Sutherland turkey hunt

el Toro · Apr-30-2006, 10:21 PM

After scouting last weekend and not seeing anything in our area and very little sign, we set up our blind in the dark Saturday without expecting much. We were in a spot where we could look over two large meadows. About 20 minutes after light we hear a distant gobble a few hundred yards away. We heard a few more gobbles in the next few minutes and they seemed to be getting a little closer. I'd like to think it was my calling but he wasn't real hot and didn't seem like he was really responding. A little later we hear a hen yelping in the same general direction. I look over at Brent (not Fresh One) and say "that hen is going to screw this all up." Sure enough the gobbler paired up with the hen and would not leave the creek bottom. We sat in the blind until 10:00 hoping that the hen might go to nest and the gobbler would come looking for love. At 10:00 we made the decision to go to them. We got down into the creek and started working their way. Having never seen them we did not have the location pinpointed and really didn't know how far away they were. I'd call every 75 yards or so as we were working our way down the creek. Nothing for the first 2 or 3 calls. The next time I hit the call I got an immediate gobble and it was close. We quickly set up behind a deadfall with Brent a few yards away. Brent gave me a "PSSST, PSSST" and an excited point. I turned around to see two heads haul ass through the grass. Busted! We were just too close and they had us made before we even got set up.

That was it. Nothing seen or heard the rest of the day. We tried a few different set ups but nothing. The other guys struck out too, as did the Wed. hunters. Those birds were just too educated. Most of them seemed to have moved out of our hunt area and the ones that were there were very smart.

Oh well, it was a nice day and the lake was beautiful.

Sluester · May-01-2006, 12:21 AM

Dam, almost had them! At least ya got close enough.

Kurt · May-01-2006, 04:51 AM

Sounds like a blast!

StillinScrubs · May-01-2006, 07:43 AM

Turkey rule of thumb. Never move on birds unless, 1) they are gobbling the whole time and in that scenario DO NOT USE A HEN CALL to make them gobble use a crow, coyote, goose, etc. 2) If you can see them then it is acceptable to move on them too. I got within about 80 yards of the jake I shot the night before I shot him just using the terrain but I could see his head through the binoculars at all times.

As for the hens if you want to work them mimic them. Try to copy what they are saying at all times. Then add a few rushed clucks at the end of each scenario like you are pissed off. This will often draw the hens to you and the gobbler just behind.

Good luck,
Scrubs

el Toro · May-01-2006, 08:26 AM

Good info Scrubs. He was gobbling pretty much the whole time but his gobbles seemed more random and not in response to my calling, at least not until the last time when we were already too close. The only shock call I had was a crow call and there were millions of crows there caw-cawing their heads off so I didn't think that would work. I never saw the turkeys until we were right on top of them. I only heard the hen for a few minutes first thing in the morning. It seemed that once she paired up with him she shut up. It would have been hard to mimic her. All I heard was just a few seconds of soft yelps. Oh well, it was a learning experience.

Vermonster · May-01-2006, 01:12 PM

Sorry you didn't get one Nate. Did you get the blind near the end of the Lake I was talking about?

el Toro · May-01-2006, 01:18 PM

Sean, yeah. Up Bloomdale creek. I really dont think there are many birds in there now. We spent an entire day scouting and another hunting and those were the only birds we ever saw or heard. All the sign was old too.

I think you best chance for success there is if you draw one of the early hunts. Those birds are edumacated.

**FULL TILT** · May-02-2006, 11:27 PM

alright, alright....who do i gotta blow to get on one of these damn turkiy blasting trips???

nate/sluester- i'd really like to blast one of those things or donald the duck
Death_To_ Death_To_

Sluester · May-03-2006, 08:21 AM

Turkey Seasons over for gun. (archery only)
Duck season starts in October.
Lots of guys I know are going pig hunting in the next month.