Couple things I notice about the guys I run into that consistently kill turkeys and the guys I run into that don't:
10 often older but regardless have had access to lots of turkeys to screw up over the years
2) DO tend to call well and like a turkey, may have a lot to do with 1 since allows hunters to imitate what they hear.
3) Some are patient, some move around a lot, both are woods wise and SLOW in the woods
4) nearly ALL rarely if ever hoot or crow to stimulate gobbling, especially at first light. Most wait for the turkey to start gobbling on their own, even if it is 30 minutes after gobbling light. If used, it is used later in morning
5) mostly uses cutting to stimulate a gobble, however would prefer that the first sound a turkey hears from them is yelping from their setup
6) Have a very good knowledge of the land they hunt but seem to do very well on properties they have never been on.
7) All seem to gravitate to the UPHILL side of every turkey they wet up on. If they don't know the land they ask "how can we get above him".
8) Usually are not afraid to get as close as couple hundred yards from turkey with truck in case a quick move is in order later in morning
9) unless a gobbler is roosted the morning before, usually listens from the bumper of the truck on the highest hill overlooking good areas to listen
10) is not afraid to move a mile to get around on the other side of a bird for better position
The worst infraction of some of this was a hunter I heard on a neighbors and we were working the same gobbler in a bottom. He crow called CONSTANTLY, and the turkey responded well until the last I heard him AND the turkey, he seemed right on top of the gobbler, in the bottom with him. He never sat down to call at all, even when he was right above him.
The most reflective was when 3 of us were moving to get in front of 3 gobblers and 6 hens we saw leaving a field going up hill. After a mile drive and a 200 yd walk, we came to a freshly graveled section of road. All 3 of us split to the sides to avoid stepping on the "loud" gravel. None of us said anything about it, I just noticed that it happened.
Last edited by gobbler; 05/02/16 04:53 PM.
