Frustrated

[WNYBuckHunter]

So I think I am at the point of hanging it up for the year with turkey hunting. Ive been out 5 or 6 times, saw 2 jakes opening morning, and since then, nothing. Ive been walking the edges calling and hooting at night and before dawn, been trying soft and loud calling, decoys, etc and just cant seem to get anything going. I know there are birds in the area, as I was seeing them and hearing them before season, but I have trouble scouting too much due to the woods being filled with water. Im so bummed with it that I had taken this morning off of work to hunt, I woke up at 4 when my alarm went off, reset my alarm for 5:30 and went back to sleep. Woke up and went to work. You know its bad when youd rather just go to work lol. Anyone have any tips to help get myself motivated again?

[Doewhacker]

Well have you been out for late morning till noon yet? I would also try sitting down and calling lightly for say a half hour at a clip, sometimes Tom's run silent. And don't be afraid to ignore the fields and search the woods by walking and calling trying to locate the right one. We have done better later in the morning in some spots and also better in the second half of the month. Thats if you don't mind hunting in hotter weather and lots of bugs of course.

Last weekend my brother struck up a Tom at 11am and worked him in, till his daughter moved and spooked him at 60 yards. You never know when you will find one...

[jr.deerslayer]

Pretty much samw here, saw four nice birds in field yesterday, woke up today early and heard a whopping two gobbles from the same bird, even though we're 100% sure theres at least four gobblers.

[First-light]

I have seen birds still in the roost at 9:30 a.m. Not once but three times.

[phade]

Grab your blind, set it up on a field edge where you think those birds will be, a book/ipod/etc. if you need it, some chow/drinks, and a good blind chair.

Maybe add a decoy.

It's gonna be a wait...but it's supposed to rain this weekend. I'd sit out therain in the blind and be patient. Birds generally like the fields during a rain...and esp. right after a soaker to dry off and pick up any bugs in the area.

I'd push my self to hunt until Noon that way. Tough, but it can be done...you have to act like it's deer season if you are more driven by deer hunting.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Thanks for the tips guys. I have just been taking a couple of extra hours off of work and staying out until 8:30 or 9am and then heading back to get ready for work. Ill try a little later in the day.

phade, this is really my first year giving it an honest try. In the past couple of years, Ive gone out here and there, maybe 2 or 3 times a season, but never had any luck. Unfortunately, I dont have a blind right now, and with a new baby, no extra funds for one. Ill see if I can borrow one from my buddy, I dont think he is using it.

[Doewhacker]

Usually for me its been good before fly down and then only untill maybe 630-700, then its the dead zone untill @930. 8-9 is breakfast time..lol And when in doubt....take a nap!

[phade]

Get that blind and sit...

Don't be too afraid of putting it out in the open. I shot a bird last year with a doghouse blind in the wide open. It really doesn't bother them much, unless they've ran into a blind before and saw something inside they didn't like  ;D

Birds really do like field in the rain. I usually spend more time in the woods than on field edges when hunting turkey...but when it rains...gimme a blind and I'll sit a field edge all day (Noon) and not move, as long as I think there are birds in the area.

[noodle one]

WNYBuckHunter,

  Whatever you do , do not give up. If the birds were there before , they are still around. The reason you are not hearing them is that they are hened up. I know it can be hard hunting when you are not hearing any gobblers. Hopefully in the next week of so most of the hens will be on their nest and the gobblers will be out looking for that one lone hen. You never know when you will find that one hot gobbler and your hunt will be over in two mins. Things have been running about two week behind because of the weather, so hang in there.

[132 eight pointer]

I am not a successful turkey hunter but I do enjoy being out there. 3 years ago on Mother's Day at about 9:30 or so my cousin and I were hunting and after not hearing any gobblers were about to go home. I suggested moving closer to a field and trying one last call from inside the woods.My cousin let loose with a mouth call and got a loud gobble back.We quickly got set up and he called two mature toms in.One rode home with us. We almost went home because we hadn't heard anything.Good luck.

[Fantail]

Yeah stick to it! There are other events that can make you want to call it or the day. Like this morning, called one in from about 150 yards out but he shows up behind me. Could hear him move about a bit sounded like he was moving to my left. And then nothing, 10 minutes go by, he was hitting the box call so I used it a little - nothing. 20 minutes go by, I figgured he didn't like the set-up and moved off. Nope - he went low & slow to my right 30 yards out but I didn't pick him up from the cover. And he putted right outta there. Then that sinking %$#@*&) feeling sets in because you just know you blew it but theres not a thing you can do. Well I went around to the other side of the strip of woods and set up, got him to gobble back once but he wouldn't come out to play. Would have ended my season, but I'm just going to switch spots, change it up and do a little camping.

To the hunt!

[slammer hammer]

Has anyone thought of the large number of coyotes in the woods keeping the birds in trees so late in the day?  I have seen them in trees as late as 10:30 and was working a bird last weekend, when all of a sudden he and his hens putted their way into a tree at 50 yards.  I never had this happen.  Sure as shootin a coyote came down the mountain in my diretion to my calling.  The Tom and the hens flew down about 30 mins later and never made another peep.  We need coyote control in Delaware Co.

[brudaman340]

I do alot of walking and calling into the woods. I had some luck but the problem with that is that the toms dont always gobble back to your call. Once i find the birds the calling is pretty easy. The way i see it is that you have to be in it to win it. No matter how frustrating it is if your out there your chances of getting one are 50 times better than not being out there. I have to teach myself to hunt without having to walk and call. I need to learn to sit and call but im still trying to figure out the best way for me to do that where i hunt.

[Nomad]

Not a big turkey hunter, May is the start of water skiing !!

But I take one here and there. I say sleep in and head out at 9 or 10 .

You'll feel better, and I know a few guys myself included that this works for .