L_S_2015_04_

146 Louisiana Sportsman^ | April 2015

The challenge in turkey hunting is that every tom is dif-

ferent in the way it responds to a call, and this is where

the fun begins.

Yes, there are those classic hunts during which a tom

gobbles in response to your calling, and comes right in

and says, “Shoot me” — and then there are those hunts

where the gobbler hangs up and says, “I am not coming

to you, so what are you going to do?”

Gobblers that have the audacity to hang up and play the

waiting game can sometimes be lured in by leaving the

spot you are calling from and walking away.

Call from another location, and then quickly go back to the first

location and wait for the bird to move up.

Sometimes gobblers play the silent game, refusing to announce

they are nearby.

If you suspect this is what has happened to a tom that was

gobbling, the best thing to do is stay put and wait it out — often

the first move you make to relocate results in a loud putt and a

gobbler running or flying off.

The fun and challenge of hunting turkeys is to go one on one

against them.

Many novice hunters will get a veteran hunter to take them out

and call up a bird to shoot. I really don’t recommend doing this

because it will take away from the thrill of the hunting experi-

ence – calling in a wild tom and then bagging it.

While you might not have immediate success, when it does

happen you will be ushered into the membership of that elite

group known as the Tenth Legion.

This will not happen if all you do is just pull the trigger.

If you do hunt with another hunter make it sure both hunters

have the ability to call and participate in the entire hunt.

— David Moreland

What if a gobbler

hangs up?

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(5263)

A tom strutting in February should mean

some breeding will be going on soon.