Another tactic Lee Garvin, aka the Turkey Man, has utilized is to use a gobble exclusively when working a late-season bird.
This goes against most conventional turkey-hunting wisdom, but it is a technique that has been very successful the last couple of years for Salter and his companions.
“When it gets toward the summer, the gobblers tend to run together — and most of them aren’t interested in breeding and fighting, but are more interested in having company,” he said.
Salter uses the recently introduced Down and Dirty Haint Gobble Call.
“A lot of times you can go in there with that Haint Gobble Call and gobble on it and not even use a hen call,” he said. “If there’s a gobbler gobbling in the area, or if I just suspicion one’s in the area, I’ll gobble on it.
“I’ll gobble every now and then, and sometimes they answer me and get fired up, and sometimes they’re just looking for company and they’ll come up quietly.”
Another scenario for using s late-season gobble is when a mature gobbler is “henned up,” according to Salter.
If the gobbler just stays in one place and gobbles at you without ever moving, then more than likely he has a harem of hens holding his attention.
“I’ll let them gobble first, and then before they finish that last syllable I’ll cut them off with a gobble,” Salter said. “I’m challenging them — and if you are working a bad bird, that will really get them fired up no matter what time of season it is if they have hens.”
Many times that is all it takes to get the best of the old bird to commit.
But a final word of caution on using a gobble call during the spring: Be aware of your surroundings and set up with a clear view of the area — and never gobble without knowing who is close by. A mistake could mean your life, so gobble with caution.
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