Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk ALTurkey Talk -- Beards and Spurs Set up question?

I know turkeys are unpredictable but this mornings hunts has me curious. I was on a hot bird this morning (really thought he was dead) I set up about 80-90 yards from him on the same ridge thinking he’d pitch down in my lap, or atleast pitch down and walk right up the ridge he was on. Instead, he pitches down goes across the bottom and up the other ridge.

So my question is, If you have a bird gobbling on the roost will try to get on the ridge he is on, or will you set up on the ridge adjacent to him for him to walk up the hill to you?

You may have gotten too close to him. Under 100 yards in the early open woods could have tipped him off.

Yep too close especially with the woods still without leaves…I’d set up same ridge though

The way he acted that makes sense. I didn’t mean to get that tight and really didn’t think about that this morning. When he flew down and went the other way alone I was kicking myself.

Hang with him. They do odd things but it will work out for you.

Wellllll, if he flew down there once he'll probably do it again . I know where is set up next time.

I'd be between where he flew down and where he went.

I usually opt for the higher ground unless he’s gotta cross some sure enough obstacles to get there.

Did you hear any hens around?

I prefer to start out on high ground. I’ve seen the same bird pitch out 4 different directions out of the same tree. Where the hens are dictates a lot this time of year.

Still a lot of unknowns to give you a straight answer. Did he gobble once he hit the ground or was he out of there and silent? Probably means you spooked him. If he flew across the the other ridge, there’s a reason, and I’d be willing to bet he will do it again. Be on that ridge next time. That’s what makes turkey hunting so great. Every time you go your learning something, even if it’s what a particular bird likes to do. It’s a game of chess

Yeah, the next time he sets up on the other ridge, the turkey goes to the ridge he was on today. Ain't it great!!!!!!!!

I have seldom killed the turkey when I got inside of 100 yds on the roost. Ben Lee used to advocate getting as close as possible, and I tried that for many years, but my experience says it's usually a bad idea. Being on the same ridge is definitely preferable, but you can call a turkey a long way in the early season. I got one opening morning that was roosted about 500 yds away. I could have gotten closer, but I would have risked spooking him to do it. I was close enough; I could hear him and he could hear me. Don't scare the turkey away and you have a good chance to kill him. Stay further away next time and good luck with him!

Exactly PCP. If you can hear them, they can hear you, you are in the game.

I called one this am from a few properties over. It took him a couple hours (from 7 to 9 am ) but he came up a creek bottom gobbling intermittently until the last 15 minutes when he got close. Then he went off letting me know he was here. I went quiet and he came looking. Showed up to me scratching leaves at 26 paces. Great hunt. He even gobbled at me scratching the leaves.

Two year old but was a great hunt and he came in with a hen trailing. Great morning.

Lol ,,, I've set up hearing two in different places . The one I thought that would never come was the one I killed.

You just never know . Old Tom will come a long at times .

Did you call to him at all while he was on the roost? Had one once that was whooping my butt. If you touched a call while he was in a tree, he would automatically head in the opposite direction. Day that I finally killed him, all I did was beat my hat against my leg and then scratch in the leaves. Heard him pitch out of the tree and he walked up to within 30 yards. As others have said, you can get too close. I prefer 150-200 yds if I can control the set-up.

The only reason I killed that stubborn bird was because I remembered something my Uncle told me years ago. I was always running mouth calls, slates and boxes, cutting, purring, yelping when we were at the camp and my favorite uncle RIP, a man that killed more turkeys than I could count, pulled me aside one day and told me that "all you have to do, if you really want to kill turkey's consistently is cluck every 10 min or so, and scratch leaves. If he answers you or gobbles at anything you do, he knows you're there. Be a good woodsman and be where you think he wants to go and know what is between you and him (creeks or other obstacles that might change his path). Be patient, camp out and wait and most times he will eventually come looking for you. Then you put the little bead on his head and carry him back to the camp. It's just that simple." Only call he ever carried with him was a well worn lynch's foolproof and to the best of my knowledge all he ever did was use it to cluck with. He was a great woodsman, the most patient man I ever hunted with, and he killed turkeys by the truckload.

Abolt300 your uncle is a smart man

All of that is good advice. But, hard to follow. It is just so much fun to use all these calls.

As YEKRUT would always say, “don’t scare the turkey.”

Y’all can sit there all day and cluck every ten minutes until the sun sets if y’all want to. I’ll be covering ground looking for one that wants to act right 😁