Hey Ghostwalker,
You can't have that problem in your timber can you? You have an unbelievable place there.
Of course, though, as Ghostwalker says, it often happens. I believe a big reason for this is simply because it is the peak of breeding season.
During the peak of breeding season, the hens are going to the toms, as nature intended. Before and after the peak, on the other hand, not as many hens are ready to march on over to the fluffy, strutting old gobble-mouthed birds, thus the toms gobble more, pleading for mercy, that some little brown bird will please come in. Those are the times us camo-clad hunters generally have the best luck luring in toms to our seductive hen talk. It gets tough during the peak, no doubt about that though.
A good strategy during the peak of breeding is to just wait 'em out near proven strutting zones or dusting areas. Sooner or latter a tom will show, with or without hens, and if you are positioned right you can kill a bird. I also love to hunt the mid-day period then, when most of the breeding for the day is finished and a gobbler can get all worked up with some aggressive cutting and yelping.
Often times, during the peak of breeding, a big gobbler won't even gobble more than a time or two, before flydown in the morning, I have found. By this time of the season, all the area hens know where to find him. Often he will just fly down into the middle of a strutting zone (often a big pasture or crop field) right at light and then hens will coming winging in to him from all directions. I don't know how many times I've seen that over the years, and those silent old open field gobblers are really hard to kill too!
To kill that type of bird, I will position a blind close to where I think the old bird might land or somewhere along the field's edge. With patience, and luck, some or all of the hens will leave the gobbler at mid-day, then he is much easier to coax on over to your plastic or foam dummy bird. The waiting for the hens to leave can be fun though, because you get to watch the old gobbler strutting out there for hours and he'll often gobble back at your calls. And if you are willing to take a subdominant bird or jake, the action can be fast.
Just a few thought there....hopefully some others will chip in with some of their own opinions and tactics.
Good Hunting....Raven
