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Pressured birds

deerhunter93

deerhunter93

Well-Known Member
Anyone have advice for pressured birds? I've been able to see toms every hunt but nothing wants to come within 70 yards. This morning I had a tom and 3 jakes go by at 150 yards then I pulled my jake decoy and the tom walked back by at 100 but showed no interest. Both properties I hunt boarder public land so I know the birds get hunted some. They seem call/decoy/blind shy but I don't know how else to do it with a bow.

Every year I try to bow hunt I tell myself I'm grabbing the shotgun the next year.haha

Is there anything wrong with my setup? Should I try more of a "run and bow" approach and hunt them like I do when I have a shotgun?

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One thing I'd try if I was you is move your blind closer to the woods so turkeys can't skyline it. In the past I never had much luck with hilltop or out in the wide open sets birds would stay out of range(I know they happen though and have pulled off a few that way myself). Pressure is a weird thing...I kilt one out of a pair of fired up toms Friday with the shotgun and on Sunday my dad shot the other bird with the exact same location. That bird was way more cautious this time and required a 37 yard shot. I think people walking around constantly and 4 wheelers are the best way to mess up a turkey woods.

Another thing is if your dealing with older birds they tend to like to stay with their hens or have hens come to them while strutting by themselves. Give me a couple two year olds any day to make me look good.
 
IAtaxidermist said:
One thing I'd try if I was you is move your blind closer to the woods so turkeys can't skyline it. In the past I never had much luck with hilltop or out in the wide open sets birds would stay out of range.
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Pretty much every time I hunt from a blind it would be sky-lined so that's one thing to try.
 
It's less difficult to call birds if they tend to want to go that way anyways...move closer to their natural travel route.
 
I don't want to take over your thread but wondering the same. I've had birds stay out on multi occasions. The strangest was the other day then I was set up on natural movement, had 3 toms gobblin like crazy followed by 3 jakes come by and not one cared about my single hen decoy. I know they saw the deke, must be obviously fake looking. They just kept walking at the same pace

Sent from my XT1030 using IW
 
It's all about catching them in the right mood. I wouldn't over think it too much. There are days that they walk straight away from the live hens. And then other days they would chase a black garbage bag across a field.

They're just birds, and you have most the battle won by knowing what they do. I do think the biggest mistake people make is allowing the birds to watch them walk in, or see the decoys from the trees. I think they just avoid them then.

I would sit my blind on top of a gravel road if that's where the birds are going, I don't think they give a rip about a blind anywhere.
 
Agreed turkeys could care less about a blind as long as they are not shiny or flapping in the wind. try to set up in a known strutting area that you know the birds frequent often. Dont let the birds watch you set up the blind and decoys. and last as someone mentioned they have to be in the right mood. I bank more on location location location and do very little calling.
 
Why is your blind in the middle of a field? That right there might be your problem, hide it along a timber edge or pasture. I sometimes put mine in a fence-like up against a small tree or two then brush it in.

Pressured birds don't like blinds that are sky-lined in my experience. Or weren't there the day before. If I sky-line my blind (I at least put it up against a small tree now) I try to leave it in the exact same spot as my morning sit during the afternoon or if I move in the afternoon leave it there for the morning. Not an expert turkey killer like some of the guys on the forum ;)
 
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scottonbuck said:
Agreed turkeys could care less about a blind as long as they are not shiny or flapping in the wind. try to set up in a known strutting area that you know the birds frequent often. Dont let the birds watch you set up the blind and decoys. and last as someone mentioned they have to be in the right mood. I bank more on location location location and do very little calling.
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I know what I was doing wrong, I would call to them when they would see the decoys. I found out if you don't call to them they'll get curious, if they get hung up at 100 yards call to them once every 10-15 minutes and they come in. Someone taught me that this year. Works like a charm! If they have hens most of the time the hens will get curious too.
 
Keep doing what you are doing deerhunter93 if its going to happen it will. Just never give up.
 
Birds don't care about open field sets. Period.




Perhaps you're calling too much, just be patient. Keep at it.
 
gundog870 said:
It's all about catching them in the right mood. I wouldn't over think it too much. There are days that they walk straight away from the live hens. And then other days they would chase a black garbage bag across a field.

They're just birds, and you have most the battle won by knowing what they do. I do think the biggest mistake people make is allowing the birds to watch them walk in, or see the decoys from the trees. I think they just avoid them then.

I would sit my blind on top of a gravel road if that's where the birds are going, I don't think they give a rip about a blind anywhere.
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100% agree. Skyline will never hurt you. I killed a Tom Sunday that stayed at 40 yards for almost 3 hours. Then about 1 o'clock came right in. Flap will kill you but other than that its just their mood. I woukd keep moving around and give them different looks but best thing you can do is just stay after them:)
 
Thanks for the advice and encouragement!

I don't think I am calling too much but maybe I'll cut that back even more. I'll keep at it and hopefully get my first turkey with a bow this season! I plan to keep using the jake and hen decoys together - good or bad idea?
 
Call very very sparingly, clucks, purrs, scratching on the ground. Dont worry at all about where your blind is set up. Ive never encountered a turkey that has given a hoot about a blind. An older bird has already played the game a few times and knows how it works... he gobbles on the roost, flys down and the ladies go to him.
More often than not it takes the right mood like others have mentioned for that bird to abandon the biology of it all and go seek a hen. Using a lone hen decoy doesnt have a high success rate for me, it has caused birds to hang up and expect the hen to go to him.
I used to think i was pretty good at killing turkeys, and maybe I was. But when i switched to dave smith decoys 4-5 yrs ago i found out that those decoys are way better at killing turkeys, something about that jake just drives them crazy.
Great decoys and patience, my dad always says that patience will kill more turkeys than anything and hes usually right
 
If I am in a spot where I know birds will show up I do not call much. I will go to typically the highest point in the field and set up there. That is usually where they seem to end up. I stay away from field edges. I spent the first 10 years gun hunting on a field edge and watching countless turkeys for hours in the highest point in the field. Another good spot to set up is the shortest spot from timber to timber. If a big draw or something comes out into the field and directly across the field is another timber they will usually either go to or come from the draw.

In my opinion, movement is key for decoys as well as high quality decoys. Especially movement on the jake. If the decoys are not moving on pressured birds, they usually don't come in near as often from my experience. What sold me on it is one day on the last day of 4th season I set up on some gobbling birds. Three strutters came out in the field at 70 yards and strutted awhile and then came all the hens.

I had movement on my strutter decoy at the time but the rope was hung up on a corn stalk therefore I could not make it move. The birds strutted about a half hour then followed the hens away from me. The birds went in a small dip in the field about 300 yards away and I picked up my blind and walked about 3 yards to fix the rope to get it to move.

When they popped up the other side, I cut real loud and they all looked and I spun my decoy to face them. All three ran as fast as they could in to 10 yards. I wish I could say it had a happy ending but I was having a bad day and missed two with my bow. This was on public ground. Still can't believe it.

Since then, I set my decoys up with movement and am highly confident if I get a bird out in a field within 100-150 yards. He is coming in. You don't even have to call. I also use the dave smith jake and it has been a game changer.
 
Don't know if this will help you or not, but... I hunt public land every year & these birds here are very educated. They've seen & heard it all. I have watched them run away at the sight of a decoy many times. Even if they spot the decoys from far away. They could care less about a blind no matter if it's out in the open or brushed in. I don't even use a blind anymore, just sit by a tree & don't move. Mid to late season toms don't respond to calls, the hens respond & come in every time but the tom stays put or runs away. The only way I've found to get one is to either stalk one in a group that's busy w/ the ladies or just sit near their normal travel route & hope a good one walks by. The only one I've called in was during youth season for my son years ago & it was a big old tom all by himself. Since the second year of trying to use decoys, I have sold them & call very little.

Get near a travel route & keep your eyes open & don't move. They can sneek up on you fast. You'll get one &good luck.
 
Scout scout and scout some more. Be patient. Sometimes no decoy is better. I've had more birds kill themselves by being in the right place and them looking for something they will never find.
 
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