Need some help my hunt brothers

[Atchman2]

Well this is the fifth year I've hunted this area. My partner owns the farm and I have access to the one next to it. The last two mornings have really had the only nice weather so far this year. It has either been very cold or wet.

This morning I got there plenty early and it was the first morning I've heard the turkeys gobble on the roost. The other days have been silent. I still have not heard them gobble on the ground-not even once.

This morning I setup where the yellow "X" appears in the picture.
The reason why is on Saturday they landed where the orange "2" appears and then moved along that path and just vanished! Not sure where they even went. That morning I was setup where the Blue "X2" is located. The reasoning is I've seen them fly down twice to that corner and hoped to be waiting for them. Well they've changed it up now.

So this morning I'm sitting at the yellow "X" and they flew down where the red "T" is located! I thought I should have moved a little closer to the creek. There are a couple of round bails near there, but it was so dark and foggy I couldn't find them. The entire area is swampy ground.

To give you and even bigger key, the area left of the "X" is all swamp. To the top of the "X" there is a small seasonal stream that flows when there is lots of water. It is fed by a spring up near the edge of the woods. To the bottom of the screen is a LARGE creek, so big you can't cross it without a bridge or boat. It flows all along those treelines to the south of the "X".

This morning I setup with two hen decoys and my Killer B. They were about 20 yards away from me and facing the blind. The turkeys flew down near the red "T" and then worked their way along the creek. Currently the field has very short grass as it has been eaten down by the cows and horses (I hates them).

When they landed they paid no attention to my decoys at all and just started moving along the creek with two or three gobblers following behind them. I think there are ten hens and three gobblers, but again it is a little foggy there sometimes.

The turkeys kept moving to where it says "Jims". I reached down for a cracker and looked up and they were all gone! They flew across the creek! I expected them to turn around and head back towards me, but they left. I'm not sure if they saw me, but I was on my knees in the blind and couldn't see out at all.

These gobblers won't leave the hens and won't respond to calling at all. So my questions:

1) Should I just drop the blind and decoys and find a nice tree along the creek to lean against?
2) Could I be calling too much? I mean the only sounds I've heard is the gobblers on the roost and the dominate hen making a "cut". That is all the noise they've made.
3) Is it still too early in the year for these gobblers because of the weather? It doesn't look like they are actually mating, just following behind the hens.
4)They roost up on the hill near the "T". Should I borrow a boat or something and figure out a way across the creek? I mean they fly down into this field every morning to strut, so I'm guessing I'm fine where I'm at.

I could sure use some help! I'm feeling pretty pathetic since I've seen turkeys every time I've been here, but haven't gotten them to within even a hundred yards yet.

 

[SAB2]

It looks like both days they headed towards the creek so I would be setup facing the field in the trees by the creek.

 

[TENN.BOY]

Take me with ya and i will show ya !!Just kidding,you better have your calling game face on to pull those gobblers away from their hens 1st thing in the morning even with your decoys out,You might try going back at mid day and setting up when some of the hens are going on nest and catch them out trolling by theirselves

 

[J-WO]

You might try going back at mid day and setting up when some of the hens are going on nest and catch them out trolling by theirselves

x2. Those hens will leave them mid day more than likely. Sleep in and get after them around 10-11.

 

[woodsman87]

1)I would probably get rid of decoys, and not neccesarily the blind, but I wouldn't put it in the middle of the field, from the looks of the arial photo you posted, it looks like you sit in the middle of the field. Get a tree along the creek or woods and lean agains it and use your blind if you like. If you have seen them in that field enough you should be able to get lucky and have one in range eventually.
2) If you think you have been calling too much, back off some. I try not to call to a gobbler if he can see where I am calling from, because he can see that there is no hen there, but I don't use decoys either.
3) It isn't too early for them around here, they are breeding. Those hens have probably already been bred, but they will continue to mate until they start setting. They can hold on to the sperm for around 20 days. I hunt in south mid TN and north AL, so the timing is probably different if you are a good ways from here. I do not think they have started "nesting" in my area, but I have seen a few single hens, which means they are close to nesting, and a few of them are. They will lay 1 egg a day until their clutch is complete, which is probaly 12 or so eggs. They will then go to "setting." Around my place this is usually about April 20-25. That is when hens are setting almost all day and night on their nest, only getting up to eat, drink, and turn her eggs. This is the best time IMO, if the gobblers aren't spooked and call shy, to call them up. They start gobbling before daylight, fly down when it is nearly still dark, cover lots of ground, and gobble alot and if aren't call shy come to a call pretty regularly. Whenever you start seeing hens single hens on a regular basis in the same spots means that they are nesting or setting, and the gobblers ought to be pretty killable.

4)If you have been seeing them literally every morning in that field then there is no way I would get a boat to cross, especially if they are flying straight from the tree to the field. I wouldn't expect that to last long though. I bet when the gobbler breeds every hen in that area, and they start to leave him, he will not be very patternable anymore, moving alot, covering ground, looking for any hen.
If you see them out there every day, pending they do not change their patterns before next few times you hunt, you should get him. Alot of people want do this, but you may have to hunt him like a deer. Sit on the edge of that field and maybe one day he will get close enough to shoot.
Good luck to you

 

[woodsman87]

Also like the others said, when them hens go to nesting leaving the gobblers at 8-9 o'clock, get out there then and see if you can find him alone.

 

[tickweed]

I dont believe the hens are leaving the gobblers yet. They are roosting together, gobblin a little on the limb, flying down and shutting up. There are several phases turkeys go thru every spring, and this is the beginning one. Dont worry, your best chance right now is ambush, get in front of the group if possible. If a gobbler does gobble much on the ground, a hen is going to run to him. Time is what it will take. The best is still three weeks at least out. Good luck

 

[KANATI McD]

Take a buddy and put him where yo usually set up. You set up opposite of him across field. When he calls the hens will lead the gobblers away from his calling and possibly walk right past you. All you need to do is sit and wait, scratching the leaves with hands every now and then.

 

[Atchman2]

One of the things that didn't even occur to me is that they can SEE ME setup! I mean there are no leaves yet here and I can hear them gobbling when I walk into the field. That means they are awake. Pretty sure that is always why they seem to be 200 or more yards away from me.

The thing I may try next is to get there even earlier and sneak around the edge of the creek. I'll just take the minimum amount of stuff as not to cause any noise or motion.

 

[woodsman87]

If you get there when it is still dark they can't see you. If I know where a turkey is a certain morning, I get in there way before light.

 

[KANATI McD]

If you get there when it is still dark they can't see you. If I know where a turkey is a certain morning, I get in there way before light.

X2^^^^^^^^

And if your walking down the field, I wouldnt use a light.

 

[Atchman2]

Though there isn't a light tonight, I'm hunting very close to Knoxville. The glow of the city lights illuminates the field enough that I don't really need a light to navigate. However, if I'm looking for detail (like the round bails), I do need a light to see them unless I just stumble into them.