The list was not really "tactics" but simply some things I have noticed about guys I have hunted with that have killed a lot of turkeys. The OP left off this "tactic" because it is NOT one of the things I have noticed that seasoned turkey hunters do. Actually quite the opposite!
I guess you've never watched any of outdoorobsession's videos, have you? Yes, he had a tough season this year, but ... best I can recall, he's considered on this forum as a "seasoned killer" & he regularly uses blinds to kill birds.
I had a tough season cause I had bad land and stopped hunting April 15th pretty much. I might explain why sometime in the near future.
I actually tagged out last year, but we had great ground with a ton of birds.
I tagged out there almost every year, but there werent many hunters and a bunch of birds.
I killed a bird last year out of a blind there, but calling them and decoying them into a big 5 acre food plot where Id get their pictures or drove up on em in my truck.
I got a guy from here one too where he shot him out of a blind, but we called him in after having another one get by us earlier.
On my show they paid me to use them as they sponsored us, and we had those big guys to carry them so we used them alot. Those were those double bulls, and thats what my friend and I both shot birds out of, a double bull blind.
I always will have 1 -2 set up on foodplots/fields for rainy days or hunting with kids or beginners.
Also, as a guide and outfitter I used pieces of camo burlap Id carry and quickly set up in front of my client that would hide their movement.
I still carry a little primos blind that i stick into the ground with me every where I go. It weighs about a pound. Ive shot many a gobbler who snuck in or came in behind me thanks to that little blind.
Last year 4 of my birds I was just either against a tree or got in there in the dark where they roosted in a creek and stuck my lil primos blind into the ground.
One I shot right at flydown he landed in front of me, I just was leaning against the tree as I saw him in the tree before he saw me. No blind.
One of the others was right at flydown, but I set up in a creek bottom and a different bird (2 actually) came running in from behind me. Luckily I was behind that lil Primos blind, as I had to get my gun up as they were going past me.
The other I fanned and called in along a big food plot...spotting him in there first with a hen or 2. No blind.
The one I shot out of a Double bull blind as a guy from here also shot one up at the other end out of the same field behind my lil primos stick in the ground blind, but that was after he beat us the day before and we knew what he was doing.
And the last I was in the hardwoods in the afternoon and ran into a bird and split him from his hens and then went a little further, waited 30-45 minutes then called him in where he lost his hens,..I did use the lil primos again there I believe.
So my opinion is yea..Ill use a blind in a flash.
It hides you from a turkeys number one weapon..his eyes! If I have one spare minute in a set up before calling, I set up a piece of material, break a few pine branches , pull up a dead branch or two..cut a palmetto frond or 5..and stick it in front of me! Anything that will break me up and hide any hand movement, or raising my gun.
But then again, Ill crawl like a snake if i have to, see where they are going and bushwack em if I can, and if I walk up on one and see him first as I round a corner or come over a hill..I hammer em. I dont use a sling on my gun, just for that reason..I want it in my hands if I do get that lucky.
So..maybe gobblers right.. maybe Im just
a turkey killer. But dang..it sure feels good when I kill em anyway I can...and Id of crawled, bushwhacked or deer hunted them to get one this year.
