Solution 2: Change Setups
Another high-impact strategy is to simply move calling locations to mix things up a little. One of the golden rules of turkey hunting is to set up where that longbeard wants to be and make it easy for him to come to you. Surprisingly, circling around and setting up above, below, or on the other side of a gobbler can be exactly what is needed to shake things loose. I strongly feel that the setup is far more important than calling when it comes to tagging longbeards. The easiest way to avoid a hang-up is to set up where the gobbler will already be in gun range when you can see him. Trying to call a smart old gobbler across wide-open areas that offer high visibility can be very difficult, because he will expect to see the hen. A tom will often stop and strut in an open area to draw the hen to him.

PROBLEM: HIGHLY PRESSURED LONGBEARDS
I once heard a guy at a turkey-hunting seminar tell the audience that turkeys don't get call-shy or harder to hunt because of outside hunting pressure. Well, I would like this old boy to come hunt with me on about the second weekend of season on some of the public land that I hunt in the mountains of southeastern Kentucky. It doesn't take a lot of overcalling, bumping birds and missing shots to completely change the nature of the game. Intense outside hunting pressure can undoubtedly create an extremely challenging environment, and you better have a plan if you want to beat all of the competition.

Solution 1: Use The Backdoor Approach
When the heat is turned up and hunters have flooded the woods, you have to separate yourself from the competition. Simply staying away from easy access areas will help place some distance between you and all of the other hunters. Sneaking in the back door will give you access to birds that have been called to death by everyone else. In the past, I have utilized a small boat and electric trolling motor to ease up and down creeks or rivers in areas that receive intense outside hunting pressure. A lot of hunters don't hunt very far from the roads these days and using their laziness as an advantage can pay off big when hunting tough public-land gobblers.

Solution 2: Call Softly And Shoot Often
As mentioned earlier, longbeards that have heard all of the local calling talent can be hard to handle. This is especially true during the mid to late part of the season when most of the big-mouthed birds have already been shot. When hunting call-shy or pressured birds, it's usually better to tone down your calling and focus more on your setup. Using soft yelps, purrs, and sometimes just scratching in the leaves can be all you need to coax a gun-shy gobbler into range. Setting up in high-traffic areas that are covered in fresh sign like field edges, open hardwood ridges or old logging roads will be your best bet. Longbeards will often cruise these locations during the midmorning hours.

Things can get a little hectic when the turkeys aren't acting the way they should. This season, when that tom throws everything at you but the kitchen sink, be sure to try these fail-proof strategies and make something happen. These tactics will allow you to consistently punch your tags no matter how hard things get in your neck of the woods.