What do you do?

[Wingman]

What do you do when a turkey stops and won't come to you? We hunted this morning down at Delta Wildlife. Got set up using hen and jake decoy. After about 30 minutes, my buddy and I (he was doing the calling) were both surprised to find a jake strutting in the decoys. We had been looking around and failed to notice him slip in. He went through the decoys, making no noise whatsoever, and was silent before coming in to the spread. He walked around in front of us at 20 steps for about 4 minutes, then wandered off down into a draw in front of us. A few minutes later, my buddy hit a different call, and this thunderous gobble resonates from down in the draw in front of us where the jake went. About 10 minutes later, this little blue and red head pops up at our 12 o'clock, from left to right. For the next 5 minutes or so, all we saw was a head; he never came up on the ridge. He never gobbled again, then went back down in the draw. Could this have been the same jake, since he'd already been in the decoys, he wasn't coming back up on the ridge again? I'm no turkey pro; just need some advice.

Wingman

[Greenhead22]

Wingman, if you saw the turkey's head, then he was able to see the decoys out in front of you. That's just a wise old gobbler that locked up right there, waiting for that hen to come to him. This is a scenario where the dekes hurt you more than helped. If he hadn't seen the dekes, he may would've come on in, but who knows?

[blacklab101]

Wingman, sometimes when a bird get's hung up like that, say one will come to about 70-80 yards from ya then turn and strut away. Quit calling and wait for him to strut away from you, then when he get's a little distance between you and him, move to the last place he was at (permitting you have enough cover).
A lot of times you can move on a bird, relocate and bring him on in. Just make sure he doesn't see you.

[judge jb]

with a gobbler sounding off, we tend to seek and focus on that direction... many times over, there can and will be another bird or two or more that hasn't sounded off... curiosity with jakes and the wise old boys will jump up and bite us on the butt on more than one occassion... if you know what i mean... kinda reminds me of crows, if a scout,{or jake or hen} sees somethin out of ordinary, they will let the whole bunch know with out a word... then you can sit back and learn what you done wrong... i do that more than i care to remember....haha...

KEEP THEM EYES AND EARS PEALED.... they will outsmart us more than we will ever know....


judge{no luck today} jb

[Dutch Dog]

hey wingman, here's an old trick. have the caller set up about 75 yards back from you with the decoys. when he comes in and hangs up, he should be right in your (the shooters) lap. DD

[crow]

Had the same thing happen to me this morning, Wingman! I had three gobbling around me at daylight. I went to where I wanted to be for one of them and set out my decoys, sat down and waited for light. I swear, that turkey gobbled 30 times before he flew down. Once he flew down, I purred and clucked a couple of times and he was double and triple gobbling everytime. I just knew I had that ole boy! Then five hens flew down between me and the gobbler...book shut for an hour or two. I backed out of there and set up on another one and he got hot, too. He came in to about 60-75 yards and strutted back and forth on a ridge and would not come in further. Then, he just went back the way he came, strutting the whole time. I set up on him two more times before he got quiet and I had to leave. Frustrating morning...too many hens who are looking for a good time. These may be easier in a couple of weeks after most of the hens go on nest. But, man, did I have a good time listening to those boys bellow all morning.

[Wingman]

Thanks, guys. I will take this advice and use it next Saturday if I get off work. Gonna go east and try some of my grandmother's land near Carthage.

Wingman

[peewee]

Wingman not saying that there wasn't a big boy in the draw but saturday morning I called up a jake that was thundering. I almost shot him when I saw his head pop over the road and he steped out in the road and came out to be a jake.

[SkippyJ]

Take DD's advice on the set-up. Works if you know where he's coming from. Sounds like ole DD done used that trick in the past. [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]