Run and Gun is more fun...

[dan99]

...but is it as effective on public land turkeys as sitting in a blind in a known strut zone? I struck out this morning trying to kill one off the roost, so I decided to set up on a powerline with a mile of visibility in either direction with the blind and decoys today. Didn't kill one, but did have a hen walk all around my blind for at least 30 minutes. The hen seemed not to care at all when the wind picked up and distorted the shape of the blind. It made me consider whether blinds are as potentially valuable for turkey hunting as tree stands are for deer hunting, with the only difference being that tree stands are "cool" but blinds are seen as lame. What do you guys think? What is the surest fire way to kill a big gobbler on public land?

[greenhorndave]

I got busted multiple times this weekend in a farm field situation without a blind. Too many variables that ultimately conspired against me. But a blind is great and almost a necessity in that situation. I didn't get a chance to go back, but I would have used a blind and decoys because the birds were henned up.

But, I hunt in other spots (either hills or swamps) that the run and gun/hide the hen approach is more appropriate. You have to be super mobile and the terrain helps you out with staying hidden.

So I guess the answer is that they're both good ways, just depends on the circumstances.

[brancher147]

Hunting hardwood mountains run and gun is about it. I’m typically covering 4 or 5 miles a morning just to get close to some turkeys. Birds are few and far between and sitting in a blind would likely be an uneventful day not to mention nearly impossible to haul around the ridges.

[Moose]

I don't use any blinds. I set up close to a roost site. If they are not roosting on the property then I set up in a known strut zone. If I haven't killed a bird by 8:30 and if I can't get a gobble then I start start deer scouting and calling every 100 yds or so until around 10am then I normally go back to the strut zone if a tom didn't answer my call while I was scouting. I do move around about every 45mins if I don't hear a gobble so the tom thinks a hen is moving around the strut zone. Good luck and have fun with it. There's really no right or wrong way especially if your having fun.

[dan99]

Hunting hardwood mountains run and gun is about it. I’m typically covering 4 or 5 miles a morning just to get close to some turkeys. Birds are few and far between and sitting in a blind would likely be an uneventful day not to mention nearly impossible to haul around the ridges.

I live in Southern Missouri, and our terrain is mostly oak hills/mountains. I try to target the river bottoms and powerlines though, as they offer diversity that seems to be attractive to the turkeys. Attractive to deer too, for that matter.

[brancher147]

Hunting hardwood mountains run and gun is about it. I’m typically covering 4 or 5 miles a morning just to get close to some turkeys. Birds are few and far between and sitting in a blind would likely be an uneventful day not to mention nearly impossible to haul around the ridges.

I live in Southern Missouri, and our terrain is mostly oak hills/mountains. I try to target the river bottoms and powerlines though, as they offer diversity that seems to be attractive to the turkeys. Attractive to deer too, for that matter.

That does sound good. Most the public I hunt in WV is just mature timber forest. There are some bottoms and powerlines but they are hunter magnets and the turkeys avoid them after the opener for most part.
I tried the sit and wait game with a decoy on a gasline the other day. Had a hen fly down to my decoy and a gobbler roosted about 70 yards who flew down and went the opposite direction. I sat there for an hour with my decoy in the strut zone and finally couldn’t take all the distant gobbles and got up and eventually killed one. That was 4 days and 15 miles later from finding that spot lol. I’m sure a blind or sitting and waiting can work it just hasn’t in my experience. But that hour is probably the longest I have sat in a few years so I guess I’m pretty impatient

[dan]

No doubt blinds are more effective when conbined with intel on where turkeys have been going thru daily. Run and gun always the guy with lots of property to be on constant action.

[Chuck B]

I love sitting for the first hour and a half or so in a blind and drinking coffee. If there is no action from there, time to stretch the legs and see what happens. Both offer advantages and disadvantages no doubt.

[hunter_mike]

I think sitting in a blind CAN BE more effective IF you are certain its in a spot that'll actually allow a tom to strut his way in. I also think the blind (just like a treestand for deer) can be a good way to guarantee your own failure if you just sat in the blind were unwilling to move when you should.

[Hawthorne]

I left my truck at 4:30am. Shot my bird about 2:30pm. Sat 3 different spots in that time. Second spot I spotted 4 toms headed the other way that wouldn’t respond to my calls. It’s hard to turn a turkey around. Better to get in front of them. So I did a loop around to another mainland that bordered the swamp they entered. Sat there an hour and started getting responses from them headed my direction. Stayed patient and they came in to 25 yds. Run and gun is great if that first spot don’t pan out. Scouting told me lots of birds in the area and public land gives room to roam. I didn’t have the roost trees pegged to get a quick morning successful hunt

[dan99]

I think sitting in a blind CAN BE more effective IF you are certain its in a spot that'll actually allow a tom to strut his way in. I also think the blind (just like a treestand for deer) can be a good way to guarantee your own failure if you just sat in the blind were unwilling to move when you should.

Definitely. When I hunt with a blind, it's a mobile public land approach, much like I would tree stand hunt deer. I can set up the blind, decoys, and camping chair in less than five minutes. I set it up in the dark, and pack it out at the end of the hunt.

[Buckharasser150]

A buddy and I were driving around “running and gunning” and got a tom the day we did that! Good for high winds haha.

[Brad]

sitting in a blind would be very effective if you know exactly where the turkey wants to be, but if you don't know for sure, you're better off being mobile (in my limited experienced opinion). Plus, what fun is it sitting in a blind? My personal opinion is that we as hunters need to figure out how we like to hunt, then find a way to do that successfully. I personally would rather be less "successful" and have more fun in the woods, than to kill more turkeys and sit in a blind. But, that's just me. I have hunted only 4 turkey seasons now. My first season consisted of only one day on a buddys private property in a blind on a field edge. I killed a really nice mature gobbler that day. it was pretty cool. The next season I killed nothing... Last year I was able to have multiple encounters with fired up gobblers within 80 yards on several different days, but ended up killing a single jake. It was amazing! This year I have had a ton of mornings with fired up gobblers, watched two different gobblers fly of the roost, have had different 4 gobblers within about 20 yards of me (but couldn't get a shot), and on tuesday killed 2 jakes with one shot. Hunting the way I do, I just can't understand how anyone could not absolutely love hunting turkeys. If I hunted from a blind all of that time... not sure I'd even want to do it.

[mspaci]

I absolutely hate sitting in a blind. Its just not fun for me. I usually sit an hr or more first thing & then go find one. I think Ive done better this way. Mike

[brkissl82]

I love running and gunning for turks. I think as others have said if you have a field you know tukeys frequent you may be more successful sitting in a blind. Running and gunning for turkeys can wear a guy out tho. I put 7 miles on Saturday and heard 1 turkey gobble in spots i can normally get on turkeys. Sunday i put on 4 miles. Im "glad" i cant hunt til tuesday lol