Ohio Turkey Hunting Report

Suggestions for the new guy? My buddy said the toms are "henned up" and we need to call to the hens to bring in the toms. Doesn't sound like what I have been reading. The stuff I am reading says the toms bang their hen and go find another. "Hit it and quit it" so it seems. If this is the case then I don't see how calling to hens will do any good unless they actually have a tom with them. Am I correct in my thinking?

When the Toms are "henned up", it is hard to kill them first thing in the morning. Not impossible, just a little more difficult to call them to you from the roost. If you want to kill one early, you have to get in extremely close to the roost-and with this year's early green up, that is not too difficult. Slide inside of 100 yards, and make a few very soft calls. When they pitch down, they will investigate you first if a hen doesn't walk right under their tree. The best time to kill a turkey is usually after 9:30. By then, they have done the morning routine, and the hens leave them to go to the nest. They will come to calls best then. If you get one gobbling late in the morning, you can and should kill him. If you really want to kill him, hide well, and call just enough to keep track of his progress toward you. If you make him gobble, you've also made him stop walking...just let him know you are there and let him come looking. Do NOT answer his gobbles.

Sounds logical. Thank you Brock! Problem is the tough access to roost them on this property combined with my schedule. Dang kids have activities every single night! I know there are turkeys on the property at times, but I cannot verify if they are on the property most of the time.

What sort of range do turkeys have? This is pretty much the center of a square mile of agriculture. I'd say less than 15 houses on the whole country block and most of them right by the road. Plenty of security, but I don't know if they would leave that block or how often. Just don't know much about turkeys yet.

When I used to bowhunt turkeys a lot, I would simply find a pretty spot in the woods that I wanted to sit. I would plop my butt down, put out a decoy and commence calling. I would guess (and it could be more or less) I would call in 5 gobblers for every one I would get to gobble. They just walk in...they think there is a hen there, and they don't always announce they are on the way. Most folks lose interest once the early morning gobbling stops. I take a nap. Wake up and get excited sometime after 9. It is hard to get your mind around the idea that the best to actually kill a turkey is not shortly after sunrise when they are all screaming, but it isn't. When they gobble, they are telling the hens to come to them as nature intended. They won't leave a half dozen sure-things to come looking for one maybe. But when the half dozen sure things leave him, the maybe starts sounding pretty good to him. If you go in later in the morning, find that pretty place to sit and call, you don't have to worry about birds hanging up at every ditch or fence either...they will get to you, if you wait and hide. The hiding is the hardest part. You are essentially looking for something the size of a golf club (their head), and those dang things can stick up over a little hill or log and see you long before you know they are around...be still or in a blind. You have to be patient, and certain they are coming. They will. I can tell you, from a blind, I bet I could count on one hand the number of times I DIDN'T have birds come in...have faith, and remember they are not very bright-they just see really, really well.

Heres a quick story that demonstrates how a lazy guy like me kills turkeys. Several years ago, I hunted a "youth only" area of Paint Creek. I accessed the area by boat, and had no idea it was designated for kids only. Best place I ever turkey hunted btw, killed three in three mornings! Anyway, I caught this turkey on his roost, gobbling his head off. I slipped in on him, and of course his hens took him off in the opposite direction shortly after sunrise. I made a heck of a racket as they left, cutting and raising all kinds of heck. I wanted him to know he left one behind as I was too tired from working all night to chase him. Sure enough, after my little nap, I made a few cuts at about 9:30. I heard him gobble from so far away I was sure I even heard it. A few minutes later, a little closer, and again, and again. It took him a long time to close the distance, but he did. I shot him at about 30 yards eventually. I shot that bird within 100 yards of where he had been roosted, and he came all the way back when he was done with his "usual" hens for the day. That's the way it works. They want to breed until the girls leave them, then they want to find another.

Awesome info Brock! I take it and learn from it and put it to test in the morning. You just described my first three days of hunting and observations to a tee. Maybe I need to sleep in a bit then head out or just hunt a little longer. I might take the blind cuz the ole ass starts falling asleep and it's harder to stay still the longer the morning wears on. Lol

The mosquito burying his blood sucker for 3 minutes into the bridge of my nose when I had a hen within 8 yards of me was my biggest test yet! Lol I had both hands on my gun in shooting position waiting for a Tom to come in to her calls and was not going to move. She finally left and the bloodsucker got the worse end of the deal in the end. That was the longest 3 minutes of my hunting career! Lol

Very Good Info Brock. Twice I have given up and moved only to come back by that spot and spooked Gobblers off. Both times I had been gone like 1 1/2 to 2 hrs..... And never heard a gobble in between that time frame. Both times it was after 9:30 also.

Most people pay for advice like this! You are the man Brock!

Thanks for the advice brock, makes sense. I'm going to work on sitting longer. ADD kicks in.

Got set up at 6:15 with gobbles galore within 100 yards. Double and triple gobs till fly down with me calling just a couple light yelps and cuts. Haven't heard or seen a thing since 7:10. Haven't even heard a hen which is odd since they've been pretty vocal and hurting my chances but I'll just sit it out as long as I can. Wind has picked up again! Goodluck y'all!

Complete silence again this morning. I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Getting a little windy as well. If nothing by 9ish it wil be time to move.

I also had a pretty silent morning. Heard one or two gobbles but way off nothing close. Was a beautiful morning and my.soul is refreshed for a Friday work day. Looking forward to getting out with Austin in the morning.

Congrats Joe.

I got back yesterday from several days hunting turks.....the good news is that my son Dane killed a bird first thing Saturday morning....I called this bird in from about 1/2 mile away. He must have gobbled 75 times from the roost till the time he killed him at 15 yards! The bird was 22 lbs and had a 10" beard with nice spurs also.

I hunted for 4 days and never got to work a single bird....although I had 3 decent sized jakes in very close on tuesday morning. The weather was absolutely horrendous. Monday and Tuesday the wind blew around 40mph and it rained mostly all of Thursday morning. Wednesday was a good day but I never even heard a single gobble or saw a bird. Very tough year so far, didn't seem to be many birds where I was at.

Congratulations, Joe!

I slept in again today. I may get out this weekend, but I doubt it. Most of the places I hunt are public, or very close to it. Weekends are not enjoyable.

Silent day for me also...got within 60 yards of them on the roost....NOT A FLIPPIN PEEP OUT OF ANY OF THEM....sumbitches...3 hens and a tom. had all 3 hens at 45 yards..tom pitches down behind an uprooted tree stump and gobbles twice and walks directly away from me behind the stump....never had them so quiet before. the hens did not even fly down yelp.

Covered up this morning but never close enough TOO shoot. They had no interest in my dekes. No gobbles at all...closed mouth. The hens fought a few times, one flydown sequence, and some fighting clucks. Silent on the male end of things.

Funny how they just don't talk some days, and it is usually on really pretty days when you would think they would be on fire.

Congrats to the successful hunters. I was going to hunt till noon but my oldest daughter texted me from school at 11:10 wanting me to come get her because she was not feeling good. Those toms that were gobbling this morning must have been roosted with a hen or two this morning or I can't call good enough. I did some light calling and they responded but once they pitched out of their roost....they were gone. I didn't hear shit the rest of the morning. I moved to two other locations a couple hundred yards from each other and didn't flush anything or see anything. I did see 5-6 bucks today but that was my biggest highlight.