 |
Photo by Matt Lindler
|
Get closer
I still can recall some of my errors as a beginner turkey hunter, including thinking that wild turkeys were a whole lot easier to fool than they actually are. Rush over to where you hear a tom gobble, sit down and call him in. Nothing to it, right?
Hey, it even worked a time or two, but I soon learned there were many more times when vocal toms acquired a severe case of shut beak before I even got into position.
Because I was learning how to hunt turkeys through printed word and field experience, it took a while for some of the more obvious aspects of turkey hunting to sink in. It gradually dawned on me that a turkey's eyesight was worthy of respect and awe. Could it be I was alerting more distant toms than not by closing the distance between us carelessly?
The answer, of course, is yes.
Since those early days four decades ago, I have learned to move in on distant gobblers with the utmost caution. To get an idea of what I mean, let's relive a hunt from last spring in northern California with NWTF Editorial Director Burt Carey. We were on a private ranch in a remote area, where we located a trio of vocal toms with shock calls. They were across a wooded basin and out of sight on an oak dotted ridge far below us.
It was obvious we would have to get a lot closer to the birds before setting up on them, and we did so by carefully picking our route around the head of the basin and down the ridge the turkeys were on. To make sure they wouldn't see us, we followed game trails below the crest of the ridge and were careful not to expose ourselves when we came up to see just where we were. Finally, we spotted the strutting toms and two hens with binoculars while they were still hundreds of yards away. We marked their location by noting a particular broken-top pine tree and stayed below the ridgeline until we were within rock throwing distance of it.
Easing into what we figured was a good place to set up, we commenced calling with our box calls. A few minutes later the toms and hens came in for a visit. It was almost like we knew what we were doing when we simultaneously downed two of the longbeards.
How you should make your move on a tom depends on the situation. You may have to cover a lot of real estate or a little, climb hills, cross a canyon, snake down a wash or negotiate a pasture, but, no matter what, you should always be aware of a turkey's eyesight, and sometimes even the noise you make while moving in. It's important to keep something the turkeys can't see through between you and where you think they are. Land contours will definitely hide your approach. Less ideal, but helpful, are things like tree trunks, thick brush, old buildings or farm machinery.
To keep track of my intended quarry on a long stalk, I employ shock calls quite often. They don't always work, but it's to a hunter's advantage when they do. That's because a tom that answers a shock call once or twice will let you know where he is without coming toward you, unlike locating him using a turkey call.
I always like to discuss these scenarios with other hunters to reaffirm what I know and get their perspective, just in case I leave something out. This time around it's lifelong turkey hunter Brad Fettig, manager of the Rutt & Strutt Outfitters store in southern Missouri.
I asked Fettig what he perceives as the most common mistakes inexperienced turkey hunters make while moving on a gobbler.
"In broken country like we have around here, a tom might sound far away when he's really close by in a little draw or behind a knoll or something else that muffles his gobbles," Fettig said. "A newcomer, or anyone of us who doesn't think of that possibility, stands a good chance of bumping a tom unexpectedly and that's a real bummer."
Even when Fettig knows a tom is a long way off, he still tries to keep out of sight when he moves.
"We all blow it sometimes, but I think beginners are more likely to be spotted while they're moving in because they take unnecessary chances without knowing it," Fettig said.
Getting closer is sometimes necessary when you're hunting wild turkeys, but getting closer should not be confused with stalking into shooting range, which can be dangerous if there are other hunters in the area. Remember, you're simply trying to get the upper hand by setting up within a reasonable distance of a tom before attempting to call him in. — John Higley
WANT MORE? > Learn more about Rutt and Strutt Outfitters at www.ruttandstrutt.com.