Serious questions as season approaches!
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JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
First 2 long beards gets whacked
Oh you are right about the drumming, love to hear it, just after he's gobbled to me a few times… I do find it hard to stay put when they aren't gobbling.
Just me personally, I'd rather bump a couple of silent birds looking for that excited one… I just can't deer hunt them.
I do admire the patience of those that can wait out the silent ones…
Yeah I use to be a tournament fisherman… then a Turkey gobbled at me…
woodsman04
Well-Known Member
If I call a long beard up playing the game I shoot it. Whether it takes 2 hunts or 45. I'll still go with others if I get done
But I don't have many birds so it will be tough regardless.
But I don't have many birds so it will be tough regardless.
Atchman2
Well-Known Member
I wear those Walker Game Ears, you can hear a bug crawling in leaves with those things on!
I've talked to several guys who use some sort of hearing aids. The one thing they all said is they get a lot of noise distraction from all sounds being amplified, and they cannot decipher direction that good with game ears (muffs), aids, etc. I do not know if that is true for everyone, but a handful of guys have all told me that.
I'm the same. I'm 58, and until probably 5-6 years ago I had never heard it. I still have only heard it maybe 8-10 times, but the last one I was completely wrong on the direction.
I would've bet a lot of money it was straight in front of me. After a few seconds of not seeing anything, I slowly turned left and saw him and was able to take him.
Those that can hear drumming are cheating
!TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
I think "drumming" may be a sound that many hear, but if have never realized its source, it gets discounted as just some kind of non-descript background noise. First time I ever identified it, it was from an old Tom that slipped up behind me, and when he got within 10 feet of me, it seemed very loud, sending shivers up my spine. I was half expecting some gigantic Komodo dragon lizard to just grab me from behind.
Funny thing is, after that first time identifying the sound, again, more a "vibration" to me, I've since heard it about every year, often from multiple Toms in a single season. It's just not often hunters have a strutting Tom within a few feet of them, and that contributes to many having never identified this sound, maybe just discounting it as some distant low frequency hum.
My hearing is not as good as it once was, but I typically can hear one drumming within 35 yds or so if it's not windy. They will more often than not come up from behind you, as they seem to stay in the cover more, checking things out, before coming more out into the open. We tend to have our backs to the heavier cover, watching the more open areas in front of us. Sometimes they will just circle those areas, drumming.
Funny thing is, after that first time identifying the sound, again, more a "vibration" to me, I've since heard it about every year, often from multiple Toms in a single season. It's just not often hunters have a strutting Tom within a few feet of them, and that contributes to many having never identified this sound, maybe just discounting it as some distant low frequency hum.
My hearing is not as good as it once was, but I typically can hear one drumming within 35 yds or so if it's not windy. They will more often than not come up from behind you, as they seem to stay in the cover more, checking things out, before coming more out into the open. We tend to have our backs to the heavier cover, watching the more open areas in front of us. Sometimes they will just circle those areas, drumming.
That is exactly what happened to me, except he couldn't have been more than 5 steps behind me walking a logging road, and I was facing a field edge. When I felt it, I knew exactly what it was and was almost brought to tears that I had finally heard it. And, no, I did not get a shot.
Like most years I will hunt the last few days. I never hunt till my property owners and their guests have scored. By then many gobblers have gone silent (especially the old ones) and patience is your friend. I seldom hunt mornings myself finding mid day and afternoon a much more rewarding time to be in the woods. I have clients in Tennessee and Kentucky but never limit out in both states.
Atchman2
Well-Known Member
Well I am hearing impaired already. I normally can't wear my hearing aids and shoot, but I do "think" my hearing aids blank out when you fire.
My friend bought the game ears for me. You just have to mess with the volume. If you crank them all the way up, yes it is overwhelming. I hunt near the New River and when that bad boy is roaring, I have to turn them down. He bought the walkie talkie attachment for them too, so we can speak quietly. I love them. My grandkids run around the house wearing them. You can attach a jack to them and use them as headphones, if you take the walkie talkie off. I have been known when I am hog hunting or deer hunting, to run my phone into them and binge watch shows.
I think what I would do is to order them on Amazon and try them. If you don't like them, just send them back. I pretty much guarantee you will enjoy them. There are also lesser brands that work too, just not as well as the real ones. I have a few pairs of those too that I tried. They work okay, but the headset part on them isn't good. Not tried the ear plug version yet though.
Harold Money jr
Well-Known Member
I don't hear well but, I FEEL the drumming. It reminds me of hearing or feeling those bass systems in cars from like 100 yards away.
I will shoot the first two that come in.
As far drumming, I can remember the first time I heard it, and can't count the number of times I've used that sound to know there's a gobbler nearby and killed him. The first time I got caught waiting on a field edge for the birds to gobble and one pitched down from the ridge above me and landed smack in the middle of the field and started gobbling the moment he hit the ground. He was maybe 100 yards from me, but it was so dark still that I was able to step into the woods and basically fall down. In moments there were probably 30 hens and 5-6 more gobblers in front of me that had sailed from the ridge down to the field…sounded like F15's gliding down. Anyway, I was caught just laying there and all I could do was watch and listen. They got within a couple feet of my toes and I could hear every little squeak and pop the hens made and every drum the toms made. Two things I'll never forget are the number of terrible calls the hens made and the sound of drumming. Totally changed my perspective on calling, knowing I didn't have to be perfect, and hearing drumming opened up a whole new world.
As far drumming, I can remember the first time I heard it, and can't count the number of times I've used that sound to know there's a gobbler nearby and killed him. The first time I got caught waiting on a field edge for the birds to gobble and one pitched down from the ridge above me and landed smack in the middle of the field and started gobbling the moment he hit the ground. He was maybe 100 yards from me, but it was so dark still that I was able to step into the woods and basically fall down. In moments there were probably 30 hens and 5-6 more gobblers in front of me that had sailed from the ridge down to the field…sounded like F15's gliding down. Anyway, I was caught just laying there and all I could do was watch and listen. They got within a couple feet of my toes and I could hear every little squeak and pop the hens made and every drum the toms made. Two things I'll never forget are the number of terrible calls the hens made and the sound of drumming. Totally changed my perspective on calling, knowing I didn't have to be perfect, and hearing drumming opened up a whole new world.
I had a older gobbler come in behind me several years ago, he was drumming like John Bonham. I was set up at a huge oak tree. The oak was wider than me by quite a lot. I couldn't see him till he got around me and about 40 yards out in front. I killed him but, it seemed like 15 minutes or more
This will be the first time in 30yrs I will not buy a TN license….. Although I agree with the later start date it has pushed me out of the game in TN, at least for this season.
Joe2Kool
Well-Known Member
Won't change my strategy if I'm in the woods. Mature bird within 40 yards is a dead bird.
However, it will affect my hunting days. If I kill a bird early, I've got the April 22nd Oak Ridge hunt, so I won't hunt again until after that.
However, it will affect my hunting days. If I kill a bird early, I've got the April 22nd Oak Ridge hunt, so I won't hunt again until after that.
Duck dogn
Well-Known Member
I know I've always been honest but alot probably won't tag them at all with the online tagging jmho
