John's Journal...

What to Do When a Turkey Hangs-Up

Don’t Call

Click to enlargeEditor’s Note: You won’t take a proud, mature gobbler with conventional calling tactics. These bronze barons have attitudes. They consider themselves the finest birds any hen ever has seen. They feel so sure of their masculinity and superiority that they believe every hen in the woods will come running to them. They won’t exert any extra energy to go to a hen. You also can recognize a proud gobbler by his extreme caution. A proud gobbler will stop about 50 to 60 yards from where you call, gobble, strut and drum — but not come any closer. When a tom takes this position, most hunters say he’s hung

Click to enlarge

Don’t Call

Editor’s Note: You won’t take a proud, mature gobbler with conventional calling tactics. These bronze barons have attitudes. They consider themselves the finest birds any hen ever has seen. They feel so sure of their masculinity and superiority that they believe every hen in the woods will come running to them. They won’t exert any extra energy to go to a hen. You also can recognize a proud gobbler by his extreme caution. A proud gobbler will stop about 50 to 60 yards from where you call, gobble, strut and druClick to enlarge

-up. But you can take a bird that acts like this.

You also may defeat a proud gobbler by playing with the bird’s mind. Think about the most-popular guy in high school. Girls constantly flirt with him trying to get his attention. Often he’ll find himself most attracted to the one pretty girl who pays him the least attention. Proud males — both human and turkeys — can’t stand for females to ignore them.

When a tom comes in to your calling and begins to gobble, strut and drum just out of gun range, act like a disinterested hen. When you quit calling to a gobbler, he thinks one of several things, including, “perhaps . . .

*”the hen left before I got to her, Click to enlarge

*”another gobbler has come in and picked her up,

*”something has frightened her off, or

*”she just can’t see me, and if I move closer, she’ll come to me.”

Many times when you stop calling to the gobbler, he’ll break his strut and move to find you. But if he doesn’t, scratch in the leaves with your hand to sound like a feeding hen. Then he will break his strut and move straight to you. You’ve ignored him and led him to believe the hen prefers to eat rather than mate with him. A proud gobbler can’t stand that pressure and will walk closer. Then you can take him.

Tomorrow: Walk Off When You Call and Circle the Bird


Check back each day this week for more about "What to Do When a Turkey Hangs-Up"

Day 1: Put One Hunter Up and One Back
Day 2: Don’t Call
Day 3: Walk Off When You Call and Circle the Bird
Day 4: Give Him Your All
Day 5: Job ‘Em

 

 

Entry 399, Day 2