The ol' cold shoulder routine

[3toe]

I am curious as to how many times you have killed a gobbler and never made the first call other than other natural sounds such as scratching, turkey wing, etc. You know, giving them the silent treatment as pertaining to turkey calls.

I had an awesome hunt this year on a bird I had hunted twice before and finally figured out he hated to be called to. He would roost up on the edge of a old cutover in some thin pines and pitch right off the roost in the pines. He would work his way about 200 yds to an old pasture. I took a buddy with me one morning and he was in there right where he was supposed to be. We got down between him and the pasture and I told my buddy not to utter a word on any call, just scratch in the leaves. We got set up about 50 yds apart and started the strategy. I had an old turkey wing in my vest and I used it to brush up against the trees next to me and also flapping it like a hen adjusting her feathers. A lot of scratching sounds also but NEVER a call. This gobbler went absolutely nuts for almost an hour, slowly working his way to us. I bet he gobbled over 200 times. I SOOO wanted to pick up that call but didn't. Finally, he gobbled one time and sounded like he was on top of us. A minute later here comes that white head straight to me like on a string. I gave him a headache at 15 yds.

That was one of the most fun hunts I had this year.

[HuntnMa]

Sounds to me like you did your homework, figured out their routine and conquered...I've done the fly down, the scratching but i've always added soft clucks and purrs somewhere in the mix just due to the fact that I have never witnessed totally silent birds, they are always communicating.

[drenalinld]

I have done it a couple times, but man I like to call!!

Great story!

[2ounce6s]

I've killed quite a few giving the "cold shoulder". I don't deer hunt for them, I'll call but if they prove to be call shy I will adapt. Yes I said call shy and meant it. You called that bird in and plenty have died because they sounded off at a hunter walking in leaves when had they stayed silent they'd have been bumped.

[Spuriosity]

It wasn't really the cold shoulder routine, but I killed two in Ga. a number of years ago without doing any calling. I was walking to the back of my new hunting lease, and it was just breaking daylight. I was walking very quietly, I thought, along an old logging road, planning to listen for one to sound off and then form a plan of attack. I was walking along, and suddenly a gobble rang out at about 50 yds. It was still pretty dark, and I about jumped out of my skin. I hit the ground, and had no more gotten sat down, when two 2 y.o.s stepped up on a mound of dirty 30 yds away. They heard me walking in the pine duff on that road, gobbled, and made a beeline for me.

I'm from NC, where we can only kill one bird per day. So when they hopped on that mound of dirt, I had my gun on them, and was waiting for them to separate so I didn't accidently kill them both. It took me about 3 seconds to realize I was in Ga and could kill two in one day. So I pulled the trigger and killed them both with one shot. That was a memorable hunt; over before it got started really. I guess you deserve one that easy after all the hundreds of hunts where you really have to work for them.

[guesswho]

I might have killed one like that one time.

[poorcountrypreacher]

3toe, you are a fine hunting partner! Far better than me.

I once had one that I couldn't call, so I took a buddy and put him on one side of the gobbler, and I got on the other. I told him to give this turkey all that he had - loud cutts, cackles, gobbles, any call he could make and I felt sure that an old pro like him would call him up. I would just get on the other side and listen to the show.

Of course, the turkey went the opposite way from him as I knew he would, but he somehow managed to stay out of range from me. Never did kill him.

[TRKYHTR]

Maybe a couple.

TRKYHTR

[MKW]

In my opinion, scratching leaves and flapping a wing IS calling.

Mike

[dirt road ninja]

I've killed them still hunting. Just being where they wanted to be and hiding till one walked by. It's not they way I like to hunt, but it can be productive.

[dirt road ninja]

In my opinion, scratching leaves and flapping a wing IS calling.

Mike

I agree with that.

[2ounce6s]

I've killed them still hunting. Just being where they wanted to be and hiding till one walked by. It's not they way I like to hunt, but it can be productive.

That's not the "old cold shoulder routine". That's ambush, waylay, "deer hunting 'em" etc. Big difference.
Sounds of scratched leaves or walking, using a wing, brush flapping against a seat cushion, a box call that squeaks accidentally in a vest, all of them have brought turkeys in whether intentional or unintentional and all were called. That means a fooled turkey. Bottom line is, I like to fool them. That's really where it's at. Cold shoulder ain't an ambush.

[dirt road ninja]

2ounce6s,

I would rather fool them too. I live hours away from where I hunt, so when the weathers bad or nothings going on I prefer not to tuck tail and head home or go be bored in my camp. I will go sit in a area that historical holds birds and cold call or just sit there. Most of the time I will cluck, purr, and scatch leaves, other times I'll just camp out and wait. Some of the birds I've killed cold calling were probably going to be there anyway and my calling had zero effect on the sucess of the hunt. I got no problem killing them either way, but would rather have them fired up and looking for me. The only way I won't kill one is if I'm walking around and see one in range that I had no clue was there. If I see him out of range and have to stalk up on him that's a different story.

[3toe]

Great stories and replies. I agree leaf scratching and wing flapping is calling. Maybe I should have said by means other than conventional calling such as yelpers, box, slate, etc and talking turkey vocabulary. The "I ain't talking to you but going about my business" routine. To me it doubles the excitement when you fool one in a different method and then get to see the look on his face right when he realizes he messed up and you pull the trigger. No better feeling in the world.

I do not like to deer hunt (ambush) turkeys. It's not fun to me, however over the years I have run across a few that I like to call "hermits" that I would have killed in ambush if the opportunity presented itself. Those jokers gave me fits and seemed like a ghost or a figment of my imagination at the things they did to me.

I beleive PCP had one of those this past season. Difference is he killed his. Mine are still out there tormenting the addicted souls of turkey hunters.

[dirt road ninja]

3toe,

I would bet you've killed more of them than me, and I've killed enough to know that ya got to try off the wall stuff sometimes to put one in the truck. This past February I was listening for birds and heard a few gobbling close by pre-fly down. I don't bring calls with me scouting, so I did a fly down with my hat. The gobblers pitched down about 75 yards from me and were in shotgun range 10 minutes later. I'm not sure if the wing beats with the hat brought them to me or if that's where they were heading. I roost birds on the place I hunt now by waiting for the locals to start racing their bikes on Saturday nights. They will gobble their heads off at the street bikes taking off a good hour sometimes after fly up. Years ago I was hunting and heard a bunch of yotes, well I hadn't heard a bird that morning, so I went to the store and bought a rabbit distress call. Went back in the woods and set up to try and call in a yote, but yelped a few times to see if a turkey might have been around. Nothing, I started whailing on the rabbit call and a gobbler sounded off right by me. I put the rabbit call down and picked up my box yelped a few times, nothing. I then waited a few minutes and blew the rabbit call agian and he gobbled at it only closer this time. I picked up the shotgun and waited. Not 2 minutes later I killed him. I don't know if he was coming to the yelps or was coming to see what was going on with the rabbit. I tried that more than once after that with no luck.

[hawglips]

In my opinion, scratching leaves and flapping a wing IS calling.

Exactly!

And I'll go so far as to say that I actually believe turkeys sometimes use scratching as a form of communication. I've seen it enough to be convinced of it. And making foot step sounds in the leaves is another good turkey call at times. I've located more than one before just by walking in dry leaves. And I killed one this spring with footsteps.

This spring out west we were in an area where the gobblers were no longer in the mood to breed and were flocked back up (in late May.) They would half-heartily respond to hen calls, but always went the other way. After two days of this, and knowing there were at least 11 male birds in there, we decided to fall hunt them the last day.

After just making things worse by trying to bust a flock of gobblers up off the roost, about 10:00 we struck one on a different side hill with gobbler yelps. And he began to enthusiastically answer our gobbler yelps as we approached.

We made a swing to get set up in front of the bird but were across a steep ravine and creek from him. He came to about 80 yds out, on the other side of the creek and stayed hidden, and wouldn’t come closer. So my brother moved away behind me calling, and he gobbled a lot at him, but wouldn’t come any closer, and eventually drifted back to the top of the opposite hill.

So, we devised a plan that I would swing back across the ravine, climb to the top, and get as close to the bird as I dared, while my brother kept him occupied and gobbling for easy location.

That’s what we did. And as I huffed and puffed my way to the top, I saw 5 or 6 male birds chasing each other around like they do in fall flocks when a new one shows up. I couldn’t make out if they were jakes or gobblers or both, but could tell they were male birds.

Being in good position, I called my brother on the radio and told them to cross to my side and call from there behind me. And he did.

I shortly lost sight of the birds over a rise as they chased each other around. So I eased up closer to the top of the hill to improve my position a bit more. I got to a good spot, and started imitating turkey steps in the leaves with my feet, and scratched the leaves some as well. I never used a call at all.

Then within a minute or so, there he was. What looked like a mature bird came to my steps, to whip up on the new guy who just showed up. We saw each other at about the same time. As I raised my gun, he knew he’d made a mistake and wheeled to leave, but it was too late.

Scratching and foot steps in the leaves is a very effective turkey call at times.

[Johndoe]

I have always done lots of scouting in the afternoon. I went to check a spot I had heard a gobbler earlier and found tons of sign. I walked in a bit more and picked a spot to sit. I then used my hand to move the leaves so I could sit down with no sound the next morning. I walked 25yds more toward where I was sure the bird would roost and had him come struttin around the corner lookin for me. I was able to squat and walk out low as there was a slight curve in the road. The next morning I set up closer than the spot I cleared and the bird flew to the tree I was sitting against. He was able to outlast me and I had to move cause my azz was asleep. Never did kill that bird. You "CAN" get too close to a roosted bird.

John

[2ounce6s]

Dirt,
Me and you are more alike than you might think. Some of those "free throws" don't mean much other than a tag filled while some of those SOB (sweet old birds) will make you pull your hair out and when you take him, it's a pleasure to stand on his head. FWIW, I've walked up on turkeys before and passed on them because I hadn't called, other times I've shot the SOB!

John,
If a tom flys from his roost tree to a tree in gun range of where I am calling from I will limb whoop his arse in short order. He had his chance and need not tempt fate.

[3toe]

John,
If a tom flys from his roost tree to a tree in gun range of where I am calling from I will limb whoop his arse in short order. He had his chance and need not tempt fate.

That's what I'm talkin about!

[Spuriosity]

2ounce6s, not to hijack the thread, but I love your avatar. Saw your post on the other site. That is a creative way to display multiple fans, and I think it is beautiful.

[2ounce6s]

Thank you Sir. Glad to help if you ever decide to put one together.

[3toe]

2ounces, I concur you have a cool avatar and thats a neat way to display multiple birds.

I like the signature line too. Me personally, I like to stick a breast feather in the keyhole of any vehicles I see parked in the area.

[Nimrod]

I killed one this year that flew down in front of me and started strutting and gobbling. I never made a sound.They say it's better to be lucky than good but luck had nothing to do with this. It was all skill and woodsmanship.

[2ounce6s]

Then my farting and a nearby roosted tom gobbling at the sound would mean I have exceptional calling skill? It has happened.

[Jaybird]

I didn't pay all this money for calls, and not use them. Duh! .....