Silent gobblers ?

Ol Copper

Ol Copper

Twelve Pointer
How many solo toms have you killed that never made a peep ?
I'm not talking about a 'satellite' gobbler that silently slides in on you while you are actively calling/set up on other birds.

Thinking back, I can truly only remember one, 1995 on Phoenix Mtn., in Ashe County. I was given access to a piece of land that was said "to have turkeys on it." I worked 3rd shift then, and I went up there to hunt the place one morning after work. First time I ever set foot on the place. I got in there about 9 o'clock and just started up the mountain looking for sign. I went out on a bench amongst a few ridges and found some fresh scratching. Looked like a spot I'd want to be if I were a turkey. I had been hitting a crow call as I walked in, but had not heard anything the whole time. I sat down at a tree where the heaviest sign was and let out a few excited yelps and cutts, followed by a few more subtle yelps. I didn't call for more than 10 seconds, tops.
Big tom, dead on the ground in about 5 minutes. He came straight to the gun and never made a sound...period. No spits, no drums, nary a wing beat and certainly no gobbles. No nothing. Only sound that I heard was the sound of his feet in the leaves about 5 seconds before he came up on the bench in full strut at 20 yards. I absolutely had no indication he was within 20 miles of that bench. Every other bird that I have ever killed, I heard something...anything. I had at least had one indicator that something afoot was near me. I have even killed silent toms that never gobbled that had hens, but I heard them, I knew there were turkeys around.

How about y'all ? Just thinking back as to how many birds that I may have walked off from over the years because I never thought a gobbler (any turkey) was anywhere in the area. I guess that I'm better at hunting the loud mouthed, ready to die gobblers. :cool:
 
lasttombstone

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
Only had one. He walked right up beside me on a woods path, never making a sound. He was no more than 5 yds. from me when I saw the movement in my peripheral vision. Just let him walk on by till he was 12 yds. in front of the gun.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
My most memorable was my first solo kill.
getting late; blind calling (and I mean blind, no clue there were any turkeys)) and I hear what I thought was a man walking towards me.
I actually stood up to see and there was a poor gobbler.
amazingly he stood for all that motion and let me kill him.

During My second hunt ever my friend and guide called one in that he shot" because he deserved it for not gobbling."
He cussed the no gobbling b.....d a lot that day.:)

there are more but these come easily to mind.
 
turkeyfoot

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Had few come in usually when I've had this happen was right after daylight when others were gobbling with hens and then one just appears from opposite direction without a sound I remember once I swore up and down that sucker was a deer bout to walk up on me and start blowing thing the woods them that white head popped up. Other time I've seen this is in late afternoon or evening not lot with easterns because ivrately hunt them in evening but common in merriams I've killed few that until I heard them spit never knew they were there couple were in range for who knows how long before heard a spit or caught them move out of corner of eye. Worse is when they come in silent and you don't see them they been strutting for while you st and up to the ol alarm putts and then beating of wings. With all this said I hate a silent turkey have no desire to kill another silent one I'm more picky these days since I have more time to hunt I want a gobbling tom coming to a call. Now if It was a year I was pressed for time may change my tune
 
Eric Revo

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I used to hunt a mix of osceola and eastern birds when I lived in Florida and those aggravating osceola birds would gobble once on the roost and never make another sound. It was common practice to set up and expect a silent bird or to listen for walking or scratching sounds instead of "turkey" sounds.
It was a joy to find an eastern bird that gobbled on the roost, when he hit the ground and all the way to the point of the shot. That was a much more exciting hunt.
 
ol bob

ol bob

Six Pointer
I hunt a farm near me that the birds will gobble on the roost until good light then you want hear them again all day.
 
QBD2

QBD2

Old Mossy Horns
Killed a pair on CNF in Ga a couple years ago. Had no clue they existed til I heard one spit about 30yds from me.
 
hawglips

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
I called in at least 2 last year that my grandson killed that never gobbled at all. Maybe a 3rd - but I'm not counting number 3 because there were 2 others with them and one of them gave a faint gobble once - but the hen with them was vocal and I was working on her for 3 hours. Killed two more that shock gobbled at something earlier but never gobbled at me.

I killed one once who's hen woke me up scratching, but he never made a peep. I've killed one that came in from the opposite direction silently when I was working a gobbling bird that wouldn't budge. I've killed a couple that came in to a cold calling setup and never gobbled. Killed one once setting up on hens, hoping a gobbler was with them - actually I've killed a few like that - and the gobbler never made a peep. Here's a video of one of those hunts.
It's pretty commonplace for me actually....
 
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wolfpacker

wolfpacker

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
The 2nd turkey and the first gobbler i ever killed came in silent. I had set up on a field edge blind calling. He walked out strutting looking for the hen. This was in the afternoon though.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
well all i know is as my good friend says you gotta kill them no gobblin .........!
they are a waste in the woods.
i just remembered another one.
In SC the land owners farmer was seeing one every day at noon.
Took the landowners nephew and we saw him the first sit. No response no gobbling just coming thru. Solo.
Went back the next Sunday and with nothing better going i went back at 11:00. Here he comes about noon.
He is visible from a long way away, wont gobble or strut just walk the edge of a big field.
he did veer close enough for me to kill him but he was silent as a mouse.

Back then there was a theory floated of "hermit" gobblers, those too old or dumb or smart to be interested in the breeding.
This one made me consider that theory.
 
Aaron H

Aaron H

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Several years ago I was making my best calls, sitting back in some silverberry bushes alongside of a pasture. There was a gobbler way out there maybe 200 yards away that gobbled but would not come. It was a morning much like a couple other mornings I had spent trying to be in the right place to be between those hens and a big gobbler. There was some movement just there to my right maybe 10 yards away and without catching myself I turned my head and that silent gobbler was gone in a flash- he never said a word. I had him almost in my lap but blew it. Two other gobblers that came to me all tight beaked did go home with me. One I never saw until he was at about 20 yards, shot him when he came out from behind a tree at 11 yards. The other suddenly appeared at maybe 30 yards and I took him the same way at 24 yards. I love a gobbling bird- just hearing (and feeling) that amazing sound is perhaps the biggest reason that I turkey hunt, but getting a silent bird seems like a real "get" to me. It takes careful movement and a bit of luck I think to take a bird that you don't know is there until he suddenly shows up. Working a gobbling bird builds the excitement as he comes closer, the silent bird is a shorter shot of excitement but I'll gladly take him.
 
ol bob

ol bob

Six Pointer
Here in western N.C. if the gobble was everything you would have to stop hunting I would say that in the last 5 years 90% of the birds that I've killed have come in silent.
 
outdoorNC

outdoorNC

Spike
I have killed 4 that came in silently and never made any sound. I have also spooked some that came in silently, but can't recall how many.
 
CutNRun

CutNRun

Ten Pointer
Contributor
I had one that was originally trailing hens & was giving courtesy gobbles back, then drifted off with the ladies. about 80 minutes later, he came in silent behind me. He finally gobbled about 15 feet behind me. Good thing he was on the other side of the tree, because he about blew my cap off. I about soiled myself.

I killed one that was trailing a noisy hen that got bent out of shape at my calls & came looking to open a can of whoop A&& on the intruding hen. He was following the hen & I busted him at 19 yards. He started flopping and a second silent gobbler came in and jumped on the downed bird. My buddy smoked the second on. Two longbeards without the first gobble.

I had one sitting on a limb on a rainy morning that never said a thing. He flew down after the rain eased up and came looking to pick a fight with my jake decoy. He lost.

Jim
 
Winnie 70

Winnie 70

Ten Pointer
Many years ago I set on a gobbler that was roosting directly above a creek, and I was easing in that morning and got to within 50 yards of him. Did a fly down cackle at first light and only place I had to sit was in a ditch beside a logging road running downhill to the creek. I laid on my back in that ditch, with back of my head resting on a 6" pine, gun laying across ditch bank pointing to an opening in that logging road...like 3-4 yards to the road. Ole Gobbler flew down on other side of the creek, going away gobbling, must have went 100 yds or more. I clucked few times, scratched in the leaves, and then went total silent on him. Well, heard him coming back toward that creek, gobbling his head off....I just scratched couple times and did one purr....he went crazy. Next thin I heard he flew across that creek and probably landed in that logging road, could see nothing but directly across that logging road like few yards. He started spitting and drumming and coming up off that creek, right on that road. He getting louder with each step, and I was looking directly down that barrel laying on ditch bank, me on my back. First thing I saw was that red head...didn"t even move the barrel, he walked right in front of it...pressed trigger....WAM!....all over. Big bird like 22 lbs and 11" beard.
 
woodmoose

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
be careful folks,,,,some say "it ain't sporting" or "it ain't traditional" to kill one that doesn't come in spittin' drummin' and gobblin'!


me.,,,I say kill them in the way they want to DIE!!
 
hawglips

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
woodmoose said:
be careful folks,,,,some say "it ain't sporting" or "it ain't traditional" to kill one that doesn't come in spittin' drummin' and gobblin'!
Click to expand...

My favorite birds are probably the ones that let me know they were out there with a gobble, and then came in quietly on high alert looking for me. Lots of tension and excitement builds up with the wondering where he is and if he's coming or not...
 
woodmoose

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
yeah,,,I was just messing with that earlier post,,,,

I like all kinds of birds,,,the interaction with them is a hoot. My favorite last year was when I had two young birds (not jakes, but 2-3 years old ish) with some hens in front and another came rushing in over the hill and ran amuck chasing them two off,,,,he got shot for it but it was fun to watch!!
 
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