Beware of leaves (deceiving gobble distance)

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bowmike
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Beware of leaves (deceiving gobble distance)

Unread postby bowmike » Fri May 24, 2013 1:34 am

Went out today to scout for Saturdays hunt with a friend. I got my bird last Saturday and just wanted to get some time scouting because evenings are family time. I went near where I got my bird ,but went down the opposite way where I have never been before. i was walking and calling and struck one that seemed about 150 yards out. I moved in about 50 yards and sat down. He was still answering and still on the roost so I figured i would set up in a thicket in front of me so i could escape when I had to leave for work undetected.

I sat down in the thicket and tried my go to, yelps then double gobble with tube. BOOM he hammered off. i wanted to see if the gobble call could really set him off since the bird i missed was very agrivated the other gobbler was near his hen and came in from 150-200 yards out to skip him, and the bird that i did harvest answered and came in with a hen to this call.

I hammered the gobble call again and started cutting. It was too much for this gobbler. He flew down and landed about 50 yards out. Even when i could see him, his gobble sounded double the distance away that he was because of the thick leaves. I got to watch a strut show for about 25 minutes before i slipped out of there. This bird was not spooky of the gobble call and continued to combat every time I would gobble, even at 30 yards away. It was a neat display and awesome to get to hear so many gobbles in one "hunt". I would not suggest this when you are actually hunting them, but it was awsome to have a gobble war.

I slipped out and made my way out. i called again at 70 yards and he answered so I knew i got out undetected. I will be taking a buddy in this area on saturday but I don't think I am going to use the gobble call. I will be setting up about 80 yards from where he flew out just on the outside of a clearing that I am imagining is his strutting area.

Just wanted to bring up a point that your ears can really deceive you once there is full foliage. If you hit a bird that sounds 100 yards away he may actually be a lot closer than you think. You may want to set up quicker than normal in the late season, for this reason.

Did I say i am really mad at myself for not getting a second tag

i took a video of this whole ordeal but just as I was going to cut it off, my phone died. I check and it did not save. I was really hoping to upload this to let you guys hear this longbeard hammering at the gobble call. I also learned not to set up directly in a thicket. This bird did not want to walk through it at all to come and get to his hen, unless he thought I was a more dominate gobbler. Really cool scouting trim and reassuring to hear one so off so much being this late in the game. Don't give up guys they are still at it!


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Re: Beware of leaves (deceiving gobble distance)

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Fri May 24, 2013 3:56 am

Cool experience and good point on the leaves. I was just noticing the other day that their gobbles weren't nearly as loud as they were a month ago.

Do t know where your located, but here in SW Michigan, the Toms are quicker to respond to a gobble than they are purs, clucks and yelps. If I hammer the gobble call, they are running in and looking to scrap. Which is wierd to me because it seams as though they would be running to the hen calls given most of the hens are nested.

I wonder if they are doing the reverse psychology trick on me.............:/

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Re: Beware of leaves (deceiving gobble distance)

Unread postby Stanley » Fri May 24, 2013 4:00 am

Cool.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Beware of leaves (deceiving gobble distance)

Unread postby bowmike » Fri May 24, 2013 4:11 am

http://youtu.be/MCrR4ZxKljw

Here is the link. Really tough to hear on pc. Something got lost in translation. gobbles are at 0:24, 0:54, and 1:32. Flydown is at 1:57 and is the goofy chicken clucking sound, but it was the bird hitting the ground. Had I known he was still in tree i would not have been calling so much. I cant see him in the video but he would be just to the left of the 6 o clock location.

Pardon my terrible calling but it worked as I could have easily smoked him for about 20 minutes after this video was made. Please feel free to give me your input on what you would or would not have done. I guess no matter what we can break down with the calling, the bottom line was it worked well would have worked if I would have bought the other tag. my call came apart from the meltal and I lost the raspyness of the call >:-( He strutted back and forth. Once he turned the other way i snuck out.

I think when i started to pur is when he lost control and flew down. Pretty cool experience. i hope to take my handy cam out on saturday to film.
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Re: Beware of leaves (deceiving gobble distance)

Unread postby Brandon » Wed May 29, 2013 8:18 am

Good point... and I can add to it.

I turkey hunt a lot and Ive noticed a few things about gobbles... not all birds gobble as long, as loud and may even sound different. Ive seen longbeards choke... sound like a jake or scream and have barely anything come out.

The foilage does slow the sound down, but it can also be the particular birds gobble... or that he is facing the other direction. Ive bumped a lot of birds I thought were far... and they werent.

Good post!
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Re: Beware of leaves (deceiving gobble distance)

Unread postby Uncle Lou » Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:19 am

Excellent post about leaves being acoustical buffers. I have been saying this for a long time to deer treestand hunters as well. Those leaves in Sept. and early Oct. hide sound (not just sight). When those leaves drop it is a whole different scene in the stand with managing noise.
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