Calling?

[Don]

I am new to turkey hunting. ###Really just got into it last year. ###Needless to say I did not tag a bird. ###I would like to know how some of you experts call. ###How often do you call, how long do you hunt a particular location, do you blind call? ###Any advice would be appreciated. :help:

[Tominator]

I was gonna reply until you said "expert" know I'm not so sure. There is really no set in stone way to answer this question other than to say that the number of turkeys turned off by overcalling far outnumbers the number turned off by undercalling. The best advice I can give may not be what you want to hear but here goes, hunt by yourself so your not influenced by someone else and call when and how you feel like calling. Over time you'll get a feel for what works and what doesn't. The hardest part to learn is how long to stay in one spot. Patience will kill alot of birds when nothing else will. Also, don't get hung up on hearing him gobble, the more you call the more he expects you to come to him or at least to be able to see you.
What part of the state are you from? I'm in williamston in anderson county.
Tominator

(Edited by Tominator at 3:36 pm on Jan. 17, 2002)

[Don]

Thanks for the advice Tominator.

Born and raised in Marlboro County. ###About 40 miles north of Florence.

[Fubar]

Don I would agree with Tominator. Every set of circumstances is different. You have to learn to read the bird. If you have a bird gobbling and you call too much, he may want you to come to him. If you can tell he is leaving you may try to get agressive and call more and cut excitedly to lure him back. If I think there are birds in the area, I might call every 15 or 20 minutes from a setup. I have had some birds come in without ever making a sound. Just because you dont hear a gobble doesnt necessarily mean a bird didnt hear you and is coming to your call.

Be carefull of other hunters walkin in on you when they hear your call. Some hunters dont know you shouldnt stalk turkey sounds. It is usually another hunter calling. It is dangerous and at the least, it will ruin ###the setup. ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ###Fubar

[Don]

Thanks Fubar,
I appreciate the advice. ###

[songdog]

It still amazes me when people think that they can sneak up on a turkey. ###Has anyone here ever been able to do it? ###I've snuck awfully close to some big game animals while bowhunting but putting the sneak on a turkey seems out of my league.

[Don]

I agree with you songdog. ###I have hunted deer for about 10 years and I have seen a lot of turkey but just about all of them have seen me also. ###I have heard they can see the minute hand on a clock move. ###Don't know but they sure are wary.

[Possum]

They can see a blink of the eye at 300yds through the woods. ###(fact). ###The calling depends on where you are hunting, terrain, weather, mood of the bird, time of season, time of day, age of the bird, type of species, who you are hunting near, color of shirt you are wearing...Okay, just seeing if you were awake. ###

It all depends.. that is the only answer I can give. ###Like Fubar said you have to read the bird and circumstances. ###The more you hunt the more you will learn. ###If you are seeing interest by the bird, meaning he is not running off, stay with it. ###Try a little more calling on each bird until you can get the right approach for the setup you are dealt. ###Good Luck.

[gizz]

Good point by everyone.
First of all, I'm no expert(not even close), But....
I totally agree with the overcalling. I try to call as little as possible as I believe this will pi$$ off a Tom to the point that he knows your there but your kinda ignoring him. Like Fubar said calling too much will only make the Tom feel like he's got you where he wants you and if you want some you gotta go to him.
One of the biggest things you need to do is learn the topography of the area your gonna be hunting. Locating a roosting gobbler and gettting set up properly are 2 very important parts of hunting the Turkey. Although I've done it by luck, stumbling upon a gobbler without spooking him is a tough thing to do.
One of my biggest mistakes I made when I started hunting alone(without an experienced "brother") was to set up on a roosting Tom with some type of natural barrier between us. Things were hot and heavy on the other side of the laurel and on my side well.....you get the point.
Most importantly....GET OUT THERE AND HUNT, and DON"T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES!! That's how you learn and it's a fun way to do it.

[spectr17]

A turkey walks an average of about 2 mph when they are scratching and feeding. In 15 mintues the turkeys will have walked by you and out of range of hearing your call usually. If you're setup try and call every 15 minutes or so if the birds are moving.

I try and mix up the calling with some louder yelps and then some some softer yelps or clucks. If the bird has moved in closer without you seeing or hearing them, a soft cluck may just get them to respond to let you know they're there. Some people say you shouldn't call real loud or often but if you've ever heard a lonesome hen wander around yelping her fool head off you know there is no limit on how loud or how often.

The best way to learn how to call is to find some wild turkeys and follow them around and listen to what sounds they make and why. If you don't have any wild turkeys nearby, find some domestic turkeys and listen to them. You can also practice ###your calling on the domestic toms, you'll know when you get them fired up by watching how they react.

Learn how to use a mouth call for hands free calling, and a box call or tube call for long distance yelping. You can cover a lot of ground walking and yelping or cutting on a loud box call.

Making turkey scratching sounds is another way of calling. Sometimes I've heard turkeys scratching that never had made a peep at all. To a suspicious turkey, the familiar sound of scratching puts them at ease and says you have found some good acorns or grubs and come on over and eat some too.

If I'm in an area I know turkeys hang out in I'll set for hours and use soft clucks and purrs to get some company.

When I get deperate or the turkeys don't want to cooperate I do a turkey fight call sequence. It helps to have a buddy to help, but you can do it yourself. Turkeys make a heck of a racket when they spar and fight. Excited fighting purrs and cutting with some hat slapping on your leg to make wing flapping sounds and some kicking in the leaves will sound just like turkey birds rasslin around. Turkeys, just like us, can't resist coming over to see who's gettin their butt whooped.

If you can find another veteran turkey hunter in your area who is willing to help you out would be another idea.

As far as sneaking up on a turkey, Fubar watched me do it last fall in Arizona. About 20 hens were so busy feeding I got up to 15 yards from them and had to whistle to get them to put their heads up for a pic.

Here's a pic of some of those hens after I whistled.

http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/images/turkey-3hens-merriam-alert-kaibab-10-2001.jpg

It's not real safe to stalk turkeys with other hunters in the woods. One year after working a tom for 4 hours and having the hen lead him away from me constantly I stalked them for about 1 hour trying to cut them off. When they headed back toward the road I peeled off thinking a hunter might be near. About that time a guy blasted the tom and I had to jump behind a big oak tree for cover since he missed the first shot and dropped the tom with the second.

Turkeys have good eyesight but they let their guard down in groups, just like deer do sometimes.

[Don]

Thanks guys for all the great advice. ###One piece of it I won't have a problem doing and that is getting out there and hunting. ###I started last year and was hooked the first time I heard a gobble from the roost. ###Man that is a great sound. ###I can hardly wait for the season to get here. ###