Do your gobbers gobble?

[Roguedog]

The title to this thread my sound silly, but what I am getting at is how much do the gobblers in your area gobble?

Here in the middle Tennessee area where I live, I often hear lots of gobbling on the roost. But, once they hit the ground, they shut up. One may hear a few gobbles early in the morning, but as they morning progresses, they really get quiet.

I am not certain whether this is due to hunting pressure, fear of being attacked by coyotes or whether this has become their normal mode of operation, but at any rate, it becomes difficult to pin point gobblers.

One method I have had a lot of success with over the years is listening for hens and calling them in. I killed my largest gobbler ever by calling in some hens. I never heard the big boy gobble a single time.

Anyway, how vocal are the birds in your area?

Jeff

 

[Matt PA]

That seems pretty typical with turkeys in general.

In a nutshell the way it works with them is the hen goes to the gobbler.....that's why he gobbles on the roost. Once everybody flies down and the hens link up with the gobblers they really don't have much of a reason to gobble anymore.
Many times you can get them to gobble on the ground almost non stop with calling but if they have hens and the hen/s don't respond and come in he's going with them in some other direction...... even though they are obviously answering you.

Late season or simply late morning can be great times to find a bird looking for some company after the hens loose interest or go to nest. If you tie into a gobbling bird at say 11am there's a good chance he is alone.....the birds over the years that have come in the fastest for me have been late morning toms that lost their ladies for the day.
:wink:

 

[don hepler]

One thing, I learned a few years back. I was calling to a gobbler, that answered, almost every calling sequence, but he must have been with hens, because his location never changed. Still, I was relentless, thinking I would persuade the gobbler. Then without a gobble, a large bird slipped up on me from behind. I nearly jumped out of my skin, when he let out a loud gobble, within a few feet, from where I was sitting. I scared him, when I jumped. That's what happens, when you get too keyed in on one bird. Most gobblers get quieter as the morning progresses. But, a train, crow, barking dog, or any loud noise "can" cause them to let out a gobble.

 

[Hoyt]

I've spring gobbler hunted for over 50yrs. in several Southern states and now S. Il. almost all of it on public land and these gobblers around my house..what few are here anymore are the hardest to call in that I've run across.

They gobble plenty first part of season. Problem is they will stay up on the roost forever seems like waiting on the hens to come to them. If you make a peep while they're in the tree when they do fly down it's about half mile in the other direction and another half mile before they gobble again.

If you don't call while they're in the tree..and I don't they still fly a long ways when the come off (if no hens show) and you never know which way it'll be.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

They're pretty vocal up here in northern CA.

 

[Spikebuck]

late morning can be great times to find a bird looking for some company after the hens loose interest or go to nest. If you tie into a gobbling bird at say 11am there's a good chance he is alone.

I have noticed this a lot over the years. Lots of gobbling at daybreak. Silence or very few gobbles from an hour after daybreak until almost noon. Then it seems to start up for a while again. When I used to "run and gun" those gobbling around noon always seemed to be alone. The later the season goes on, this seems even more true.

 

[wattlebuster]

Once the gobbler see's his hen coming to him in the morn then he dont HAVE to gobble til they leave him to lay or start sitting an dont show up at all. Most hunters get bored an leave by 9 am or so. Thats when im starting to get serious with it. I kill my best and hardest gobbling birds between the hours of 11am an 3 pm. If you told me I could only hunt any four hours of the day but only 4 then I will take mid day everytime. When I use to hunt public land I would go an listen to them early morning an then let the beginners have at it. After they call too much an then try an get just a little closer cause they think the bird aint coming fast enough an run him off I would then go eat a good breakfast an come back about 9 or so an have the place too myself an lots of time kill the very bird they ran off

 

[Skychief]

Once the gobbler see's his hen coming to him in the morn then he dont HAVE to gobble til they leave him to lay or start sitting an dont show up at all. Most hunters get bored an leave by 9 am or so. Thats when im starting to get serious with it. I kill my best and hardest gobbling birds between the hours of 11am an 3 pm. If you told me I could only hunt any four hours of the day but only 4 then I will take mid day everytime. When I use to hunt public land I would go an listen to them early morning an then let the beginners have at it. After they call too much an then try an get just a little closer cause they think the bird aint coming fast enough an run him off I would then go eat a good breakfast an come back about 9 or so an have the place too myself an lots of time kill the very bird they ran off

Great post. :thumbsup:

 

[coloradoclyde]

much do the gobblers in your area gobble?

Been seeing turkeys like crazy this last week.
they were gobbling like crazy about a half hour ago.........oh and the coyotes howl all night too.

 

[Roguedog]

Good point! My buddy and I have killed several turkeys in the afternoon to 3:00 p.m timeframe. Seems like if I can get one to gobble during the afternoon I have a decent chance of calling him in. It just seemed like a few years ago, I heard a lot more gobbling than I do now but perhaps it was just my imagination.

If anybody wants a gobbler to fly your direction from the roost, just let me get on the other side of him. Guarantee he will fly away from me, that's with me calling or not calling. It used to frustrate me, now it just amuses me.

Jeff

 

[Spikebuck]

Guarantee he will fly away from me, that's with me calling or not calling. It used to frustrate me, now it just amuses me.

:rotf:

Those that don't have that attitude probably don't stay with hunting for long! :thumbsup:

 

[Patocazador]

The birds quit gobbling around me when I got deaf. Hmmmm, I wonder .. :hmm:

 

[Wes/Tex]

come to think of it, adn from personal experience, I'd say less than half have actually gobbled to any degree once they land on mother earth. :wink:

 

[renegadehunter]

I see this a lot too. Toms that have hens will quiet down when they hit the ground, they are strutting and also breeding the hens they have. I've had great luck just sitting tight when this happens. I give a few calls very sparingly, just to remind him there's another hen close by. Usually around 9am or a little later, suddenly a Tom will start responding to me and a lot of times come in. I think once they breed their hens and the hens go into feeding mode, AND you are set up along the edge of the route they are heading, then the Tom will wander over to check out that hen he's heard all morning. The only Toms I get to come in right off the roost are Jakes or 2-3 year olds that don't have any hens.

 

[larry wv]

Here in Western Wv they gobble pretty well all day. And they are pretty thin population wise because of the Coyotes.

Larry

 

[Hoyt]

They've been gobbling pretty good in the National Forest I've been hunting behind my house since Monday.

My luck hasn't been pretty good though. 0 for 3 in the 4 mornings I've hunted.

Called in two longbeards opening morning and a guy slipped in behind me and shot one of them out from under me.

Called in a wad of little bitty jakes to about 5 steps behind me before I saw them. Not enough meat on them to shoot.

Called in a longbeard this morning from a long way off and he saw me when I turned my head back from looking in the other direction..was about 35 yds.

Maybe tomorrow.