We have all seen the videos and read how turkey hunting is supposed to be. You roost the bird, sneak back to the area before dawn and set up near a tree. You give a few soft calls and the big tom comes gobbling into your location. Boom! Success! Another longbeard bites the dust.
But we know that this is rarely the way it goes. Turkeys don’t watch the same video and there are dozens of things that can, and usually do, go wrong. When these things happen you need to think outside the box (and we don’t mean the box call).
Consider all the things that may cause a tom turkey to “hang up” and not come in to your call. Are there potential obstacles like small streams, stone walls, fences, etc. between you and the route of the bird? Remember that even though the bird could easily clear these obstacles they rarely ever will. After all you are dealing with a creature with a brain the size of a small walnut.
Sometimes you have a spot that you are counting on and when you get there you find another vehicle already parked there. Have several alternate spots before hand and just head for one of them instead.
If you are heading for your destination in the gray hours before sunrise, remember that even though it is dark and you are dressed in camouflage, you are visible to a turkey that is perched in some tree top and overlooking the fields beyond. Take a route through the woods and avoid crossing open fields. Even if you are dressed in the latest patterns of camo, a turkey’s sharp eyesight will pick up movement.
There is always a debate over how close you should get to the area where a tom is roosting. Obviously if you are too far away it increases your chances of something going wrong, like real hens intercepting him or the bird being hung up by refusing to cross a stonewall. But if you are too close the tom might see you or be spooked by the sound of twigs snapping. Remember that with no leaves on the trees in early season that tom up in the treetops can see a long way.
Unfortunately there are times when you are calling a bird, the tom is gobbling and coming towards you and someone deliberately gets between you to intercept the bird. Face the fact that not everyone in the woods is a sportsman and move to another location. Be sure that you do not move in on someone else yourself. You not only will ruin that person’s hunt; you may put yourself and the other hunter in danger.
Frequently the tom will already have hens or meet hens on the way to check out your calling. He will gobble frequently, inviting you to join him, and then head on his way to the strutting ground with his harem. Do not despair.
Even in his small brain he will remember your calls and where they came from. Often about mid morning when the real hens have left and gone to their nests, the tom will get lonely and come back looking for the hen he heard calling at dawn. Just beware that they may come from any direction.
Last year I thought I was going to get to my spot in plenty of time but as I approached it, the dawn was breaking and the birds came down in a nearby field. I watched from the wooded ridge in frustration, unable to move and certain that my chances for that morning were done.
But while the boss tom was strutting and chasing away the subordinate toms, the hens gradually slipped away. As the group of toms realized that they were being left alone and started to follow, I dropped back of the ridge and began to call. The air was soon filled with thunderous gobbles and the group made a beeline for my spot on the next ridge. Soon the red white, and blue heads peeked up over the ridge and I dropped the big tom with a well placed shot.
Sometimes the toms are busy with the real hens and return to your area of calling once the hens have gone to their nests. Other times, it may be a tom afraid of being beat up by the “boss tom” so it comes in silently. In many areas the birds have been pressured or have become “hunter shy” so they may respond better to fewer and softer calls.
Lou Pulverenti, maker of the popular Boss Tom Calls, says that you have to be flexible with reluctant gobblers. Sometimes when a tom keeps gobbling but refuses to come to your calls, you may move further away and call, making the tom think that the hen is leaving. Then carefully sneak back towards the sound of the tom and try to intercept him.
Lou Pulverenti also suggests that it is important to use different calls and vary your calling. Turkeys are individuals, just like people, and some respond differently. Sometimes getting aggressive or challenging with your calls will bring a reluctant gobbler into range.
Some toms respond better to softer calls, some like raspy calls. Have a variety of calls and change them if you are not getting any response. Sometimes using several calls will make a tom think that there is a whole flock of eager hens awaiting him.
Although we might have an urge to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep when we know it is raining outside, don’t be discouraged. Turkeys don’t have the option of getting out of the rain and you will probably have less competition from other hunters. Often they congregate in open areas such as meadows or pastures so setting up along hedgerows or routes to these areas can be productive.
Although some hunters are very successful with aggressive calling or even the “run and gun” technique, the average hunter is better off by calling too little rather than too much. When in doubt, call softly and sparingly. If a bird is coming in close you are better off by just making a few soft clucks or purrs to keep his interest up and make him think that everything is alright.
Turkey hunting rarely goes the way we anticipate. They are extremely wary and unpredictable birds. But the challenge of getting a longbeard, especially when we have to think outside the box, is part of the lure that keeps us coming back.
SHORT CASTS
Camden Sportsmans Day: SHOTS (Sportspeople Helping Others Through Sharing) will be sponsoring the inaugural Sportsmen’s Flea Market on Sunday, May 4. The event will be at the Camden Rod & Gun Club at 2655 Moran Post Road, Camden. It will be a day full of fun, games and sporting goods traded or sold. Goods include hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and trapping equipment. There will be a licensed FFL dealer available to do NICS background checks on firearms. Vendors are welcome. Call 315-447-7551 for more information or to reserve your space.
All Seasons Open House: All Seasons Sports Shop in Pulaski will hold its Annual Open House on Saturday, April 26. There will be free prizes, closeouts, meet the distributors and other specials. Jim Dence, a local resident, has an extensive line of all fishing supplies and specializes in brown and steelhead, salmon or walleye fishing equipment and accessories. There is also a very complete on-line service of all fishing supplies. See www.allseasonssports.com. You can also check the website for up-to date fishing forecasts and conditions.
Steelhead Report: I was talking to Fran Verdoliva, Superintendent of the Salmon River Hatchery in Altmar, recently and he said that there were plenty of steelhead still in the river and that the cold water conditions had delayed much of the spawning activity. However once the water warms up the fish will start to spawn and head back to the lake quickly. Check the web site www.lakeontariooutdoors.com for the up to date fishing reports or see the live fishing cam on the Salmon River.
O.L.A. Meeting: The annual Oneida Lake Associaton Meeting will be held at Cicero-North Syracuse High School on Wednesday, April 30. There will be exhibits, a brief business meeting, reports on topics of interest to people involved with Oneida Lake, and door prizes. See the website www.oneidalakeassociation.org for more information.