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John's Journal... Entry 193, Day 3

HOW TO HUNT PUBLIC-LAND GOBBLERS

Less is More

EDITOR'S NOTE: Paul Butski of Niagara Falls, New York, hunts public lands in the North in his home state of New York and guides on private lands in the South during the early part of turkey season. According to Butski, public-land hunting for turkeys is altogether different from private-land hunting. This week he will tell us the differences between the two and the skills needed to bag that prize tom on your public land.

On private lands, I love to hear a tom gobbling from the roost. The more the bird gobbles, the more exciting the hunt is to me. However, on public lands, the less a turkey gobbles, the better your odds are for taking him. A mistake hunters often make on public lands is to overcall the tom while the turkey is on the roost. Besides running the risk of the gobbler's calling in other hunters, also on public lands, turkeys hear so much calling that the less you call while the bird is in the tree, the better your odds are for making that tom curious about where the hen is and why she does not come to him.

When Butski hears a turkey gobbling from the roost, he promptly makes a decision as to where the tom is and what is the fastest way to reach that turkey. He doesn't try to keep the bird gobbling on the roost once he hears him.

"If I've heard a turkey gobble, then more than likely another hunter has, too," Butski comments. "I want to reach that bird as soon as possible and take a stand about 100-yards from him before giving a light tree call. If the turkey gobbles back, I won't call to him any more while he's in the tree because he knows where I am, and I don't want him to gobble and call in other hunters."

The natural thing for a hen to do is to call back to the gobbler and go to him as soon as she flies off the roost. If a hen does not answer the tom or move toward him, the bird has a question mark in his mind. He is wondering whether or not the hen has found another sweetheart or what is causing her to not come to him. He thinks perhaps she is being flirtatious or coquettish. This curiosity often will cause a turkey to come to you quicker when he flies down from the roost on public lands than calling will. The gobbler assumes all he must do is show his fine self to the hen, and she will see the error of her ways. Butski has found that turkeys on public lands are called to so much - especially while in the tree - that often a gobbler will wise up to hunters' calling and remain in the tree until 8:00, 9:00 or even 10:00 a.m. before he flies down.

"Many times that turkey will stay in the tree and be silent, waiting to see a hen come in before he flies down," Butski mentions. "Since the turkey has shut up, most hunters will believe the bird has flown down and walked away from them. Then these hunters will walk into the roost site thinking the gobbler is not there and spook him off the roost."

However, once the tom hits the ground, Butski changes tactics. "Once the gobbler is on the ground on public-hunting lands, I want him to come to me as fast as I can get him there," Butski explains. "I call with plenty of fast, sharp cutting and yelps like an excited hen to get the tom fired-up and coming to me in a hurry. On private lands, often a hunter will quit calling and let the bird take his time to reach the spot where the sportsman wants to take the turkey. But on public lands, you must continue to call until you're sure the turkey is totally committed to coming to you."

TOMORROW: DEFENSIVE HUNTING

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about HOW TO HUNT PUBLIC-LAND GOBBLERS ...

Day 1 - The Occasional Disadvantages
Day 2 - How to Hunt Public Lands Effectively
Day 3 - Less is More
Day 4 - Defensive Hunting
Day 5 - Call To Turkeys, Not Another Hunter


John's Journal