Ok. Advice.

The run down on the situation.
Public land bird.
He still has hens with him as of yesterday.
Gobbles on the limb, and leaves with hens.
He has gone a different way each time I have hunted him. Yesterday he had one hen roosted with him. She flew down and then a couple minutes later he flew down. I called the hen up to 20 yards and thought for sure he would follow. He did not. After 30 minutes of waiting on him to show, I called and he was still in the spot where he flew down. I am fairly certain I have spent the past two weeks hunting this bird and I am no closer to killing him. The only bright spot is that 3 days ago he had 3 hens with him and yesterday only one. I have thought about giving up on him and moving on but these last few days when he is lonely may be my best chance. So.... stay with him or find another bird?

PS. I will not send you GPS coordinates to the spot so you can remedy the situation for me

I say stay on him but I'm a glutton for punishment.

Kill him going to roost if he's consistent

I am planning on hunting him Thursday afternoon. It may be my best chance.

Corn!

Well if you really want to kill him, the only way and I mean the only way is to get in there tight to where he is roosting before daylight and not say a word, don't even bring a call because you'll want to use it. Let them fly down and scratch in the leaves all along and be ready. I have killed several hard hunted management area turkeys late in the year like this that would not come to a call. He's done heard it all you bout ain't gonna call him to you. Hope this helps good luck!

Once he leaves his roosting area move in quick setup and call to him

I said all that figuring management area closing at one, if you can hunt the afternoons a little purring and light yelping in the same area should get him dead.

I have hunted call shy birds by trying to get in their travel routes right off the roost. Go in well before daylight and put a decoy where you think he will pitch down. It's not a foolproof plan, but it has worked. If he pitches a different direction, there's not much you can do.

Like others have said, I'd sneak in there in the dark if you are familiar with the area and maybe he'll pitch out in gun range and don't call, just scratch in the leaves if he flys down away from you, this late in the season I'd push the limits and get as close as possible. Hope you get him buddy

Sounds like a good candidate for an evening ambush if he roost in the same area everyday. Sometimes it just has to be done.

Solid advice, thanks guys. I've invested half of April with this bird, I might as well finish the season with him. Looks like I may be able to swing a Monday and Thursday afternoon hunt this week, with a Wednesday morning hunt in the middle. All tactics are on the table.

If he is truly roosting in the same area and all tactics are truly on the table....


Limb launch him.



You asked

Take a gobble call with you & let him have it!!

Slough has it 100%. I was going to say the same thing. Scratch in. Then scratch lighter and lighter so he thinks you are moving away from him. Absolutely no calling. Scratching is always better than calling IMO. Good luck and kep us posted!

This is how I punched out my limit in MS this morning. He gobbled about 8-10 times and used the terrain to get in tight. He shut up for about 10 minutes and glided out in front with a hen soon following. Very light scratching and he stutted into range and I dumped him. He was a public land bird with curved sharp spurs and an 11 inch beard. Thank the good Lord! I need some rest.

The public land bird I killed last season would not come to any calling, kept gobbling on the roost. But when I started to cross a gas line right of way that was shoulder high in blackberry stickers - and making a certain amount of noise in the process - he flew right down and landed in the stickers about 20 yards from me. All I could do was stand there and wait until I could see his waddles at about 12 steps and pop.

So the advice about scratching vs calling is worth taking.

Go in after he is on the roost in the evening and spot light him and make him and the hen scatter. He will only go 100-200 yards. The next morning slip into where he went and he should come right to you.

FIFY

LOL!!!

I'm here. Hunting this rascal like a deer.

You don't gobble at one before you limb launch him....you have to climb up on his level (read: get yo azz up the tree across from him) and THEN gobble at him and THEN limb launch him.

Rookie

Well, you still shining the light around or what? They are hard to see once it greens up.

Thanks for the tutorial! LOL