By Terry Madewel
Even the best turkey call won’t help if you can’t be patient and wait for the gobbler to find you.
Regardless of how skillful you are at turkey hunting you can always learn something from a seasoned pro. John Coit guides for turkey at Paradise Valley Hunting Club in Ehrheart, S.C. Coit also goes to several other states out west to guide for gobblers and to film for turkey hunting. With upwards of 60 days or more in the turkey woods each year, Coit has learned a lot about chasing gobblers.
He put it to very good use during our hunting trip at Bang Collins’ Paradise Valley Hunting Club in Ehrheart this spring.
In addition to the gobbler Coit called off the roost the morning described last week, he also demonstrated techniques for working turkeys to food plots, working a gobbler with hens in tow and how to be ready for and take advantage of a “flash hunt.”
First we’ll examine how he sets up to hunt food plots, such as chufa or other food sources that will attract turkeys.
Coit uses one overriding philosophy that embraces all of his turkey hunting techniques.
“Patience is my number one asset for killing turkeys,” Coit said.
“The things most turkey hunters can do that will help them see and harvest more longbeards, is to liberally add patience to their arsenal of turkey hunting techniques,” Coit said. “Far too many times when I was just learning about hunting turkeys, I’d call, a bird would answer then get quiet. I’d wait what I felt was ample time, and then get up to move on him. Many times as soon as I moved, there he was close to me and looking for a hen. Most of the time the gobblers were in shotgun range but I had no chance to make a play on them. Of course, he’d putt and be gone.”
Now Coit has added a great amount of patience to his waiting game.
“If I’m sitting on a good food plot, which is a place a gobbler may want to come anyway, I’ll give them a long time to get there, especially if he gobbles at my calling,” Coit said. “A chufa patch, like the many we have here at Paradise Valley, is a place he wants to come to anyway. It’s a place for hens as well. So he’ll come here not only to eat, but to get with other turkeys. Many times you’ll see strut marks in the fields as well as scratching for food.
“If a bird gobbles at me, I’ll wait an hour, maybe two. This is particularly effective during the mid-morning or mid-afternoon time period,” Coit said.
Coit said you can stay too long, but generally if a bird gobbles he’ll give him over an hour to filter in before even considering leaving.
“Sometimes the birds will not gobble coming in, they’ll just show up,” Coit said. “If you’ve got your decoys set right, they’ll focus on the decoys and come to them in a manner where you can get a good shot.”
In fact, decoy management is another strong point of Coit’s game plan.
“I don’t always use decoys, but many times I do,” Coit said. “Just seeing another turkey can often help a gobbler feel at ease and come on in. I think decoys are very helpful in a food plot situation. I’ll set my decoys in a manner such that they will be facing the woods, trees or other cover, as if they’re leaving the field. I’ll set one of my hen decoys right at the edge of the food plot, as if she is actually leaving the field right then. A jake decoy will be facing her but slightly behind. I’ve watched gobblers sneaking in being very cautious and then see this decoy setup. Typically, they will come right on in thinking the hen is leaving and the jake is following.”
Another method for taking a gobbler in quick fashion is the “flash hunt” as Coit calls it.
This is the situation where most hunters get too aggressive and spook the bird when it is really very killable.
“If I make a call in an area that’s fairly open and a gobbler cuts my calling off with a hard, aggressive gobble, I have to make a quick choice,” Coit said.
“One is to try to get closer to the gobbler, which is usually a good thing, to cut the distance,” Coit said. “However, if the ground is open and a gobbler can see a long distance, many times I’ll simply have to find cover right where I’m located. For that reason, I usually look around before I make a call at all in that situation. If I do strike a bird that’s too close to move on, I can at least quickly set up and have a chance.
“Often, when I strike a bird like this and call back to him he may answer one more time then get quiet or sometimes not answer again at all,” Coit said. “Typically when he doesn’t answer and there’s no way he’s seen you, he’s probably coming and coming fast. Sit down, get the gun up and watch closely. Odds are very good you’ll get a shot within a minute or two.”
A final technique is to work a gobbler with hens. This is one of the most difficult tasks in turkey hunting but it can be done. Coit’s advice is again use a heavy dose of patience.
“To me, the key is not messing up the bird by being seen,” Coit said. “As long as he doesn’t know you are a threat, you still have a play you can make on him. Sometimes you may have to set up two or three times. Sometimes you just may have to be pinned down and wait until the hens leave him. Also, you can sometimes get into a calling “fight” with the dominate hen with him.
“When this happens you can sometimes call the hen to you and the gobbler will tag along for the show,” Coit said. “My clients have taken many gobblers through the year using these techniques.
Coit added that if the hens drag the gobbler away, that’s the time you need to move and try to get in front of them. Otherwise, being patient is typically the key to success.
“Most turkey hunters are simply over anxious,” Coit said. “Turkey hunters need to have patience and try to figure out each gobbler as an individual bird. Each gobbler wants to be treated in a different way it seems. Some like aggressive and loud calling. Many prefer soft and subtle. That’s why I use several different calls.”
For a great turkey hunting trip, either on your own or guided by an expert like Coit, contact Bang or Tom Collins at Paradise Valley Hunt Club, 803-267-2825; email bangspvhc@aol.com and also visit the website at www.pvhc.net.
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