mrl0004

Went with my gf's dad to MS to hunt last Friday thru today. Friday was warm and sunny. Called in a nice gobbler but before he was in range the b mobile decoy spooked him off the road. He gobbled for an hour or so down in the bottom to our clucks and yelps but wouldnt budge. Sat and Sun were rainy,windy and cold. Not a peep to owl hoots, clucks or yelps. Did call in a hen within 15 feet! Today had one gobble this morning 5 or 6 times then flew down out of range. Do you think the weather had them quiet? My gf's dad is a very experienced turkey hunter (killed dozens) and excellent caller, but they just wouldn't answer. We saw several hens throughout the hunts that were by themselves and maybe they were off nesting already?

apower

I havent killed as many Toms as your gf's Dad has but I've killed a few in my day and not one hunt was the same as the others. Most of the time when I'm hunting and its rainy, windy and cold I hardly hear a peep out of any turkeys. I usually will just quietly spot and stalk becasue I feel its easier becasue the warm weather doesnt have them all wound up. I have found turkeys to be like teenage boys...If its beautiful warm weather they are all over the place wanting to check the next girl that will give them a chance out but if its rainy and cold they tend to hangout in a certain area and keep to themselves... I have had a few toms to respond to calling in these weather conditions but they were eager 2 year olds...I would prolly just wait where theyare roosting and try to catch them coming back to roost.


"Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forests and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourslef in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person." -Fred Bear

Adrian J Hare

I've seen it quite often where cold fronts put the hush on gobbler talk. When I used to guide in Florida it was normal to see a cold morning and where I heard birds for days the cold day would produce silent....

EFH

I've also had cold fronts hush up birds, but you never know. I hunted yesterday through 2 thunderstorms and a cold front, and had birds gobbling till 11! In rainy windy weather I have a lot of luck in fields, if you know the ones the birds prefer.

mrl0004

Yea. Hens were in the fields (singles each time). We hunted hard though, ab 7-8 hr 4 days straight. We gave it all we had, but just couldnt swing it. I am in my 2nd yr of turkey hunting (never killed one) an not sure if you guys remember that feeling of I HAVE to get one. Problem is that was my only hunting with him. I have a mouthcall i can sort of yelp with. I will try it back home in south AL on land that has never been turkey hunted. Maybe they will be dumb. I have a hen and jake decoy to set out to compensate for my calling handicap. Oh this is going to be a life long addiction/frustration. Deer dont do this to me!

Buckhound

Tips

1. If gunning, lose the decoy, make them hunt you! I personally HATE decoys for gunning.

2 Setup! Setup, pick a spot as soon as he comes into view, he's in range. ( This is why you shouldn't need a decoy anyways)

3. Are you leaving the woods too soon? If you think hens are starting to nest, sleep in and hunt the late mornings around 11:00 to 12:00.

4. Be patient

5. Lots of luck

RockyMtnGobblers

Cold,rainy,windy, fogy days all affect turkey behavior.

Almost every year I have the same sanario..... turkey gobbles and I can hear that he is moving away and when I call to him he comes closer, so we go back and forth. So then when he gobbles farther away I run closer and call louder and cut him off then he gobbles his way to me.......BANG! (This is afternoon in the roost area)

Turkeys will usually be in protected areas when it is windy and stay on the roost longer with snowy weather and fog.

If a gobbler fly's away from you off the roost go to the roost area and call him back or go there in late afternoon and call him.

Bible_Man

You are doing what you need to do...learn from the birds. If they all but shut when it's rainy, so should you! I practice the "less is more" method when it comes to calling all the time anyway, but especially if it's rainy. When it gets like this, they do tend, as previously mentioned, to stay on roost longer. They also, from my experience, do stay in more protected areas, and areas with good visibility. This can make them difficult to kill, because they can see you if you try to sneak in on them. I have had great success on rainy days finding birds in big, open fields and then waiting maybe 20-30 yards back into the woods in the direction I believe they will go to roost. You must be extremely careful getting into that location...hands and knees only and slowly. If you get in the right spot, it is only a matter of time before they come by. Take your pick and put him down. Never touch the call...they will come right to you if you are in the right location. Now, if you pick the wrong spot, and they start going the other way, try to call softly at them a bit. I have found birds to be just about as responsive to calls late in the afternoon as in early morning. Wanting to roost up with hens so they will be ready to be on them the next morning, perhaps. If they start leaving the field in a direction other than where you are, call at them a bit and you may well bring them right to you. Just don't try this too early. Be certain they are leaving. There are no two hunts that play out exactly the same, and like the old saying goes, there are a hundred ways to skin a cat. Keep learning from the birds and you will be successful. Study them. See what they do. Watch how they react to things. It will help you avoid continued mistakes, and add a few tricks to your bag.

I have yet to have a year that I didn't tag out on birds. I by no means contribute this to the idea that I am a master turkey hunter. I know that is far from the truth. But I do pay attention to how the birds act. What I do contribute the past success I have had to is this: 50% having decent places to hunt, 50% being in the right place at the right time and the last 50%, a little bit of lady luck. That's right...it takes 150% of things going right to kill some of these deceptive old gobblers. Now watch me kill ZERO birds this year!

They are willing to teach us how to hunt them, but too often we are unwilling to learn.