with all due respect to you (& i mean that sincerely), it really surprises me to hear you say that, given that i know you mostly hunt public land & i always thought public land guys preferred for birds not to gobble much ... the “fun” of turkey hunting (for me) has always been the strategy & woodsmanship it takes to out-smart a bird - if they happen to gobble, it’s just a bonus to the fun it is to chase ‘em & beat ‘em at their game & on their own turf ...

some of my most memorable hunts are the ones where i’ve knocked off a really sly bird, esp when he thinks he’s being all cool & quiet, spitting & drumming, in full strut & the surprised look on his face when it gets filled full of lead 🤣. it’s fun to defeat a bird like that & walk out of the woods with him over the shoulder

i understand gobble addiction - i just don’t suffer from it at all & thought most public land hunters didnt either ... not trying to goad you or pick a fight - was just surprised to see you felt that way

This year sounds tough, but I've never experienced "The Alabama birds are tough" situation. They seem to gobble just fine. Much like public land birds anywhere you cant just drive in and whack them from the road (everyday). I do remember having trouble in the lower delta finding birds (without a boat) but where Ive hunted the last few years the burds were more vocal than up here in Missouri (where I hunt).

Im the same way. I got birds gobbling today on a new spot and right away some guy was owl hooting and crow calling like crazy at the two.

I hunt pieces that are private but only 220 and 210 acres, or smaller one of 40 acres or 30 acres. I cant walk all over those smaller ones. I go in , set up and blind call if none are gobbling. And the neighbors all around them are owl hooting, crow calling like crazy. There you have to just go it, grab a seat and try to make it work.

On the bigger pieces I will walk every inch of it though. But I still set up and blind call 3 to 4 times a day if i dont get on a gobbling bird.. And the one 220 acre piece has more folks calling from all the boundaries then state land has. These turkeys have been screamed at for weeks. I have to hunt sneaky, paranoid, cautious birds . And though I love hearing a bird gobble it works against me here.

Have to adjust to the situation and hunt accordingly.

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Don’t get me wrong, I’ll hang in there with a gobbler that doesn’t gobble much, but for me it HAS to start with a gobble. I also agree with you that the fun in turkey hunting is in the strategy and woodsmanship. BUT again, if they don’t gobble at least a little, I don’t care for it 😁

I’ve transitioned to hunting more on private land but still hunt public about half the time.

I don’t want them to gobble a lot on public land, as much as I like hearing it…..but damn, I need the bastards to at least gobble a couple times to let me know where the hell they are. I’m tired of hunting these mute-ass birds. I don’t have the luxury some folks have where they can pattern their turkeys and hunt them like deer, knowing exactly when and where they’ll be. Besides, there’s zero fun in deer hunting one and bushwhacking it. I don’t need them to gobble a hundred times to have “fun”, but I want it to be an interaction that brings them in, not just luck

And just as a side note on the public public land gobbling discussion. I absolutely want the turkey to gobble on the roost so I can get in position. I might only hear one bird and have to cover a bunch of ground to get to him so I need him to at least gobble a few times along the way so I can make a good set up. Once I’m 100 yards from him and sitting down he can shut up 😁

Time to spend in the woods, has a lot of influence on my "pickiness". When I hunted 40 days a season, I would go home if they weren't gobbling, or walk until I struck one. Now that I hunt 6-8x days a year in alabama, I'm not able to be as picky about the quality of the hunt. I'm not going to sit there and deer hunt them over decoys, but will sneak one or hang in there with a bird that is only gobbling every 2 hours.

I’ve deer hunted them, outsmarted them if you want to call it that and every other way you can hunt them and I’ve had a lot of luck going those routes. That’s just not for me. What gets my motor running is the back and forth between me and a gobbler or a hen. The vocal interaction is what I enjoy. He doesn’t have to gobble every step he takes but the gobbling is the thrill of it for me. Knowing where he is when he gobbles the first couple times then when he gobbles again and he’s closing in on my location. Then he doesn’t gobble for several minutes and you know he’s close. Heart is pounding a thousand miles an hour and having to make myself breath normal. That’s the thrill for me. The adrenaline factor means everything to me when turkey hunting. Sure there’s a rush of adrenaline when I see him slipping through the woods when deer hunting them or waiting them out. Just not the same rush as going back and forth. If it means setting up a thousand times in different locations that makes its all the better. That big build of of talking back and forth and knowing that’s he coming to me is what fires me up. I’m not knocking or criticizing anyone that deer hunts them or waits them out or any other way of hunting. That’s just not what turkey hunting is to me. No doubt the way I hunt has cost me a lot of birds over the years by hunting the way I do, but it’s also killed a pile of birds over the years too.

I am w U Southwood - I hv had a good hunt if I work a bird - heck yea it’s about the gobble - I try not to deer hunt them - I deer hunt in deer season - if I need to get around in front of them or get to where they like to be - I will - but I like working them the best. I think less is more w calling - but I still like to work one - that’s how u get better - experience - It all starts w having turkeys - I ain’t had many last 3 years - if u go and never hear - why go? I was delighted to hear one gobble 2-3 times today because he was on my property. I go for the thrill of working a bird - and thats why most people I know go and u can do the holier than though and Judge but I dang sure don’t hunt for u - the gobble is the thrill of the hunt - why I got into it. I love to see the woods wake up but I hope a gobbling turkey is a part of that and I love to see them strut and I love to see them flop

When I hunted public land - there was plenty of times he may only gobble few times - but that’s enough to call him in

And people hunt for their own reasons - not to make people on Aldeer happy

This thread has got me rolling. Ain’t a dadgum one of you that wouldn’t pull the trigger on a gobbler in full strut at 30yds if he slipped in on you tight lipped. It’s easy to play Tom Kelly on ALDeer but when you’re in the woods and the only thing between you and a long beard crappie floppin’ is pulling the trigger, that bird is gonna get shot (or shot at 🤣) 100% of the time.


IMO, “Deer hunting” a bird is sitting in a blind watching a chufa plot or a decoy set

Much respect Southwood

Well of course I’d shoot him! I would be happy I got him but a little sad that I didn’t get to hear him gobble and watch him strut.

Back at you!

I totally understand and really just having a little fun with it. You’re a turkey machine, love your pics.

I saw a Tom about 20 yards of the road in an undisclosed rural location and I gotta say. Temptation is a mother. I told him he didn’t know how lucky he was. The old me woulda done it differently.

let’s say i phone you & say - “hey man, i know it’s been tough on you - i’m tagged out & can’t go - but i’ve got a bird for ya - best estimate, he’s a 3-4 yo gobbler, long spurs & beard drags the ground, prob’ll weigh 25 lbs ... he’s always by himself in this one spot he stays in all day - never gobbles & runs from your calling”

just so i’m understanding y’all - what i’m hearing is you’ll say - “NAH man, thank you - i’ve got this $200 box call & unless i get to blow the chalk slap off it & have an interaction w/the bird & he runs to my barrel gobbling & strutting, i dont want ‘em”

am i hearing y’all right? if you say yes - you’re a lying SOB & the truth ain’t in you 🤣😂💩🦃

I’m having fun to! We all love turkeys.

Is this a theoretical question or do you really know where this bird is located? 😉😂

that's what i thought ...