Youth hunt

[Ryan3m]

hey guys its hunting3m, my email on my old account was hacked, and i wasn't able to get my account back. today was opening of youth season. Slept through my alarm this morning. Wasn't able to be in the woods until 7 30. Instantly heard gobbles responding to me, so me and my dad set up.  Soon we saw them, 250 yards away in the neighbors yard. 2 toms and 3 hens. Talked to them for an hour, and they haven't moved but 10 feet from where they were standing originally. Question: is there anything i could have done to bring those turkey to me (i don't have money for decoys). So we moved on, walking up the edge of a field, property border on my right (cow pasture). As i capped the ridge, there were 2 strutters, and a hen 5 yards behind the fence. I dropped down and layed on my stomach in my ghillie suit for what felt like forever, as they stared me down (5-10 yards away from me). Finally i was able to back away. I got in a good position with the cow pasture 40 yards in front of me, and started to call. Obviously these strutters only wanted the hen they were with. After another hour of watching these beautiful turkey just out of (legal) reach. we called it a day. Question 2: with my calling skills and no decoys, is there any way i would have been able to get at least 1 out of the 4 henned up gobblers we seen, to come into range.. Any advice will help 

[turkeyfeathers]

Did you perhaps overcall them? Decoys aren't completely necessary . A lot of guys don't use them and or refuse to use them. Sometimes calling like a  nasty hen will bring in the boss hen and the tom will follow. Stay and wait them out if they hang up or won't come in right away. Don't over call and call quietly. They know where you (hen) are. If the hens go to nest later mid morning the tom may come looking for you. Killed a lot of birds between 10-12 o'clock  Hope some of this helps. 

[asav2013]

Coulda been just one of them days kid, one day they'll trip over each other tryin to get to you, the next they won't bat an eye at decoys calls etc, it's a trial and error thing , gotta find what works and what works for that day, save up Ya can get 2 hens and a Jake decoy for 25$ at gander or herbs or where ever, there foam , don't let the foam thing detour you, those foam decoys have killed just as many birds as them pricy fancy ones, keep at it and Ya can teach your self alot in the turkey woods ,

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[Fanaddict]

Henned up gobblers are the hardest to kill!! Everything turkey feathers said is ture to form but after 40 years of hunting them you never know what a turkey might do on any given day!!

[Woodjr55]

We were working a bird today off the roost called him hard as he flew down he came in and held up at 57 yards put on a show then left had 2 decoys out. I think he got fed up that the decoys weren't coming to him so he left and we to the hens he was with so decoys don't always work either

[Ryan3m]

hey thanks alot guys, i probably should have waited longer. The rain and mosquitoes drove me out of the woods too soon. My thermacell pad was used and no longer was keeping the mosquitoes off of me. Asav i may have to go pick up some decoys if they are worth the 25 dollars! I am trying to save up for a truck, once i am 16. But i don't think that 25 dollars will hurt. Hopefully tomorrow my alarm clock will work properly and will be on the toms before they get henned up. Thanks

[Woodjr55]

Once their done with the hens they're with they should move on. Also sometimes if you gobble on your box call or have a gobble call jealously might get best of them

[hunter49]

   I think you may have called too much & maybe too loud, once they answer your call they know exactly where you are.  I agree with all of what Turkeyfeathers said.  I also took my  2 biggest birds (21 & 23 #'s) ever between 11:30 & noon.   I find the gobblers start talking again around 10:30 - 11 some days.  I have also used deeks & find them to scare the birds off at times, I have only had 1 bird come to a deek in 30+ yrs. of turkey hunting, I don't use them. jmo.   Good camo & no movement are your best bet.   Hang in there & good luck!

[Ryan3m]

2 years ago i shot a tom by gobbling with a box call, he ran 200+ yards in about a minute or 2. Would a single hen decoy work? i would rather spend 5 dollars on a foam hen, than 20 on a jake. And i guess i should have stayed out longer. Thanks for the advice everybody! hopefully i'l have some pictures soon of me and the turkey you all helped me harvest. 

[Fanaddict]

Gobbling will "sometimes" work but is not a cure all, purring loadly anf fast  with a slate call which sounds like 2 gobblers fighting will "sometimes" work. If you can only afford one decoy buy a hen decoy but even that doesn't always work. Heck I've called in hard to kill bird by scratching in the leaves trying to sound like turkeys feeding!!  If you do use a gobble call be careful that there no other hunters in the same woods you may get shot at. Like I said before you never know what a turkey will do on any givin day!!

[Woodjr55]

Did you have 2 toms and a hen at 5 yards but didn't shoot bc they were on a different property? If so I'd go try to get permission for that property and I don't know how far you are from where you hunt but if you can try to roost the birds tonight if possible

[ghug92]

The best success I have had with henned up toms are to call till you get them there and then dont call at all until they start to move away from you with their hens. If they start to leave with the hens start purring a little to keep the hens in the area. The purr is often associated with feeding and they will stay longer. Dont make the purr too loud or you can turn it into a fighting purr which might spook them after a while. I agree with woodjr55, try to go out tonight so you can calm em right out of the roost tomorrow morning. They won't even have time to find hens if you do it correctly! Best of luck!