Stalk vs. Sit

Your thoughts... Stalk or sit? When is the right time to leave the stationary position at the tree, or in the blind, and move toward the birds you hear, or go in search of? I tend to sit, sit, sit, and think sometimes I ought to be getting off my duff and moving.

Looks like I might be the odd man out. First off, I will say 95% of my hunting is out of blinds - I don't do much run and gun because I beleive you push too many birds off the property, and unless you have 100's of acres to hunt, can do more harm than good. So, I have stuck to hunting in blinds. Biggest key for success - scouting! Usually I have a real good idea of bird movement well before the season. Most of the time, I will be set up in an area that is a very good chance of a bird flying down into. Then it is a waiting game - and sometimes for hours. With that being said, I have shot 12 birds in 7 years. I never shoot more than 2 birds a year - don't eat more than that, and all but one has been out of a blind.

I have had the most luck after about 8 o'clock in the morning. If you aren't in the right spot to get the turkeys off the roost after they fly down and there is a group of them, they are very hard to call away from the flock. I like to wait until the hens go to the nest and the toms are on there own. Much easier to get a tom or two to come in when they are by themselves verses getting a flock to come in. Have killed most of my toms around the mid morning to early afternoon time of day. It is nice to be out at first light to hear them gobble, but personally I think it is just as effective to sleep in and wait until the toms split from the hens in the morning and go after them at that time.

I've been told that if you sit all day in a spot where you can hear a gobble, pretty soon the tom will just give up. Spring days are very long, so I've never tried it, but I guess if you are comfortable enough it might be worth a shot.

You also have to know your area and where they go to when they don't come to you first. I sit the first two hours and if I hadn't gotten on something or they went the opposite way, I usually can count on another spot down the ridge or one over. Preseason scouting has killed more birds for me than going to a spot without knowing anything.

if they are in a field and they are far away, move to the edge and army crawl to the edge and try then. I got a 27lb turkey with a 12.5 inch beard last year like that. If you dont see them, sit tight and wait them out. Ive been going turkey huntin for 6 years now and every year ive gotte one by doing these tactics. Good luck this year everyone

I hunt deer and turkeys very aggressive. If you know the area, you should know WHY he won't come. Make a move. Forward, back or sideways. If it is distance, get closer. If you can not get closer, go away from him and make him think "that sexy lil thing's leav'n me". If it is an obstruction of some sort, fence, ditch, valley, creek or road, slide sideways and give him a route around it. I would rather scare a tom off than wonder, what if. However, truly stalking in on a tom is tuff. It's doable, but tuff.

I ussally sit for the time till i hear the birds and if the birds arnt cooperating with you time to do a stalk and kill them basterds!

If a turkey is gobbling but just won't come in after about 20 minutes i feel it is time to move. You don't have to move closer always just a move maybe sometimes can get the tom intested again and then come in the rest of the way. If you have a second person calling for you and the bird seems to hang up the easy way to get him in is have the caller get farther away like the hen is leaving, that usually will get the tom to come to your previous position where you are waiting for him.

I'm with you on that wade , make it happen, we call it assasination time......

Majority of my birds have been killed while I was stalking. I'm just not a sitter. It has it's place but overall staying put sucks IMO. If you have a bird that you are fairly sure will work with you, sit tight. Otherwise make something happen.

I sit until a tom will keep responding to your call but just wont come into range of where you are sitting then ill get up an move and call a little closer to it to make it like i am meeting it half way.... works most of the time...unless you have another turkey come up behind you and scare it away like last season

I usually stand at the edge of the woods in the morning and wait to hear birds gobble. Then I move in on them and try to get between them and the food source I think they will head to. If I notice the birds are getting further away and my calling is not doing anything, then I'll get up and try to make my way in front of them again, go around them in a wide circle. Of course that only works if they keep gobbling.

Get your wide ride up baby...It's time to Run & Gun....Bucky style!

For opening morning set up i always scout hard so i can have the best opportunity. If it doesnt pan out i will 75% of the time make the move to where the birds are sounding off. Sometimes it pays off others it doesnt. IMO i will have a better chance at a bird i can hear rather than one i cant.