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It Ain't Over 'til It's Over!

Chances are, you still have plenty of time to punch your turkey tag. But if you find yourself with more days behind you than ahead, follow these tips from Hoyt Pro Staffer Bob Robb ... you just might enjoy a ninth inning rally in the turkey woods!

Turkey season is coming to a close, and you haven’t been able to make it happen just yet. Don’t despair … here’s how to take lemons and make lemonade!
 
OK bowhunters. Turkey season has come and is now almost gone. You’ve tried the stick and move thing and it hasn’t worked so well. You are a pretty good caller, but can’t seem to get any action. The way to get a shot now has more to do with whitetail hunting than traditional turkey hunting.

Huh?

That’s right. At this time of year, when the turkeys have been chased over hill and dale by anyone and everyone who owns a shotgun or a bow, you have to change up and start hunting them like deer.

Here’s how.
 
Blind Luck
Here’s what I mean. The end of the turkey season is the toughest time of all to call in a gobbler. Lots of times the toms are grouped back up just like they are in the fall, the hens are mostly bred, and unless we can find a loner out there it is going to be a sonofagun to call one up. And if that’s the case, then the best thing you can do is to go scouting, find the right sign, set up a blind, and wait them out. It’s the same technique we all use when hunting whitetails out of a tree stand.

No, I am not kidding. I know that one of the big attractions of spring turkey hunting is the excitement of shucking and jiving, calling and answering, hiking the spring woods and fields and enjoying both the country and the weather. But being bored to death sitting in a blind? Lord have mercy!

Here’s an example of what I mean: One season in north Texas the birds had been hunted hard and they were call-shy. The season was almost over. So I went on a big loop around my little section of the ranch. Finally, on the edge of a wheat field I found some big tracks, fresh droppings, and a few loose feathers. So I pulled out my cutters and little pack saw, cut down some thornbush, and built myself a nice, tight little blind. I then set out a full-bodied gobbler decoy - complete with a real feather fan - 20 steps from the blind and added a pair of collapsible hen decoys. I then got back in the blind, pulled out some snacks, a bottle of water, and a small paperback book I pack along for just such an occasion.

It was several hours before it happened. I’d seen a bunch of crows, three whitetail does, two young bucks, and a badger - and had a nice little nap - when a pair of old toms strolled in, clucking contentedly - until they saw the decoys. Strut city. Before you could say “How much catfish can you eat?,” both gobblers were within 20 yards. My broadhead blew right through the wing butt of the bird with the ropiest beard, and just like that, I’d collected another big gobbler by hunting them like whitetails.
 
The Late Season Difference
At season’s end, a large portion of the “easy” gobblers have been taken out of the picture by hunters. The birds that are left have been wised up, and this, coupled with basic behavioral changes, makes it imperative that hunters change their approach.

Using a blind strategically set on a field edge peppered with fresh turkey sign is one example. Another is to concentrate on known strutting zones. These are areas where he has called up hens before, and he’s looking for one last hot hen. These strut zones are often located on the points of ridges overlooking bottomlands or green fields where hens like to nest.

I’ve found that late-season toms are often quite patternable. Here’s where a knowledge of the property you’re hunting can pay off big. If a gobbler struts and calls in a specific strut zone but does not get any action, he will move usually on to another strut zone and try again. If I am set up near one of these strut zones and I hear a gobbler calling in the distance, I do not call back to him. I know he will be here shortly. When I see him, I may call softly to him if he shows little interest in the decoy. Soft clucks, purrs, and scratching in the leaves can work wonders right now.

Former world turkey calling champion Walter Parrott agrees. “It is unnatural for the hens to do much calling late in the year,” Parrott said. “You should call sparingly, too. Most of the time the gobbler wants to see the hen, so I like to place the decoy where he can see it easily, then spot him before I start calling seriously. One great place to set the decoy when hunting fields is on top of little humps and hillocks. You can be sure a gobbler will see the decoy more easily there, but also want to walk up on top of that same little hill so he can see as much as possible. If I can find a little hump like that within range of the field edge, I’ll build a natural blind or set up a commercial blind and get ready. When he comes, he’s mine.”
 
Never Give Up
Just because you haven’t scored by the season’s last week, don’t give up. There are still plenty of big birds out there, doing what turkeys do. Sure, they may be a bit hunter-shy, and they may not be calling much. But by understanding the habits and haunts of your area’s turkeys, then applying your knowledge and adapting your early-season tactics to fit the moment, you have an excellent chance of a turkey dinner.
           

Sidebar: Last Day Expert’s Tips
 
·  Radio tracking studies have shown that turkeys remain in a relatively small home area, usually encompassing less than 2-3 square miles. They may move their preferred core area within that range as they follow available food sources.

·  Radio tracking studies further show that turkey show little “geographic fear,” meaning that even if they are harassed and shot at and missed, they are likely to keep living in the same basic area. They may become harder to call, however.

·  If you are hunting from a blind and hear a gobbler respond to your calling, sit tight. The chances are very good he will be by sometime during the day – even though it may take him several hours to show up.

·  Scout mature hardwoods and pine thickets the last 45 minutes of the day as you try and roost a gobbler for the next day’s hunt. Most turkeys roost within 10 minutes after sundown. Quiet evenings allow you to hear gobblers flying up to roost a long ways away.

·  Near the end of the season, turkeys often have a second “peak” of the breeding cycle, and may gobble aggressively. This can be an excellent time to take a mature gobbler.

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