Frustrating turkeys

[bushwhacker1975]

This spring has been a tough one i've never had the trouble i've had. i'm using a pop up this year as i'm getting old lol. I have tried a strutting jake with one and two hens. I've tried calling them over a ridge but they hang up. Never had this trouble before maybe my cslling is getting old like me lol
Hunting rolling terriain in sone ag feilds. No problem seeing the birds just getting them into shooting range any help?

 

[Oregon]

Turkeys being turkeys. Hunt them between 1030-1430. Pattern them. No decoys. Call every 13 minutes and 24 seconds. Don’t respond if he gobbles.
I will say I am not a great turkey hunter. I’ve killed my fair share. Above seems to work for me. I don’t even wake up early anymore.

 

[Jack321]

Its been this way for me for the past 5-7 years.

Up until 2 weeks ago I had not shot a turkey in 3 years. I was close 5x last yr but due to just bad luck wasnt able to seal the deal.

Today, I went out with my Father in Law and daughter. We had 4 toms in the field for FOUR HOURS going back and forth from 260-200 yds never getting closer than that. They walked back and forth in the same spot all morning.

Moved closer to them 3x to get within 75-100 yds, nothing.

Called a hen in to 8 yds, hoping a tom was following--nothing. I've called in more hens this year than toms.

My brother, son and I have 3 birds so far this year and its because we were in the right spot at the right time.

Were hunting them like deer. Just sitting in known strutting zones and "usual traffic" areas and just waiting for them to walk by. So far, its worked three lucky times.

Lots of toms, just not responding to calls and henned up.

Sometimes your the bug, sometimes your the windshield.

 

[bushwhacker1975]

Thanks guys glad not just me lol

 

[Fullfan]

Make them come look for you. Have seen and heard of birds being very decoy shy.

 

[Fowl Play]

Heavily pressured birds can be tough, if that is the situation? Are you seeing birds hang up and act like they do not like something about your setup? If so, loose the Jake, or brush in your blind more, or ditch the blind, etc. If that doesn’t work loose the decoys entirely and use difficult terrain to make them get within shooting range to “find” the hen. If that doesn’t work, then you have to start hunting them like deer from 10am-2pm, with calling every 10-15min or so like said above. Those are my most productive turkey killing hours, but hunting them like deer can be very boring.

 

[bushwhacker1975]

i thought the jake was going to a game changer maybe thsts the issue

 

[Fowl Play]

i thought the jake was going to a game changer maybe thsts the issue

Jake’s can be a game changer in the right situations. If you have gangs of Jake’s running around though, even dominant birds might have had their ass kicked already by a group of Jake’s and might be wary of them. Subdominant birds might not want a fight. It’s normally all or nothing with Jake decoys. Either they come in wanting to kick its ass or it totally ruins the hunt.

 

[Jack321]

Well, for what it's worth and to give you a "Act II" from yesterday, today my FIL, Daughter and I went out again this morning.

And my daughter got her first turkey!

Went to the same field we saw them in all day yesterday, saw 3 hens in the exact same spot as yesterday for the entire morning (6am-8am). Then 1 hen came out and walked 5 yds from us in the blind at 7am.

Unbelievable that none of the hens had toms with them.

Then at 8:15am, I looked out to where the hens were, and they were much closer! One hen was 40 yds and walking straight towards our blind and a second bird behind her by about 60 yds.

And then this went thru my head looking at the 2nd bird behind the hen:

"Hmm.....? That (2nd) "hen" looks bigger.....[Puzzled ] What? That "hen" is puffing up...? Thats not a hen, thats a TOM!"

Walking straight towards the blind.

Daughter swung the gun around as he was walking straight to us.

The hen walked 2 steps next to the blind and past it (windows up thankfully). I could have reached out and grabbed her with my hand.

About 20 seconds later, the tom at 25 yds, my daughter drops the hammer, one shot, bang, flop. Shot with a .410 and #7 TSS.

Heard only maybe 5 gobbles after they got down from the roost. This tom didn't make a peep, completely silent.

Just sat there in the blind like deer hunting, set up in a blind on a field edge that they're known to use and got lucky.

10" beard, 1.4 inch spurs, great first turkey! I'm a proud dad!

Right spot at the right time. Had enough intel to know where they'd generally be.

Sometimes your the bug, sometimes your the windshield.

 

[bushwhacker1975]

thsts awesome first bird story

 

[Amos Keeto]

bushwhacker1975
You ain't doin' nuttin' wrong!
Fecal matter just occurs!
I killed a fall turkey in 2018 as a "fowl pox" began ravaging our wild turkeys! It was awful!
I didn't kill another bird until Spring 2025!
My "runnin' n' gunnin'" days are O-V-E-R!
I just set up a blind, an ambush or a hide and sit down and wait them out.
If you have the opportunity, scout out places to set up on birds.
We have seen birds every outing, but just can't seem to get them in range!
This time of year, be in your blind by about 8AM. Stay, if you can, until 2PM or 3PM.
Turkeys go through phases. Best method this late in the season is to pattern them as best you can then ambush them!

 

[Amos Keeto]

bushwhacker1975,
Here's frustrating!


BOO ON TURKEYS AND .410'S!!!!

In the blind by 6:30AM. Not a sound. Not a peep!
One thing about it, we had a nice conversation.
Drank coffee, has an energy bar and watched the world go by!
Ten minutes to 9AM and Kent points to the east fence!
One single, solitary bird slow walks along the fence. Looks like a tom, but we can't tell.
Our morning started off with a breeze and a sunny sky! About 8:30AM, the thunderhead from hell blew in from the north!
Thirty knot winds, black clouds and a temperature drop from 75° to down around 55°! It's not cold, but it dang sure ain't comfortable in shirt sleeves!
The bird finally turns and walks towards us. Neither of us touch a call. Let him come on!
Right out in the middle of the pasture, he sits down! Is he taking a nap or what?
A few minutes later, he finally stands up, but turns towards the east fence.
Kent picks up his slate call and plays a little "melody"
He turns back towards us.
HO BOY!
FINALLY!
The gobbler steps behind a tree....I get the
.410 and it's $6 load of TSS #9'S lined up and flip the safety off!
He appears from behind the tree, takes a few steps.
I line up on his white head and....BOOM!
He goes down......and IMMEDIATELY jumps up and takes wing across the pasture and disappears over the top of the timber onto the WMA!
#÷=*&<%$%!
RICKEN FRACKEN SNACKLE!
I don't think I missed, I just think either the load or the shotgun or the choke.....or maybe the shooter, just didn't work as intended.
I've got until 5-16 (season ends) to do the deed!
"IF" I get another chance, I'll have my trusty 16 gauge shouldered up!

 

[Half Nocked]

This sounds like turkeys being turkeys.

Here’s a scenario you could try that I recently had some success with. Being in an area they can see your setup and do some just absolutely obnoxious box calling and then mix in some gobble tube, sound Jake-y, and do that for two or three circuits alternating between box and gobble tube. Then shut up. I just tried this over the weekend and had a tom come in to whoop my Jake decoy. I ended up killing my decoy because the gobbler flogged my decoy when I shot…..

 

[bkjastrebsky]

How long have you hunted the area. May be time to revamp the turkey call choices. Find something they have never heard before.
A lot of variables at play. If I'm hunting from a blind i like to be somewhere i know the turkey wants to be and is comfortable being. Maybe the area he flys to roost from. Maybe a mid day feeding area, looking for fresh scratching.
Try just a solo hen decoy.

 

[satchamo]

Turkey hunting can be easy and be almost impossible. That’s what keeps me so into it…

That said pressure really really really screws up turkeys. They need like one interaction with a hunter to screw then up until next spring. I get pretty anxious if I get 3 days into my season here on public and don’t have one killed because it seems to take about that long for them to get real damn screwy then I spend the rest of the season trying to find one to act right.