I consider myself an honest person, but as the sunlight began casting shadows amongst the white pines where my nephew and I sit, I felt more like a liar. Just a few short weeks ago, I had a front-row ticket to a handful of gobblers on the roost with surround sound. However, now we were left with a couple of hens and one distant gobbler who refused to close the distance and succumb to my calling. I was hoping my nephew and brother, who traveled three hours to northern Michigan for the 234 opener, believed me, but the frustration on their faces left me feeling guilty. I promised them the area was a great location prior to their trip up north. After all, I had killed a gobbler in the exact spot less than 50 yards from the roost on opening day of the first hunt.
After the hens flew down and left the area, we had a decision to make. In two short hours, I had to go to work; however, there was still enough time to either put a play on the distant gobbler or head to public land. I’ve always been told to never leave a gobbler to find another one so we opted to go after him.
After walking a short way down one of the trails on the property, I reached into my turkey vest and pulled out one of my go-to pot calls. A few yelps caused the distant gobbler to perk up. Unbeknownst to us he had cut the distance in half from the time we originally heard him. Or had he turned his head, making him sound closer than he really was? Either way, we knew he was slowly working his way towards us and it was time to make our move and make it fast.
After instructing my nephew and brother to crouch down, we headed west down the trail, careful not to step on any branches or dry leaves, which seemed impossible during the chaos. Once we reached a location where I felt the terrain would conceal us, I pointed to two trees and told them to sit down. I hunkered down behind them about 15 yards. I called once again, and the gobbler was on fire and eager to join the fake hen. There was no use calling anymore. He was coming in on a string.
The volume of his gobbling grew louder with each second. His red head appeared rising higher as he slowly crested the hill until, finally, his entire body was visible. Once the gobbler strutted into a small opening, Brock seized the moment and sent number five shot at the turkey’s head, filling his spring turkey tag.
Rarely does a turkey hunt go according to plan, and this particular hunt reaffirmed how things can flip fast. We could have easily called it a morning in this location and left for greener pastures, but instead, we dug in and got aggressive. There is however, a fine line on knowing when to charge in full steam ahead or back off the throttle and reassess the situation.
Although this hunt involved moving in close on a gobbler, there are a variety of other factors to consider when it comes time to get aggressive in the spring turkey woods.
Get in Close
After I first gained permission on 40 acres of private land where I discovered birds were consistently roosting, I was conservative in my approach to setting up near the roost, which consisted of a stand of mature pines. During the 2021 spring turkey season, I opted to place a ground blind roughly 150 yards south of this location. Fortunately, on the second day, my calling, coupled with my hen decoys, caused a gobbler to walk into shooting range. However, it was a struggle to call them from that distance. After fly down, it took them almost an hour before they came over to investigate.
The following three seasons, I moved closer to the roost, setting up within 50 yards. What gave me the confidence to move in tight was a trail through the pines, which the owner had York raked. This trail led directly past my ground blind. I used a garden rake to create a spur trail by raking the ground free of pine needles and branches the last remaining yards to the blind. My buddy and I accessed this area in total darkness without the aid of a headlamp or flashlight. It was the only way to remain completely undetected if we were to set up close to the roost.
If you can get in close to the roost without bumping any birds as we did, seize the opportunity. It just takes a little more effort and some precautions, but it can pay off in the end.
Calling
You’ve probably heard of the term “reading a turkey’s temperature.” It refers to figuring out what type of mood a gobbler is in and using what you feel is an appropriate calling strategy. Call too much or too often, and you risk the gobbler going silent. Call too little, and the bird could lose interest and seek out another hen. So, how do you determine when to crank up the volume and frequency of your calling and be more aggressive? It takes patience and the ability to adjust your volume, frequency, or cease calling. The key is to continue to observe a specific gobbler’s reaction. It can take many seasons and lessons learned in the turkey woods to figure this out, and even then, a gobbler can turn the tables. Each gobbler has their own personality, and it’s important to adapt when necessary.
When I initially hear a tom gobble I’ll begin by calling with a series of soft hen calls. Afterward, I’ll listen carefully to his response. If he hammers back instantly, I’ll begin ramping up the volume and incorporating some clucking to imitate an excited hen in the area. Typically, if he’s aggressive, I’ll be aggressive. However, there are times when I’ll wait longer to respond just to see if it causes him to come in closer for a look before the so-called hen moves out of the area. Lastly, when he begins to give me the silent treatment, I will either stop calling completely or switch to a different call and see if this will cause him to begin gobbling again.
Weather can also be a factor on how loud to call. When I’m hunting in windy conditions I typically will switch over to a box call instead of my usual pot call. Box calls amplify and project a much louder sound, which a gobbler can hear at greater distances. We all know how unpredictable and windy the springtime can be in Michigan so it’s important to always keep a box call in your arsenal while in the turkey woods.
Finish Strong
When I reached the stop sign at the end of the road on the last day of Michigan’s spring turkey season, I had two decisions: turn left and head home or turn on my right blinker and continue to hunt. I opted for the latter.
Once I arrived on a section of public land I had scouted prior to the season, I set up behind some brush, draped a camouflage cloth over the branches for added cover and settled in for the mid-morning hunt. In less than an hour, a hen followed by a jake appeared in the opening after purring softly on my slate call. As they closed in on my decoy spread out in front, I took a shot anchoring the jake and filling my tag on May 31, the final day of the season.
Back in high school, I had a track coach who told us to always “finish strong!” This included every race we competed in, no matter what it was. His words have always stuck with me, and today, I carry them over into the world of turkey hunting.
The above hunt could have easily gone south had I decided to give up and call it quits. With short turkey seasons, you can’t afford to end your hunts early, no matter how tired or frustrated you are. Persevering and being aggressive in the turkey woods until the bitter end can make you a more successful turkey hunter.
