I went down to the club this weekend and finally found some birds. I'm still a turkey noob but it was a ton of fun - and hopefully I learned something. I can't remember having that much fun without actually getting a shot off.
I spent some shoe leather scouting some areas of our property I'm not that familiar with. There were times I thought this was going to be the weekend but some old gobblers had different ideas.
It was quiet early Saturday morning so I got up around 9am to move to a different spot. I sat down in some open woods, called and listened. I didn't hear or see anything after about 30-45 minutes at this spot so I decided to move again. I hadn't even gotten my butt off the ground good and a gobbler flew up and away at about 100 yds. He didn't make a sound coming in. Rookie mistake #1: No patience and moved too soon.
I eased down through the woods for a couple hundred yards toward the direction he flew off. I called and listened a little more. After a few minutes, I heard something moving in a little thick spot about 80 yards away. A few minutes later, a gobbler started burning up the woods. It was exciting and I definitely had turkey-fever. He gobbled back at everything I did. This went on - off and on - for about an hour. He was with a hen and followed her out into some small openings a couple of times but never got closer than 65 yards. He knew I was there and looked straight at me for a couple of minutes at one point. I couldn't move plus I decided the shot was too long to take through some tree limbs etc. He eventually followed the hen off through the woods and down the hill until I couldn't hear him anymore. By this time it was getting a little late so I decided to back out and go back after him again Sunday morning.
I get up Sunday morning and it's pouring rain. I take my time and get back into the woods anyway - around the same spot just up the hill - around 7:30am. I wasn't sitting there 5 minutes and a gobbler starts hammering it again about 200 yards down the hollow from where I am. He gobbles consistently for about an hour but it doesn't sound like he ever moves - still sounds to be about 200 yards away after an hour or so. So, I ease down the hollow towards him, sit down, and call some more. He gobbles again, much closer, but now up the hill above me. At one point he gobbled and it was so close it startled me - within 50 yards - but I could never lay eyes on him. This goes on for another hour and half and he eventually starts getting further away - but still within 100 yds I'm guessing. He essentially moved up the hill above and around me - very close to where I originally was - as I was moving down. Second time to make the same rookie mistake in two days I guess. In hindsight I should have stayed put again. I eventually followed him back up the hill and off our property. I stopped at the property line of course. No viral thread here...
I called from the property line a little while but no dice. I'm sure he knew I was there and was not coming back at this point. Plus, the rain was getting steadier making it harder to hear. Another blown opportunity.
What are some tricks to get them to close those last 20-30 yards in to a good shooting range? Maybe I should learn to keep my butt put for one... What about decoys and decoy setups or any other advice to get them to come on in? I didn't try to over do it with the calling but both gobblers (maybe the same bird, I'm not sure) replied each time I called - no matter if it was cluck, yelp, gobble, etc. But, nothing I did call-wise got him to keep coming. Maybe I was giving up my location by continuing to call?
