Silent Toms

[jharris870]

For the last few years, the birds at my property have hardly gobbled at all. I've tried crow calls, owl hoots, gobbling, and all kinds of other calling to try and get a reaction to no avail. This will be my last season getting to turkey hunt in Tennessee because I move to Southern Alabama for work in June, so I want to make this year count. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the birds to be more vocal?

 

[megalomaniac]

The number one correlating factor to lack of gobbling amount/ frequency is hunter pressure. Not sure if that is your local issue.

I really did not enjoy turkey hunting in MS the first decade and a half after I moved here because I was so spoiled hunting in middle TN where the birds where MUCH more vocal and there were so many more birds available to hunt. It was nothing to watch a bird gobble back at me through binoculars 800 yards away and not even be able to hear the gobble.

What I've found out now in MS where birds gobble less frequently is that they will often never respond to owl hoots, crow calls, or even hen yelps unless you are within their bubble...say 75 to 100 yards. Once you are within their bubble, they actually seem to gobble almost as much as my TN birds.

Get used to it... that's the way its going to be in south AL as well

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Depends where you're hunting. Where I am, you don't hear any gobbling because there aren't any turkeys around.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

With rare individual exceptions, turkeys gobble when the season is right, though I've never found a way to predict which days they gobble and which days they'll be quiet. If I had a farm that was relatively gobbleless for an entire season, I would surmise that there just aren't many turkeys there. Unfortunately, I've seen that trend on more than one farm in the last few years.

 

[jharris870]

The number one correlating factor to lack of gobbling amount/ frequency is hunter pressure. Not sure if that is your local issue.

I really did not enjoy turkey hunting in MS the first decade and a half after I moved here because I was so spoiled hunting in middle TN where the birds where MUCH more vocal and there were so many more birds available to hunt. It was nothing to watch a bird gobble back at me through binoculars 800 yards away and not even be able to hear the gobble.

What I've found out now in MS where birds gobble less frequently is that they will often never respond to owl hoots, crow calls, or even hen yelps unless you are within their bubble...say 75 to 100 yards. Once you are within their bubble, they actually seem to gobble almost as much as my TN birds.

Get used to it... that's the way its going to be in south AL as well

The turkeys don't really get pressured at our property because during turkey season it's not uncommon for us to not even see them. But I know they're there because we can't get away from them during deer season. A few years ago I stopped at our property for a minute just to check the fields (I wasn't there to hunt. Didn't even have a gun with me) and called a little from the top of the hill and I immediately to two gobbles that were really close.

With rare individual exceptions, turkeys gobble when the season is right, though I've never found a way to predict which days they gobble and which days they'll be quiet. If I had a farm that was relatively gobbleless for an entire season, I would surmise that there just aren't many turkeys there. Unfortunately, I've seen that trend on more than one farm in the last few years.

I would think the same thing if it wasn't for the tons of birds we see during deer season.

 

[megalomaniac]

The turkeys don't really get pressured at our property because during turkey season it's not uncommon for us to not even see them. But I know they're there because we can't get away from them during deer season. A few years ago I stopped at our property for a minute just to check the fields (I wasn't there to hunt. Didn't even have a gun with me) and called a little from the top of the hill and I immediately to two gobbles that were really close.


I would think the same thing if it wasn't for the tons of birds we see during deer season.

Don't assume the birds are even there during the spring because there are dozens during deer season. If you don't have good nesting habitat, you don't have hens in the spring. If you don't have hens, you don't have toms.

One of my farms is covered up with turkeys from summer through February... then they all leave just before nesting.

 

[TheLBLman]

The number one correlating factor to lack of gobbling amount/ frequency is hunter pressure.

Agree, and would add to this (typically still related to that hunting pressure):

1) More adult gobblers (longbeards) per hen = more gobbling, typically a lot more gobbling, especially when there are high numbers of the most vocal "young & dumb" 2-yr-old Toms.

2) Older Toms tend to gobble less than younger ones.
But if you have a good number of longbeards, they all tend to gobble more regardless of age.

Back when TN had a 2-bird limit, I believe much of the reason there was so much more gobbling was because we had a higher ratio of male birds to female birds.

 

[TheLBLman]

Don't assume the birds are even there during the spring because there are dozens during deer season.

One of my farms is covered up with turkeys from summer through February... then they all leave just before nesting.

So true.
Many of my better turkey hunting areas often have few turkeys in them during deer season, and areas covered up with big flocks during deer season often have very few if any turkey come spring.

Also, they will often travel several miles from a wintering to a nesting area. It's not just "another" or an adjoining farm, but can be many miles.

 

[catman529]

If you're seeing them during deer season and not seeing them during turkey season, then you're probably not hearing em gobble because they're not there.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

So true.
Many of my better turkey hunting areas often have few turkeys in them during deer season, and areas covered up with big flocks during deer season often have very few if any turkey come spring.

Also, they will often travel several miles from a wintering to a nesting area. It's not just "another" or an adjoining farm, but can be many miles.

^^ This. And this isn't rare or unique. It's very common. Turkeys look for one thing in the fall and something different in the spring so they often use different properties in different seasons. There is some pretty informative GPS tracking data out there demonstrating this. Dr. Mike Chamberlain (UGA) posts about it fairly often on various social media platforms.

 

[Remington700]

Many have covered the reasons for turkeys not to gobble.
Last year I heard less gobbles than I ever had. Do not really know why. They would gobble a few times on the roost and that was it.
One place I hunt they stopped once the pressure began. Birds where still there and just off the beaten path, just silent.
One place I hunt they just do not gobble. They will hit it on the roost and a few times once on the ground. Then do not expect to hear them the rest of the day. There is not much pressure just do not gobble.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

MDWFP - The Life and Times of Fall Turkeys

www.mdwfp.com

"One of the most common statements voiced by turkey hunters is, "I saw turkeys all winter during deer season, but I can't find them during spring." The reason for this complaint is simple: the birds focus on different habitats at different times during the year. Throughout the spring and summer, turkeys spend a large proportion of their time around fields and open woods which contain low-growing grassy and weedy vegetation. However, the changing seasons marks a time of transition for most turkey populations. The insects, seeds, and leafy vegetative growth that sustained the birds throughout the summer in open areas begin to decline as the days grow shorter. At the same time, more hard and soft mast becomes available throughout mature forests. In many areas, this disparity causes a dramatic shift in the home ranges of turkeys. Beginning in September, turkeys begin to gradually reduce their use of open habitats, and shift their ranges into areas of mature forests. Home range shifts of up to several miles are not uncommon, though the distance that turkeys will move often depends on the success of the acorn crop and the proximity of mature forests. By early November, the birds will spend nearly all of their time within mature woods, and they will remain there until late February."

 

[TheLBLman]

I believe there is also an evolutionary component to our experiencing less gobbling.

Individual birds that inherently tended to gobble more have been killed by predators (all, including human ones), while those birds more inherently "silent" have been able to pass on their genes at a higher rate.

Over the past few years, I've several times heard a bird gobble, then see a bobcat or coyote just come out of nowhere heading towards the sound. Strutting gobblers, particularly the vocal ones, can be especially vulnerable to being killed by coyotes, bobcats, and believe it or not, bald eagles.

 

[megalomaniac]

I believe there is also an evolutionary component to our experiencing less gobbling.

Individual birds that inherently tended to gobble more have been killed by predators (all, including human ones), while those birds more inherently "silent" have been able to pass on their genes at a higher rate.

Over the past few years, I've several times heard a bird gobble, then see a bobcat or coyote just come out of nowhere heading towards the sound. Strutting gobblers, particularly the vocal ones, can be especially vulnerable to being killed by coyotes, bobcats, and believe it not, bald eagles.

The biggest loudmouths get smashed off the limb in the dark by owls. The majority of GPS tracked adult males killed by predators fall to the big owls right before and during early season according to Dr. Chamberlain

 

[TheLBLman]

Yep. And think about the huge increase in the number of raptors over the past decade or so.

Owls seem to mainly kill roosted birds, but I've seen them specifically targeting young poults (on the ground) during mid-day as well. Also, one of the more prolific turkey killers is the small Cooper's hawk, which can just quickly wipe out a hen's entire flock of young poults. IMO, the Cooper's hawk has played a significant role in the near extinction of bobwhite quail in Middle TN.

 

[woodsman04]

Just because they there during deer season doesn't mean that they are there during spring. As others stated, they will travel several miles, 20-30 in some cases, to their nesting areas.

Another Major factor is probably hunting pressure. They get used to people calling at them no matter what kind of call it is.
If you plan to hunt south alabama, be prepared to hear even less gobbling. They gobble so little down there sometimes it isn't even fun.

 

[Setterman]

If you're seeing them during deer season and not seeing them during turkey season, then you're probably not hearing em gobble because they're not there.

This is so true. Also what you're dealing

 

[PatBoCam]

I believe there is also an evolutionary component to our experiencing less gobbling.

Individual birds that inherently tended to gobble more have been killed by predators (all, including human ones), while those birds more inherently "silent" have been able to pass on their genes at a higher rate.

Over the past few years, I've several times heard a bird gobble, then see a bobcat or coyote just come out of nowhere heading towards the sound. Strutting gobblers, particularly the vocal ones, can be especially vulnerable to being killed by coyotes, bobcats, and believe it not, bald eagles.

I had a bobcat stalk up on to me last year not l 5 min after I let out the first few yelps of the morning. It was a smaller one but got to about two yards away and we had a stare off for about 20 seconds before I made some noise and it ran off. Puckered up the old brown eye pretty good though. It absolutely was coming to what it thought was a turkey.

 

[GOODWIN]

Speaking of silent toms. What's your best approach to kill one that does go silent?

 

[Southern Sportsman]

Speaking of silent toms. What's your best approach to kill one that does go silent?

If I ever kill one that really goes quiet, it's because I take a nap after he goes quiet and he happens to be close when I wake up.