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Henned up Tom, how to kill’em?

Mschmeiske

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2017
Messages
1,947
Location
New York
I got permission today to hunt a property with a big Tom on it, but every time I’ve seen him he’s had anywhere from 3-8 hens with him.

Tomorrow morning I want to try and slip in and put a hit on him!

Should I just try and get close to where I’ve seen him and hope to lay the smack down?

Do I set a jake and hen or two out and hope he comes in to kick some butt?

I’m not the best caller, especially with a diaphragm.... my buddy’s tells me on the pot and box it’s enough to kill a bird, but I still don’t think I can sweet talk’em.

Wheres the bonafide turkey killers at with some solid advice?!
 
I’d go out and see where he roost and we’re his hens roost and get in between them. Decoys of both jakes and he. Would be out and visible from where he pitches down and I’d sit quiet

if that fails. Midday and hope he is lonely
 
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Try and figure out where he has rooster. Get in early, sit down and shut up. Don't call. When you hear the tree yelps and morning gobbles start, don't answer. Sit there. Let him gobble a couple times. Then give a couple tree yelps, a couple clucks and shut up. If he answers, he knows exactly where you are. Don't call set up facing the gobbles and sit still. In nature the hens go to the gobblers not the other way around. An old Tom a lot of times will hang up out of range on a decoy. On the first hunt I would go decoyless. Make him search for you. As soon as he answers your clucks in the morning, he has you pin pointed. Stay in your spot and don't move. Wait on him. If he has 2-3 hens with him every time that is 6 pairs of eyes looking. I call in the morning a few tree yelps or clucks to get an answer. Then MAYBE call once an hour after 8-8:30. Just depends on the day. They are smart animals that know their woods. A lot of times with decoys they will strut in one place out of range and try to pull the decoy to them. Kind of long winded, and with all that being said, of course you will get that one Tom that is looking to fight and will run 100 yards just to put a spur in your Jake decoy. Usually it is the wary Tom slowly making his way through the woods looking for one more hen.
 
If the above doesn’t work find him out in the field and crawl behind a turkey fan until you get close enough he sees you. If he’s truly the boss bird it’s likely he will come right to you. Be ready it happens very fast and is an absolute blast. Only do this if you know others hunters aren’t around as it can be dangerous!!


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Slip in early and silent. Once you hear the hens start their morning calling listen closely to pick out the dominant hen’s cadence. Mimic her calls. When she is good and agitated, start cutting her off at the end of her cadence. It can work, just have to let it play out. Could take minutes or hours. Like others have said, she will bring the whole dang flock with her. Sit still and be ready because all eyes will be on you. Best of luck to you
 
If you are the patient type and can get decently close while he’s on roost and he responds to your calls, I’ve found that he will often come looking for you once done with the other hens. It’s just not a fun way to hunt but often very effective


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Sometimes later on in the day closer to lunch he’ll lose his hens and he may come in to soft calling.
 
I got permission today to hunt a property with a big Tom on it, but every time I’ve seen him he’s had anywhere from 3-8 hens with him.

Tomorrow morning I want to try and slip in and put a hit on him!

Should I just try and get close to where I’ve seen him and hope to lay the smack down?

Do I set a jake and hen or two out and hope he comes in to kick some butt?

I’m not the best caller, especially with a diaphragm.... my buddy’s tells me on the pot and box it’s enough to kill a bird, but I still don’t think I can sweet talk’em.

Wheres the bonafide turkey killers at with some solid advice?!
Welcome to my world right now. Our season in NY started on May 1st. I went out last weekend and today. Last weekend had two nice gobblers strutting and gobbling but with a hen at first light. Completely ignored my decoys. Same thing roughly the second day although I probably could have harvested one if I had my smoothbore. I had more of a show the second day but completely ignored my decoy setup. A half strut jake with a laydown hen. Today, it was so windy and cold, I saw and heard nothing except on my way home, a hen crossed in front of me while driving!! I hope it warms up a bit for tomorrow morning and the hens are starting to play hard to get. I switched up my decoy spread a bit, I went to a non aggressive jake, the laydown hen and a feeding hen but I didn't even hear a bird this morning with all the wind.

If you can get between him and the hens that's a good setup first thing but you risk bumping them. If that's not going to work for you and you know they are getting henned right up off after fly-down, try to get the hens to work your way. I wouldn't start right off real loud and cutting first thing as they just may naturally work your way. Just let them know you're there. If you have an idea of what routine they have been following every day, set up between their roost and that area. If they are all acting disinterested through the course of the morning, I would get more aggressive with the hen talk to try and make the hen upset and come over to you. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Be patient and let the morning evolve naturally as much as possible. Those are my suggestions.
 
The only luck I have ever had with decoys is if I can set up on a field way before sunrise and the gobbler is 300+ yards away on the other side of the field. As the sun comes up he will see them in the field. Once again very little calling. Answer his third wake up gobble and shut up. Hens go to the gobbler in the wild. You have to get an overly aggressive dominant Tom to come attack your Jake decoy.
 
Sometimes later on in the day closer to lunch he’ll lose his hens and he may come in to soft calling.

This is key. Especially as the season wears on. Those hens will move off to lay and he'll be alone by mid-morning.
I've called several gobblers trailing uninterested hens.
 
This year I tried something different with my decoy setup. I had been out a few times and had Tom's come into the field but not want anything to do with my decoys. they didnt seem to mind that the decoys were in the field but didnt seem to want to get close. so I set up my decoys on one side of the field and i sat on the other. sure enough Tom's came out avoided the decoys and they ended up 15 yards from me.

Not really a conventional setup but might be worth a try
 
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