OUT-OF-POSITION GOBBLERS

Using A Call To Move The Turkey

EDITOR'S NOTE: Often, when a turkey comes in, you have to move to get off a shot. Although you've set up right, the turkey comes in wrong. Chris Kirby, president of Quaker Boy Calls, and I learned that lesson the hard way while hunting right outside of Orchard Park, New York. Instead of coming along the edge of the field like Kirby predicted, the gobbler came in to the middle of the thicket. To help me get off a shot, Kirby had to turn the gobbler around and march him within 10 feet of me. He accomplished that task by using Quaker Boy's new Gobbler Positioning System call (GPS).

QUESTION: How does the call move the turkey?
ANSWER: By turning the call around, you can make sounds like a hen walking around in a circle.
QUESTION: Chris, when you have a turkey in close, and you know you are going to have to move to get off the shot, how do you know when to move, and how do you move through the woods?
ANSWER: If you can see the turkey, the turkey can see you. So, wait until that turkey's head is hidden from you. Patience plays a big role. As soon as he spreads his tail feathers to you and his head is completely hidden, you can make a move on that turkey. He may pick his head up if he hears a noise, but you want that head shot anyway. Wait to move until the gobbler goes behind a thick spot where he can't see you, or wait until the turkey puts his head completely behind the tree. Don't try to make a big, strong, abrupt move when that turkey is in full-face view of you. Let the turkey get as close as possible. If you need to make a big move, wait until he gets within 10 yards, then move the gun slowly and deliberately to get on that turkey. You have to remember that if you are in full Mossy Oak Camouflage, that turkey may not know what you are. And even though you've moved, he'll look hard at you before he breaks to run. Even if he does break to run, the turkey only will cover 10 to 30 yards of ground before he gets out of your gun range.

To learn more productive turkey-hunting tactics, go back to the splash page, and click on books on the left-hand side of the page.

TOMORROW: AVOID SNAPPY MOVEMENTS