HELP!!! Henned up turkey season

[dzsmith]

So im hunting osceolas here in north florida. we had a drought this winter, and a very mild winter with like 3 frosts the entire season. the mild winter has messed with the wild life alot. the bass and perch spawned way earlier than normal, and the turkeys henned up about 3 weeks earlier than normal. this is for the most part happening through out the southeast u.s. for 2012. Every time i hunt i get super close to bird, within 100 yards, but they will not come any closer. they will hamer their head off for hours and strutt around, but they already have their hens. I need to find a way to lure a bird in or get iin between him and his hens. I have tried every tactic i know. any ideas would be appreciated.

[Thermodude]

You may have tried this but go out to the roosting area and set............try roosting the toms and try to figure out where the hens fly up.............bust up the roost paying attention where the toms fly. In the morning head in their direction, they will want to get back with their hens asap!

[SJunior]

Slip in there late in the morning when the hens are nesting and call light. 9:30 to 11 is a good time.

[Money Man]

Just so you don't feel all alone on this one, we are having the same problems up in NY. Our even bigger problem is our season does not start until May 1. Good luck.

[Double S]

Are you using decoys?. If they come in and don't see a hen it's like hitting a glass wall for them. Osce's are well sought after and they might be hunted hard and are smart and weary to the hunter's tricks. I would use decoys with a Jake in a Mounting position. They would want to snag up that hen too and or fight off the competition. But they will need something visual to get them in. When all else fails try a Fighting hen call. It's hard for Toms not to ignore two hens fighting!. lol . If they are still mating maybe a Squealing hen mating call might entice them to come in.
Just my two cents. I wish you the best!. Osce's are are a beaut!.

[Spiker]

I agree with the others here. If you can bust up the hens, the tom will try to round them back up.
Set out just one hen decoy, behind or off to the side of you, and then call like a lost hen or like two hens squabbling.

Or set out a tom decoy and just gobble so your tom thinks a competitor is trying to hone in on his hens.

[droppixel]

There is/was a really great article on this in the latest Field and Stream. If you can get your hands on that, try to check it out. I would recap if if I still had the mag. My wife spilled something on it and threw it out the other day ... not to thrilled on that.

[dzsmith]

There is/was a really great article on this in the latest Field and Stream. If you can get your hands on that, try to check it out. I would recap if if I still had the mag. My wife spilled something on it and threw it out the other day ... not to thrilled on that.

I have that issue it was great, and that was a great article to. Yeah I have just a hen decoy. It real thick woods where I hunt so I can only get so close

[Lung Buster]

In jersey late season this is what i do. If you know where these tom are roosting get in there as early as you can well before light set up no decoys take a wing or turkey fan and imitate a bird coming down from a roost but make a bit of noise and sit quiet and wait i have killed three toms in four years with that but be ready because if they are coming they wont stay long especially when they dont see a bird around.

[dzsmith]

In jersey late season this is what i do. If you know where these tom are roosting get in there as early as you can well before light set up no decoys take a wing or turkey fan and imitate a bird coming down from a roost but make a bit of noise and sit quiet and wait i have killed three toms in four years with that but be ready because if they are coming they wont stay long especially when they dont see a bird around.

that brings back memories of me and my dad hunting turkeys when i was a kid. he used that tactic a bit himself. the woods are super super thick. these birds are roosted in the tree tops of pines. Here is my layout. imagine a rectangle of woods. on one long side of the rectangle is a dirtroad going through my hunting club, on the other side is a fresh logging road and clear cut swamp. on the side of the woods with the swamp the birds are roosted in the tops of pine trees. I suppose they fly straight up to them without going in to the thick thick crap. the woods is only about 75 deep from one side to the other maybe 100. I setup on the camp road with my decoy and call at daylight. he hammers for about 2 hours. i have moved all around the rectangle of woods. the one time i moved around the woods to where he is roosted, i never heard back from him. when they come off the roost, they cross the clear cut swamp on foot moving away from me. I guess i better try to set up on his side real early and then.