Field Gobbler Scenario

[ICDEDTURKES]

You watched this gobbler fly up with 3 hens into the dark green tree in the center of this 160 acre field. The light green dots represent small trees in the field.. The Red line represents the property line which consists of a double strand of Barb wire with metal fence posts. Off the property line on each side is a clearing on the neighbors that are approximately 75 yards wide until they turn into the dark green forest.. The Black line to the SOuth is the road and is your access point..

The field is winter wheat that grew too about 1 inch tall before the snow fell.. The field is flat. How would you kill this gobbler..

[gblack15]

I would slip along the east side of the field, in the dark and try to get into the small trees on the NE corner.

[hawglips]

Not a whole lot of options with this one. I would do the same thing gblack says -- slip down to those trees while it's dark enough to do so. Either that or borrow somebody's pop up blind and dekes and set up smack dab in the middle of the field and read a book while I'm deer hunting them.

[STRYKER]

Thats easy just shoot him with a 22-250 from the road out of the tree. No calling necessary.

[Turkey Talker]

Drink plenty of beer before arriving at 3am. Walk right up to his tree. Set up 10 decoys. Sit back and wait for him to crap as he realizes hes not dreaming. He will fall out of the tree due to being so educated and scared. As soon as he lands 7 feet in front of you, set the beer down. Use only one eye, so your not seeing 2 toms. Pull the trigger. Lights out.

[redarrow]

Under the cover of darkness. (very early) slip in and set up directly under the roost tree and wait for fly down.

[SnootSnapper]

The drawn out pictures are cooler. Seriously though, I would probably try a blind as well. Btw, I hate field birds with a passion.

[guesswho]

I'd go talk to some neighbors. If that didn't help and this was the only bird I had to hunt, I'd probably get there real early, walk down the east fence past his roost tree but before the other tree, get about half way between the fence and first tree and get comfortable on my belly and hope for the best. Chances are he's not going to be spooked by the blob in the field until it moves.

[SCtrkyhntr]

Ghillie suit and a lone hen decoy. As long as you lay flat and be still they will not pay you any attention, you could probably do it without the ghillie. A person laying prone has a much smaller profile than a camo tent...and I hate camo tents.

[SnootSnapper]

This scenario got me to thinking about something I've considered before. It would be a heck of a job, but I wonder how a below ground blind would work? Besides breaking your back for a bit to dig the hole, I think it would work in this situation.

[savduck]

Take a goose layout blind and small army shovel. Go out there at 2 AM without a flash light and dig your layout blind in right where you saw him strutting last. Grass your blind in with wheat. Set out a couple dekes, and wait for him to fly down. As soon as his feet hit the dirt....shoot him.

[pedro]

Try to get to those trees or pop up blind. My layout blind that I use for waterfowl is invisible in winter wheat. If he is by himself a decoy set up could prove fatal.

[harvester]

Under the cover of darkness. (very early) slip in and set up directly under the roost tree and wait for fly down.

This!

[ICDEDTURKES]

Try to get to those trees or pop up blind. My layout blind that I use for waterfowl is invisible in winter wheat. If he is by himself a decoy set up could prove fatal.

Not for turkeys.. But could you post pics.. You using a synthetic, painted or some form of natural stubble.. Would love to see it for geese.. hate winter wheat.. Thank goodness we dont have a ton.

[ArkansasDon]

wouldnt even try that. No matter how you approach it your busted. I'd wait for the bird to relocate for a better opportunity. I pass on impossible hunts from time to time. This is one of them

[GobbleNut]

The only way I would hunt this gobbler would be if I had no other options,...and if I was just desperate to turkey hunt. Assuming that were the case, and I had just one day to kill this bird, I would get a strutting jake decoy, set it up in the dark about thirty yards out from the second tree, and towards the roost tree. I would lay down prone behind the second tree, with gun at ready,...and wait.

I suspect as soon as it got light enough for the gobbler to see the decoy, he would be on his way and that would be that.

[davisd9]

Go find another bird and figure out this one's routine.

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[Jaybird]

A majority of my hunting is field hunting, which requires using all set ups of Dekes or a blind at times. I would like to know his pattern after fly down as far as what direction he usually wanders away to, because I can about set up any where. I like the green spot for some cover, and I can put out dekes and call. I've called birds on that scenario using a Jake/Hen combo, and 2-3 times with a Pretty Boy. Personally I don't like setting up too close to roost, because I seem to have bad luck with that. I like that set up, because I don't think he has a lot of Hens with him, and you have a real good chance of drawing him over to you, unless that is his breeding spot, and all the Hens wander over to him from the surrounding trees/property for breeding. Had that exact situation in Nebraska, where Pretty Boy worked up sealing the deal.

[drenalinld]

Judging from my history I would likely lay prone on the field edge probably near the small group of trees and give him a chance to come to my calls. I will quickly bore of him strutting and ignoring me and belly crawl within gun range and end this charade.

[FullChoke]

Wait until he has left the field for water or whatever, slip in to his roost tree, set out a lone hen deke and whack him that afternoon.

Or put a sneak on him with a fan.

FC

[Arthur Shrewsbury]

Take a goose layout blind and small army shovel. Go out there at 2 AM without a discount flashlight and dig your layout blind in right where you saw him strutting last. Grass your blind in with wheat. Set out a couple dekes, and wait for him to fly down. As soon as his feet hit the dirt....shoot him.

You should try to get to those plants or pop up sightless. My structure sightless that I use for waterfowl is unseen during the cold months months season rice. If he is by himself a decoy set up could confirm critical.

[wptaxidermy]

Field birds are EASY! I'd walk in an hour before sunrise along whichever fencline that would best breakup might silhouette. Set up a ground blind QUIETLY 40 yards from the roost tree. Put out 2 hen decoys 10 yards from your blind and shoot him in the face when he lands 20-30 yards from your blind. Done it several times.

[Treerooster]

First thing I am going to consider is timing. Both what time in the morning I need to start and the phase of the moon. If it is just after a full moon there will be a fairly bright moon in the sky as I try to move into position in the dark. Probably won't get away with moving on him in the open unless there is a good overcast of clouds. Better to wait until a week or so after the full moon.

I probably want to be settled in an hour before shooting light. I could maybe get away with a few minutes later, but why risk the gobbler seeing suspicious movement/shadows for a few minutes more sleep.

Sitting against his roost tree will not work as moving into position in the dark it will be impossible not to make noise and the gobbler will just fly a good ways away into the field to avoid the ugly lump he heard under his tree. Even if you could get there without the bird being suspicious, he might land out of range anyways.

Laying on my belly or back doesn't seem like a good idea either. If the ground/air temp is cold I probably couldn't set still for as long as I would need to. How would I be able to see the gobbler laying on my belly? I can't keep my head in a position to look at him on my belly for 1/2 hour much less any longer. I think my neck would be stiff for a week afterwards. On my back I could prop my head on something so I know when he flies down and then where he is at in the field. But I still have to make the shot. Judging range will be more difficult that close to the ground and when I go to shoot I have to move. The shot may very well be at running or rubber-necking gobbler. It may be possible to move on him while he is in strut with his vision blocked...maybe.

Not sure I would be digging in the farmers wheat field either. I figure he is trying to grow a crop.



I would wait for good conditions of darkness before I make an attempt. I would want to be settled in at least 1 hour before shooting light and I take into consideration that it will take me longer to move and set up while its dark then in daylight, and while I am trying to be at least a little quiet.

I want my stuff to be somewhat organized so that when I set up the movement, and more importantly the noise, is at a minimum. Its kind of hard to find something in your vest or on the ground in the dark without some kind of light.

I would either set up in the small trees (maybe a burlap or some blind material over my legs) and sit in a gobbler lounger. The lounger allows me to comfortably sit right on the edge with no tree needed and just have brush or whatever for a background. Maybe a stick or 2 placed in front. Probably put out at least a hen decoy out or maybe 2 and a jake deke. Not sure on that as I don't use dekes much but if I thought the gobbler was a dominant one I think the jake would be a good idea.

Or I would set up a blind the afternoon before and slip in it in the dark and just have to set my decoys in the morning. Probably set the blind 120 yards or so from the tree and use the same dekes.

I would circle around the gobbler so I went by him at a good distance and then go directly at him when heading to my set up position.

If I knew which way he tended to go in the morning I would be on that side of his roost tree.

I would probably start to call to him about 5 minutes after shooting light in hopes he might fly down early while the light isn't too good yet. I wouldn't call too much as the dekes are doing most of the work here, just want to get his attention. At the first indication he is heading away I might crank up my calling including some jake calls. That would be a desperation move though and I might hold off on that if I thought there was something I could do better the next day.

[vball1]

Think out of the box on this one. Flush the gobbler out of the tree after he roosts. Then set up on the edge of the field in the morning in the direction he flew out of the field and see if you can call him in....

[appalachianassassin]

well, most options I can think of involve me being in a blind. since I refuse to hunt from a blind, I think I would watch him fly down from the road. see which way he wanted to go and get in front of him in the big woods.