The Pressured Bird Playbook

Another gobbler goes silent and walks out of your life. Your go-to hunting tactics failed again, and you’re left sitting in disbelief. But history might have charted another course had you used an option from the pressured-bird playbook.

It’s important to use tactics that work for pressured, wary turkeys. It’s also important to make appropriate decisions, because other hunters are likely nearby. Therefore, keep these 20 plays in the back of your mind as you work stubborn, pressured gobblers this spring.

Turkey hunters who scout before the season will likely experience better results, especially on pressured turkeys. It’s about working harder than the next guy or gal.

Generally, the farther you are from the road, the less pressure you will encounter. Most hunters don’t get more than a few hundred yards from their vehicle. Studies also show most public land gobblers rarely come within that distance of roads. Find areas where you can get at least a half-mile from the nearest vehicle access.

Although it’s rare, you might find a good spot close to the truck. This is especially true if other hunters are immediately diving deeper into a property. The only way to know this is by hunting the area, seeing where other hunters go and determining how birds respond.

Some areas simply go overlooked and unhunted. Sometimes, these areas look bad on a map. Other times, areas are hard to reach or aren’t marked well on public land maps.

Trail cameras are for turkeys, too. This is a great low-impact scouting method. It’s far less intrusive than constantly going afield to see what turkeys are doing. Plus, if you go afield, you might as well post some cameras near benches, funnels, saddles, dust bowls, field edges, field corners, fly-up areas, fly-down zones, food plots, pinch points, road beds or strut zones.

Spend some time listening at dawn to locate roosts. After flydown, glass where the birds tend to go during each phase of the day. Study trail camera photos to determine patterns, too.

Pressured private and public lands tend to get hit hard. It’s important to be the first to arrive. If others follow general practices, they’ll keep driving if they see your truck parked. Often, in heavily hunted areas, you might need to arrive several hours before sunrise.

Most turkey hunters call it quits by midmorning. Some turkeys don’t get pressured during the middle portion of the day. Arriving after others have left the woods is a great play. Birds might even lose their hens by that point, too.

It might not seem like a tactic for pressured turkeys, but it is. If you’re dealing with heavy hunting pressure, it’s best to know exactly where a turkey flies up to roost. The next morning, well before the hint of first light, set up over the turkey’s fly-down zone. Call very little or not at all. Have one hen decoy staked and waiting.

You roosted that bird. Now, don’t keep it gobbling. After it knows you’re there, shut up. Keeping the gobbler talking attracts more attention from other hunters.

Pressured turkeys have seen every foam decoy on the market — repeatedly. Up your decoy game by displaying realistic fakes. Just be careful, as these can trick turkey hunters, too, which can lead to safety issues.

Having several turkey calls lets you change things up. Using one again and again on a turkey can produce negative results, especially if a longbeard has a negative encounter with it. Plus, gobblers might not like one sound but will love another.

Few hunters will be willing to hunt in the rain. Gobblers won’t expect hunters to be afield, either. That’s why you should be there during the downpour. Wear good rain gear, and stay after them.

The pendulum play is perfect when a stubborn gobbler hangs up. To run it, a caller should remain about 50 to 75 yards beyond the hunter, just out of sight. When the gobbler moves one way, the caller moves the opposite direction. When the gobbler moves the opposite direction, the caller reverses. Hopefully, through time, the bird will work slightly closer with each pass.

Is that bird fired up but won’t come an inch closer? Quit calling. Often, this can spur the gobbler into a frenzy, and it might come looking for the hen that got away.

Still-hunting is commonly used for deer hunting. It can work for turkeys, too. Slowly — even more so than for deer — work along edge cover until you see or hear turkeys. Set up when you encounter a bird.

Are turkeys unresponsive to calling? Keep calling hunters to your location? See where the birds are going, and get ahead of them. Gauge their line of travel, set up at a pinch point along the route, and wait for a shot opportunity.

Tired of trying to make turkeys come to you? Set up near known strut zones and wait for a gobbler to show up.

Turkeys often roost over or near streams, creeks and rivers. Sure, turkeys can partially hydrate from dew and even some food sources, but they drink water, too. During times of little rainfall, set up at secluded water sources.

Turkeys are used to being attacked by land. They aren’t used to being approached by water. That’s why, when possible, it can pay off to use watercraft. Beach it quietly, and set up opposite of where most hunters would target the bird.

Experienced turkey hunters know that the first plan rarely pans out. That’s why it’s so important to have additional plans ready. Even if the first plan works, you can use your backups for other tags. After all, it’s important to have a deep pressured- bird playbook.

Red-hot gobblers go cold a lot, especially at pressured properties. This happens for several reasons.

Nasty, filthy hens intercepted your bird. When this happens, mock the boss hen. Provoke a cat fight.

Toms and jakes fight a lot. Your turkey got whipped. Generally, it’s time to look for another turkey and come back for the whipped gobbler in a day or two.

You called too much. Try softer calling, and wait longer intervals between volleys.

You called too loudly. Instead, start soft and increase the volume and excitement as needed.

The temperature is increasing too much or too quickly. When the mercury rises too much, turkeys often shut up.

A hunter spooked that bird. When this happens, give that turkey some time to get over it. Come back in a day or two.

A predator spooked that strutter. When this happens, give the bird time to relax. It should be fine in a few hours.

That turkey is coming. Just because it quit gobbling doesn’t mean the hunt is finished. Sometimes, it means everything is going right. Turkeys commonly go silent as they make their approach.

Some hunts require passive or unconventional tactics. Other times require more aggressiveness. Here are a few of those times:

1. When hens are leading the longbeards away.
2. When the property line gets too close for comfort.
3. When a predator is lurking in the area.
4. When a gobbler is hot to trot and gobbling a lot.
5. When the boss tom hangs up.
6. When the wind gets heavy.
7. When turkeys are flocked up.
8. When passive tactics aren’t working.
9. When you get really bored and need a change.
10. When time is short, and the hunt is almost finished.