Quick question for you more experienced turkey hunters... how many of you have killed a gobbler out of a pop-up blind that you've erected out in the middle of a field? I've seen literally hundreds of pics of people on the 'net who've done just this, but I've got a buddy who's not convinced. Frankly, due to my lack of experience in turkey hunting, he's got me wondering just a little.... Example: Last year, he and I go to one of his spots and set up in the pre-morning darkness... a gobbler pitched down after sunup about 200 yards away and we got him to start working toward our dekes set out in front of our blind. He hung up about 80 yards away for over 30 minutes (had a Jake-mobile with a real jake fan attached, and two hen dekes out front). This gobbler had about an 8-inch beard or so, so he shouldn't have been worried about the jake deke. I was discussing with this same buddy a couple days ago that experience, and he's convinced the bird hung up because the blind was sitting out in the open and not brushed in... What's your experience been with them?
I have been having the same problem this year. At first, I thought it was my B-Mobile strutting tom decoy, but I stopped using it and it still happens. The past 4 turkeys I have killed have been without using a blind
I've killed a few Longbeards now, doing exactly what you're asking about. Actually I just killed one last Friday with the bow, on video, by getting out there in the dark setting up the blind in the middle of the field where the birds spent alot of time the previous day, and I had 2 longbeards come right up to the decoy 15 yards away. Believe me it doesn't feel right, but for turkeys it works. I actually laughed just a bit when I read your question, because I just did it last week, and I also did a little video segment of what I call the "tip of the day". The tip of the day was don't be afraid to put up your turkey blind right in the middle of a field. I've got the video to prove it, and you may see it right here on Bowhunting .com in the near future. I have extra tags yet for my state, and I will be doing it again, on video, so with any luck I will be trying to fill more tags, and I hope I can make you and your friend a believer!
We used to kill them like that regularly. Now, I tend to use edge cover. It seems like our birds have become somewhat educated to the blinds. Lots of guys using them now. I used to pop it up in the middle of a pasture in 1" of grass and have turkeys get close enough you could reach out and touch them. Even had strutters brush agains the side of the blind before. I used to place the decoys at 5 yards and have birds circle the decoy. In my opinion, those days may be gone. Might still get a 2 year old to do it?? I have had enough of them shy away in open ground the last few years that I have pretty much given up trying that approach anymore.
Yes I guess as some birds get educated they may be a little more cautious, there's no argument from me, but we've been killing some birds with a bit of age on them too so I guess it all depends on how much hunting pressure they are getting.
I was going to re-test this theory this morning on two gobblers that have been strutting in the middle of an open field every morning. But, I got rained out. To be continued........
I've had gobblers drumming against the fabric of my blind in the middle of a 100-acre hayfield. It's not even fair. The turkeys (at least the ones I hunt) have absolutely no fear of blinds. And I'd venture to say that these are some of the most highly-pressured, spooky easterns that you could ever run into. They get hunted every day, but still, they have no fear of the blind. ** Begin Soapbox Speech: I only use my blind when I'm guiding guys. Never to fill my own tags. IMO, blind hunting is hot, boring and unfair to the game, so I'm not a fan. From the abject lack of awareness that I've witnessed on the part of the toms, I really dislike the fact that blinds are permitted as a legal hunting method for spring turkeys. It's really not giving them much of a sporting chance, to be frank. When I take guys out, I want them to fill their tags and have a blast, so I make it as easy as I can, so sometimes, I break out the blind. In that regard, I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite. Whatev... ** End Soapbox Speech. I digress... I know guys who have gone 10-20 YEARS having NEVER harvested a spring turkey, (i.e. terrible turkey callers) who have turned into overnight turkey-slaying machines, all because they went out and bought a blind and a few high-end decoys (and permanently retired their arsenal of turkey calls). So from my view in the cheap seats, turkeys have no fear of blinds, although I've never really harvested a true monarch bird from the blind. I was out with a guy last year who tagged a solid 68 pointer (1-3/8") from my blind. Likely a 4-5 year old. That's a top-end bird for my woods, but they do come bigger.
This spring a few days into our hunt, we spotted some turkeys in a hay field from the road and decided to sneak in through some pines to set up. We set up at the edge of the field in a little valley to avoid getting spotted. There were two jakes and a hen about 50 yards away from us and a gobbler and some hens about 200 yards away. After sitting for a while, we got anxious/bored with these turkeys not coming to us so we figured what the hell, let's move the blind... while it was still up... with both of us in it. Carrying it slowly from the inside (with all the windows closed), we tip toed about 30 yards into the field and slipped the decoy out the back door along the way.... and the turkeys did nothing but watch It was awesome. After this experience, along with many others, I don't think that turkeys "think" about that big thing that just appeared out of no where. I could be wrong, but I think that turkeys just react... whether it's coming in to a hen call or peacing out after spotting someone move their arm. Perhaps that turkey caught a glimpse of something he didn't like behind your blind.... you never know.
When I fist started using blinds I had the same problem. I would set the bling up so that my opening would be in the direction from where I thought the birds might come from. It seened they would come in so far then hang up, one day while hunting I had a bird come in from the right side of the blind and he came all the way into the decoys. This got me to thinking that maybe those old birds could see somewhat in the blind and movement I was making. I went to setting up with the back of the blind or side facing the direction I think the birds might come from. By doing this me and my son have been able to take more birds and they don't seem to be jumpy. Good Hunting.
Just for the record, I killed two more Toms last week with the bow, by putting the blind up the same day I hunted, in places that the blind never was before. It works, and it works great for those of us trying to get it done with the bow.
Cool. Thanks for all the responses everyone. One day I'm sure I'll go to makeshift natural blinds to not only help my running n' gunning a bit, but also to up the ante. For now, I just want to kill a few of these critters first before I worry about making it harder.
