Proactive tactics for gobblers

Try these tips when hunting early-season turkeys

Turkey hunters can be proactive or reactive, and most experts agree that being proactive is often the best way to get a gobbler on the ground.

Hunters must avoid simple mistakes that can kill a hunt, or they’re doomed to failure. But to kill a gobbler, hunters usually must take the initiative, process a plan, sprinkle in patience, and pray for good fortune.

Here are five proactive tactics you can employ. Some are actions of choice. At the core of the hunt, one option will usually be correct, the other wrong.

Making quick, savvy choices based on the individual scenario are keys to successful hunts.

Decoy or no decoy?

Using decoys doesn’t automatically mean you’ll have a dead gobbler on the ground. When appropriately used in the right situations, they can provide an edge. Misused decoys cause problems that’ll crush your turkey-hunting soul.

Steve Cobb, a turkey hunting professional and calling champion from Union County, SC, said the choice is crucial, and different, in every scenario.  

“Decoys add to my overall turkey hunting strategy, and using a decoy is a game changer in the right situation,” Cobb said. “But it’s a two-way street. Turkey hunters don’t need a decoy to be successful. They’re a useful tool, but forcing a decoy into a situation where it’s not appropriate can expose other problems that lead to the gobbler walking away.”

Time management is a significant factor when hunting turkeys. In some situations, hunters have ample time to prepare with a decoy. Cobb said to set up a decoy in an area where a gobbler would expect to see hens when he arrives on the scene, and be within range of your weapon.

“Setup can be in place before the first call if a person has limited acreage to hunt,” he said. “But it may not be an option during an all-day turkey hunt.”

Cobb said that one of his favored turkey hunting patterns is to walk and call. And while that can be adaptable to using a decoy, it’s often not.

“These situations are dynamic and can go from no gobble to a gobbler coming at me on the run,” Cobb said. “In those cases, I must set up, get the gun propped ready to shoot, and get my calls prepared within seconds. It’s not a good time to set a decoy. If I set things up correctly, no decoy is likely needed; in this case, a decoy could hinder the hunt. 

“The gobbler may be hard-charging to my location, see the decoy, and literally stop and go into strut, and still be out of range,” he said. “At that point, the gobbler has every reason to believe he’s found the source of the calls I’ve made, and I’m in a poor position. The gobbler wins most of these.”

Pick a fight you can win

When a bird gobbles without you calling first, an immediate return call isn’t always the best response. Patience, gobbler chaser. Take a moment to devise a strategy that will give you the edge.

Joe Kelly, a turkey guide and call maker from Mountville, SC, hunted throughout a spring day. He’d walk and call, but he didn’t call nonstop. He’d call, then creep along the woods, roads and around field edges, listening and looking for gobblers.

“If I can slip up on a field and see a gobbler before I make a call, I have the advantage,” he said. “The same for a gobbler just sounding off on his own mid-morning. I know where he is, but he doesn’t know I’m even in the woods.”

He said the natural inclination is to call back to the gobbler with sweet hen sounds to begin a dialogue that will hopefully lead to the gobbler’s demise.

“Odds are good that the bird is gobbling to solicit a hen’s response. But if I make a call immediately, I’ve played my ace,” he said. “I’ll take a few seconds to determine his position. Then I prep a gameplan that puts me in a favorable setup to call the gobbler in close.”

You never count a gobbler dead until he’s on the ground with your foot on his neck, Kelly said. But by taking a little time and resisting the urge to start a quick conversation, the odds of that foot on the gobbler’s neck increase significantly.

Sounds of silence

Kelly said in some scenarios, you can do nothing better than be quiet and still when in pursuit of a gobbler.

One is when the gobbler, for many reasons, draws a proverbial line in the dirt and refuses to approach any closer after gobbling at your calls. 

“A gobbler is suspicious by nature, and reverting to a more natural progression of nature where he gobbles, and the hen approaches,” Kelly said. 

Calling aggressively to make the gobbler overcome his sense of caution can be effective. But before that, Kelly suggests laying a dose of silence on him. It’s easier to go aggressive if silence doesn’t work. And a hen that stops calling can trigger his interest. 

The gobbler may approach silently, but the odds are good if you are patient, well-hidden, and alert, you’ll see him.

A slight twist here is to use a free hand to scratch the leaves and dirt to your side, a sense of realism that the gobbler will hear, with the hopes that the gobbler believes the source of the hen sounds is still around, just not talking.

But be on high alert. The bird will be sneaky and stealthy. You’ve been made if you hear a loud “putt” before seeing the gobbler. But know that the gobbler gave you a chance.

Calls and calling diversity

Multiple slams to his credit (59 Slams and counting) have taught turkey hunter Darryl Madden from Semora, NC, that using different types of calls enhances your odds of success. 

“Calls are our connection to every gobbler we hunt. And while we all have our favored “go-to” calls, having skills in using multiple calls enhances the opportunity to score as the season progresses.

Madden hunts our local states, but travels nationally to hunt turkeys in quest of slams every year. This diversity in hunting different gobblers in various scenarios and terrain has proven to him that diversity in calling ability is crucial.

“Hunters working the same property throughout the season need to change calls periodically so surviving gobblers don’t get too accustomed to the same sounds,” he said. “Mix up call types as well as patterns, and use scratch calls, box calls, and mouth calls,” he said. 

Roosted gobblers

Tyler Chappell is a veteran turkey hunting guide and wildlife habitat manager who believes in having a plan for everything related to turkey hunting.

“I’m an all-day hunter, but when it comes to hunting turkeys, I don’t want to miss the dawn roost hunt,” he said. “I know the most exciting hunts are often over by sunrise.”

Ensuring he’s in the right spot long before he’s required to be in position is a key to his roost hunting success. 

“The ideal start of a roost hunt is to begin the evening before by roosting a gobbler,” he said. “You need to be in the turkey woods before fly-up time, and you can use a crow or owl call to attempt to make a turkey gobble. If that fails, I’ll use a loud noise. Even a coyote call is compelling.

Armed with knowledge of a gobbler’s location, he sets up near the gobbler before daylight. 

Chappell (864-419-1462) said to listen for the yelps. They play into strategy. 

“If I don’t hear yelps, I’m patient before making that first call,” he said. “I want the turkey to gobble first, making the whole thing his idea. When he gobbles, a tree yelp and a couple of clucks should have him gobbling the leaves off the trees. Unless challenged by other hens, keep your calls low and subtle.”

Chappell said it doesn’t often happen that a bird pitches down within gun range. 

“But it makes your entire season worthwhile when it happens,” he said.

Regardless of your proactive tactic, when you see him approaching, slide your finger toward the safety and get ready. He’s coming, but one more job remains.