As the season ages, a lot of gobblers will strut and follow the hens almost anywhere almost like they’re on a string. Where the hens go, the gobbler follows. Oh sure, he’ll gobble and strut and spit and drum at you, but he never gets too far from his harem.
And that’s when you have to try something different, Lee Garvin said.
“When an old bird’s following his harem in a field, he can be nigh on impossible to call up — but if you call up his hen or harem, then he’s sure to follow, and that’s a key thing to remember during the late season,” he said. “If I can get a hen to respond, I’ll challenge her and try to get her mad and come looking.
“She can make or break a hunt.”
Garvin will focus all of his attention on that hen and what she’s doing.
“If they cut, I’ll cut; if they yelp or get into an aggravated purr, then that’s what I do,” he said. “I’ve killed more than my share of gobblers by calling the boss hens up first and shooting (the toms) as they follow unwittingly.”
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