Toms with hens

[Benelli Southpaw]

So this Sunday morning we caught a big tom out in a 30 acre field or so with 9 hens, we tried to call him over but only succeeded in watching him just strut around for about an hour, with him never getting close enough to us, they didn't know we were there, but how do you get him to come off the hens? do you wait, or set up decoys if you can?? any help would be nice.

[FloridaHunter]

There is no hope, unless you call the hens to you, but even then most of the time the hens come sit in your lap and the gobbler just struts around just out of range. You have to wait untill later in the season when the gobblers are henless and are cruising around befor you can really call them in.

[popapi]

Originally posted by FloridaHunter:
There is no hope, unless you call the hens to you, but even then most of the time the hens come sit in your lap and the gobbler just struts around just out of range. You have to wait untill later in the season when the gobblers are henless and are cruising around befor you can really call them in.

Well said.

[birdman]

Although I've hunted upland game birds for most of my life, I'm considering this Turkey Hunting insanity! I've chosen the Benelli Nova as the best 12 gauge my money can buy but now for the really difficult part.....how to get started and where to begin. I can find little in the way of useful web sites and don't have the inclination to spend money on books. Anyone have some great web sites that can help a beginning hunter get a good start?

[turkeycalln]

There is hope Benelli Southpaw. Just sit and wait and watch the tom's routine. Have a friend sit in the woods a little farther back that way the if the hens in come hen they will pass you and sit in your friends lap and the tom will be in range for you. A lot of time the tom will leave those hens in the middle of the day in search of other hens. Something else you can try is to sound like another gobbler to make the tom think that another tom is coming in to take his hens away. Kinda like rattleing antlers in the rut sort of spreak. Just be careful and know who is hunting around you in the same area.

[Sidewinder]

I have found sitting tight and watching works out as well, about 9 o'clock the hens are gonna head out feed dust or roost, and Mr. lonely will be real eager to find a new girl friend. Year before last a friend and I watched two large toms with a a harem of hens from about 7 to 8:50, I had enough and wanted to call it quits, but my friend said hold tight a little longer. Sure enough, about ten min. later we see the hens heading out, and the toms going the other way! So we haul butt, and circle back to the way they are heading and get set up. Five yelps, three thunderous gobbles, two charging Toms, two booms, and we were on our way home with a 9 1/2" and a 11" set of beards. Patience pays off.

[Benelli Southpaw]

Thanks for the advice guys, I watched the bird for about 45 minutes to an hour and he hever got within 100 steps at all. My buddy went back the next weekend though and got one with an 11' beard and the guy he took missed the other. But that tom is still there and hopefully i can get him later, i haven't had time to go in the last 2 weeks.

[turkeycalln]

birdman:You can get all kinds of how to's and what not from tv, books, and sites. But the best thing to do is practice your calling and get out there and try it. I am a self taught turkey hunter and I' ve made plenty of mistakes in the past and still had success. So always keep learning. For me personially, its easier to learn from experience. Heres a couple of sites that might help. www.turkeyhunting.com and www.nwtf.com (national wild turkey federation)