay be able to put that boss tom in his place...your stomach. Rremember dont over call the tom, it will just make him lose interest in you.:eek:

RE: Turks won' t come in close enough
 

Thanks for the advice! I' ll definately give it a try.

RE: Turks won' t come in close enough
 

Remember, too, that after the tom has responded and is coming in, you' re going to hang up the tom if you keep calling. Go to nothing or next to it, especially once you see the bird. My favorite tactic at that point (when I see the bird coming in) is to shut up, but if I do feel I' ve got to do something, I first scratch leaves, and if I feel more is needed, I just make very quiet purrs. If absolutely necessary, I will make a cluck, but I don' t like to do very much calling, at all, after the tom has seen the decoy.

RE: Turks won' t come in close enough
 

The others advice are right on the money. Alot of times a gobbler will hangup when he sees your hen decoy because he fully expects the hen to come to him which is normally the case. Adding a small jake decoy to the setup makes a big difference sometimes. Then the gobbler isnt just going to a hen, but instead he is taking a hen from a subordinate bird. Remember, turkeys are just being turkeys and if you make the situation as close to natural as the gobbler is used to, he should be less wary and more inclined to come in to you.
I have also started having much better luck by adding some movement to the decoys. It doesnt take but a couple of inches of movement to convince a gobbler
to move in a little closer. Good luck.

RE: Turks won' t come in close enough
 

Try the kee kee run. It sounds like a young hen that is going to be bred by a jake. Usually the hen will make a different sound when a big tom is about to breed her, so ths almost always works when there is a big tom, most likely the dominate tom around. i hope you get one, and be sure to tell me how the next hunt went.

RE: Turks won' t come in close enough
 

Kee-Kee Run This is the lost call of the young consisting of several whistles followed by 2 or three yelps like this kee-kee-kee-yelp-yelp. Use this in the spring sporadically with your other yelping. Occasionally, a jake will respond to the call with yelping of his own.

trkymercanary, I think someone may have mislead you on what a kee-kee run is.

RE: Turks won' t come in close enough
 

Wacker, I think you might be right

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RE: Turks won' t come in close enough
 

IF YOU KNOW WHERE HE' S ROOSTING, AND HE STRUTS IN THE SAME PLACE EACH MORNING, LEAVE THE DECOYS AND THE CALLS AT HOME AND JUST SET UP AT THE EDGE OF THE FIELD OR CLEARING ABOUT A HALF HOUR BEFORE DAYLIGHT AND WHEN HE FLYS DOWN TO STRUT NAIL HIM!!

I HAD TO DO THIS FOR BOTH OF MY TOMS THIS YEAR. THEY WOULD FLY DOWN AND PUT ON A SHOW FOR 1 1/2 TO 2 HOURS THEN LEAVE. THEY NEVER GOT CLOSER THAN 70 YARDS. WHEN I SET UP IN THE MOURNING, THE FIRST BIRD FLEW BY ABOUT FIVE FEET TO MY RIGHT AND LANDED IN FRONT OF ME. THE SECOND FLEW DIRECTLY OVER MY HEAD ABOUT TEN FEET AND LANDED IN FRONT OF ME. I DIDN' T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THEY WERE ROOSTED BUT I HAD SEEN THEM IN THE FIELD STRUTTING EVERYDAY. THEY WOULD STRUT IN A CIRCLE ABOUT 40 YARDS IN DIA. SO I SET UP IN THE BRUSH WITHIN RANGE OF THE CIRCLE. ONE 20 YARD SHOT AND ONE 30 YARD SHOT.
PREVIOUSLY THESE TOMS WOULD GO THE OTHER WAY IF THEY SAW A DECOY OR HEARD A CALL. BOTH TOMS HAD TWO TO FOUR HENS WITH THEM EVERY DAY. THE HENS NEVER CALLED AND THE TOMS GOBBLED THEIR HEADS OFF.
I SHOT THESE TOMS OUT OF THE SAME FIELD NOT 50 YARDS APART!

SOMETIMES SCOUTING WORKS BETTER THAN ANY CALL OR DECOY!