Lost my Turkey hunting skills

Zombie

Old Mossy Horns
Lol, I think everything I knew about Turkey hunting has left me, or the turkeys have gotten smarter...

This is the 4th season since killing a bird, or even getting one in range. The 4 years before that, I either killed at least 1, or tagged out...and killed some decent birds too. But it seems now I can't get a Turkey to commit to my calling, or anything.

Opening day was the same as the last 3 years. At least 4 gobblers going crazy on the roost. Getting set up, birds still gobbling. Do a few light yelps, birds respond, fly down 75 yards away..but never work my way. Work away from me, still gobbling. I call, they respond. Then some where I'll hear a hen yelp, and that's it, they never pay any attention to me again, and then shut up around 8-9 am.

Or I'll see a bird scratching in the woods, that never even looks up at my calls and meanders through the woods never paying me any attention..

Tried decoys, light calling, heavy calling, setting up further from the roosted birds, setting up closer, still nothing....

Granted, the land I'm working with is relatively small. One place 50 acres with two hens, but have yet to see or hear a gobble this year, and the other a little less than 30 acres..

I feel like the Turkey gods are mad at me, lol.

If anyone has any tips, throw them my way...I'm mostly just venting...getting frustrated, lol

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jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Sounds like you have a lot of hens is all. You probably got more hens than what few gobblers can handle. Sounds like the gobblers stay henned up . I have the same problem up in my farm in Rockingham. Those few gobblers have a lot of hens . Opening day I had one gobbler with 5 hens in Rockingham county.... No way he is going to leave 5 hens for a hen he cant see. You just got to be there when those hens have left for the day.
 
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Zach's Grandpa

Old Mossy Horns
We have the same thing on a new place in Caswell. Henned up as bad as anywhere I've hunted. Apparently not many two year olds that will break away. Where there are lots of hens mature gobblers don't always bust up. I've seen three mature birds stay together the entire season.


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Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
In my area the birds just aren't here anymore. They usually hang out in the woods and move to the planted fields later in the spring. This year they have already moved to the big agriculture areas across the river from where I have hunting access.
 
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Zombie

Old Mossy Horns
Yeah, there are a lot of hens with them...dates wrong, this is a few days before season
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wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
You need room to roam. I'm in a similar boat with 20, 50 & 200 acre properties. You can't kill what's not there. I haven't heard a roosted gobble on land I can hunt although I convinced one to cross the property line. I'm looking forward to my permit hunt where I can stretch my legs.
 

30/06

Twelve Pointer
Our track in Caswell has the same issue right now. Gobblers aren't gobbling much and shut up early. Should get better when hens start paying them less attention. We've killed a few but most we're people setting up right under em in the dark and killing them right after fly down. Try mid-day or afternoon. I hate hunting afternoons but the way they are now may be your best bet.
 

bowhuntingrook

Old Mossy Horns
That amount of acreage limits what you can do, but I would come in and call from a different side of the roost. It may not be possible to get on other side of them because you might spook them but I've scared hens out of trees and just sat down, I called and gobblers came my way assuming I was them.
 

Thutty-thutty

Eight Pointer
Man this is my entire season so far. You described it verbatim. Last year I actually missed 2 because I was an idiot. This year I just can't get anything to commit.


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BoonDock

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I'm having this issue as well, had many this year at 100 yards or so and they're just locking up. We have a lot of hens though, so that isn't helping. I normally don't hunt them in the afternoons, but I believe I'm going to start.
 

huntngolf

Six Pointer
ive been hunting four mornings and its the same for me but because you rarely call one in is what makes it so special when you do and we love it so much.
 

BoonDock

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Dynamite strapped to a strutter decoy on a RC car with a corn feeder mounted on it, im convinced it's the only solution.
 

PROTECTOR

Four Pointer
I have learned that it's often the fact that you need more property in able to be mobile. It can be very difficult to kill birds on small tracts if they are roosted elsewhere.


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PG2

Ten Pointer
Pattern them when they are flying down, they are headed some where. Be where they are going!
 

btbucks3

Spike
Try get between gobbler & hen. Bust up the routine. Get close as possible to start , got get in front of where she leads him. It can be tough , but as others said most good counties are henned up bad now
 

manybeards

Ten Pointer
Sadly, the skills you accumulate over the years are perishable and ever evolving..... Success often breeds cockiness and complacency. Trying new techniques, even those you think might be worthless will often put you back on the road to paydirt!
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Sadly, the skills you accumulate over the years are perishable and ever evolving..... Success often breeds cockiness and complacency. Trying new techniques, even those you think might be worthless will often put you back on the road to paydirt!
Those are wise words when it comes to turkey hunting. I had to learn how to turkey hunt all over when I started hunting up at the Rock. That hill country is not like hunting the flatwoods of the Sandhills or along the Meherrin river in Virginia.
 

Zombie

Old Mossy Horns
Yeah, got out a couple times. Looks like my seasons over though. Work scheduled me for training next Sat and sun in Raleigh, and I work mon-fri...so doubt I have a chance again this season

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Pimpscoe

Eight Pointer
Yeah, got out a couple times. Looks like my seasons over though. Work scheduled me for training next Sat and sun in Raleigh, and I work mon-fri...so doubt I have a chance again this season

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What about the last Sat of the season? May 6th? Don't give in...I'm pulling for ya to get your mojo back.
 
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