One bird was a solid three-year-old tom who would gobble occasionally, but it seemed like he was trying to behave around a bigger bird that was thumping the jake decoy.
Monday afternoon I worked a pair of two-year-olds, got them to fly across a creek and strut right up to the decoys. They probably responded to my calls 15-20 times but always with yelps and some light cutting. I couldn't even get one to gobble with some aggressive cutting when his buddy was down flopping.
I'm wondering how often other hunters hear gobbler yelping in the spring, and how many have used jake yelping to tick a bird off? One of my son's best Kansas birds was hung up for an hour, then when I hit it with some jake yelps, and jake cut at his gobble, he came on a dead run...emphasis on the "dead." :-)
Chris?
Joe?
I know you guys can tell the difference between hen and tom yelping, and use those calls in the fall.
I have noticed a few other toms acting very similarly and not gobbling when they should be this year. My thought is similar to yours above. There is one very large and very dominant gobbler in the woods I'm hunting. I've seen him charge and attack other 2-3 year old birds on two separate occassions and beat them up pretty good. I think he has most of the other toms running scared. Unfortunately he's a crafty old bird and I've been unable to get him. The jake decoy is no threat to him, he just stands out about 50-70 yards and struts and gobbles and the ladies come to him. I'm thinking about trying him again this weekend but breaking out the strutter to challenge him.
I hear it fairly often, especially jakes. I've tried to do my best imitation but can't say that is what sealed the deal as it was always mixed in with hen yelps and/or cuts and purrs.
Chris, this is the only spring I can remember working two mature birds that yelped...and I've always called pretty aggressively with long runs of yelps and a lot of cutting.
Jake yelping is the last result here, too.
We are still 10 days out here in PA from season, so I can't offer anything on what our birds are doing.
This will be my first season back out in at least 10 years and first with a bow. I'm reading every turkey thread I can for info, and of course practicing up on my calls.
I never call before season, only listen, so can't really add any thoughts on what his reaction would have been had i been calling with a decoy out.
I do know for a fact that gobblers yelp and cluck, especially in the fall when they are looking for a buddy. Despite the textbook mature gobbler scenario where he thumps every rival gobbler in sight. I have found turkeys to be somewhat sociable even in the spring. While i have killed a number of mature birds in the spring that were alone, i have also killed them when they were in the company of another tom quite often.
Last spring i arrowed a gobbler that was in a group of toms however he was not an old bird, 5" beard. The year before my son and i scored a double on two birds that came in together. the year before that i killed an old tom with a 11 3/4 " beard that was solo.
But yes toms will yelp and cluck occasionally, depending on their mood.
A short while later I heard a single Tom gobbling and headed my way. Unfortunately I heard hens too and thought they would drag him away or maybe I would get lucky and they would come to investigate bringing the Tom with them. He showed up first and the hens I was hearing turned out to be the same four jakes acting submissive. Even after I shot the long-beard the jakes wouldn't get too close to him.
Once on an Osceola, but they tend to grow hooks, quickly and large.
Once on a Missouri Ozark's mega-bird - 26" and change, five beards, legit 1 3/4" spurs. That was 1984...nothing close to it, since.
(I doubt he spent much time yelping in the spring. :-) )
