# SUSPICIOUS GOBBLER-NEED HELP!



## Skipjack

I opened the season in Alabama yesterday poorly. I heard a deep gobble at daylight and eased up to within 150 yards and set up. The gobbler continued to gobble every couple of minutes until I made my first yelp. At that point he shut up tight and did not make another sound! I tried several callers and different calls every 15 minutes or so...not a peep. After about 45 minutes of silence, I figured maybe he had flown down and found some hens, so I moved slowly to where I had heard him gobble. He was still in the tree and flushed as I approached! I'm afraid I have made tough gobbler even tougher with my blundering. Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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## buckseye

Probaly isn't quite ready for breeding season yet


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## Sasha and Abby

Welcome...

Try him again. I worked birds yesterday that never made a sound, but came in to 35 yards. Two jakes and some hens.

There may have been a coyote or bobcat under the birds tree...


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## growlernc

Did about the same thing two years ago. He shock gobbled at some fly-over geese while still on the roost. Gobbled at my yelps and it sounded like he flew down after I did a mock hen fly-down. Waited about 40 minutes and he never showed nor gobbled again. Figgured he must of scored a hen and wandered off with her. Got up to move and guess what....down out of the tree he comes and away he goes! Never did get a second chance at him. Anymore, if the tom won't come in on his own I leave well enough alone and try again another day. One thing that worked last year was to do the normal hen fly-down sequence, fake wing flaps and all, wait a minute or so and yelp then follow-up with an aggressive gobble. Just might piss the ole boy off enough to run off the interloper.


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## iwantabuggy

If he is roosting in the same tree every night, try slipping in real close about 2 hours before light. Maybe even sit under the tree he is in (be real quite). He may hit the ground in range when he does finally fly down.


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## Trigger259

Thats a great question! Two years ago my dad was callin a little after first light and had a bird gobble, so he called again nothing, and again nothing, then one last time nothing. He did this 3 days straight. Finally the fourth day he went out, him and his buddy went to the same exact spot as the past couple days. Being the smart hunter he is, he told his buddy not to call even if a bird gobbled and he would do the same. And wouldnt you know it, that bird gobbled and flew down, 10 minutes later my dad touched off a 3 1/2 inch mag out of his 835 and there was meat on the ground. So what im saying is don't call to him. :wink:


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## saveaduckkillaskybuster

from what you are sayin it sounds like someone had been in their before the season opened and played with that bird. probably the only way to kill him is to find his travel routes cut him off, make no calls, just scratch in the leaves.


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## Cleankill47

If he's been pestered or educated, you might be able to get him to gobble using a shock caller. Try squirrel or crow mouth calls. If he flies down and responds, then try to get him to come to you using a call you haven't used yet, as he may remember your previous calls. The Lonesome Hen pushrod call seems to be about right for drawing them in close, and they only run about $15. Hope this helps.


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## PurcellSportingGoods

I had something very similar happen to me a couple years ago...except before I could get up and move I seen the tom up in the tree off in the distance...it was mid morning and he was just sitting up there....well eventually he flew down and no more than 10 mins. later...someone took a shot that was between the bird and I.....gotta watch those game lands...sometimes they have people everywhere.


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## Triple B

did you call too loudly when you first started, usually when we have a treed tom in the morning, we will get as close as we can, and call VERY,VERY queitly, turkeys have great hearing and if you call too loudly at close ranges they know somethings up, usually the tom will think the call is farther away than it is and will start that direction, even if he has no intent on going all the way to where he THINKS the call is coming from, its too late he's already came within range of us. mmm, mmm turkey soup!


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## PAwoodsman

Skipjack,

From what you are saying I would think that the bird is either gun shy or henned up.
I did kill a bird like that once, but I did it without ever making a noise on a call. I knew the bird I wanted to kill was going to go to a field about 200yds. west of where he was roosted. I got there when he was still on the roost, hid myself, got comfortable, and waited. I agree this sucked, but it was well worth it when the gobbler stepped into shotgun range at about 9:15.

Moral of the story, find out where he eats, chases hens, or both, and play the waiting game. An occasional call probably wouldn't kill your chances, and scratching the leaves with your hand is a nice little trick my uncle taught me. Just be sure not to get to loud or voistrous or the bird probably will not come in.

good luck
PA :sniper:


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