Hung up gobblers

[Sambuca]

I read this forum a lot but don't contribute a lot. I have been turkey hunting for only 2 years and don't have a lot of experience to share.

This past weekend I hunted Friday Saturday and Sunday with my wife. We hunt an 80 acre parcel with 1/2 woods and fields. Turkeys don't roost on this old farm. There were plenty of birds around and we had some good action. However, both times I thought we were going to kill a bird they hung up out of sight, gobbled like crazy and after while, they left. In one instance I was set up on a field and the bird came from the woods behind me. I got turned around but he hung up just below a ridge that sloped down at 25 yards or so. There was no way I could move toward him without getting busted. I eventually saw him cross the field a few hundred yards away but by then he ignored my calls. In the second instance, my wife set up facing a field edge and I was facing the woods behind her. We would be able to see anything in range. A tom hung up at the hedgerow 125 yards across the field from my wife and wouldn't budge.

How do you guys get these birds to cross a barrier like a ridge or a hedgerow? Do you call harder, more often or not at all? I think in the second scenario I could have walked away and continued calling hoping to bring him closer for my wife to get a shot.

Any advice is appreciated!

[TreeGuy]

U using any decoys ? If not that could be your reason.... as far as the calling, ill typically shut up once a tom is in sight. Let him gobble all he wants, if he sees a hen, and he came all that way, he will prob keep coming if ur calling or not. Plus, u don't want to " educate " him on your calls.... good luck ! Its a tough part of the season to find a hot tom, be thankful u heard the gobbling that u did so far !

[tjm08803]

get him gobbling big time, then shut right up. Decoys are good, but i dont recommend them. I know you see on tv all the time birds running right into the decoy and stompin the **** out of it, but not around here. Birds around here are very "stressed" to say the least. The natural thing that happens in the woods is that the hen is suppose to go to the gobbler anyways. So if that big gobbler sees the hen (the decoy) or hears you calling, and he is in seeing distance, he will usually hang up everytime. Get him screaming coming in, and then at about 100 to 150 yards, before you can see him, shut right up. He will come in looking, thinking that the hot lady is heading away from him. Remember, the older the bird, the smarter he is. It takes wits to outsmart a big ol tom.

As far as crossing barriers, believe me, if that gobbler is fired up, he will fly across the damn grand canyon. But if it seems like he really wants to stay on the other side (other side of a ridge like you said), get over there with him. Granted that you dont get to close, but definitly get where he wants to be. Greater chance of rolling him over that way.

Stick with it, and the best of luck to you.

[Sambuca]

Thanks! We had a decoy out in the field. Maybe the Tom at the hedgerow could see it and expected it to move to him. I am pretty sure I call too much with the excitement of a fired up gobbler nearby. I'll try to shut up once I get a response and see what happens. It could also be that my calling is not up to par. I'm going to download the NWTF iPhone app. It's supposed to have lots of turkey sounds. Anyone have it? Would you recommend it?

[tughillhunter]

I wouldnt recommend any call apps. I asked that before, and everyone was right. They arent worth a darn.

[Uncle Nicky]

Two things I would try:

1). If the bird is hung up, as long as he continues to gobble, he is still somewhat interested. If he he seems to be stuck in one spot, as others have said, just clam up. He will eventually come in (usually silently) or drift away.

2). If he moves away, use the trees & terrain to close the distance. If you can stay inside his head, he may be inticed to come and look for you, it;s worked for me in the past.

Good luck!

[Pygmy]

Gobblers can hang up for many reasons, but most often it is because you are calling too loud and too much, as Uncle Nicky said.

The first thing I try is to shut up...If he starts gobbling MORE after you shut up, it often means that it is WORKING..Resist the urge to call... Typically, he'll gobble his butt off for a few minutes and then shut up..When he quits gobbling, be alert, because it often means that he is on his way.. Good luck !

[NFA-ADK]

I only hunted for Turkey one time but it was fun. One thing I can tell you is calling is huge. My brother is a great caller and called birds right into me, like the experts say know when to stop calling... Possibly try a dif call, you might get a better reaction. Good luck and keep at it!

[ants]

If you think he's far enough away (so he wont bust you) try to sneak ( I mean sneak) to the left or right of him and call agian. You might draw him in a dfferent direction that he likes better. If it 's a true barrier like a creek, a fence or real thick brush, more than likely he wont cross it. If he answeres you and sounds close.... shut up. He'll find you.... It's hard to do when a Tom is close and going nuts but dont answere.

Good luck

[nyslowhand]

Never had much luck sneaking up on a turkey. Their phemonal eyesight stack the odds against the hunter.

If you're using a diaphram call, you can use your hand to throw the sound of the call to mimic the hen moving.

The rules of romance for turkeys is for the hen to go to the gobbling. You're trying to reverse that.

It's done by many, but you need to sound realistic & like a love sick hen.

IMHO - Found gobblers tend to respond better to a box call than the more raspy diaphrams.

When you get setup & they're coming in - then I use the mouth call.

The experts (?) tell you a turkey will not cross a barrier to come in to your calling.

I've called them across roads, through fences, over creeks & over or around most other natural barriers.

So, I guess the rule of thumb is that some will while others won't...........

Found the #! reason a gobbler won't come to you is because he is already with a hen(s).

Then you better be trying to coax the hens towards you.

FYI - There is more to persuading a gobbler to come to you than the simple hen yelps.

Cutting, purrs, putts, etc mixed in with yelps will get a tom more interested.

Get a tape, CD or DVD of natural turkeys calling in the woods. May even find something on youtube!?!

The absolute worst racket & attempt at calling I've ever heard turned out to be actually 2 hens.

When you know a gobbler is coming in to your calls, there is nothing more nerve wracking than silence.

BAM, there he is at 20yds - you had better be ready to shoot.

I have had good luck in these situations with the occassional purrs & putts.

It at least gets a response & you can keep track of where he is.

[G-Man]

i like to turn around and call softly to a tom that is hung up, or even move 50 yrds away from the tom do a few soft calls and then sneak back to origional position. A bird that lives in and around fences, creeks, roads,ravines are use to them and will cross them at will. I am an agressive caller and do not like to just shut up. soft calls, purrs n clucks, scratching the leaves are a few things i use to bring the bird the rest of the way. As for not being a good caller, i've heard real hens that sound like a bunch of fingernails dragged over a chalkboard. The important thing is cadence n rythem. The most important thing is woodsmanship/ experiance if the bird regulary gets hung up on a bench, when you get a bird to answer from that direction, get to the bench before he does. birds are extreemly patternable when not pressured. if a bird get hung on a bench this year, even if killed another will take its place and prolly get hung in same spot next year. over the years you will learn where birds go when it rains, on a sunny morning rainy morning, roost areas in spring and fall. these experances are what will let you sneek in and set up in the proper areas to have consistant success. You hunt with a partneer place them 50 yards or more ahead of you calling in direction bird is coming from and have them sit quiet, the bird that hangs up from your calling 100 yrds from you may be in range of them..

[G-Man]

Oh another good trick is to let the bird leave, then go to the last place he was and do a few soft calls. this is the hen going to him that he wanted he just didn't have enought patience.. a few soft calls often bring him back running as he feels bad he left a "receptive lady" behind. it also works when a tom is with hens and refuses to come in. let them leave and goto spot he last was with them. when his hens are bred he comes back looking for theon that was left behind. Good Luck!!

[Jennifer]

I agree-- if a tom is henned up, sometimes the best tactic is to really make one of his ladies angry. Cheese off the top hen by cutting her calls and calling like a cranky lady bird yourself has brought the boss hens running to kick our butts many times! The real key is then not to get busted by her, as the toms usually lag behind.

Even if you don't get a shot, it sure is exciting to have a mad hen looking for a fight in front of you! The experiences are fantastic even if I don't get a bird. I once had a hen about 4' in front of my face, cutting loose. She was so angry! I was trying not to laugh.

This is a video that I love to watch for that reason (not my vid):

Watch how mad she gets when he cuts at her. Do you see her feathers rouse? That's turkey body language for "oh no you didn't!"

If I heard the bird in that video (and didn't see it) I'd be sighing and wondering why that guy woudln't stop calling!

The worst sounding turkey calling I hear in the woods always turns out to be real birds! Sometimes my dad and I look at each other and whisper "That has got to be a guy!" but sure enough, it's real birds.

Edited May 9, 2012 by Jennifer