Questions for the PROs!!

CrossCentered · Apr 25, 2018

So let me start by saying I am confident in my calling skills to a bird that gobbles. I killed 1 this season, called the 1 my wife killed, and called a 3rd into range, but my buddy with a bow couldn't make the shot. I have a problem killing turkeys that dont gobble, all 5 I have killed gobbled.

1. So first question when turkeys are not gobbling, and you still hunt, how long do you think is appropriate to sit, before changing locations? I generally sit for 1 hour, then move.

2. When still hunting quiet birds, how long do you wait between call cycles?

3. Is there a specific breeding time of the month where they gobble a ton, then go quiet in April? In March, every time I hit the woods. I was on a hot bird (gobbling at every call). Now in April I have been to 3 different properties, in 3 different counties, and not heard the first gobble!!!!!!! Possibly in May will they fire back up???

Please number your response, so I know what question you are answering. Thank you for your time!!!!

Buckman18 · Apr 25, 2018

1. Depends. If I’m on a field or a bottom or a gap, etc with lots of fresh sign I’ll sit there for hours and hours. My calling, if any, is very conservative. Very light clucks and purrs. Maybe some low and light yelps. This is especially the case in the later 1/3 of the season.

If I’m running and gunning, trying to strike one, I won’t sit unless I get tired. Every 200 yards or so I’ll softly cluck and Yelp, wait a minute, then loudly yelp/cackle. Been known to hike over 10 miles in a day doing this. I’m sure I’ve left birds I could’ve killed, but I’ve killed birds I wouldn’t have otherwise. This is my favorite way to hunt in the mountains.

If I’m on the lease in middle GA, I sit for an hour in known turkey spots, then move to another spot, much like you. When I’m hunting like this I might just cluck once and rake leaves. Then in 15 minutes, purr and rake leaves. Then in 15, yelp lightly. If I start hearing gobbles way off or find lots of fresh sign, adapt accordingly.

2. See paragraph above. Low key and conservative.

3. In my opinion, their behavior varies year to year and region to region. Generally, for me, I enjoy hunting my lease in middle GA until the week of the masters golf tournament, then hunt up here in the mountains from then until the end.

XIronheadX · Apr 25, 2018

Bad95Dodge said:
So let me start by saying I am confident in my calling skills to a bird that gobbles. I killed 1 this season, called the 1 my wife killed, and called a 3rd into range, but my buddy with a bow couldn't make the shot. I have a problem killing turkeys that dont gobble, all 5 I have killed gobbled.

1. So first question when turkeys are not gobbling, and you still hunt, how long do you think is appropriate to sit, before changing locations? I generally sit for 1 hour, then move.

2. When still hunting quiet birds, how long do you wait between call cycles?

3. Is there a specific breeding time of the month where they gobble a ton, then go quiet in April? In March, every time I hit the woods. I was on a hot bird (gobbling at every call). Now in April I have been to 3 different properties, in 3 different counties, and not heard the first gobble!!!!!!! Possibly in May will they fire back up???

Please number your response, so I know what question you are answering. Thank you for your time!!!!

1. Sometimes you sit, sometimes you move. About comfort. Sometimes you have to be close enough to set one off. Sometimes I sit in the same spot for hours because I know they use the area and may gobble on the way in
2. I'd say 15 to 20 minutes when things are calm.
3. 2 years ago. It was quiet for me 4 consecutive weekends. They fired up the last weekend. We tagged out the last morning.
In general its always a mixed bag. Numerous toms on camera post season on quiet years. Trail cams are your friend. They also keep your hopes up when its quiet that one may fire up.
Even after 30+ years I ain't a pro. There's experienced turkey hunters though.

CrossCentered · Apr 25, 2018

Well after calling 3 turkeys into shooting distance this year, and 2 being killed on consecutive hunts. I was beginning to think I could go to a desert and call a turkey up...... but life and turkey season have a way of humbling you back to reality. Thank yall for the reply!!

sea trout · Apr 26, 2018

Bad95Dodge said:
So let me start by saying I am confident in my calling skills to a bird that gobbles. I killed 1 this season, called the 1 my wife killed, and called a 3rd into range, but my buddy with a bow couldn't make the shot. I have a problem killing turkeys that dont gobble, all 5 I have killed gobbled.

1. So first question when turkeys are not gobbling, and you still hunt, how long do you think is appropriate to sit, before changing locations? I generally sit for 1 hour, then move.

2. When still hunting quiet birds, how long do you wait between call cycles?

3. Is there a specific breeding time of the month where they gobble a ton, then go quiet in April? In March, every time I hit the woods. I was on a hot bird (gobbling at every call). Now in April I have been to 3 different properties, in 3 different counties, and not heard the first gobble!!!!!!! Possibly in May will they fire back up???

Please number your response, so I know what question you are answering. Thank you for your time!!!!

I'm not the expert proffesional but......
Number one rule of turkey huntin is to remember that the gobble is an assembly call. If they gobble...they want to assemble.....if they don't gobble....they don't need to assemble.

1. I can't sit.....I just don't care to hunt the bird who takes an hour to come in silent. It bores me. BUT!!!!!!!! It is a very good method to kill gobblers. Chances are...if they hear you, they will show up sooner or later. So it works!!

2. I like to call, some hunters are VERY good at calling and shutting up and waiting. They kill lots of birds!!! I like to call. And I like to kill birds.

3.They'll gobble when they are in the mood but lonely. They will be quieter when A. not in the mood. Or B. already have company.

Good luck man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kmckinnie · Apr 26, 2018

Those are good questions. Not sure of the answers.

Thunder Head · Apr 26, 2018

I do enough sitting still during deer season. I'm a run and gun type guy "most of the time".

1. & 2. I have killed birds by just sitting in an area and calling once or twice every 15 minutes. I stay an hour.

3. I am clueless about when there going to be hot and when there not. I just keep plugging along.

spurrs and racks · Apr 26, 2018

calling a gobbler up that does not gobble

can take hours

I am not a pro, but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night

s&r

XIronheadX · Apr 26, 2018

kmckinnie said:
Those are good questions. Not sure of the answers.

Does that mean you are a pro? :hair:

There are no correct answers with a turkey.

SwampMoss · Apr 26, 2018

I've been hunting turkeys over 30 years and I still haven't got the how long to sit thing figured out. I find no matter how long I sit it isn't long enough. I generally try to sit 20-30 minutes if I don't here anything, however, if their is a lot of fresh sign I may sit longer. I like to here them gobble so I move a lot, I don't really care to hunt a silent bird.

Triton Mike · Apr 26, 2018

1. I feel this question is directed at me. If a bird isn't within a 100 yards I can't hear him (I'm pretty hard of hearing). I rely on trail cameras and sign mostly to tell me where the birds are. I can't tell you how many times I was hunting on a cool crisp clear morning where i could hear farther and be able to course them. So to answer your question I have sat 3 hrs a setting the last 4 trips. Called in bunches of hens doing that.

2. When they are gobbling hard (when I hear them anyway) I call every 10 minutes or so. Come the end of the season once every 30 to 45 minutes soft to medium loud yelping and clucking I normally don't get agressive late in the season. Right now in the mtns there are no hens with gobblers at all according to my cams. It's almost like we are in late late season with hens being on the nest for a week or more and we still got a good bit more season to go.

3. best and easiest time to get a bird is opening weekend. On average the Longer the season goes the harder it gets (birds get more educated and call shy).

hrstille · Apr 26, 2018

1 & 2. I have no answer because I don't still hunt turkeys. I prefer to go find birds that are gobbling.

3. Weather has a lot to do with gobbling. On a goodhigh pressure morning, they will light it up. What is going on around a bird dictates gobbling too. Crows, owls, woodpeckers, ect. A lot of gobbles are shock gobbles. There's really no way to predict how birds will gobble. One day they light it up til mid morning and other days they hush. It's all part of the game.

ol bob · Apr 26, 2018

The older I get the longer I sit the longer I sit the more I kill.

XIronheadX · Apr 26, 2018

ol bob said:
The older I get the longer I sit the longer I sit the more I kill.

About the truth ol bob. Most of the time we are just waiting on their mood to get right.

And it's taking most of the morning this year.

spurrs and racks · Apr 26, 2018

excellent

"The older I get the longer I sit the longer I sit the more I kill. "

THIS

s&r

CrossCentered · Apr 27, 2018

I highly appreciate the feed back!! I am going to go probably 4-5 more times before season runs out.

Twiggbuster · Apr 27, 2018

Good luck, got my best bird 5/14 /2016

kmckinnie · Apr 28, 2018

XIronheadX said:
Does that mean you are a pro? There are no correct answers with a turkey.

Far from being a pro.

I felt bad about not knowing how to answer. :rofl:

Hillbilly stalker · Apr 28, 2018

Patience kills turkeys.......always has.

CrossCentered · Apr 29, 2018

I guess the patience answer was the last one I wanted LOL!! My worst hunt ever, was a time I went with my college teacher. We went to Ocmulgee Wma. We get there before daylight, call once and walk towards the one gobble we heard. After walking forever we sit down, decoys out and proceed to call probably about every 20 minutes. Now mind you it’s raining, cold and I am sick like a dog. We sat forever, I never heard anymore gobbles. Finally my teacher came up and asked why I didn’t shoot the bird. I never saw it. Needless to say he saw 5 turkeys, in 3 different spots and we hunted until 3pm in the afternoon. Because we got lost for like an hour. And to top it all off we were hunting out of my Honda Accord, I cracked the oil pan. After that I swore I would never sit longer than 1 1/2 hours for a turkey due to my limited attention span, that gets me to moving and figitting educating turkeys!!! Lol

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