RE: Great Experience Yesterday. Questions.....
 

Thanks Rob. And congrats!;)

RE: Great Experience Yesterday. Questions.....
 

Bob,
the way I read your story is the bird was 80 yards out and stopped when he saw your dekes.I've seen it happen to many times,it was the dekes that made him stop not your inability to call cause your not a diaphragm user.Sure maybe when he stopped a few seductive or contentment type calls might have coaxed him closer,but the point still remains if he wouldn't have seen the dekes I believe he wouldn't have stopped but wouldv'e held the line in looking for that hen he had heard!:)

RE: Great Experience Yesterday. Questions.....
 

For what its worth...

Lots of subordinates gobble from afar. I'd guess the bird you heard was the one you saw. Your description is pretty classic subordinate behavior.

Sometimes they'll even gobble if you are close, but will walk the other way. Remember, these guys are scared of a confrontation with another bad boy. The recent butt kicking when they came in looking for love is fresh on their mind. They feel the hormones, but are afraid. They see the decoys, and then they won't come any closer. Fear wins out over hormones.

Hal

RE: Great Experience Yesterday. Questions.....
 

For what its worth...

BobGobble is right on target. The primary problem was with the decoys, not the calling. Once he saw the decoys, the subordinate bird wasn't coming any closer.

However, calling when he's close typcially causes more problems than it solves, unless you are trying to move a hot, in-range bird to a shootable position, etc. I'd guess that next to decoys, more turkeys have been hung up because of too much calling than any other hunter-controlled variable.

Hal

RE: Great Experience Yesterday. Questions.....
 

I probably would have shut up also when he came into sight. and if that turned him off slowly progress to getting aggressive. I also probably wouldn't have used dekes.

RE: Great Experience Yesterday. Questions.....
 

He's absolutely right, it had nothing to do with your inability to use a diaphram call and without the deke's he'd kept coming to look and like others said I'd remained silent.....BUT since the dekes were out and the bird hungup...that's when a couple soft calls, might, not always but might have worked...at that point you had nothing to loose by a couple soft calls and everything to gain....every situation cause for different tactics....

RE: Great Experience Yesterday. Questions.....
 

Thanks guys. You helped me get an understanding.