I think part of my problem is possibly not having a whole lot of Tom's on the property I'm hunting. The other part is definitely my inexperience. The most frustrating part I would have to say is not being able to locate a single bird before a hunt. People make it look so easy on hunting shows, it's really not, at least it wasn't for me.
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I've been hunting them hard for 3 years now. Finally had success last year and again this. Made a LOT of mistakes but learned a lot too.
From what i've read bird behavior varies from state to state and even from county to county in a state. What i've observed in Michigan is that our spring turkey season the early season is the best to hunt toms and the birds are generally more active and vocal. The late season gets much more difficult as the birds become less active, less vocal, and stop responding to tactics like decoys and calling. Basically you you have to ambush them - either off the roost or pattern their movement.
Mornings are best for vocal and strutting activity. Get within a few hundred yards of a roost and you should be able to get them gobbling back and even heading in your direction after flydown.
But the key is to sneak in and be setup at least 1/2 hour before legal sunrise. Actually you should want it dark and possibly even needing a headlamp. I have heard them gobble off the roost many mornings, but if you get there even 10 minutes too late they might have already flown down and be working their way to fields/strut zones and it gets much harder to make it to your setup without getting busted. Or almost as bad they see you walking in from the roost and fly down and go a different direction.
I have roosted birds in the evening but generally the birds are very quiet or even silent just before they fly up. I cannot remember ever hearing them gobble on the roost in the evening. I have heard them gobbling while out feeding or in the afternoon but not after fly up. They have different roosting trees and also roost on different properties, so i generally don't try to catch them right off the roost after they fly down, but they almost always strut and feed in the same locations.
In regards to shock gobbling that tactic has never worked for me here in Michigan. I have tried crow, owl, and coyote calls and nothing has ever elicited a shock gobble. Ironically I have gotten them to shock gobble from a loud whistle. I have walked into a woodlot after dark after watching birds fly up and owl called and... nothing. But, there brains are small... who knows.
Hunting single birds is tough. I like to target groups of birds. I have had 3 years to pattern them on a particular piece of property and know pretty much exactly where they are coming and going, but the same is true on other properties i've turkey hunted. Sometimes it's better to pattern the hens knowing the toms will be following.
Just like deer hunting don't be afraid to throw an observation sit at the birds to pattern them better.
Birds in GROUPS like trails - two tracks, walking trails, logging roads... I always seem them moving in groups on trials. Single birds a little more random as they move through the woods.
Don't be afraid to try different decoy setups. Early season a jake with a hen can usually pull an aggressive Tom to your setup. Late season you have to get creative and try different deke setups. If a Tom is with his Harem a deke setup is likely to not get his attention unless he's feeling particularly dominant. If it's a lone tom or group of toms any deke setup might work, but again as the season goes on decoys become less effective. I have actually had better luck calling from thicker stuff in late season and drawing them into woodlots from fields to investigate.
If you are calling using standard calls ie: yelps, clucks I have had good luck pulling hens using kee kees and kee kee runs. Also purrs on a mouth call work very, very well to put birds at ease.
Anyway i'm sure theres more but my brain is turkey fried right now...
). He was FIRED up, double and triple gobbling and it was still dark out. It was just light enough to see the woods in front of me and he pitched off the limb and landed 30 yards from me and went into strut! he had some trees to clear for a shot so I waited. Then the worst thing happened....he went to my right and I needed to swing my gun over my camera on the tripod to get a clear shot. As he went behind a tree I made my move only to have my sling catch the camera and knock it over! The bird kicked it into high gear and I took two running shots at him inside 30 yards and missed him clean both times! I'm convinced this spawn of Satan....or I mean turkey is the luckiest thing alive! I've been on this bird three days in a row and he gobbles like a fool on the roost. If he does it again I will be convinced they are the dumbest critter on planet earth 
