When do you decide to sit and be still to call?

[VTbowman]

Just wondering how far you can push it to close the distance?

I had a situation this morning where some birds hung up but they sounds very close.

I could not see them due to thickets and stuff but I had no idea if they could see me if I were to move.

When do you sit and be still once you hear a gobble?

How close I guess is a better way to ask...???

[HuntnMa]

Re: When do you decide to sit and be still to call?

if the bird was hanging up, i would of tried to move a hair closer, crawl if need be...it's the only reason i got that first bird this season.he was hung up, i moved, didnt have anything to lose, he wasnt coming in...so once i moved, i sat down and clucked one time, just so he knew i was there....boom there he was, lol........it was awesome....just go with your gut....you'll figure it out soon enough, youll be able to tell how close the gobbler is by his gobble...

[VTbowman]

Re: When do you decide to sit and be still to call?

Well I got as far as the posted signs would allow.

Maybe a few trees inside. LOL

(jk)

The terrain is a fairly steep hill they came over and looped across. Its very thick with tree dead falls from long past ice storms, cedars, and underbrush so it was not a straight run for them by any means.. However I was at the bottom of this "hill" and its got its share of gulleys and depressions too. Typicall Vermont terain. If a farmer can not turn it into a hay field then it must be a rocky mountian. LOL

I think the terrain beat me more then anything.

I have never hear turkeys fired up like they were.

That alone had my heart pumping and it made using the mouth call hard since I was breathing hard. LOL

Very exciting.

They could of been less then 20 yards away in an unseen gulley or depresion, I swear they were on top of me by the sound hitting my chest..

I have always been proactive minded when hunting deer so turkey will be no different for me..

Thanks

[Rhino]

Re: When do you decide to sit and be still to call?

Shawn it really depends on the amount of cover you have to hide your movement. Besides using brush or thickets to move, sometimes you can use shallow drains or get on the off side of a hill or ridge to move around to get in position if you're in fairly open country. When you reach a point just before you think there's a chance the bird can see you, you're close enough. Sometimes that's 150 to 250 yards but it could be 75 yards or less too. Just depends on the terrain and cover. Just remember, the closer you try to get, the greater the risk of getting busted.

If that thicket where you had the birds hung up on the other side blocked them from seeing you, you probably could have moved. Of course the closer they are to you the easier it is for you and them to see through small gabs in that kind of thicket. Like HuntnMa mentioned that's when crawling is necessary. You probably could have crawled back to try to get around the thicket to work them through a area easier for them to travel through. They're not hardly going to go through a thicket. I'm in belly crawling situations every spring. Mater of fact several times this year including my Texas hunt. You just do what you have to do to get where you need to be to work a bird in.

As a general rule of thumb you want to choose a place to set up where it's fairly easy for the bird to get to you. If there's a thicket, put it to your back. Also try to either be at the same elevation or above the turkeys too.

[jbeck]

Re: When do you decide to sit and be still to call?

Good luck figureing this one out, I've hunted alot of years and I still wonder if I should move or not.

[need2hunt]

Re: When do you decide to sit and be still to call?

Well Rhino pretty much said it. The only other bit of advice I'll give is if you have birds come in good but then hang up, the next time you try to hunt them try to set up in the spot they hung up at. I've killed a few birds by doing that.

Oops... LOL I just read your other post, When the birds are on the other side of a posted sign then it's not a good idea to set up where they were

[VTbowman]

Re: When do you decide to sit and be still to call?

I guess I was thiking that any time now they are gona pop over that little hill...

I honestly did not think of belly crawling but then again I had jsut worked a night shift and my thinker was a bit loopy.. LOL

[pointing_dogs_rule]

Re: When do you decide to sit and be still to call?

I approach this delemia in a slightly different manner. Instead of going closer I will often relocate to another side of the birds. Stay the same distance from the birds however, move to the back side or 90 degreees. This will often peak their interest. Maybe where you are currently at "scares" them. Relocate to where they might feel more comfortable yet stay away from them so you do not spook them.

Good luck to all

the dog

[huntinguide]

Re: When do you decide to sit and be still to call?

here in okla we try to close the distance as much as we can. We use the terrain to move and stalk the birds. Sometimes we can get within 10 yards of the birds and them have no idea. Here we can see the birds so we know when they are spooked and when they are relaxed.