Gorp2007
WKR
Yesterday was the last day of Spring turkeys here in South Dakota and I was able to locate and set up on some birds but couldn't close the deal. The first two were gobbling at eachother from the roost at first light and I got set up and called back and forth for about 45 minutes. They would keep gobbling, but never came any closer and never seemed to actually be responding to my calls, they were just gobbling randomly (probably hoping I'd come to them instead of vice versa). After 45 minutes, a pick-up drove down the forest road between me and the birds and they shut up, so I decided to cut my losses and go find another bird.
I eventually found another bird when he randomly gobbled at the bottom of a draw while I was walking the ridgeline. I set up and called a few times but he never reponded, so I moved on and as I worked my way along the ridge I actually saw him down in a clearing facing away from me. I set down and started to call and he gobbled back once but never got any closer and shut up after after about 20 minutes, never to be heard or seen again.
Now three weeks ago, I was able to call one in to about 100 yards before I think he saw me and decided to go seek other companionship. I got him to come in on a strut and gobbling to beat the band, but I was set up in a really bad spot and forgot my facemask at home, so I think he saw me (or saw something he didn't like) at 100 and he immediately calmed down and kept gobbling, but stayed 100-120 yards away as he walked around me and headed off down a different draw.
This is all just a really long way of asking two questions. First, should I have just stayed set up on those first birds and kept trying my luck? Second, do late season turkeys sometimes just get tired of chasing hens and show less interest in coming to my calls, or is it more likely that I'm just a bad caller and don't produce those sensual tones that get the toms all hot and bothered? My wife has already informed me that my turkey calling isn't sexy, so I'm willing to concede that the turkeys may not like it either. I'm calling with a diaphram and a box call and the only turkey that I've been able to really get to come in was responding to clucks and yelps on the mouth call.
I eventually found another bird when he randomly gobbled at the bottom of a draw while I was walking the ridgeline. I set up and called a few times but he never reponded, so I moved on and as I worked my way along the ridge I actually saw him down in a clearing facing away from me. I set down and started to call and he gobbled back once but never got any closer and shut up after after about 20 minutes, never to be heard or seen again.
Now three weeks ago, I was able to call one in to about 100 yards before I think he saw me and decided to go seek other companionship. I got him to come in on a strut and gobbling to beat the band, but I was set up in a really bad spot and forgot my facemask at home, so I think he saw me (or saw something he didn't like) at 100 and he immediately calmed down and kept gobbling, but stayed 100-120 yards away as he walked around me and headed off down a different draw.
This is all just a really long way of asking two questions. First, should I have just stayed set up on those first birds and kept trying my luck? Second, do late season turkeys sometimes just get tired of chasing hens and show less interest in coming to my calls, or is it more likely that I'm just a bad caller and don't produce those sensual tones that get the toms all hot and bothered? My wife has already informed me that my turkey calling isn't sexy, so I'm willing to concede that the turkeys may not like it either. I'm calling with a diaphram and a box call and the only turkey that I've been able to really get to come in was responding to clucks and yelps on the mouth call.