How do you get them to come on in?

[RTF]

You are doing just fine for a begginer. But this is what you need to do. Note the time that gobbler was out in that field. Now you want to be there well before that time and set up. I would work that field at first light, getting there in the dark. Set out your decoys too. Dont over call ! Get their attention and let them know your there and stop calling and wait. The way it is suppose to work, is that the hen goes to the gobbler, not the gobbler going to the hen. If a gobbler has hens with him, he wont come in but he will gobble. He is saying, "I'm over here, come and join us,..if ya want"

Think of it this way. Your out with your lady, and you hear another girl out in the distance calling to you. Now are you going to just bolt away from your dedicated, at your side, love of your life [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] I dont think so. But now your love, hears the other tramp calling, and this is good. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

If you can tick that other hen off, by getting her mad at you for trying to steel her man away, you will be halfway there. That is the trick with hened up gobblers. Get the main hen so mad, that she seeks you out and comes in to your set up. Dont let off of her when she starts yelping up a storm. Stay on her. If she comes in wanting to kick your but, I almost gaurentee you will see Mr Tom right behind her.

again when she yelps you cut her off with a louder yelp. When she cutt's you cutt louder.

I feel this technique will only work in a area that has a higher hen to gobbler ratio. Meaning there must be competition between the hens in getting a gobbler, like here in central NY. One way to find out is to look at birds in the fields and start noting how many hens compared to gobblers.

Hope this helps, good luck.

PS: Make sure you have good camo and a face mask, and learn how to use a mouth call.

[borch]

If you were seeing those birds mid day or early afternoon with out hens your found his strutting zone. Get there a bit earlier call to let him know you're there and then be quiet.

Throw in some leaf scratching and he will likely come in eventually. Leaf scratching has helped put several tough gobblers in the bag of a seasoned hunter. Just rake the leafs like a chicken might scratch. Scratch..pause..scratch, scratch..pause...scratch..pause..scratch, scratch...

You get the idea. Scratching is very effective on gobblers and shows a relaxed content hen who is feeding and isn't likely to run to the tom. So if he wants well you know... he better go check it out himself. A decoy or two placed in the field will also help.

Good Luck!

[wishinone]

I just want to add a note to realtreefan's advice, last year the birds were all hened up, we couldn't find a gobbler by himself anywhere. We called in and killed 3 nice longbeards by ticking off the hens and have them come in looking for a fight.

[brad dryden]

Well set out a jake decoy and 2 hens or so and us a gobble call the type you shake im sure that will make that bird mad and he will come to investagate.