turkeys not coming in

[bate11]

i want to get everyones opinion on turkeys. Ive hunted turkeys for about 20 years and it seems like every year they are getting harder and harder to get them to come to calling. I took my wife out this year for her first hunt and had them do everything from gobbling of the roost and coming strutting only to hang up at 60 yards and stare at the hen decoy to hearing birds gobbling and start calling and they dont make another peep. Does anyone have any advice or experience on using a tent set up in the middle of a field and also using a jake decoy with a hen decoy. Just want to know if everyone has had the same experience as me . thanks and looking forward to reading replies

[Grasshopper]

i want to get everyones opinion on turkeys. Ive hunted turkeys for about 20 years and it seems like every year they are getting harder and harder to get them to come to calling. I took my wife out this year for her first hunt and had them do everything from gobbling of the roost and coming strutting only to hang up at 60 yards and stare at the hen decoy to hearing birds gobbling and start calling and they dont make another peep. Does anyone have any advice or experience on using a tent set up in the middle of a field and also using a jake decoy with a hen decoy. Just want to know if everyone has had the same experience as me . thanks and looking forward to reading replies

Isn't turkey hunting fun?

As one of my southern buds once said; "I killed my first gobbler out of respect for the bird and the grand traditions and history of the sport. I killed the rest of them because they deserved it."

Just a couple thoughts, which are my opinion only...I never claim to know anything about why turkeys do what they do.

* Sometimes gobblers hang up when they see a decoy because they want it to come to them. Its like a Mexican standoff. If I can set up without using a decoy (like in the woods) I keep it in my vest. I'd rather have the gobbler come hunting me.

* When they shut up after gobbling on the roost they are either a) coming in silent, or b) with hens. Usually its B.

* Pop-up blinds in fields work great! Especially if you know the spot in the field where the turkeys already want to be. But then you're back to decoys (unless you don't call and just ambush them). So I like to use a jake sitting on top of a hen (the breeding position). I almost never use a lone hen standing with her head up like most dekes are made. A turkey that stands still with its head up is an alert turkey, and that makes gobblers nervous. Stake some dekes with their heads down, like they're feeding. Or put a strutter decoy out there.

* Anyone who has turkey hunted much has had the same experiences as you! They are maddening birds!

Good luck! I hope you kill one

[bate11]

evey year until this one i have shot a bird. this is different teaching my wife how to hunt and the gun safety and all that. So im trying instead of my old ways of running and gunning and getting ahaed of them when they wont come in and bushwacking them im trying to let her see how fun it can be when they come in. until this year i havent used a decoy for about ten years but went back to one about every other day this year trying to get the attention off us and out movement. but know luck. next year i am going to buy a tent. Ive had a few people tell me that the birds dont seem to care about a tent right in the middle of the field and will walk right up to it. Does that really seem to be the case??

[Stump]

Grasshopper threw out some great points! Along with all of those, I really think birds(at least in my area) have become a little smarter. Of which shouldn't be surprising with all the guys tearing the spring woods apart trying to get after them. Turkey hunting I'd say 5 years ago I would say was easier than it is today. Birds being smarter...more guys in the woods making birds call shy...turkeys know what to look/hear for now....I don't know. It's almost like hunting in that certain state for deer and they just know to look up into trees. I'm certainly not the seasoned turkey hunter as many on here are, but I really don't put a lot of importance on decoys and a lot of times don't put any out. I hunt in the woods a lot and toms really can't see my decoy until they are right there anyway. I want the tom to keep searching around(which means coming into me for the shot) for what's calling to him rather than seeing it and go into full strut expecting the hen to come to him. It's cool to see, but does me no good at 50+ yards.

With more than one person(especially a new hunter) and with a little extra scouting to know where you need to be, blinds can be awesome. The greatest thing with them and turkeys is you can set it up in the middle of no where and turkeys don't care. Wear all black so you blend in with the inside of your blind, keep the the windows to your back closed so the birds don't see your movement and your set.

[pbrown5205]

Turkeys learn... they get call shy, decoy shy and IMO will eventually get blind shy. If they didnt there wouldnt be any left. Our birds here in the south have been hard pressured for many years and when you take one you leave with a feeling of accomplishment having outsmarted him. A lot of my friends use blinds with great success and just like you said, stuck right out in a field either with a decoy set or sitting in wait for ambush. I agree with Grasshopper that hen sets alone dont work well here, the natural order of things is for the hen to go to the gobbler. I like to set up in an area with a limited view so he will walk in gun range still looking. Remember if you can see him a long ways off, he thinks he should already be able to see that hen. Think about each particular birds pattern...what ridge does he fly down to (his strutting area), which direction does he move off to after that? Dont try to call the bird BACK, be set up where he already wants to go then you have just increased your odds. Wives add limitation to mobility so be ahead of the bird before he ever flys down instead of trying to get ahead of him later.

Good Hunting

[bate11]

grasshopper have you had luck with the jake on hen decoy here in MN. I know my buddies use them in KS and IA and swear by them,but they also say the turkeys seem to come in a lot better there than here. Also which brand have you had good luch with?

[Slugger]

couple of tips that have worked for me,

always set your hen decoys facing away from where the gobbler will be. If the dekes are facing him he thinks "hey they see me so they will come in if they are ready to breed"

Try using a jake, either alone or right on the rear of a hen, it fires most long beards up.

, dont get yourself in a calling routine where all you do is yelp yelp yelp, dont over call but still be aggressive and do alot of cutting.


and finally, i have found fighting purrs and rustling in the leaves with a stick to be the nail in the coffin for wise old birds.

hope this helps, its what works for me.

[pbrown5205]

Been a strange year fo sho... season started out normal here but everywhere else the birds have acted like they have bred out and hens are setting. Kinda early IMO for nordern birds to be acting like that but they are.

[Southern Sam]

I have had great sucess bowhuntin turks with a blind. But this year these turkeys are whoopin my butt!! Here at the house its been one of the crazy years where nobody seems to be killin any!! Very unusual for me not to have killed at least a few by this time every year. the Birds here are fo sho gettin wiser every year with all the turkey huntin shows guys are watchin. (Ya'll know what I mean so i'm not gonna get into that) Until this year I have never killed a gobbler without a decoy, till I killed the one with PB last month. I have since took some knowlege from what the Pb said about settin up in thick cover and makin the bird come around or thru a obstacle to find me and then it should be to late for him and end up bein a dead bird!! the days I have hunted here, I've put my time in and only been skunked once from not hearin any. Other times have worked birds till they should be in my lap and a hen seems to always show up before I get the shot.
I have 2 weeks left and startin tomorrow we can hunt all day instead of quitting at noon, so I'm gonna try my best to put it together before May 16.

[Grasshopper]

grasshopper have you had luck with the jake on hen decoy here in MN. I know my buddies use them in KS and IA and swear by them,but they also say the turkeys seem to come in a lot better there than here. Also which brand have you had good luch with?

Bate: I have to admit to cheating on decoys I have given up on most traditional jake dekes. I take a M.A.D. "King Strut" and I use a real tail fan (either jake or gobbler) and real wings. Both come from birds I've killed. This decoy is scary-real...like taxidermy. But it's simple to do. Just separate the wings and fan from a bird, put borax (laundry detergent, you can get it at any store) on the meaty parts, and let it sit a couple days. I have had several gobblers (and jakes) come in and absolutely thrash this decoy.

I am with our Southern Friends PB and Southern Sam, I think birds get spooky if they have bad experiences around blinds and (sometimes) decoy sets. Especially if they encounter humans around them. That's why I don't get out of a blind unless I know turkeys are gone (even when I kill one, I let him lay until everything has vacated the area).

I do have a theory about difficult hunting years, and I'd like to hear what you guys think. I feel the toughest springs are an indicator of a poor hatch (or more than one) two years ago. In my experience, the number of two-year old gobblers in the flock really influences hunting success. The more of them there are, the more competition between gobblers and the more willing all turkeys are to come to a call. When mature (3-year old plus) gobblers dominate the breeding, things can be very tough...these older birds have learned if they strut and gobble long enough, hens will come. This makes for some tough times for hunters

[bate11]

that does make sense grasshopper. This year I did pass on a few jakes and seen many other jakes as compared to the last few years and they said we had a bad hatch here the last few years. Hopefully with all the jakes that have been seen this year that means more two year old toms next year and thus more competition>

[pbrown5205]

I do have a theory about difficult hunting years, and I'd like to hear what you guys think. I feel the toughest springs are an indicator of a poor hatch (or more than one) two years ago. In my experience, the number of two-year old gobblers in the flock really influences hunting success. The more of them there are, the more competition between gobblers and the more willing all turkeys are to come to a call. When mature (3-year old plus) gobblers dominate the breeding, things can be very tough...these older birds have learned if they strut and gobble long enough, hens will come. This makes for some tough times for hunters

Hopper, I wholeheartedly agree, the number of 2 year olds providing competition with hens has a lot to do with how aggressive an older gobbler is. This is a strange year, it appears that all of mother nature is around 2 -3 weeks ahead of its usual schedule and that includes the turkeys. I think anybody whose season is just coming in needs to hunt accordingly. Plan your hunts like its 2 weeks deeper into the season than normal. Stump and Hammer found a nest in KS that was just about full of eggs and everybody knows how gobblers lose that lovin feeling towards the end of the breeding cycle and are pretty much worn out.

[dorsaloser]

I haven't been hunting turkeys for 20 years like you have so you probably have a lot more experience than me, but i have had great success with a jake and hen decoy and that's always the set up i use. i haven't had to hunt much more than about 1 hour the past four or five years. with that being said, though, how much calling do you do? how much hunting pressure is around you? i only yelp just a little while they are in their roost just to let them know i'm here. also, i don't yelp a whole lot once they hit the ground unless they are. also, do you have the jake strutted out? if so, do you use a real turkey fan or the one that comes from the store with the decoy? i have a jake strutting decoy with a tom fan attached to it. they dont seem to pay much attention to the shape of the fan so much as they do the size of the bird's body, the size of the beard, and the head color. a tom has a brighter colored head than a tom.

[dorsaloser]

one more thing, where i'm at in SE MN, it really depends on the season also. the earlier the better in regards to calling. it is much easier in the middle of april to call in a bird than it is in May. just my thoughts. haven't even read the other replies so this may be repetitive and may not be the cause of your difficulties. good luck.

[pbrown5205]

dorsa, key word: PRESSURE... our birds take a lot of heat from hunters and even the jakes have seen and heard it all. A bird thats never seen a decoy is more apt to come into one. Just keep in mind old birds dont get old by being stupid and those are the ones I go after, they give me the most challenge. Deeks or no deeks...Good Luck

[pbrown5205]

oh and btw...its 35 yrs, Ive been chasing turks since I was 15 and now Im 50

[Commodore]

I just spent 3 days in SE MN and didn't even see a bird! Unless you count the ones we saw from the road. We could hear them gobbling, but a long ways off and nothing would move. I think it does have a lot to do with the pressure, especially the land we hunt.

Did see a lot of deer though, so at least I have something to look forward to!

[Grasshopper]

The birds in se MN are very henny right now. That is the main reason (IMO) that they don't come to a call. When its peak breeding, hens just run to gobblers in the morning to do their thing....Those nasty girls

It is no different than hunting bucks during the "lockdown" of peak estrous. A buck is simply not going to move when he is tending a doe.

Give these birds a little time, and they'll come to a call. Or hit them later in the afternoon. That's one bonus of all-day hunting

[Dor]

Archery season starts friday. I will let you know how it goes. FWIW, we have killed more birds w/o decoys or spot and stalk lduring late may.

[missionarcher92]

The birds in se MN are very henny right now. That is the main reason (IMO) that they don't come to a call.

Same thing here in Wisconsin, those sly creatures