turkey hunting "truisms" that you disagree with

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
I think that when a man turkey hunts long enough, he will eventually come to the mind that some turkey hunting "truism" just isn't true.

I have a couple I've come to disagree with - but I could be wrong. ;)

One of mine is two year olds. I don't know how the truism of mouthy, eager to die two-year olds came about, but my personal experience with them is the exact opposite - a lone 2 year old is almost always quiet and timid.

Who else has one?
 

nchawkeye

Old Mossy Horns
It seems every time I think I learn something, they prove me wrong!!! :)

I would say, you can't kill turkeys (or they don't gobble) in the afternoon...I have had very good luck, especially on
certain properties after lunch...
 

Lucky Clucker

Old Mossy Horns
All adult toms Gobble most every day during Spring. I know of some that I hunted before that I never hear gobble the entire season,silent where I was hunting them.
 

NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
"Turkey hunting is easy".


I said that after 2 quick hunts and my first tag out last year.


.


I will NEVER say those words again!
 

Zach's Grandpa

Old Mossy Horns
You can't call a gobbler away from a flock of hens.

I've done that several times, not turn him around from where they came but call him to the side or speed him up and get him out front. I agree there are no absolutes with turkeys because they have no idea what they are going to do from one minute to the next.
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
You move, they are gone.

Most of the time, yes but not always. Sometimes you can get away with some movement.
 

Pimpscoe

Eight Pointer
They "Toms", won't cross a creek or walk in water.

Got one a few years ago, called him across a creek and a swamp where his beard was touching the water a few times.
 

Castle Oak

Guest
You can age a gobbler by the length of his spurs. Absolutely not true. I killed a 6 year old banded bird that had 3/4" spurs. I know of other banded birds taken that also had short spurs.
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
You can age a gobbler by the length of his spurs. Absolutely not true. I killed a 6 year old banded bird that had 3/4" spurs. I know of other banded birds taken that also had short spurs.

I know of a 5 year old that had spurs a little under 1" in length. He lived in an area with zero rocks. I think it is much more likely that a bird's age is underestimated than overestimated.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
If you miss a bird you may as well just quit hunting him because he's not coming back.....very not true...I've killed birds that have been missed the very next day, and they were gobbling their heads off looking for a hen in the same area, roosting in the same tree. That being said...I've also seen birds that were spooked not say anything for the rest of the season and just dissapear.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
where to start? a few that are really the opposite of my experiences.

you are hurting your chances to kill one if you use a turkey call in the pre season.

if you spook one you cant hunt him for a week.

you need a blind to kill one.

they get call shy. they know a human is trying to imitate them to kill them.

you spook them with locator calls.

less calling is better all the time, if one answers you he knows where you are; just sit there and they will come.

i got more truisms that i ignore but i'll shut down for a while.
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
Make the boss hen mad

Don't call to a tom before he flies down

Patience kills more turkeys

Can't call a bird downhill

He was henned up
 

dhsten

Ten Pointer
Most of the ones I think of have already been mentioned. The biggest ones for me are having patience kills more turkeys, lone two year olds are easy, they get call shy, and make the hens mad.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Patience kills more turkeys

Can't call a bird downhill

That's my two. Seems more often than not, if a bird hangs up, he stays hung unless you move. On my best property, every day is a lesson in calling birds downhill.
 

Aaron H

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Several of these I have seen disproved. All I really do know is that every day is a different day in the natural world and turkeys (deer too) will do about anything on some days and be totally different on another day.
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
Here's another one - "don't kill a jake".

I know this one is more controversial and it touches on several principles at once. But long-term biologically speaking, a male turkey is a male turkey. In the short term, since less than half of jakes have viable sperm, any remaining breeding gets done better if you take a jake in the spring instead of a tom. As for degree of difficulty, a gaggle of rowdy jakes is arguably about the easiest thing there is to call up. But a lone, timid jake is arguably the toughest. In the final analysis, I don't see anything wrong with killing a spring jake if the hunter feels like doing it.
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
"Fall hunting turkeys is easy."

Well, maybe it is not too tough with a good turkey dog, but calling up a flock of turkeys in the fall is significantly tougher than calling up a gobbler in the spring, in my opinion. If you can get a good bust on a brood flock, chances are real good that you can call one back. But getting a good bust is much easier said than done in my experience.
 

Hawgnman

Guest
"He will not come across the creek to your call" Not true. If he wants to cross the creek he will regardless of your calling.

He came out of a pasture, down the hill, crossed the creek and came within range, long range. My partner missed.
 
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