A Better Morning in the Turkey Woods

Some days, the experiences in the turkey woods far exceed any successful harvest. Today was one of those days. I set up in the dark in an area I had seen a few mature birds the day before. I heard a few gobbles around 6:30am, but when they hadn't appeared by 8am I decided to try another spot. 

I drove by a few fields to see if there were any visible birds (my least favorite turkeys to hunt) and also to see how many hunters were around. There wasn't much happening so, I switched to Plan B, I always have a Plan B. I know a few wooded areas that have regularly held birds for years. These areas get hunted hard, but most people give up on them way too early in the morning. It was 10am, I had two hours of hunting time left, more than enough to seal the deal. So, I decided that this was where I would finish out the day.

My clients are often dismayed by my desire to sit in the same area for hours on end, even when we aren't hearing any gobbles. I believe that confidence is as important when hunting as it is when fishing. When I'm in an area that I know holds birds, I am confident and can sit longer. The turkeys in southern New Hampshire get a ton of hunting pressure. As a result of all the pressure the turkeys are becoming conditioned to gobbling less. This leads to many hunters giving up and searching for a bird that will gobble. Don't get me wrong, I like to hunt a fired up tom as much as the next hunter. I also love the satisfaction of being patient, sitting tight, calling only a little, and scoring big with a mature bird that comes in completely silent.

My custom calls from Finger Lakes Custom Calls

I was set up inside the woods where I could just barely see two fields separated by a road. I started out with a few series of loud long-distance yelps, before settling in for a two hour sit that would consist of just a few "here I am" yelps every 20 minutes or so. An hour into my sit I noticed a tom appear on the far side of the far field. He was coming straight to me. When he got to within 100 yards I broke one of my own cardinal rules and made a few yelps. I should have kept quiet, he knew where I was. Instead I allowed him to pinpoint my location, and decide how far away from me he would stay. He made his way into the woods and began gobbling his head off. About 20 minutes in I hear two more gobblers, some wing beats, and a real donnybrook. Then, the first bird appeared behind a brush pile at 40 yards. After a few minutes the big bird spotted me and made his retreat, alarm putting and taking the others with him. Moments later three young jakes and three hens walked right by me as if to signify the 12 o'clock hour had arrived. I didn't seal the deal, but I couldn't have asked for a better morning in the turkey woods.