Offbeat Approaches to Taking Toms

[Rhino]

The other day I read an article in a hunting mag titled "10 Offbeat Approaches to Taking Toms". Of the 10 listed, over the years I've used 8. One in particular I've never tried made me wonder how the heck anyone could get away with it. The author called it Reversing the Kamikaze Equation. His reasoning for the name was his reference to 2 year old gobblers coming to a call like bees drawn to sugar, thus referred to them as kamikaze turkeys. Not my words...his. I agree 2 year old birds are much easier to call in than older birds but certainly nothing like bees drawn to sugar.

Here's what he calls Reversing the Kamikaze Equation and I'll type it exactly as it is in the mag.

"If a turkey is visible and you've exhaused every possible way to get him to come within range, maybe it's time for a mad charge. Jump to your feet and race pell-mell toward the tom, making sure you don't slow down until you're within shooting range. Once in a while---maybe one time out of five---the gobbler will squat in place rather than suddenly remembering he has urgent business somewhere in the next county. When that happy set of circumstances does transpire, you better be ready to shoot once you stop, because as soon as he realizes the jig's up, the squatting game is over."

I have never tried this and quite frankly, I never will. I guess you have to have the ability to jump from your butt to your feet in one swift move like Jackie Chan so you're galloping full bore right out of the gate. I can't see why a gobbler wouldn't be running for life otherwise before you ever got to your feet. It would take me at least 1 1/2 to 2 seconds of movement (with the bird being visible as he says) before I was on my feet from a turkey hunting position next to a tree.

Anybody ever try something like this and actually have it work resulting in a slug gobbler over your shoulder?

[redbeard]

That's the craziest suggestion I've ever heard.
I once read where Doug Camp suggested shooting in the air if a tom was behind you with the hopes he would flush and give you time to swing and shoot.

But this "attack idea" ain't happenin' in the wild. I think the author musta been hangin' 'round a turkey farm too long..........

[camoman1]

Well....i could buy that it maybe happened to this author once before due to some kind lunar-star alignment........but i dont think this would be a valid 'Turkey Hunting Method'.
Dang near impossible i would say.....I KNOW im not the only guy whos legs fall asleep 10 min after leaning up against that tree...cant hardly walk much less chase down gobblers with sleepin feet!!!

[Covehnter]

Let him keep tryin' that. . . . i'm gonna let the ole boy walk outta sight and try something a lil different.

[Rhino]

I'm with ya'll...I've got way to many more options in my bag of tricks to choose from.

The only thing I can think of regarding how he came up with this as even an option to consider is he tried to bust up some birds using a fall hunting tactic and managed to get close enough to shoot a gobbler in the process. I can't see dreaming up this as even an option to consider any other way.

I can't see anyone pulling that off 1 out of 5 times like he claims either. Maybe once in a lifetime if the bird's blind in one eye. Of course when somebody says 2 year old gobblers come to calling like bees drawn to sugar then anything they say after that is questionable IMO.

[Strut10]

I've heard of the "run at him" method. Never tried it. So what happens when it doesn't work?? Now you've got a bird that you have learned something about (where he won't go) that you've spooked from the area, no doubt. I figure if I get up & sneak out on him I can use what I learned today to take him out tomorrow.

Besides.......with the rush him deal.............what if someone you know sees you running at a gobbler like a dork??

[Hoyt03]

That's rediculous. I would do my best not to bump that bird and get after him another day. Maybe if your were hunting out of town somewhere and it was your last 5 minutes at that spot ever before you had to get out of town, then maybe give it a shot, but couldn't see it working.

[Leo]

Perhaps a wonderfully helpful suggestion for someone who hunts property neighboring yours.

[Mathews XT Man]

Ya, I can see getting up with legs that fell asleep, getting that blood rush..and try to run...with a loaded gun none the less?? How about hitting one with the truck..better odds if you asked me..LOL

[13littleones]

1 out of 5 times sounds about right for getting a bird running at them. My guess, he has hunted turkey during the fall season and ran up on the flock to bust them up. I myself have busted up many flocks and sometimes you are standing in the middle of them, they are bouncing off of eacher like a chinese fire drill not knowing what to do. Sometimes they just run 20 yards and stop at woods edge in cover.

I myself have never shot a bird doing this, but I have had many chances in the fall to shoot one just standing there after I have busted up the flock. I would rather call one in myself.


Another trick: Saw my buddy do this and it worked.. lol.

Let say you have a bird in a field hung up at 100 yards.... won't budge... wait till he is poited in your direction and shoot up in the air, "not at him" 50% chance he will run your way......I would never do that but I have seen it work...

[turkaholic]

Only thing good about that method is it leaves more turkeys alive for us!

[wtnhunt]

Think that article was in field and stream a year or so ago Al. Seems I even asked the same question in here about that article a while back. Thought the article was pretty interesting though. Here is a link to my posting on it anyone ever try this-FS article

[GobblerBuster618]

haha yeah i can just see me running through the woods tripping falling and knocking myself out. I'll just stick with sitting tight and letting the tom come to me.

[jm23494]

Run Forrest....Run

Yeah I think it's safer to sit it out and see what they are going to do.

[Rhino]

Think that article was in field and stream a year or so ago Al. Seems I even asked the same question in here about that article a while back. Thought the article was pretty interesting though. Here is a link to my posting on it anyone ever try this-FS article

It sure made the rounds again this year. It's in the Feb./March 2008 issue of North American Hunter. The author is Jim Casada but I think he's from NC (your author was from AL) so maybe there's 2 guys out there that like this mad charge tactic.

BTW, I see articles every spring that throw out some different tactics most turkey hunters don't usually think about. Most make sense...this one didn't.