I have often been asked by beginning turkey hunters about what to do when they find themselves entangled with a hung up gobbler. Of course, I always tell them to pack up their decoys and calls and go eat some breakfast because that bird will never be killed, but the truth of the matter is that sometimes that turkey can be killed. There are numerous reasons why a turkey can get hung up, and for those of you who do not know what a “hung up” gobbler is, please let me explain. A hung up gobbler is a turkey who is buying everything that you are selling but he just won’t sign on the dotted line. He gobbles at every call you make, every leaf scratch you make, every crow that caws, and every growl of the feared Chupacabre; but, no matter how much interest he shows in what you are throwing at him and how much turkey calling you do, he just won’t come any closer to your position. It is as if he is tied to the nearest tree with a piece of rope, and he just CAN’T come any closer no matter how bad he wants to. The problem is that hung up gobbler is not tied to the nearest tree and he just WON’T come any closer no matter how bad you want him to.
There are a hundred reasons why a wild turkey of the gobbling variety won’t come any closer to your position, but the most common reasons are hens, terrain, man-made structures, water features, the dreaded sixth sense, and stubbornness. No matter what the reason may be there are strategies that any hunter can implement to unhang that hung up gobbler. The end around, the kitchen sink, the quiet game, and the old “screw him” are a few of the strategies that experienced turkey hunters will try on those birds that make you want to quit the sport and sell all of your turkey hunting gear. One strategy that seems to be gaining in popularity, especially with the latest round of calls being produced, is to gobble at that hung up turkey.
I have been using a gobble tube and two sided box call for years to imitate the gobble of a turkey as a challenge to that hung up, henned up, or just plain stuck up gobbler that I am tired of fooling with. I use the gobble call as an absolute last resort to try to break that turkey loose and get him to come in because the call seems to have one of two effects. The gobble challenge will either bring that bird in on a string or send him away on a rail. My experience is that if you are dealing with a dominant bird and your rear end is firmly planted in that dominant bird’s territory, the gobble call will generally end up with his curiosity or brevity getting the best of him. If you are dealing with a subordinate bird that has gotten whipped numerous times by the dominant bird and you challenge him with a gobble call, he will quietly leave the area so he doesn’t draw any more attention to himself with his turkey calling than he already has.
I like to use the gobble call on a turkey when I’m tired of dealing with a turkey’s stubbornness or I have to get to church on Easter morning or to work before noon on an April Thursday. I typically wait for a gobble from the hung up gobbler and then I answer him with a gobble. If he answers me with a gobble, then I know there is a pretty good chance that he wants to dance with me, and I’ll gobble back at him one more time. If I get a response to my second gobble from him, then I put the gobble call down and get ready for some heavy breathing and rapid heart beats with my finger planted firmly on the safety while I wait for instructions from my brain to push that button firmly and quietly.
One more reason why I use the gobble call as a last resort is because the call is very effective at calling in more than a hung up gobbler. The gobble call is also very effective at calling in other turkey hunters. I never recommend using a gobble call on public land, and I always recommend that you exercise the normal steps of safe turkey hunting when you use the call on private lands. You never know when the gobbling turkeys on your property have lured someone hunting the neighbor’s property across your property line. Always sit with your back to a tree that is wider than your shoulders. Always identify your target as a turkey before you even think about taking off your gun’s safety, and always identify yourself and your location in a clear loud voice to another hunter who may have encroached on your hunting area and turkey. No matter how much you want to fill a turkey tag and how angry you may be that someone messed up your hunt, be calm, safe, and smart. There is always another day and another turkey.
Ok, so I want to hear your success story of when you used a gobble call to bring an old, wary, hung up longbeard into gun range. Leave your story and a photo of your bird in the comments section below. I look forward to reading those.