Legendary turkey hunter Harold Knight, from Knight and Hale, sat down with us to discuss turkey calling:
Hunting Tight-Lipped Gobblers
The faint glow of the morning sky outlined the Eastern Kentucky mountains where we were hunting. It was clear, the stars were fading, and songbirds had begun to sing their morning melodies. A longbeard fired off a few gobbles in the distance. After fly down, complete silence.
My cousin John Collins and I were hunting together, we watched several deer cross the field as we discussed what to do next. We tried using a box call to get a turkey to gobble. Nothing. We made our way around the area trying to strike up a gobble and nothing responded. As the sun peaked over the horizon it started to get hot. We decided we had better just go sit in an area, set up decoys and call every 30 to 40 minutes.
Our friends John Stepp and Hurley Combs Jr. were on the other side of the property. They had heard a few gobbles early, but when birds hit the ground, lockjaw. We all met up around mid-morning to gameplan. Hurley told John (Collins) and I that if we wanted to go sit for a while to try a field on a ridge in between two very deep hollows. Birds had gobbled down in one of the hollows at daybreak. We parted with fist bumps and “good lucks” and went separate ways.
John (Collins) and I surveyed the area on the On-X Hunt app and thought it would be best to walk to the opposite end of the field from where we were, there appeared to be a line of trees right in the middle of the field that we could sit up against. Before coming off a higher point on the ridge and going down a level where the field was, we glassed to make sure we wouldn’t bust any birds out. We saw a hen walk across the field and down into the woods on the hillside.
After the hen left, we booked it down the ridge and found a few of the trees in the middle of the field to sit up against. I walked out about 20 yards from the trees and set up my Avian-X Half Strut Jake and Lookout Hen. We settled in and I pulled out my Esh Custom Calls Walnut Deluxe Box Call. I gave a few sequences of yelps, then I yelped on a mouth call softly. Of course, no gobbles, but we had hoped something would come in eventually. About 40 minutes later I called again, still it seemed there wasn’t a gobbler within a country mile of where we were.
“Duum, tisk!” “Duum, tisk!” Our ears keyed in on an all too familiar sound. Two gobblers had come in behind us. Never made a sound except, “Duum, Tisk.” They were staying under the shade of the last tree on the row of trees we were against. There were also hens in the background, the birds were hung up just out of range. Another gobbler appeared further back. The two bully birds started running at the other gobbler and he circled to our left to get away from them. That bird started coming into range.
As he got to 20 yards he stopped, the other two birds were at 52 yards. My cousin was on the bird closest to us, I was going to attempt to shoot the lead bird that was out further. I called aggressively to get the birds to lift their heads. I told John to shoot. Boom! Then I shot. Boom! His bird hit the dirt like he took a judo chop to the throat. My bird and other birds took flight and crossed the hillside. Swing and a miss.
John bagged a big ole Eastern Kentucky gobbler that had a 10-inch beard and 1-1/4-inch spurs. The birds didn’t gobble much, but we stayed with them. Getting in a strut zone, putting out decoys, calling every 30 to 40 minutes and just being patient is what led to success on this hunt. Something to consider when hunting tight-lipped gobblers.
Hunters are experiencing a lack of gobbling this spring. Running and gunning after hard-gobbling longbeards is what makes turkey hunting special, but it might not be the most effective tactic when hunting tight-lipped gobblers. Sitting for longer periods of time and calling every so often might be the best tactic when hunting on those quiet spring days.
The Silent Spring
Many hunters across the southeast have dubbed this season as the “silent spring.” Hunters just aren’t hearing the number of gobbles that they used to hear in past seasons. Some are even reporting that they haven’t heard a gobble all spring. Even veteran turkey hunters have said it’s the least amount of gobbling they have heard in 30-plus years of hunting. Are hens going to nest later than normal due to weather conditions, keeping gobblers with them longer during the season? Are there so many jakes that gobblers are weary about gobbling? Was 2020 a bad hatch, less two-year-old birds? Whatever the reason for the lack of gobbling, it has been discouraging to those running and gunning after the majestic sounds of spring.
“I’ve been turkey hunting a long time and I’ve been through springs that were different and odd, but this one in the southeast has been incredibly weird,” Fist Full of Dirt podcast host Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland said. “It’s like the first two weeks not only did you not hear anything gobble, but I also didn’t hear any red birds, I didn’t hear any crows.”
Running and Gunning
Running and gunning is synonymous with turkey hunting. It’s one of the reasons people love to turkey hunt. Sitting is for deer hunting, running and gunning is for chasing gobbles. Hear a gobble? Let’s go get him! When turkeys are tight-lipped, where are you running to? Running and gunning on a day of no gobbling can make you feel like you are hunting something that doesn’t exist. More than likely, the birds are there, you just need to change your expectations and your approach.
If you are running and gunning to different areas trying to strike up a gobble on a day where it is clear they aren’t cooperating, you are taking yourself out of the game. For instance, you approach the edge of a field or you’re on a ridge with open timber and you start calling. Nothing answers so you take off and hustle to the next spot you want to try and call from. After you’ve left the first spot you called from a gobbler comes in silent to check out this hen he heard, but you are already gone. You had no clue that gobbler was there because he didn’t gobble. If you stay put for periods of time, you give that silent bird a chance to slip into your set up. Don’t assume a bird isn’t in the area just because he doesn’t gobble.
Running and gunning while calling along the way can also increase your chances of spooking birds. If a bird comes in silent or is headed your way and you’re up walking around calling, more than likely that bird is getting busted out. That pressure is educating your birds and compounding the lack of gobbling.
“Deer Hunting” Tight-Lipped Gobblers
To hunt tight-lipped gobblers, set your expectations and be patient. Know that it’s going to be tough, your favorite run and gun style isn’t going to be the right play for the scenario.
Get in a strut zone and hang out for a little while. Put out a few hen decoys and call softly every 30 minutes, maybe on the hour get out a box call and let out sequence of yelps in case you need sound to carry. Don’t be in a rush to move. Even if one does happen to fire up close by, call again and see if he answers. If he does, more than likely he’s coming. You’ll notice the theme here, be patient.
On a quiet day, give a gobbler time to come into your setup. This is especially effective for mid to late morning hunts after a gobbler leaves his morning hens. He’s going to be covering ground. Maybe you fail to get on a bird early, if you know you have birds in the area sit down where you know they like to be. Call every so often. Those gobblers will hear that and know exactly where you are calling from. He might just come in later in the day. Make sure you are there when he does. This is an extremely effective way to hunt tight-lipped gobblers.
Tight-Lipped Gobblers on Public Land
Understandably on public land you will likely need to cover some ground to try and find birds. Tight-lipped gobblers on public land are straight up tough. Scouting can be helpful in this scenario, but if you haven’t scouted, it might be best to work in a hybrid tactic of run and gun and “deer hunting” them. If nothing close by gobbles on the roost or after fly down, just try and get to an area you think birds might hang out in. Set up in that spot and do some light calling every 20 minutes or so. Give a gobbler time to come in, sit for about an hour before getting up to try another spot.
Hunting tight-lipped gobblers takes some intestinal fortitude and patience. Turkey season is winding down in states across the south and southeast. Northeastern states are just getting started. Whether your season is coming to an end or just getting started, if you find yourself hunting on a quiet day, “deer hunt” them. Set up in a strut zone and call every 30 to 40 minutes. You might just have one drumming and spitting right to the end of your gun barrel. Good luck this spring!
Managing Habitat with Prescribed Fire
Fire is one of the most cost effective and dynamic methods known for managing wildlife habitat.
Prescribed fires are also known as controlled burns and involve intentional setting of fires to help maintain the health of the landscape. These controlled burns are applied to a predetermined place in a very skillful manner with the objective of reducing the invasion of trees and shrubs, managing grassland communities, removing excess leaf litter that inhibits vegetative growth, releasing seed for germination and increasing species diversity.
A burn will set back natural succession and stimulate the growth of valuable grasses and legumes through seed scarification. These planned fires will release nutrients, allowing lush herbaceous (non-woody stemmed plants) growth that is conducive to insect production while also producing bare for better movement and feeding for wildlife.
Planning A Prescribed Burn
There are three steps to conducting a prescribed burn on your property. Step one is planning. There is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into using prescribed fires as a management tool. You will need to evaluate the site of the planned burn. Consider the type of fuel on the land (leaves, grass, shrubs, trees and know the moisture conditions of the soil. You’ll also need to be aware of the weather conditions for the day of the prescribed fire. Firebreaks need to be in place before starting the controlled burn.
When planning for a prescribed fire you will need to make sure you have a map of the area. The map should show the boundaries of the burn, adjacent landowner’s topography and control lines. It will also be important to anticipate the direction of the smoke from the fire. You don’t want the direction of the smoke to blow toward roads or houses.
The best time to conduct a prescribed burn is during the period of February 1 and April 15 in most of the southeast. Check with your state’s division of forestry regarding fire conditions.
Plan to complete the prescribed burn in one day. Start in the middle of the morning to early afternoon if conditions are favorable. Again, review your division of forestry regarding fire regulations.
Firebreaks
Firebreaks are essential in preparing for a controlled burn. Firebreaks are physical changes on the landscape which allow for control of the burn. They should be a minimum of 15-18 feet wide and should border the entire area where burning is planned. Three types of firebreaks that are effective in keeping fire contained are natural, constructed and barrier crops firebreaks.
You can use natural firebreaks that border a potential burning site. Natural firebreaks can be streams, rivers, ponds and roads that prevent the fire from continuing its path. These areas will be void of fuel.
Constructed firebreaks can also be used to border your burn site. Constructed firebreaks can be established by mechanically disturbing the soil with tilling and or discing to remove fire fuels. You can also use tools to spray the vegetation with water to make fuels unavailable to the burn.
Barrier crops such as winter wheat, winter barley, annual ryegrass, orchard grass and clovers can be used as a firebreak. These crops are normally green and hold moisture during most recommended burning dates. This we create a barrier around the area of your controlled burn.
Firing
There are various ways to start and control a prescribed fire. A back-fire, or fire started along a firebreak is the most used technique when a prescribed fire is started on a piece of property. Other methods might be strip-heading fire, flanking fire, ring fire and point source fire.
Seek Guidance
It is profoundly recommended that you contact your state’s department of fish and wildlife resources division and your state’s division of forestry when you are planning to use prescribed fire to manage your habitat. You should also contact your local fire department and adjacent neighbors to let them know when you are doing the controlled burn. Never attempt to burn alone, without a burn plan or without property guidance and equipment.
Photo of the Week
Check out this phot from Realtree of the six-shooter Tom!