Need some advice

[Hunter99]

Alright so please bear with me for this long terrible story, that might amuse you. I need help figuring out what to do. Excuse my terrible diagrams as well. I was scouting the day before youth day for my little cousin and found a tom gobbling in red x #2 on public land at 8:30. Fast forward a week he's made it through A week and I take my little cousins out for a Saturday hunt and we strike this tom up again at 8:30 at red x #2. I know it is the same tom because of his distinctive gobble, and he was in the same location at the same time when I first found him. He cut me off every call and closed the distance, yet he never made it up to the field we set up in to the left of X #2. I have B week so Monday I go out and setup in the woods between the two red x's, I'm within a 100 yards and he's gobbling like crazy. The blue is a creek that the birds roost on and he seemed to be roosted right on it. He pitches down and goes away from me to the road, he is cutting off every single call I give him. But he just won't come to me. He drifts farther into the right corner where the red arrow points and I make a move parallel with the creek until I'm directly above him by about 40 yards. Once again he's hammering away cutting me off at every call but it seems he's hung up at the creek behind some brush and would not come across. After waiting I hear him move a little further away closer to the road. I make my move to the creek and just then a bird flys out of a tree 60 yards to my right. Dead silence till 12 o clock after that. I believe it was the tom that flew up there to get a better view and see where I(the hen) was, because these woods are very thick. That night I go back to roost him yet no shock gobbles anywhere. The next morning it's perfect conditions and I'm prepared to find him and get him, I wait at the road for a gobble to pinpoint him. He starts going crazy at the yellow x. So he moved across the road. I sneak up and get to 70 yards of him on the roost and sit at a tree waiting. For the next hour 4 birds are gobbling right in front of me and about 6:30 they finally fly down. I yelped a little bit before hand and all 4 gobblers landed 25 yards in front of me, one at a time. The one I was after landed second and immediately went full strut. Shocker- He was behind a tree and I had no shot. Now I have all these birds slowly moving closer and strutting, along with a hen coming. I can't move or else these other birds will see me, my gun is trained on the tree waiting for the tom to come out and finally he does, still in full strut. I couldn't take it any more and figured it's now or never. Bead on his head, BOOM... he jumps 2 feet and runs off... I am astounded and pissed at the same time. I never missed a turkey before and this bird I worked for days on end finally came right to me perfect scenario and I blew it. I believe in the excitement I aimed just a tad high. Went home and let the woods calm down. So this morning I am back again, waiting on the dirt road for a gobble as I was sure I ruined that roost. I hear the same bird back in the original roost but deeper in the woods. Right on the creek closer to the right corner. On monday I heard no other bird and saw no other bird so I figured he was alone, maybe one hen with him, WRONG. I get to the creek and planned on slowly getting closer to him to where he hung up monday. Well I bust 3 hens. I still hear him sounding off getting closer to the road in the right corner. I figured he was headed for that field but out of all the days I scouted this spot and hunted, I have not seen one bird in any field. From shooting time to at least 9:30 I have only heard him in the woods, it's his safe spot it seems. After those hours it's silent. So I back out and go wide above the creek to get to the field, well about 15 deer run directly to the turkeys... great. AND as I'm about to enter the field, another turkey busts off the roost and goes towards the creek. These birds are scattered all throughout the woods today. I sit in the field feeling completely screwed. Hour goes by and he shock gobbles to a crow, once again back in the corner and right next to the house it seemed. He responds to my one call then silence for the rest of the morning. Now I know I reallly messed up these roosts, and I'm not an amateur turkey hunter, these birds don't shock gobble at night and each morning is a whole different roosting scenario and I should have had him yesterday but I missed. I'm hoping for some wisdom from you experienced guys about what you would do. I considered going very early going way above the creek and back down to the field right next to the creek , where my blue dot is. But I'm not sure if they will roost across the road after being busted this morning, or if I should get as close to the corner as possible because it seems to be his pattern. If that is the case I'm not sure how I could get in there without busting them as the woods are very thick and they could be anywhere. TIA guys and good luck.

[mazzgolf]

I have no answers, but you have had an awesome set of days turkey hunting!! (missed shot not withstanding). Man, that sounds exciting knowing you have all these birds in your hunting area (public land no less!). Consider yourself lucky and have some fun.

I missed a turkey once (can't believe how I missed either, I think probably tad high, too) so now I do not put the bead on the bird's neck anymore.. I aim a little lower  now - bead where the neck meets the body.

[BHC]

as far as your gun, ammo and choke.....Did you pattern it?

[Swamprat]

Friday morning in the rain he will be in one of those fields. Good luck. 

[tcook8296]

Theres only one thing left to do. 

Drive em lol. 

Interesting story, dont listen to me I dont turkey hunt

[bushden]

Being public land, that bird might just call shy. Next go round I would get in early and not hunt the field but get in the woods , make very soft yelps no closer that 15 plus minutes apart. If that don,t work I would hunt him without a blind and try to  figure his route in the woods for ambush

[NotJust22s]

I say go for it 😁

[BackwoodsBoy]

You’re possibly over calling.....turkey huntings like chess what works on some birds doesn’t on others. Are you using a decoy, some birds hang up on decoys, either you’re aggressive calling and need to soften up or using a decoy, and he’s decoy shy ditch the decoy. Also using just a hen or jake and hen? Some toms will shy away from jakes as well. Keep at it though, they get more desperate as the season progresses. Creek crossings gotta just put the call down when they hang up.

Edited April 29, 2020 by BackwoodsBoy

[06roadking]

What I’ve done in similar situations is instead of setting up near the roost, set up deeper in where he goes everyday and wait with no calling. Kind of like patterning deer. Works for me occasionally...

[Hunter99]

12 hours ago, BHC said:

as far as your gun, ammo and choke.....Did you pattern it?

Yes I have patterned and it’s pretty solid. My gun was shooting high and left but I got a bigger bead which seemed to solve the problem. 

[Hunter99]

12 hours ago, Swamprat said:

Friday morning in the rain he will be in one of those fields. Good luck. 

That’s what I was thinking, now I have to figure which one 

[Hunter99]

12 hours ago, bushden said:

Being public land, that bird might just call shy. Next go round I would get in early and not hunt the field but get in the woods , make very soft yelps no closer that 15 plus minutes apart. If that don,t work I would hunt him without a blind and try to  figure his route in the woods for ambush

I’ve basically been running and gunning no blind no decoys for this bird. I have one more day and it’s raining so I may hunt the field but I have thought about the ambush! Thanks 

[Hunter99]

11 hours ago, BackwoodsBoy said:

You’re possibly over calling.....turkey huntings like chess what works on some birds doesn’t on others. Are you using a decoy, some birds hang up on decoys, either you’re aggressive calling and need to soften up or using a decoy, and he’s decoy shy ditch the decoy. Also using just a hen or jake and hen? Some toms will shy away from jakes as well. Keep at it though, they get more desperate as the season progresses. Creek crossings gotta just put the call down when they hang up.

Unfortunately I’ve done just about everything calling wise, no calls, few calls, aggressive calling. But today is my first day bringing decoys otherwise I have been running and gunning 

[Hunter99]

11 hours ago, 06roadking said:

What I’ve done in similar situations is instead of setting up near the roost, set up deeper in where he goes everyday and wait with no calling. Kind of like patterning deer. Works for me occasionally...

I have considered it but each time he went a different direction I guess I gotta get lucky

 

[Bucndoe]

If the bird is on the other side of the creek he most likely won't cross it. With all the rain it is likely swollen. He will gobble his head off walking back and forth and not cross until he gets irritated and walks away in the other direction.  You have to be on the same side as him. If its public land and pressured, tough call. I would go in later around 830 and try to find him. Your best bet may be later in the morning. Sometimes you have to make your own luck. If there are birds there and you get a chance to tag a legal one, don't be picky

Edited April 30, 2020 by Bucndoe