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Thread: Successful tips and tactics to seal the deal

  1. #21
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    Cluck n purr pot and leaf scratching. If he's just over the rise out of sight and out of range it can be deadly. Of course I had one cover 200 yards to the same tactic last year...never did yelp. I love to have them blowing the woods down and moving fast. For those cautious and reluctant SOB's it's my ace in the hole.

    Spur, you make some good points about multiple birds or lack of birds. It will change how I hunt as well. I'm generally better with only a bird to focus on. Every move is calculated and precise because I don't want to screw it up. Throw in multiple birds and my mind starts wandering and I'll make poor decisions.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Burney Mac View Post
    Spur, you make some good points about multiple birds or lack of birds. It will change how I hunt as well. I'm generally better with only a bird to focus on. Every move is calculated and precise because I don't want to screw it up. Throw in multiple birds and my mind starts wandering and I'll make poor decisions.
    Nothing like getting bounced around like in a pin ball machine chasing gobbles between multiple toms and then come out empty handed.
    Worship the LORD, not HIS creation.

    "No self respecting turkey hunter would pay $5 for a call that makes a good sound when he can buy a custom call for $80 and get the same sound."-NWiles

  3. #23
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    I still make this mistake often, especially my first few hunts. If he is coming then do not call just to hear him gobble. Also, very soft, almost inaudible yelps or just a sharp cluck or two has helped me many times.
    Psalm 42:1 "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by trkykilr View Post
    9 replies and no pissing, damn!

    Most of the birds I hunt are in woods where you can kill him when he can reasonably expect to see you. That makes a big difference. My general turkey hunting philosophy is to wind a bird up til he's about to explode, then shut up and mind fuck him. He's like a 14 year old when a girl goes radio silent on him. A lot of times they try to run you over, and hopefully come from far enough out that they can't pinpoint you to the exact tree. That leads to strutting for a sec or two in a spot, then moving forward to the next spot until he gets in range.

    When he doesn't come that little extra, you've got a problem on your hands. In really flat swamp bottoms, this will usually happen when he finds a little bit of a high spot, especially in the sun. They know that on that spot they are visible, and they will spit/drum until she shows up. After a bit they will start to gobble, and walk off if she doesn't show up. I am not a great "soft caller". The mouth call I use is stiff and an aggressive cut. It's not made for soft.

    When he hangs up out of sight, I will turn my head away from him or scratch the leaves behind my back. I want the sound of the call and the scratching muffled to him. This gets a lot harder when he's visible, because I'm visible to him. I will try to yelp with my lips closed. If I can scratch leaves, I do.

    Sometimes, it is better to let him walk off and reposition.

    The one thing I think I have improved on with experience, is to cure this with the setup. I have learned to be better at seeing those potential hang up spots, and taking a little risk to get to them. Using terrain to eliminate them hanging up or taking away their excuses for hanging up is something I've gotten a little better at. When I'm alone, which is rare, I am extremely aggressive moving on birds. I am sure I bump some, but I try to keep them gobbling, and those subtle 10 yard moves can really be effective.

    Long winded on a great topic Willy. The correct answer is TSS
    We hunt a lot alike.
    I feel like setup is half the battle every time.
    Few other options I’d like to add to what you already said. If a bird hangs up at a good distance and I can move anywhere but forward without being seen, a gobble call has work for me more times than not. Get him fired up as you can, then the key is hauling ass 50 yards left or right and hitting that gobble call the next time he fires off, then haul ass back and shut up Give him 5 minutes and see if he’s coming. Jealousy is a hell of a tool. Not able to do that a lot but when I can’t reposition its my last ditch effort and pays off alot. They either haul ass to you, or the other way.

    One thing a guy taught me on a elk hunt(which I compare a lot to turkeys) is don’t give up. We worked this bull for 3 hours at 200 yards, with cows, he kept telling me “he’ll break”. He did. I apply the same thing to a henned up bird when he’s beat me atleast once and now I just hate him. I stay on the group and call just enough to let him know you are still there, you will know when he is ready to break loose. I am super aggressive 90% of the time but when I come in touch with a bird like this, I wait him out, sometimes I can break him loose by 9am, some times it has taken till 2pm, but he will break.

    I was not taught to hunt at daylight, my mentor taught me to hunt after 10am till almost roost. One thing I do in the afternoons is slip around and see if I cant strike one up, if that doesn’t work I got to a spot I feel comfortable in, and see if I can’t make him fire up. I use 4 different calls(he used about 7), start off slow for the first 10 minutes, the next 10 minutes get aggressive and end it with a gobble call and shut up. Wait 5 minutes and cut/yelp a few times loudly, he’ll cut you off a lot of times. If no answer wait 10 minutes and move on. That setup has led dozens of birds to their death.

    If I do hunt in the morning which usually means showing up right at daylight, I just listen, then move to the bird and try to keep locating him just by hooting. I get as close as I possibly can until I like the setup and then call. Don’t make yourself known until you have the advantage.

    Focus on your setup and know the land your hunting and you’ve already won half the battle.
    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn View Post
    I'll shoot over a kids head in a blind or long gun one on a turkey in a heart beat. You want to kill stuff around me you gonna earn it.

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by buckpro View Post
    We hunt a lot alike.
    I feel like setup is half the battle every time.
    Few other options I’d like to add to what you already said. If a bird hangs up at a good distance and I can move anywhere but forward without being seen, a gobble call has work for me more times than not. Get him fired up as you can, then the key is hauling ass 50 yards left or right and hitting that gobble call the next time he fires off, then haul ass back and shut up Give him 5 minutes and see if he’s coming. Jealousy is a hell of a tool. Not able to do that a lot but when I can’t reposition its my last ditch effort and pays off alot. They either haul ass to you, or the other way.

    One thing a guy taught me on a elk hunt(which I compare a lot to turkeys) is don’t give up. We worked this bull for 3 hours at 200 yards, with cows, he kept telling me “he’ll break”. He did. I apply the same thing to a henned up bird when he’s beat me atleast once and now I just hate him. I stay on the group and call just enough to let him know you are still there, you will know when he is ready to break loose. I am super aggressive 90% of the time but when I come in touch with a bird like this, I wait him out, sometimes I can break him loose by 9am, some times it has taken till 2pm, but he will break.

    I was not taught to hunt at daylight, my mentor taught me to hunt after 10am till almost roost. One thing I do in the afternoons is slip around and see if I cant strike one up, if that doesn’t work I got to a spot I feel comfortable in, and see if I can’t make him fire up. I use 4 different calls(he used about 7), start off slow for the first 10 minutes, the next 10 minutes get aggressive and end it with a gobble call and shut up. Wait 5 minutes and cut/yelp a few times loudly, he’ll cut you off a lot of times. If no answer wait 10 minutes and move on. That setup has led dozens of birds to their death.

    If I do hunt in the morning which usually means showing up right at daylight, I just listen, then move to the bird and try to keep locating him just by hooting. I get as close as I possibly can until I like the setup and then call. Don’t make yourself known until you have the advantage.

    Focus on your setup and know the land your hunting and you’ve already won half the battle.
    That last sentence is very important. I have a friend who kills a lot of turkeys. He says that he never calls to a specific bird (one that he has located) until he gets to the place that he thinks he can kill that turkey. He spends more time silently getting to wherever he thinks that spot is than he does calling to the turkey.

    There is a lot of good stuff in this thread
    Them that don't know him won't like him, and them that do sometimes won't know how to take him

    He ain't wrong, he's just different, and his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right

    They don't put Championship rings on smooth hands

  6. #26
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    First thing in the mornings I like to set up as close to the roost as possible. When he hits the ground I want him to be in range. Scratching in the leaves on a hung up bird works wonders for me. Also aggressive moves towards them. Naturally they are suppose to meet halfway so I play into that by covering "my" distance fast and shutting up. They normally come strait in looking.
    Quote Originally Posted by Dook View Post
    Lazy is not a virtue of a duck hunter.

  7. #27
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    Don't miss
    You've got one life. Blaze on!

  8. #28
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    The hardest thing I had to learn was call with a purpose. When I first got started I can't imagine how many times I would hear a bird on the roost, move a little closer and start calling. He would answer me from the roost for as long as I would call. I thought because I was making him gobble, I was accomplishing something. I was. I was getting him to stay right where he was waiting on the hen he thought was calling him to come on over there. In the meantime, every real hen in hearing distance is hearing him gobble over and over and coming to him.

    Most of the those hunts ended with me back at the sign board telling about how I worked this bird hard all morning. He would gobble at everything I did but just wouldn't come.

    The thing that got me pointed in the right direction was reading pages 170 thru 212 in the book "The Wild Turkey and it's Hunting" by Edward Mcilhenny. It helps me visualize what the turkey is doing and call accordingly instead of random calls hoping to get one to gobble and come to me. I read it every year right before the season.

    What Boozer and other said about scratching in the leaves works for me as well. If he struts with his back to me or gets his head behind a tree I'll scratch and try to cluck lightly. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but it works often enough to keep me doing it.

    I am also a big fan of those short little moves. Some of my most memorable hunts have involved as many as a dozen short, 10 yard crawls to another tree or bush to make him think his hen is kind of feeding around and only kind of interested in what he is trying to sell. Let him think he has to make a little effort to close the deal and bring his behind over to me.

    I seldom hunt with other people, but when I do, tag teaming one can be deadly. Two people can imitate a whole bunch of hens and if he gets close but won't come on in there have been times when I have stayed back and called aggresivly while my partner makes a couple of short crawls. They hear the leaves crackling and the other hen screaming and apparently believe it is the second hen and will sometimes break loose and come on in. My favorite hunting partner and I have used this several times. You have to have enough cover from bushes or dips in the ground or whatever to make it work and we have set up a kind of signal language. If I am screaming into the call it means he needs to hold still and be ready. If I call softly he can move. It's usually a last ditch plan but it has worked several times so It's just another trick in the bag to try.
    "My resume is the trail of destruction behind me. " Bucky Katt

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by flockbuster View Post
    I am also a big fan of those short little moves. Some of my most memorable hunts have involved as many as a dozen short, 10 yard crawls to another tree or bush to make him think his hen is kind of feeding around and only kind of interested in what he is trying to sell. Let him think he has to make a little effort to close the deal and bring his behind over to me.

    This describes my style pretty well. I rarely kill a gobbler from the first tree I sit down beside. I move almost constantly...very slowly, but moving nonetheless. I have killed many turkeys standing or laying beside a tree...sometimes in water. I hunt alone 99% of the time also.
    Crops are harvested, animals are killed.

  10. #30
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    Corn














    Last edited by Sg843; 02-24-2017 at 05:27 PM.

  11. #31
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    I usually ride WMA roads stopping to owl call every hundred yards or so up to about 9:30-10:30 in the morning.

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by MKW View Post
    This describes my style pretty well. I rarely kill a gobbler from the first tree I sit down beside. I move almost constantly...very slowly, but moving nonetheless. I have killed many turkeys standing or laying beside a tree...sometimes in water. I hunt alone 99% of the time also.
    You stand about as high as I sit, so I see that
    Them that don't know him won't like him, and them that do sometimes won't know how to take him

    He ain't wrong, he's just different, and his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right

    They don't put Championship rings on smooth hands

  13. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by scatter shot View Post
    I usually ride WMA roads stopping to owl call every hundred yards or so up to about 9:30-10:30 in the morning.
    I've heard you and all your cousins.

  14. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Burney Mac View Post
    I've heard you and all your cousins.
    Burney call soft call like no one business. Thought I had hen sitting beside me when we hunted

  15. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by trkykilr View Post

    Sometimes, it is better to let him walk off and reposition.
    i didn't read everyones remarks. This is the best advice along with shutting the hell up sometimes and just scratch in the leaves.

    Unfortunately most dummies probably in the process of trying to reposition end up boogering the bird again, cause it wasn't really gone.
    Last edited by TurkeyTrax; 02-24-2017 at 07:21 PM.

  16. #36
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    I try and remember how I felt as an adolescent chasing girls. Basically they had my mind so twisted up I didn't have any sense. Sometimes I go after a gobbler hard, sometimes "coy", sometimes a little of both. It all depends on his mood as I interpret it.

    I also try and put some emotion in the calls I make. I'm in a conversation so there will be highs and lows while I'm calling.
    Vegetarian: Native American for Piss Poor Hunter

  17. #37
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    There's a couple really good posts in this thread so far. Keep it up fellas. I enjoy constructive and educational threads on this forum. Good stuff!

  18. #38
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    Indeed

  19. #39
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    This was very educational for me. Anyone want to share any more tips or tactics?
    "Think A Guy Like Me Worries About Percentages?" Tin Cup

    "Some get spiritual cause they see the light, and some cause they feel the heat" Ray Wylie Hubbard

    "P.S. I love turkeys. Mostly just hate those who hunt em." Glenn

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