strut

Antler, you are not trying to call them from a 1/4 mile are you, try getting as close to them as you can on the roost, I usually try to get within a 100 yards, also try to pattern the birds, it sure helps to try and call him in a direction that he wants to go.

Don' t give up, one of these mornings everything will work like its suppose to and you will be hooked for good.

mauser06

i was in the sme exact boat.......only tukey hunting was an addiction to me and i loved it and in the 4 years before this one hunted like 50 or more days easyily...all the same things like you...when they would come in id say soon as he gets on the side of that brush or something..then they dissappear......ive had tons of shootable turkeys around me...just didnt like the shot...until now i know a 3 inch mag will rip through dam near anything and heave more to spare.....i loved getting up at 3AM..yes 3! driving and hour and 15min to our spot..one way....walking 30-45 mins to our spot.....and THEN hunting..i always had a smile on my face....i loved it..nothing like that magical gobble....if your this frustrated over it maybe its not the game for you to hunt...seriously....i really dont care if i kill a bird....sure this year when i finally got my first it was great....but now i WISH i could go back out there and take another...sure i will help friends out but i wont get 1/4 as excited as i would if i was the one making the decisions.......suck it up your time will come.....good luck to you....its all about doing your homework and being in the right place in the right time and finding the right bird......turkeys are generally animals of habit yano....ive clocked a mature longbeard and a ton of hens down to the 5 minute period they would come through an area......EVERY day i was there they did.....just my setups sucked every time and they did the unthinkable.....brush you think no turkey could fit though..he would strutt through......o he will never use that big open grass trail.....strutted up it...never got that bird...but seen him and his girls a good few times before the season ended.....maybe do somemore homework and get where turkeys WANT to go.....the best caller in the world cant get a turkey to go where he has no reason to go and doesnt want to be there.....unless its a really hot bird....i suggest doing homework and finding out where they naturally go....set up there and some light calling they should walk right by you......

trapper T

I agree with Turkey Addict, trust me my friend it will change, this is my 5th year also. I went through the same senario for 4 years nothing could hear them but got nothing for it. Last year by the grace of God I bumped a jake and he gave me a shot.Wow I thought I was on the right track, it boosted my confidence and this year I bagged a 2 yr old, called him in and a jake the next weekend. Your luck will change like I told my Wife when see couldn' t catch a cold out fishing," Some times you just got to pay your dues" . Keep it up you' ll get there, I know I just got out of where your at mentally in this sport.

And on a second note I don' t know if I totallly agree with Spit n Drum, maybe in his neck of the woods they won' t come down hill, but out West they come up and down haven' t noticed them hanging up any more than any other birds when they run down? Maybe it' s just me?

FroMan

5 years? Try hunting them for 8 or 9 like me without connecting.

It gets downright depressing sometimes...especially when you gotta listen to your friends blabber all the time about how your hopeless.

Anyways, it' ll happen sooner or later...

Probably later for the guys like me and you...but it' ll make it all the sweeter! Good luck!

KitsapCaller

I' m only on my third year and it is hard for me. I can only imagine how you 5, 6, and 8 year guys feel. I just keep trying to tell myself that " my day will come" and it will be that much sweeter. It' s really hard when you see what seems like everyone around you filling tags only to get skunked again. They make it look so easy all the while you struggle. It sucks, but nothing you can do but keep trying and work harder.

Stickemup

The best advice is patterning the birds. Finding the EXACT roost tree is a big part of the puzzle. Finding the strut zones and dusting spots is another. You will want to be somewhere between the two.

If being overly careful isn' t working, try being a bit more agressive. You would be surprised how close you can get to a roosted turkey in the dim light just after daybreak.

trapper T

Patterning them is huge, but out west some of the land is so vast that in the 5 years Iv' e hunted/scouted I' ve actually located ONE roost tree that one hen used that morning. The only way Iv' e been able to locate their roost is once it gets light and they start talking?

On another note, you really need to keep your head up, I' ll take my Dad' s and my Elk hunting history in to play. I' ve hunted them for the better part of 20 years combined with his 35-40 years. The tally TWO tags filled. That' s it, we know where they' re at but our luck has been so bad it' s almost laughable, would' ve had three but six road hunters stole a 6 point from me. Every year we go as much as posible, we get on them we see them we just haven' t been fortuneate enough yet to start to see fruits of our labor. We are by no means bad hunters or road hunters, I feel it' s just bad luck. I mean once we were contemplating which road to drive up to start our hunt, took the one I knew had elk around the area all year. We saw another truck pull up the other one and while we were getting geared up to hunt, bang... bang. The darn elk were standing in the other road that morning. BUt it' ll change I know that just will keep pressing.

timberlord

One thing fer sure Antlergetter...you' re one persistant fella!! I' m not sure wether this will help your situation but I' ll give ya my 2 cents worth. I' ll start my calling when the bush " wakes up" with soft clucks and a soft 3 note tree yelp. I' ll do this a couple of times. After a bit when the suns light is slightly better ( I wanna see my bead sight ) I" ll let loose with some aggressive cutts and a variety of yelps( meaning ...loud , soft , different numbers of yelp notes ) Listen for a hen that might be answering back...they make the best decoys and watch out ' cause they' ll come right in to ya! When this happens I' ll shut up and be extemley still and let the hen do the work for me. You' re obviously getting close at 50yds , thats when soft purrs sometimes work with an soft cluck every now and then. Being absolutley still is very important at this time. It' s amazing what they can see when their coming in. I don' t worry about getting my gun up until the tom is in range. I' ve been busted lifting my gun slowly up , even when I thought Tom was to far to see me...Never say never and never say always when it comes to turkey huntin' ....I wish ya my best.

loner

it has taken me over 30+ years to learn the hard way about hunting turkeys and i did not have a computer to utilize the info that is available to us now but here are some tips to store in your mind:know the lay of the land and which direction they normally travel;gobblers like to face east and flydown west of the roost;they rarely come downhill,across creeks,through fences,through thickets or other difficult obstructions.most of these tips have already been mentioned previously.PATIENCE is probably the most important.stop calling when he is within 100yds.,he will find you without the calling when he is this close.lastly,never give up.

RET3006

Never feel like your hitting the woods for nothing.Your so lucky to be able to be out enjoying the great outdoors.If I never kill another turkey I love just being out there listening to and watching all the wildlife.To relate to you,I sent 10 years before I bagged one.Last year I shot my 2nd and 3rd Turkey.This year I got 3 more.It took along time for me to shoot a deer with a bow.After that first it seemed to happen ever year after that.Hang in there and just count your blessing.It will happen.