what would you do??????

[DKO]

you have a huge gobbler 50-60yrds out and he wont come-in, what would you do ???????? O.K. heres the reason for this question! i had this happen last weekend (read my post on the season has begun) and since im a novice caller ive been asking for help and advice as to what i should have done and everyone had a different and somewhat conflicting answers!! so i want to know what would you have done to coax them in ????????

i will post some of the answers i got later, i want to see what everyone here has to say ?!?!? so lets hear it! this is your opinion and what YOU would have done!
thanks!

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[kirkl]

DKO, im a novice to, only been at it for 3 years and havent got one yet, i had this happen last year, he would gobble at me aways away, so i asked on the internet and most people told me just to purr at him, i did this and he came in slowly and silently. i screwed it up though, i heard a gobble over the edge which i thought was him and it wasnt, got down there and the tom gobbled right above me, he even looked over the edge at me but i couldnt get a shot, then when i got to the top and looked he was strutting right where i had my decoy set up 10 minutes earlier. so the purring worked, thats all i did. he just took his time getting there.
good look on that bird.

Kirk


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Kirkl's Hunting Page
Kirkl's Fishing Page

 

[Mountain Boomer]

DKO, Like I said earlier I like to be silent, but Kirkl is right also. Some soft purrs will do the trick sometimes. There is no guaranteed method. Good luck this weekend.

 

[Ithaca 37]

Purrs are always worth a try or switch to a different call. Usually the problem was caused because you called too much and let him get too good an idea where you were. Once he answers and you know he's coming don't keep on calling unless you do it exactly when he's gobbling. Sometimes you can turn around and "throw" the call in the other direction and make him think the hen is going away( before he shows up). Most foolproof way is to have the caller fifty yards behind two shooters. If you can get away with it you can try turning around and gobbling. Make him think a gobbler is moving in on the hen from the other direction. You can't get away with that if he's 50 or 60 yards away unless he's not in sight. You might have set up where it was too open and he could see too far. I suppose a whole book could be written about what to do with a hung up bird, but the best thing is not to let it happen in the first place. You could always try hunting in a state that allows rifles!

 

[Slamfire]

At this time of the year here in TN the flocks are still forming up. The hens are busy trying to establish a pecking order. Pretending to be a hen moving in on the flock will get the establishment rifled up. Purring, like two hens in an argument will get the whole flock to move in. I nearly got run over on Saturday using a fighting purr. Never got a clear shot at tom though, but he was running my way.

 

[DKO]

thanks for the comments and advise, i didnt feel that i called to much,but maybe i did.The set-up could have been better, no doubt about it, honestly i didnt expect the bird to come all the way across the pasture to where we were!! we were hunting birds alot closer and he just kinda came from nowhere, another lesson learned, ya just never know where they will come from!! I was purring a little ,not much tough,i think he might of had hens with him we just couldnt see them! Ive talked to a number of people and have gotten mixed responses.Some say i should have purred or should have been silent, others say i should have started to call very aggressivley loudly and frequent.I havent the slightest idea what i should have done then, but i know what i will try in the future! thanks guys!

Ithaca37 , i agree totally that each situation and each bird is different and each circumstance may require a different technique, this is the educational part of hunting, trial and error although things didnt result in a bird for us,anytime i have a bird respond to my calling is a thrill and rush as well as a sense of accomplishment!

thanks again! for your responses!

Boomer ,another buddy of mine did the silent treatment on a bird last weekend, sat for an hour then, 15rds over his shoulder he saw a few hens, 15 min. later a huge gobbler stepped in and he got him!!

24lbs , 11in beard and 1 1/2in spurs he got him in north fla. so it was an eastern, great bird!

 

[ShadowRider]

DKO,
As already pointed out, there are no hard and fasts on this. The more you know about the immediate situation, the better you will be able make a plan. Given your situation, not knowing if he had hens, I believe I would have done this;

First, I would have used the suttle approach. I would have purred, whined and soft clucked, while scratching leaves. His response or lack of would determine how much of this I did. If I thought he were coming in, even a little, I would get quiet and if I made any noise at all, it would probably be only to scratch the leaves. If this tactic didn't work my next step would depend on what he did.

If he got quiet,I would have to make my best guess as to whether or not I thought he were a sub-tom and was coming in quiet, or, if he were leaving instead. This is where it can be a roll of the dice sometimes. Also, if I heard or saw anything that made me think he was with hens, him being quiet or not, my last step would be to set the woods on fire with aggressive calling. If I decide he is leaving or has hens, I have nothing to lose by throwing everything I've got at him. If he is alone and going away, perhaps the high excitement will convince him to change his mind. If he has hens, maybe I can intimidate the boss hen and cause her to come whip my butt. If I do hear a hen call back, I will mimick her and be a little more aggressive than her. I have had hens come in so mad that they would strut, fifteen feet in front of me.
This won't guarantee a thing except, you tried. SR