Not sure about u men down south last year.. but in NE indiana anyways the birds were henned up BAD by opener. Gobbling on the roost but when they hit the ground nothin! What are some strategies that can be used during this time? I tried everything between saying nothing until i heard him hit the ground to clucking a few..and i mean a few times while he was gobblin on roost just to let him know i was there. You could here the hens workin there way to him. The only reason we got a shot off (which i blew) was because when we come over a hill at 11pm. 3 hens saw us ....ran...and left him in the middle of the field all by himself. After 45 minutes he realized they werent comin back so he worked his way to our dekes. All the rest of the season...nothin. How can i break that "henned up" action if it happens again??
I had the same trouble a couple years back. I have found all you can do, if the bird won't come to you, go to him. You have'nt lived until you have stalked up on a tom. It's the hardest hunting that I have ever experienced. Last year I took a buddy with me, and got a stalk on video of me taking a 27 pounder. We got within 20 yards of him.
Calling Hens If a tom is henned up too bad I will turn the game around on him. I will start clucking until his hen (or hens) begin to awnser. Then I'll replicate their every sound with a very sharp and clear tone.... as they get close enough I'll begin scratching leaves away just as a feeding turkey would. This really fires up the hens or at least makes them curious. The only problem with this is usually you end up with a hen at 10 yards before the tom comes into range. It is hard to get away with anything with birds on top you like that. Another option is to wait for a windy and/or rainy day and ambush the birds. It seems we're always finding ourselves hunting birds that are call shy or henned up. I miss the days when you could just throw out a few clucks and get the gun ready. :banghead3
All I can add is to do just what you did last year. Bust em up! try to get between the Tom and the hens. I will sometimes get real aggressive with calling after everything settles down. It works!
Ive also found that crying helps out :tongue: ! Im so pumped!! Watched 22 tonight for a bit. All hens and jakes. My flock of 13 toms is still there, they're just hard to find.how far you think these big flocks will bust? 2-3 mile sqaure radius??
