10 Turkey Hunting Tips for the Desperate Beak Buster
April 09, 2012; 9:06 AM
PetersensensHunting.com
Turkey season, spring's best game in town, is once again upon us. We start with high hopes, but I wonder how many of you are going to be sniveling with excuses at the end of the season? Over the years I have heard 'em all: The turkeys were henned up. They wouldn't come to a call. You didn't hear many gobbles. You just don't think the turkeys were there.
Trust me, I know all of the excuses because I've used them myself. But the truth is, it's pointless. The birds are there. And yes, they can definitely be tough to hunt even where plentiful. If they weren't, it wouldn't be worth the time to hunt them. We'd go fishing instead. But you can still kill them, even when they are henned up, even when they don't gobble and even when it doesn't seem like they want to come to a call. Follow these tactics and you're guaranteed to fill a tag or two.
Close the Distance
When a tom gobbles (and is out of sight) but refuses to come in, get up, move around in small circles while yelping and then walk directly away from the bird; calling the whole time. Go 30 to 50 yards and then shut up. Run back toward the bird, covering half the distance between the gobbler and your original position, set up and stay quiet. The tom, wanting to stay near the hen, will finally move, and you'll be in position when it does.
Lay Out for Field Toms
Got a tom that pitches into the center of a field every morning from the roost and refuses to come anywhere near the cover of the woods? Toss a lay-out blind designed for goose hunting near the spot the longbeard likes to strut and climb inside before light. For added realism and an increased jealousy factor, place a hen decoy and a strutting tom in front of you. Don't call. When it gets light enough, the gobbler should pitch down within shooting distance.
Turn Down the Volume
Back off the volume of your calls. As a tom gets closer, it can hear you clearly. Calling loudly will simply spook it - like someone in the same room as you shouting instead of talking. Never call when turkeys are close enough to see your position. They can pinpoint where sound is coming from, and if they don't see the hen they expect to see, they're gonna be outta there.