Locating Turkeys...

Bow Life · Post by **Bow Life** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 11:09 pm

What do you guys use to locate a bird at night?

I tried a gobble call tonight but had no luck...

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:18 am

I was talking to Tom Hendrick this weekend. He's a writer for the Turkey and Turkey Hunting magazine. Apparently he likes an owl hoot to locate the roost in the morning.

bbbwb · Post by **bbbwb** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:04 am

Have always heard that the owl hoot was good.
I have only hunted turkeys for 3 years. I have never had any success in the afternoon/evening in seeing them but once (6:45pm) and planned for the next morning and was successful. As it turned out they had roosted there over night.
In general, the morning seems to be very active with plenty of vocalizing and walking/strutting. Right now it starts 6-7 am. by mid morning, things quiet down with the next morning a repeat.
Do they follow a circuit!!! in the area for the day and return to the place of beginning by evening?
One advantage for me is that I only need to spend the morning hunting and can keep up with my other duties in the afternoon.
bbbwb

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:50 am

On Saturday I saw them strutting as late as 11am and then started seeing them at 4:30 again strutting.
Their patterns are more regular than deer. It seems that if they don't get scared off too badly they will return time after time to a strutting field. The ones I saw this weekend had harems and did not respond well to a hen call. They gobbled back but didn't leave their harem. I find that during the late season they respond better to a call. Of course they are in bachelor groups by the end of the season looking for a party. I've never tried a gobbler call.

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 7:32 am

I am having a rough start, so no success stories on locating them. This year I added a Hawk scream to my pocket of goodies, no luck with that one either, stops squirrels in their tracks though!

DaGriz · Post by **DaGriz** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:30 am

I've had by best luck by finding them feeding in the mid to late afternoon and then watching them go to roost late evening I've found that the "boss" gobbler with gobble once he settles in his tree for the night. In the morning I will set up close to the tree he is roosting in.

Problem is where I hunt in Missouri there are so many turkeys that lots of times hens will call him down opposite the side where I am set up.

The latter in the season the easier it is to call them as most hens are on the nest so there are few available for the gobblers to put the charm on.

I use a crow call to locate them during the late morning, a Friend uses a peacock call. I've found that they will gobble to most anything, even the slam of a car door.

catcher · Post by **catcher** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:28 am

I will use a owl call or a coyote howler. Only if they do not sound off on there own. But usually they will gobble on the roost. They usually like to anounce to the lady's where they are for the morning activities.

LondonDave · Post by **LondonDave** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 2:18 pm

We're seeing the same thing as Boo. We've got a great field with lots of action the Toms and Jakes are answering our calls but they won't come in. The Boss Toms are busy following their ladies around and won't break off to come to our decoy. We did call one lone Tom in on Saturday morning. He was about 300 yards out and came into about 75 yards but they hung up and won't go any further. We exchanged calls with him for about 20 mins but he wouldn't budge. We tried going silent to see if that would suck him in but it didn't. We started calling again and he just turned and walked off. My neighbour and a friend called in a 21 pounder from about 300 yards with a gobble call and a Tom decoy. We've now got a gobble call and the Tom decoy is on order.

We'll just keep trying until something works or we get lucky.

Dave

DanO · Post by **DanO** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:09 pm

Same story as LondonDave except a rogue tom appeared out of the bush behind us while we were watching the big boy on the other side of the field. Fortunately the new arrival gobbled before entering the field from behind us. First turkey for my son and I EVER! I can see where this could become as addicting as deer hunting or steelheading...... great more rehab!

Dan O.

Bow Life · Post by **Bow Life** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:30 pm

i havent been able to get a gobble anywhere. tried opening morning and busted a hen off the roost when i started calling she came in within 5 feet of the end of my 12 guage and was calling back and forth non stop for 15mins with another hen in a tree about 60 yards away and still no gobble.
saw birds in a field went and set up but they were not interested in me not even gobbling back.

i tried last night to walk the edge of the bush just after dark with a gobble call and a crow call to see if i could get a response as to where the birds are roosted to set up but no luck. im starting to get really frustrated... grrr

MADMAX2 · Post by **MADMAX2** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:40 pm

I use an owl hoot but on sat am when I got my bird they did not shock gobble to my owl call the only time they gobbled was just before they flew down then they went silent

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Locating Turkeys...

Locating Turkeys...

Locate turkeys