[turkeybuster]

How long will u wait on a bird if u call and he anserws but mills around for a bit

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[bluedog]

A lot depends on your "style" and what you enjoy doing. Many turkey hunters I know do not enjoy messing with a field bird. I will sometimes let them be and move on, but I have had some really fun hunts waiting on a tom. I just looked back at my write-ups on my last three gobblers. All were birds that responded to my calls but wouldn't come at first. Two were field birds and one was in the woods. The two field birds had hens with them and I'm not sure about the one in the woods but I suspect it did too. All toms gobbled eagerly at my calling but would not come (stupid hens in sight). So what do I do? I make sure I know the gobbler knows there is a willing hen (or hens using multiple calls). Then I set my call down for at least an hour (and usually take a nap). My last 3 gobblers came to my call on a string when I finally picked my call back up and I never moved from where I was sitting. Time of day was something like this according to my notes. My 2010 gobbler: first response to my call 8:15am, gobbler shot at 10:17am. The one before that: first response to call 7:30am, gobbler shot at 9:54am. The one before that: first response to call 9:45am, gobbler shot at 11:02am.

Like I said, some people cannot stand to sit in the same spot for a few hours, but it doesn't bother me. I have had this technique not work too, but I'm always surprised the number of times it does work.

I need to edit this to say that I have had this be successful more often later in the season. Of course I am here in the northern tundra and things are very different up here than in southern Ohio. It may work earlier down there? All of those birds I mentioned above were shot in the last 2 weeks of the season.

 

[turkeybuster]

Last year was my first year turk huntin and on the first day I had one probly 300 yards away gobblin and one more like half a mile away the crow flies and i had the one closer goin from 6:45 till 7:30 and moved at 8:50 I went back to the first spot an called twice and he gobbled back and I took him at 9:00am so I'm still new but have a good start there birds roosting in The same spot the one i killed last was so I'm goin to the same ridge

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[Turkeyfoot]

Good advice from Bluedog! Patience + patience = dead bird in many cases