tired of trying
 

For the past 5 years I have been hunting gobblers in the appalachain foothills of West Virginia, and every year its the same story, the toms will get fired up and gobble all morning long, but never come in to my setup. Sometimes they don' t even sound like there getting any closer. It doesn' t matter wether I go closer to them or not, they just will not come in (I seriously don' t think its my calling cause I drive my wife crazy all year round practicing) anyway, they answer every call I have Ive tried patient calling, aggressive calling, I' ve changed my setup, I use a whole flock of decoys, I' ve switched positions...exc. But nomatter what I do they don' t want to play:(. When they do happen to come close, they always just happen to be on the other side of a thicket, ussually sounding to be around 50 or so yards away (to close to move). I don' t understand. Guys i realize i just babbled on but I' m alittle frustrated at spending the past 5 springs rising at 4 in the morning, and hitting the woods for nothing!![:' (] Is there anyone out there who can help me??!! Im on my last straw.

RE: tired of trying
 

Thats why its called turkey hunting and not turkey killing. Seriously, I am not an expert but here are a couple of thoughts. Do you go at about the same time of year each time? Turkeys change their behavior as the breeding season progresses. Early on, the Toms gobble on the roost to attract the hens. If the hens show up he will fly down to them and you are pretty much out of luck. You may be able to get a subordinate gobbler that is wandering around but he may not gobble much. Your best chance under those circumstances is to get real close to them (within 100 yards if possible) while they are on the roost and try to call them in before they get to the hens. You can use some tree yelps and soft clucks and then a fly down cackle. You might get lucky and he will pitch down thinking you are the first hen to hit the ground.

Later in the season the hens start to go to the nest and the gobblers will gobble more during the day and be more receptive to calling. Also, if you can locate their strut zones that will be a good place to hang out and call a little.

There are a lot mor options but hopefully some of this is usefull.

RE: tired of trying
 

It sounds like you are going about things the right way. So I don' t know what to say as far as advice, aside of one thing. Don' t give Up. Hang in there your luck will change sooner or later. When you do get your bird it will be even that mauch more meaningfull. Another thing is be confident in your self, I can' t explain how it helps but it dose. I know it is easy to get frustrated we have all been there, thats for sure.

Good luck

RE: tired of trying
 

If you' re doing it all right, then, as Buckeye Mike says, that' s why they call it turkey hunting, not turkey shooting. As Mike suggests, time of the season may be a concern, though I know nothing about the length of the WVa. season, or when you are hunting. If you are limited to a set period, maybe you should choose a different period to be hunting.

More other--

Do you roost ' em? If not, maybe you should try that a few times.

When you hear ' em coming in, do you keep calling/hammerin' ' em or do you shut up/soften it way up/slow it way down? Most of the time, it is better to shut up when you know the bird is coming. If you keep on yelping (just to check on his progress or make sure he is coming, for example) you will most likely hang him up. (This rule can change for a super-hot bird, but I always wonder, in that situation [i.e., super-hot tom], why you need to hammer ' em all the way in, anyway. They' ll come in without excessive calling, I believe.)

Are your setups barrier-free? Be sure.

All turkeys have daily movement. In other words, no turkey simply flys down in the morning and stands in one place until sunset and then flys back up in the tree. Do you set up along their daily movement paths? Do you know what those paths are from preseason scouting? (In the " olden days" many hunters would never call at all, never use decoys, either. They would get their birds not from calling or decoys, but from being in the right place at the right time, as they knew the turkey' s daily movements and would set up along those paths.)

If you are using a diaphragm, even though you practice all the time, maybe you should sitck to a slate and/or box call, only. You may be wrong about how you sound.

A word of encouragement, though. When you succeed, there is no comparison to the elation and enjoyment. See the many success stories on this site--everyone of them is a high!!

RE: tired of trying
 

I am far from an expert myself---but have had some successes. It really helps to get to know their routine---where they roost---where they fly down---what their pattern is for the rest of the day---where they go to strut mid-morning.

Last year I shot 3 big birds from the same tree because I was able to pattern them. They were not always roosted within 100 yards---but they eventually showed up in that part of a field everyday before 10:00 AM. I would sit and wait clucking and purring every now and then.

This year I found that afternoon hunts paid off. I had a 4:00 PM appointment with a tom each afternoon. When he would show---he would gobble---I would call---he would walk off. I finally setup one afternoon where I could close the gap unseen. It worked.

Putting yourself on their route back to their roosting site in the evenings could pay off as well.

I have had them fly down just out of range and walk in the opposite direction as if they know that it is me calling. BUT, and you never know when, every now and then, and who knows why, they decide to come on in.

You have been very patient so far and I know how frustrating that can be. One thing I know for sure---they will not strut through your bedroom. I am convinced if you stay at it---you will eventually get one. You will be in the right place at the right time---and it will be YOUR TIME!! And it will be a thrill you will not soon forget.

RE: tired of trying
 

My friend, you are hunting. Expect the unexpected and return the favor.

If the turkey' s are 50 yards on the other side of the thicket, and can' t see you---then MOVE. Think outside the box when you hunt.

I don' t know how many times my friends and brothers have called me overaggressive. Do I blow some hunts---sure, but rarely. If you can' t see that turkey, then odds are he can' t see you either. For all you know, he' s 20 yards away just on the other side of the thicket---stand up and blow his beard off!!!

Remember, you are hunting turkeys, not calling turkeys. You have to do what it takes to put one in the freezer, not what everybody TELLS you to do to put one in the freezer.

Find the roost tree and set-up 20 yards from the tom. If you can get this close, you' ll bag a bird by the end of the season. Out of 360 degrees, you can cover 180 degrees from his tree, and if he drops down 20 yards from his roost, your furthest shot is 40 yards.

As I always tell my brother when he says I get too close---" do the math, brother, do the math..."

I don' t preach getting to within 20 yards of the roost, but when the birds are henned up and the situation dictates it, get close and you' ll automatically increase your odds.

Good luck

RE: tired of trying
 

Hey antlergetter. Buy any chance do you hunt public land??????

RE: tired of trying
 

Antlergetter, how about pre-season scouting? Do you put your time in out in the turkey woods before season? I usually start going out in the mornings to listen for gobbles about 6-7 weeks before our season opens, 2 times per week, weather permitting. This usually yields me about 10 good mornings of listening and watching with binoculars. By the time the season opens, I have a good grasp on where they roost and where they head after flydown to go strut. Doing this helps me immensely, this season was proof. I spent a total of 3 1/2 hrs. in the woods to get 2 gobblers, granted it doesn' t always work nearly this good, but this season showed how a month and a half of scouting can pay off. A lot of hunters aren' t willing to be this dedicated but if you put in your scouting time to figure out the birds, you will be rewarded! Good luck! :)

RE: tired of trying
 

dude, yer bummin me out. this is only my second year of tryin. you wont give up, for all you know, youre gonna shoot bigbird next year!

RE: tired of trying
 

In some areas you are wasting your time if you are trying to call a bird down hill. i hunted In Arkansas this season in the Ozarks, and you could hang it up, they would gobble at you all day long, but they werent coming downhill. If you are in the hills make sure youre setup is always uphill and with the sun at their back.

RE: tired of trying
 

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.

RE: tired of trying
 

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......

RE: tired of trying
 

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?

RE: tired of trying
 

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!

RE: tired of trying
 

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.

RE: tired of trying
 

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.

RE: tired of trying
 

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.

RE: tired of trying
 

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.

RE: tired of trying
 

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.

RE: tired of trying
 

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.;)

RE: tired of trying
 

i hunted for 3 years before i got one, finally my 4th year i did.......the first 2 years i didn' t see a turkey 99% of the time, no gobblers , that is for sure.....finally that time came when it was my turn.....:Dand all those birdless days didn' t sem to matter anymore.....
last year , i had my sister call me in a monster, then the next day i called in one for her, then the following weekend i got my limit.....neither one of us saw any after that....my season was over,sucked.... this year i hunted 13 days without a shot, saw plenty of turkey , but the day before my last hunt , i got him.....it would of sucked butt if i hadn' t , but i know that i got to see more before this last bird was taken , more than most hunters and i do feel blessed, extra blessed with the bird, but none the less blessed......i was starting to stress over it, finally i took the advice of a friend and i relaxed.....had two hunters walk up on me, i laughed it off, instead of getting upset...i walked out with a bird that day.....might be something to think about ;)
good luck......
i felt like giving up bigtime....everyone was getting birds but me and i know i hunted 3 or 4 days a week , every week of the season.....every season..........

RE: tired of trying
 

I am brand new to turkey hunting. I was in the woods for the second time Saturday. What an experience.

I didnt get a shot, I didnt see a bird.
I even got a late start.

I went in the woods after day break. I can only hunt til noon.

I imagine I did it all wrong. I bought a hen decoy so I felt the need to set it up.
So I go in late, I make noise trying to set up decoy for the first time. I put up my porta roof umbrella that I decide to use a blind. Keep in mind I have never used it as a blind so it took a few times for the wind to blow it over to figure out how to secure it properly.

Now I have this starter kit, that I have very little clue how to use it.

Picture this guy, who is totally " green" making noise, sounding like a sick turkey, with a " ****-eatin" grin on his face.

I called with the crow call - nothing. I had already picked a tree and dont know enough to make sense of what I am doing, so I sat still and played around with the call trying to do what the little paper tells to do to make the sounds.

About 11 am... I was starting to resemble some sort of noise and BAMM! A bunch of yelping that a really fast gobble. Talk about motivated. I dont know if I had anything to do with it but it was SO EXCITING. I was so pumped I lost focus of where the noise even came from. I can tell you that shortly after that it sounds like something walked up behind me so I sat still but I waited, then made a call and nothing. SO I turned and there was nothing....Hmmmm I dont know about that - I might have been imagining things after hearing that gobbler respond.

Alright I am rambling. Turkey hunting is for me - I can see it already!

Bill