The walking away gobbler

I got on a good gobbling bird this morning on our Morgan Co. lease, the best gobbling bird I've been on all season. I got set up on him good, was already set up with him gobbling in the tree less than 100 yards away. He flew out on the ridge that I was sitting on. All I did was cluck and purr at him. He answered me so I shut up thinking he'd be here in a moment. He stood in the same spot and gobbled over and over. Finally crossed the creek and went across the other ridge.

I jumped up and took off after him. I knew he was either walking a fire break or he was going down a hardwood hollow where we have heard a bird gobbling a good bit this season. I went to the hollow and you guessed it, he stayed in the fire break. Running out of time and with him soon being off of our property, I started a fight. I hit him with fighting purrs and gobbled at him. That set him on fire but he still wouldn't come to me. Then all went quiet and I didn't hear him for five minutes.

Then he gobbled further away still walking the fire break. I knew where he was going so I jumped up and tried to get around him. I got on the other side of him and checked him and he gobbled less than 75 yards away. I thought then that I finally was in position to kill him. That dadgum bird stood there and gobbled in the same spot and then turns and walks the other way gobbling. At 9:15, I threw in the towel. Had to get home and get ready for church. He was off our property by then but would still gobble when I'd cutt at him.

He was a frustrating booger. I gave him all I had. Tried soft calls, gave him the silent treatment, put on a fight, gobbled at him. Nothing worked. How do y'all deal with a bird like this, that will answer your calls but just turns and walks away?

Two words, "ambush him."

Jody, If I had the awnswer to your question I would be limited out right now! LOL

kevincox said:

Jody, If I had the awnswer to your question I would be limited out right now! LOL

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Yeah, me too. Sounds like an average gobbler to me.

Maybe you should have gobbled at him Sounds like you threw the kitchen sink at him.

Silly turkeys

Whoops, I see you did gobble at him... tough bird, Jody.

i got on one last week that just carried on on the roost. all i did was clucked a couple times and he blew up . when he hit the ground the next gobble he made was three hundred yards the other way. so i got up to try to get around him took maybe 20 steps and found a tree were someone else had been setting and by the looks of the ground they were there a good while. wich really tore me up since i was hunting private ground and no one else has permission to hunt but my son and myself and it was not him. so i guess that was a strike against my set up from the start. i never heard another peep out of the old bird the rest of the morning.

How do I deal w/ a bird like that? That is what I call "Tomorrow's Bird".

Funny, I had a guy tell me this morning that when he gets on an unkillable bird he does crazy things to change his tactics from the norm. He has been hunting a long time and he has killed many,many turkeys and some big ones. This one story about a bird he killed with a 17" beard really blew me away. He had been hunting this bird in a field the entire season and could not get him in close enough for a shot no matter what he did. So get this now,unbelievable, he said he stripped down naked and got on his hands and knees and crawled backwards with his rear end facing the gobbler dragging his shotgun in front of him on the ground.He said the gobbler was so amazed and dumbfounded as to what he was he just stood there putting at him in the field. Once he got within 40 yds he swung around and killed him.I would have loved to see that on video but like I told him I'm only gonna go so far to kill a turkey and that was way across my line.Needless to say this guy ain't right. I cannot imagine seeing that but he swears he did it.On another bird he says he couldn't kill because he roosted over chest deep water in a swamp he finally waded in this gator/snake infested water until he got right under him in the dark and shot him off the limb at daylight. And I wondered how some guys always seem to get their bird.

tbgator said:

Funny, I had a guy tell me this morning that when he gets on an unkillable bird he does crazy things to change his tactics from the norm. He has been hunting a long time and he has killed many,many turkeys and some big ones. This one story about a bird he killed with a 17" beard really blew me away. He had been hunting this bird in a field the entire season and could not get him in close enough for a shot no matter what he did. So get this now,unbelievable, he said he stripped down naked and got on his hands and knees and crawled backwards with his rear end facing the gobbler dragging his shotgun in front of him on the ground.He said the gobbler was so amazed and dumbfounded as to what he was he just stood there putting at him in the field. Once he got within 40 yds he swung around and killed him.I would have loved to see that on video but like I told him I'm only gonna go so far to kill a turkey and that was way across my line.Needless to say this guy ain't right. I cannot imagine seeing that but he swears he did it.On another bird he says he couldn't kill because he roosted over chest deep water in a swamp he finally waded in this gator/snake infested water until he got right under him in the dark and shot him off the limb at daylight. And I wondered how some guys always seem to get their bird.

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Sounds like that feller has read Gene Nunnerys` books.

tbgator said:

he said he stripped down naked and got on his hands and knees and crawled backwards with his rear end facing the gobbler dragging his shotgun in front of him on the ground.

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Arrow3 needs to try on Ole Liberace !!!!!!!!!

kevincox said:

Jody, If I had the awnswer to your question I would be limited out right now! LOL

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AAhhhoooooouuu!! couldnt say it better!

Nicodemus said:

Sounds like that feller has read Gene Nunnerys` books.

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He lives in Lee Co. You probably know him. Knowing him he read it in a book and tried it.

That sounds like a bird for 2 people to hunt. Get on eaither side of him and let one call and the other just scratch some leaves or purr.........Corn works good too so I'm told

Man I had a bird just like this that I waisted about 3/4 of a season on. He walked a firebreak back and forth. I would get in front of him and he would turn and go the other way. Each time I messed with this bird I thought today is the day that he is going to keep coming. I finally killed him one day. Heard him gobble on the firebreak I called and then got up and circled around him as fast as I could. Set up and never made another call. He did like your bird turned and walked right to my barrel. He was a hoss with 2 beards and matching 1 9/16" spurs.

Where I messed up on this bird was my last set up. When I got ahead of him in the firebreak, I should have never called to him then. Two people could kill him with one calling to keep him gobbling and the other sitting and waiting. I don't think one person can call him up and kill him though.

I have one exactly like that right now, he is driving me crazy!

Probably oughta find another bird!

I've been trying to get a bird for the past 3 weeks that keeps doing the same thing. I've never gotten one before and this guy is not making it easy!

Run to the other side of him & then run back

Jody Hawk said:

How do y'all deal with a bird like this, that will answer your calls but just turns and walks away?

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I wasted a big part of the '06 season trying to kill one of those birds. I took it personal.

But, alas, he won, and I think I'll just leave the next one be...

hawglips said:

I took it personal.

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Don't we all?

Keep after him Jody... You'll break him!!!