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When to call?

HomeBrewer

Junior Member
19
0
Coshocton
Any tips on when to make different calls and how often to call? Where I've been hunting I have heard a ton of gobbles but haven't been able to get one close. I usually just yelp a few times and wait. Then yelp and cluck a few times and wait. The turkeys aren't gobbling right after my calls, sometimes it's a little bit after I stop other times it just seems random but they never cut me off and gobble. Maybe my calling is just poor? But I did piss off a hen the other day cutting her off yelping and cutting and got her to come over (I was hoping she was towing a tom over with her but no luck) so that makes me think that my calling is decent. This morning I had a gobbler that sounded like he was getting closer but then he sounded further and this happened a few times before he went silent and I didn't hear him again. It's like the turkeys are just taunting me.
 

HomeBrewer

Junior Member
19
0
Coshocton
I think so but guess I'm not 100% sure. Sounds loud to me but I'm holding the slate. I'll try to go louder and see if that's what it is. Thanks
 

HomeBrewer

Junior Member
19
0
Coshocton
So far I've read that cutting is mainly just used to bring in hens and not to call toms. Yelps are the most overused calls in the woods? Also if the tom is cutting you off when your calling then he is fired up and you should call like a fired up hen. If he isn't then call less aggressively. Call about every twenty minutes. When it comes to decoys it seems the consensus is to use hens and a jake because a tom decoy will keep other toms from coming in if they aren't dominant. Does this sound right to you all? I have the Pretty boy and Pretty girl decoys- was told at the outfitter that they were the best ones to get. The male is a big tom and the hen is squatting so would I be better off just not taking them out or should I give it a shot anyway?
I'm so glad I found this site so I can get answers to my questions from knowledgeable hunters!
 

aholdren

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,178
151
South East Ohio
I think that your putting way more into this calling thing then you need to. As long as you have them located and are familiar with the property your hunting then your ahead of the game. Let him decide what calls you are going to use. If you yelp and he responds and is moving your way then use it, if you cackle and he likes it use it , I think you know what Im saying. Basically take his temperature, if your call makes him gobble and moves him then its right. If a turkey wants to die, in my opinion, then you can use any call and sound just so so and he is going to come. Calling is just a small piece of the puzzle. Put lots of time in the woods and your going to have an opportunity to carry one out by the feet. Good luck.
 

Mountaineer

Banned
661
0
WV
Get as close to the bird as possible before you start calling. Be patient. Crawl..sneak..do whatever you can do to cut that distance...If you dont make it easy for him to come check you out..He probably wont.
 

dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
157
Crawford county
I wouldnt exactly call myself a "knowledgeable hunter". This was actually my first season hunting turkey. But by paying attention to what guys on this site were saying and reading magazine articles and watching a few instructional dvds on calling, I did manage to bag a nice bird last week.

So that being said here is my 2 cents..

Decoys; I use the same decoys you do, my only complaint with them is how bulky they are. If you stay put in one place for the whole sit they are very lifelike. But if you decide to move the smaller foam collapsible ones are so much more portable.
I made a few modifications to my tom decoy though. I used a fan from a tom I found dead on the road last year. I cut the middle feathers away from the rest of the fan so i could slide them up a couple inches and ziptie them back in place. making it look more like a jake. I bet you could do the same type of thing with the tail that comes with your decoys.

Calling; the most common advice I was getting about calls is to have several different types with you. I have a variety of different mouth calls, a slat call, a glass call and a call that has a slate on one side and a glass on the other. different slates and glass pot calls will produce different tones. as will different strikers. I also have a small box call, and a push pull call.
If you are in a spot that has turkeys, and they are seeking hens but dont respond to a call, try a different call. The bird I killed last week wouldnt respond to anything until I used that box call, then when he started to close the distance I used the glass/ slate call because I found out that it produces a low volume rich sounding yelp and cluck. the other slates are a little louder and I didnt want to spook him. Not saying to go out and drop a bunch of cash on every call you find, but if you pick them up here and there when they are on sale or at garage sales, you can put together a nice collection.
A good friend of mine told me that just like us, birds all have different voices. I think what he was trying to tell me is that no matter how good or bad your calling is, its still gonna sound like a turkey. the trick is to find the voice that the bird your hunting wants to hear.

Like these other guys have said I would definately try to get a little closer to where the birds are. If you know where they are roosting, and have some I dea where they head after flydown. set up as close as you can before day break and use soft calls.

here are the decays I was talking about.

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HomeBrewer

Junior Member
19
0
Coshocton
Thanks Dante that was very helpful! I have quite a few calls now, just got a box call fourty percent off at Woodbury Outfitters ($16). I would love to put a real fan on my tom decoy just hoped I would be the one to bust it instead of a car but if I see one on the side of the road I will be inspecting it now! Do you just yelp a few times every 20min or how do you call. I guess how do you call would have been a better title for my Q. I threw in the decoy q but that kinda changed the topic. Glad you busted one and hope to hear more tips.
 

Dannmann801

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,640
191
Springboro
Id also try to cut the distance more... Try to get in earlier and get as close as possible..

Get as close to the bird as possible before you start calling. Be patient. Crawl..sneak..do whatever you can do to cut that distance...If you dont make it easy for him to come check you out..He probably wont.

I was a lazy hunter this weekend...heard at least 3 distinct gobblers, called back and forth a bit. But I wasn't going down the hill, and they weren't coming up. No bird for me.

At least I got a good nap.