Frogman tries again . . .

Frogman · May 08, 2009, 06:48:27 PM

Guys,
I tried turkey hunting again this morning 5/8/09 with my friend Mike. Mike called in a turkey for another friend on Wed. morning and they got a nice 23 lb. gobbler with 11 inch beard. They killed it about noon. So Mike felt that we didn't need to be in the woods quite so early this morning. He feels most of the hens have been bred and the toms are strolling for fresh meat, thus we are hearing more gobbling later in the morning?? I'm new so I don't know all this stuff.
Anyway we were in the woods behind my house at about 8:30 AM. We set up here for a few minutes just to listen for gobbling. . .

This is just a little point that over looks a big holler. We were hoping to hear gobbling across the holler on the opposite hillside! After just few minutes we heard one over there just as we expected! So we dropped into the bottom of the holler, crossed the creek and started up the other hillside. We continued to hear gobbling up the hill in front of us. Sounded like the tom was on top of the ridge. WRONG!! Just as we came up the hill to the crest of a flat Mike spotted the gobbler's white head running off out in front of us. We got too close?? We still had not done any calling at this point. Mike suggested we split up about 50 yards apart and just sit still for a little while and maybe we would hear another one. Here are some photos from where I was sitting . . .

I had these red squirrels all around me . . .

After about 15 minutes I heard gobbling out to my left toward where Mike was set up. I thought I heard him call a few times then more gobbling. I decided to try to help him by making some hen clucks and chirps with my box call, thinking that that may draw the gobbler toward me and put it right in Mikes sights. I called a few times and it seemed like the tom gobbled in return and sounded like he was getting closer. I was expecting to hear a, "BOOM" at any minute. After several minutes of this I decided to get up and move a little further away from Mike and call some more making the gobbler think the hen was moving away from him. Finally Mike called me on the radio and said he heard another another guy using a box call up on the hill above him. "He sounds terrible", he told me. I said, "Mike I have been calling on my box call a few times, could it have been me?" Mike told me to hit my call a couple of times. Sure enough the sound was bouncing off the hill and sounding like it came from above him instead of behind him. I stopped calling and Mike tried to get the tom closer with no success. Oh well, I admit I'm new at this??
When we got back together Mike told me that my calling had been somewhat effective as he had seen two hens out in front of him about 60 yards. They were just carrying on like they were really pissed off at the hen I was trying to imitate. The gobbler hung up about 75 yards out in front of Mike and he never got to see it. Hey, I tried??

Here a few more photos of the pretty woods we were hunting in . . .

I would like to hear some of you more experienced turkey hunters describe some of your hunts so I can learn if we are doing it right?? Apparently we got too close to the first bird and spooked him off. I don't know if the second one was the same one or not. It was not too far from where Mike saw the first one??

I had another great morning and the sun even shined a little. We are supposed to get more rain tonight. Maybe sales of scuba gear will pick up a little???

Jim

KySongDog · May 08, 2009, 09:45:18 PM

Trying to get too close to the bird and movement are probably two of the biggest mistakes in turkey hunting. The calling part is maybe 10-20%. The setup is the most important part. Patience kills more birds than anything.

AND DON'T MOVE!!!

FinsnFur · May 08, 2009, 11:41:50 PM

I like this part. :roflmao:

QuoteFinally Mike called me on the radio and said he heard another guy using a box call up on the hill above him. "He sounds terrible", he told me.

I was gonna say he was talking about me, but I wasnt there

alscalls · May 09, 2009, 06:24:24 AM

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

linemansteve · May 09, 2009, 08:36:16 AM

Frogman-- I agree with Semp,no need to get that close I have been told in the hill country to try and get on the same ridge and level they are on. I have found the birds here like a more open fly down area [more predators?] so I will set above or below them and put decoys out where they can be seen. The turkeys I have killed down here in southern Kentucky the majority of them have been on the edge of clearings. When I have set up on a bird I wait till they talk first then do soft tree clucks when I get a response he knows where you are. When light enough I will do a fly down cackle and wait for a response when I get one I then get more aggressive and try to become the dominate hen and draw him to me. When the tom is pulled away by his hens all you can do is wait it out. I have heard it said that some time during the day that gobbler will visit every spot you called from looking for that hen. I am by no means a expert on turkey hunting but these things have worked for me, practice with your calls, be in the woods, don't move. good luck Steve

nastygunz · May 09, 2009, 11:45:50 PM

Quote from: Semp on May 08, 2009, 09:45:18 PM
Trying to get too close to the bird and movement are probably two of the biggest mistakes in turkey hunting. The calling part is maybe 10-20%. The setup is the most important part. Patience kills more birds than anything.

AND DON'T MOVE!!!

WHAT HE SAID

....another thing....everyone focuses on a turkeys eye sight.......well they have hearing like you wouldnt believe....yesterday as we can only hunt till noon in NH....(grrrrrrrrrr)...we were watching some birds in a field feeding...my younger brother goes wanna see how good they can hear?....those birds were about 150 yards away...he goes "Psssst"...instantly every head in the group was up frozen listening....I couldnt believe it....really learned something from the little brother....them suckers got hearing like a russian sub sonar operator

Okanagan · May 12, 2009, 11:08:36 AM

Frogman, what gorgeous woods to hunt in! Great pics. Wish we had something like that in at least a few places in my part of the world, just for the beauty. I love to look at eastern hardwood forests when I get back that way.

Never hunted turkeys but your idea of moving away from an incoming critter with a silent shooter posted behind you works on a lot of kinds of critters.

When your friend said a lousy caller was working the hill above I thought you were going to say that it turned out to be a real turkey. A friend of mine trying to bugle elk heard what he thought was a couple of hunters mocking him with terrible sounding bugles and then laughing together about it. He was starting to sneak away when a 6x6 bull charged up to him making the most gawdawful lousy sounding bugle you've ever heard. There's a wide range of "quality" in the sounds wild critters from the same species make, which gives us some slack in making the right calling sound IMO. But again, I don't know turkeys very well. I have called them a few times and had a variety of responses, though never hunted them.

Frogman · May 13, 2009, 01:10:58 PM

Okanagan,

Thanks for those comments about calling and the real animals not always sounding perfect. I have tried to explain that to my coyote hunting buddies, but they still laugh and make fun of my coyote howling. Now my friends are making fun of my turkey calling too. I admit I'm not likely to win any contests. But I'm still trying and having a great time out in the woods!!

Jim

Okanagan · May 19, 2009, 03:23:53 PM

Real life calling critters is like real life writing, survival skills (and a lot of other things from gunfights to marriage). It's not for grades nor contests, but did the critter come in? Did they pay you and publish it? Are you still alive and healthy?

Real life is a lot more interesting than contests, and what's at stake gives it an edge.