Crazy things we've tried to kill a gobbler

Moose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I hadn't thought about this one in a while but years ago Rick and I were turkey hunting alot on Caswell Gamelands it seemed our calls brought in more hunters then it did birds. So we decided to try using a dog whistle as a locate call thinking other hunters wouldn't hear us and we could get positioning on a bird better . Never worked .....

Of course then there was the old Hen -n-Heat deal that we sold to a pretty familiar outdoor hunting product and call maker. That allowed me to take early retirement but they just burried it to avoid killing all their other turkey hunting stuff..... šŸ˜‰ those were the days.

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Bailey Boat

Old Mossy Horns
I used to have a friend that was fairly new to Turkey hunting and thought that if you went to the woods waaaay before daylight and buried yourself in leaves that turkeys would magically appear. He did that several times but never saw a turkey (said he heard several) and finally quit altogether.
Thankfully I don't hunt Turkeys or there's no telling what shenanigan's I could get up to....
 

ibgreen

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I used to have a friend that was fairly new to Turkey hunting and thought that if you went to the woods waaaay before daylight and buried yourself in leaves that turkeys would magically appear. He did that several times but never saw a turkey (said he heard several) and finally quit altogether.
Thankfully I don't hunt Turkeys or there's no telling what shenanigan's I could get up to....
I bet he limited out on chiggers.
 

hog&deerhunter

Ten Pointer
I have not turkey hunted for about 3 years now. Kind of lost interest and even quit my lease/club. Been hunting out West as much as possible while I am still breathing. Ok here is my story.

It was about 25 years ago and the second year I was successful in killing one. I was hunting in Grannville County.

Went to the lease the afternoon before opening day and scouted until sunset. Did some calling to locate a bird. Was about to give up when I struck a Tom.

Got as close as I dared and sat tight to almost dark. Did a few purrs and took my hat and shook it to make it sound like I was a hen roosting. He fired off pretty close, but I froze in place until it got really dark.

I slipped out of there and drove the hour and a half home. Told my wife part A of my plan was in effect. She laughed.

Only skept a few hours and drove another hour and a half back. Went into the woods a solid hour before it got even close to showing light.

Went to the exact same tree I did the fake fly up with my hat and was shaking with the possibility of what was to come.

I convinced myself to not make a sound until it was light enough to clearly see my watch. OK, go time had come!

When I was about to mimic the hen flying down, he gobbled on his own. He spent the night where I left him! I took my hat and made a few wing beat noises like I did the night before. I didn't hear him respond, but made a few purrs and sat there.

I heard something to my left and there he was. As soon as his head went behind a tree I swung my shotgun on him. He stepped out and there was the first turkey I called in by myself. It was about 20 minutes after legal light and about a 20 yard shot.

Called my wife right then.

Got in my truck and ran into a couple of guys from the club. I told them to go in the cooler and grab a drink. They couldn't believe I was on the way home with one in the cooler.

Killed one about every year since. Decided it wasn't that hard. We only make it hard.
 

georgeeebuck

Twelve Pointer
I have tried to use about ever trick ,and call that came down the pike except H N H . I remember a call called the Spit and Drum call . Don't remember which company made and sold it but it was useless . I brought it before the season came in and practiced using it in the house . It made a soft humming sound and a spit sound by hitting a rubber stopper at the end of it . In the woods the sound would carry maybe 10 feet . I remember thinking as I tossed it through the woods , Heck if a turkey where close enough to hear that I would have already shot him 5 minutes ago .
 
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