Turkey hunting questions

[huntingfanatic]

Turkey hunting questions

Been calling turkeys for a long time. Two scenarios Either a gobbler is by himself or with a few other gobblers in which case you don’t have to call a lot if you don’t hear any nearby hens. They are probably going to come. Second scenario they are with hens which most times they usually are. At that point you I am no longer calling the gobbler cause he ain’t gonna leave the hens. When I know a gobbler has hens I call a LOT because my goal now is to aggravate the dominant hen so she will come investigate. I’ll call over her, cut at her, whatever I think I need to do to make her mad. If she comes looking, that gobbler will be right behind her. It’s worked pretty well for me for 40 years lol

[hoythunter02]

Been calling turkeys for a long time. Two scenarios Either a gobbler is by himself or with a few other gobblers in which case you don’t have to call a lot if you don’t hear any nearby hens. They are probably going to come. Second scenario they are with hens which most times they usually are. At that point you I am no longer calling the gobbler cause he ain’t gonna leave the hens. When I know a gobbler has hens I call a LOT because my goal now is to aggravate the dominant hen so she will come investigate. I’ll call over her, cut at her, whatever I think I need to do to make her mad. If she comes looking, that gobbler will be right behind her. It’s worked pretty well for me for 40 years lol

Sound advice, thank you.


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[RifleBowPistol]

My process, is I currently have three box calls. Both sides of the box, will make a different sound, different pitch sound. I will take all three calls, and pick out sides of each call, that sound good to me. I have heard real hens, that sound like crap, so making the perfect hen sound it not all that important.

Hens usually travel in groups, that's why I like to use multiple calls, to sound like group of hens, and not just a single hen. You need to learn when to change the volume. I start off, with some soft clucks, typical of hens walking around feeding. Any time they are pecking at things on the ground/eating they will make small sharp pecking sound, I guess would be the best wording. So using different calls I will intermittently make small, light pecking sounds. Then stop with the small clucks, and pecking, and make some moderate volume yelps, from one call, once or twice. Pause about 20 seconds to a minute between a couple of yelps. The yelps will be about five seconds long. Probably not more than three yelps over a five minute time.

Then after one or two moderate yelps from one call, you might throw out a louder yelp from a different yelp, potentially a bit longer, maybe seven seconds. Most of the time, you want to taper off the volume of the yelps. They will typically start off louder for a few seconds, then taper off, and slow the yelp.

You might do some yelps from the two calls, like competing hens. Only do three to four yelps from each call, over a few minutes. Then stop. You should pause, not making any sound for 15 to 30 seconds after making a yelp. Listen very carefully, listen for faint gobbles. You would not believe how far off a gobbler can hear and will respond, to a yelp. I have had them answer a yelp from at least a mile away. It helps to have someone who has good ears, and then no background noise.

After listening for some response from a gobbler, gobblers, for a minute or two. You might do some light pecks, and light clucks. To sound like some hens talking as they walk and peck for food. Don't spend a lot of time making pecks, clucks, definitely don't do yelps very often, if you are not hearing a response. Also remember, just because you can't hear a response, does not mean a tom is not 1 1/2 miles away gobbling up a storm. You can't hear him for one reason or another, wind or background noise, cars, planes, trains, really screw up turkey hunting. Don't keep calling if you are not hearing any reply, at least not often. A hen is not going to walk around yelping every couple of minutes all day long.

A tom can hear you at probably 2 miles, if there is not a lot of other noise around. If he is not already going after another hen, he most likely will be heading your direction. There are a lot of toms that won't reply to a yelp from long distance, they will just run flat out and fly over anything that will slow their run down. I have heard toms at 1 mile away and had them inside of 100 yards, in less than 15 minutes. Others may never show up, but will gobble a lot.

If you don't hear any gobbles, you might do some yelps every 15 to 30 minutes. With some light clucks and some pecks randomly. If you have two calls, you might use the other side of the box, to make it sound like there are more hens. Don't do four different hen yelps one after another. Do one tone/sound yelp, then possibly a competing louder one, following the first. Then maybe go back to the first one, and back to the second again. With a minimum of 15 seconds between yelps. Then after five to 15 minutes you might try a different side of one of the boxes. You might try to create multiple different hens, as in some you might not ever make loud yelps with only softer yelps. Others you might do louder, more confident longer yelps, with.

I have found some toms will answer one call but not another call, but then other toms will answer any sound you make. Sitting on the edge of a clearing is a good idea. Toms will want a clearing to strut around in. I am not sure what to tell you to try in comfort, I don't know what the area you are hunting looks like, such as trees. I assume it's going to be hilly and rocky. I would say, the fewer trees, call less. Probably being at the bottom of a hill/valley would be better than on top of a hill. Just my guess, never hunted turkey out in that area, or any hilly areas. I would bet valleys are better than hill tops, should be more natural turkey courting area.

If you don't get any response inside of an hour and half, move, move a long ways, understanding that toms can hear you from a long distance, so packing up and moving 100 yards, is probably not going to change things much. Probably not, but the way sound travels you might find a better spot where sound travels farther, that spot may only be 50 yards away. But you would have to know that area, and know where sound travels best. Then the other situation where not moving a long ways away before calling again, would be, you got a tom coming in from where you first called from, but he did not gobble, or you did not hear him, but he is coming in. In that situation, only moving 100 yards would be the thing to do. But if you are not hearing a tom, and you can hear noises far off from where you are, I would go with there are not any toms that hear you and move, 1/2 mile to a mile away, or farther, if possible. With hills, the sound likely is not going to travel long distances in some directions, but will travel long distances in other directions. Possibly just packing up and moving to the other side of hill, to the next valley may be all you need.

Then start the process off, slowly again, don't over do it. Then there is one of my favorite tricks. If you are going to be hunting an area, more than one day in a row. Do some calling late in the afternoon, preferably within 100 yards of some larger trees, where turkeys might roost. Again, pecks, clucks, and some yelps. Don't over do it, just call like you did during the day. Then call it done, and leave. Make sure you are back in that spot, before the sun comes up the next morning, and be ready. If there were any toms in the area, when you were calling that afternoon before, they will likely be at the spot you called from, at first light. They will find the nearest roosting tree or trees, get in them for the night, and be up before the sun and on a mission to get to that hen before any other toms do. They may come from 2 miles away. Make sure that spot you choose, again, has an open area, for toms to strut, in a valley, if you are in hilly area, or just an open area, preferably with tall trees within 100 yards, and water within a 1/2 mile would be great.

Before going out and doing any calling, watch numerous videos of hens, clucking, pecking, yelping. Watch videos of toms gobbling. Watch videos of other guys calling in toms, some of those guys really know how to imitate a turkey. When I was growing up, we raised turkeys, I would practice, by listening to the hens. Then make yelps, see what got the tom fired up the most. I spent many hours listening to them, so it's easy for me to sound like a hen or group of hens.

If you get a tom gobbling, don't answer every gobble, with a yelp. Continue to do some pecks, and clucks lightly. When you think the time is right, the right gobbles, throw out a yelp from one hen, then a while later maybe a second hen. But don't do the competing hens at that point. Tone down the yelps, unless you think it's really getting the tom fired up. Tone down, as in quiet down the yelps. You can make one yelp that he hears from a mile a way, and he can come straight to your exact location, with you never making another sound. They will pin point your spot fast. So continuing to make yelps thinking you are helping him find you is not required. But you do want to keep his interest, and sound interested in him. Definitely once you are sure, he is on his way towards you, do not call as often, don't call as loud.

Then make sure you are ready, as in you are hidden. My biggest mistakes calling turkeys, was calling in more turkeys than I realized I called in. I would often hear one tom a mile away, then could tell he was running towards me, by how quickly his gobbles were getting closer. Then numerous times, have a second tom start gobbling when the first is 300 yards or so out. Then the second tom is probably 200 to 250 yards away, and coming from a different direction. Then when those two are getting within 100 yards, and I am looking for them coming from two directions and they start changing up how they reply, one may mostly stop gobbling, the other may continue, but shorter gobbles. Likely when one stops gobbling, it's because they are trying to pick out the hen, or hens, visually. They will circle you, going back and forth, trying to find a spot where they can see the hen. When you have two doing this, close enough they can very easily see you, you need to be careful moving. While they are doing that, and slowly moving closer, don't be surprised if a third bird, starts gobbling from another direction, even closer. Most likely at that point, you are going to get busted. That's how I got busted many times. Three birds on three sides, all trying to find the hen, or hens visually, is when you are going to get busted. Do not make a sound at that point, unless you have a bird, for sure within range, but just out of sight. You might do a quick yelp to try and get him to move and show himself.

I on may hunts, was in areas with lots of toms, and getting multiple birds coming in from multiple directions, will almost always get you busted, unless you are in a ground blind. I never used a ground blind, I got busted many times. We would try to hide next to a large oak tree, or in a small clump of brush. We were good with one bird, but when a second or a third bird starts gobbling from different directions. What's worse, is when you know there are two coming in from different directions, then one decides to stop responding, so you don't know exactly where he is. Your first instinct is to keep looking around, but doing so, is going to get you busted.

Other things to avoid doing, are bumping the call or making unplanned noises with the call, when the tom is in close. Really don't make any noises, other than deliberate calls, once the bird is inside of 200 yards. Even at 300 to 400 yards out, you should be very careful about making any noises other than deliberate calls. When they can hear you from 2 miles away, they can pin point your location from around a mile away. If they are 300 yards away and they hear some human sounding noise, they will know that noise came from the same spot where they think a hen is. Now if their brain, is functioning good enough to know that something is up, is another thing. Sometimes older birds will figure out something is up, quickly, turn and run the other way, seemingly for no reason. But like bucks during the rut, they can also get very stupid. But even getting very stupid, if you make the wrong sound or wrong movement at the wrong time, they will most likely be a black blur going the other direction. But then I have walked up to a group of five jakes, that were pecking the hell out of a tom I just shot. Stood right next to the group, yelled and waved my arms. They eventually stopped looked at me, then went right back to pecking the tom. I had to shoot one, point blank to get them to stop. The end of the barrel, was only an inch or two from the second bird I shot. Even then, it took the other four jakes a while to realize something had happened. Eventually something clicked with one bird, he took off, then the other three followed. You really never know what to expect from them.

It definitely works much better, when you only call in one bird at a time. It can be very boring for hours there, then get very crazy, quickly, you never know what those birds are going to do.

I am going to try to do some calling this weekend. See if I can call up some of our mute birds, that we have around here. I did last year, it was very different, the local birds flat won't gobble, or I have not heard one yet. Been seeing a lot of toms moving around, in the area, when driving to and from work. I really want to get out and do some calling, while they are still moving, they have been moving for a month now, around here. Late last week, and this past weekend, I saw more than I have seen in the past month.

Good luck.

[Dr. Evil]

my process, is i currently have three box calls. Both sides of the box, will make a different sound, different pitch sound. I will take all three calls, and pick out sides of each call, that sound good to me. I have heard real hens, that sound like crap, so making the perfect hen sound it not all that important.

Hens usually travel in groups, that's why i like to use multiple calls, to sound like group of hens, and not just a single hen. You need to learn when to change the volume. I start off, with some soft clucks, typical of hens walking around feeding. Any time they are pecking at things on the ground/eating they will make small sharp pecking sound, i guess would be the best wording. So using different calls i will intermittently make small, light pecking sounds. Then stop with the small clucks, and pecking, and make some moderate volume yelps, from one call, once or twice. Pause about 20 seconds to a minute between a couple of yelps. The yelps will be about five seconds long. Probably not more than three yelps over a five minute time.

Then after one or two moderate yelps from one call, you might throw out a louder yelp from a different yelp, potentially a bit longer, maybe seven seconds. Most of the time, you want to taper off the volume of the yelps. They will typically start off louder for a few seconds, then taper off, and slow the yelp.

You might do some yelps from the two calls, like competing hens. Only do three to four yelps from each call, over a few minutes. Then stop. You should pause, not making any sound for 15 to 30 seconds after making a yelp. Listen very carefully, listen for faint gobbles. You would not believe how far off a gobbler can hear and will respond, to a yelp. I have had them answer a yelp from at least a mile away. It helps to have someone who has good ears, and then no background noise.

After listening for some response from a gobbler, gobblers, for a minute or two. You might do some light pecks, and light clucks. To sound like some hens talking as they walk and peck for food. Don't spend a lot of time making pecks, clucks, definitely don't do yelps very often, if you are not hearing a response. Also remember, just because you can't hear a response, does not mean a tom is not 1 1/2 miles away gobbling up a storm. You can't hear him for one reason or another, wind or background noise, cars, planes, trains, really screw up turkey hunting. Don't keep calling if you are not hearing any reply, at least not often. A hen is not going to walk around yelping every couple of minutes all day long.

A tom can hear you at probably 2 miles, if there is not a lot of other noise around. If he is not already going after another hen, he most likely will be heading your direction. There are a lot of toms that won't reply to a yelp from long distance, they will just run flat out and fly over anything that will slow their run down. I have heard toms at 1 mile away and had them inside of 100 yards, in less than 15 minutes. Others may never show up, but will gobble a lot.

If you don't hear any gobbles, you might do some yelps every 15 to 30 minutes. With some light clucks and some pecks randomly. If you have two calls, you might use the other side of the box, to make it sound like there are more hens. Don't do four different hen yelps one after another. Do one tone/sound yelp, then possibly a competing louder one, following the first. Then maybe go back to the first one, and back to the second again. With a minimum of 15 seconds between yelps. Then after five to 15 minutes you might try a different side of one of the boxes. You might try to create multiple different hens, as in some you might not ever make loud yelps with only softer yelps. Others you might do louder, more confident longer yelps, with.

I have found some toms will answer one call but not another call, but then other toms will answer any sound you make. Sitting on the edge of a clearing is a good idea. Toms will want a clearing to strut around in. I am not sure what to tell you to try in comfort, i don't know what the area you are hunting looks like, such as trees. I assume it's going to be hilly and rocky. I would say, the fewer trees, call less. Probably being at the bottom of a hill/valley would be better than on top of a hill. Just my guess, never hunted turkey out in that area, or any hilly areas. I would bet valleys are better than hill tops, should be more natural turkey courting area.

If you don't get any response inside of an hour and half, move, move a long ways, understanding that toms can hear you from a long distance, so packing up and moving 100 yards, is probably not going to change things much. Probably not, but the way sound travels you might find a better spot where sound travels farther, that spot may only be 50 yards away. But you would have to know that area, and know where sound travels best. Then the other situation where not moving a long ways away before calling again, would be, you got a tom coming in from where you first called from, but he did not gobble, or you did not hear him, but he is coming in. In that situation, only moving 100 yards would be the thing to do. But if you are not hearing a tom, and you can hear noises far off from where you are, i would go with there are not any toms that hear you and move, 1/2 mile to a mile away, or farther, if possible. With hills, the sound likely is not going to travel long distances in some directions, but will travel long distances in other directions. Possibly just packing up and moving to the other side of hill, to the next valley may be all you need.

Then start the process off, slowly again, don't over do it. Then there is one of my favorite tricks. If you are going to be hunting an area, more than one day in a row. Do some calling late in the afternoon, preferably within 100 yards of some larger trees, where turkeys might roost. Again, pecks, clucks, and some yelps. Don't over do it, just call like you did during the day. Then call it done, and leave. Make sure you are back in that spot, before the sun comes up the next morning, and be ready. If there were any toms in the area, when you were calling that afternoon before, they will likely be at the spot you called from, at first light. They will find the nearest roosting tree or trees, get in them for the night, and be up before the sun and on a mission to get to that hen before any other toms do. They may come from 2 miles away. Make sure that spot you choose, again, has an open area, for toms to strut, in a valley, if you are in hilly area, or just an open area, preferably with tall trees within 100 yards, and water within a 1/2 mile would be great.

Before going out and doing any calling, watch numerous videos of hens, clucking, pecking, yelping. Watch videos of toms gobbling. Watch videos of other guys calling in toms, some of those guys really know how to imitate a turkey. When i was growing up, we raised turkeys, i would practice, by listening to the hens. Then make yelps, see what got the tom fired up the most. I spent many hours listening to them, so it's easy for me to sound like a hen or group of hens.

If you get a tom gobbling, don't answer every gobble, with a yelp. Continue to do some pecks, and clucks lightly. When you think the time is right, the right gobbles, throw out a yelp from one hen, then a while later maybe a second hen. But don't do the competing hens at that point. Tone down the yelps, unless you think it's really getting the tom fired up. Tone down, as in quiet down the yelps. You can make one yelp that he hears from a mile a way, and he can come straight to your exact location, with you never making another sound. They will pin point your spot fast. So continuing to make yelps thinking you are helping him find you is not required. But you do want to keep his interest, and sound interested in him. Definitely once you are sure, he is on his way towards you, do not call as often, don't call as loud.

Then make sure you are ready, as in you are hidden. My biggest mistakes calling turkeys, was calling in more turkeys than i realized i called in. I would often hear one tom a mile away, then could tell he was running towards me, by how quickly his gobbles were getting closer. Then numerous times, have a second tom start gobbling when the first is 300 yards or so out. Then the second tom is probably 200 to 250 yards away, and coming from a different direction. Then when those two are getting within 100 yards, and i am looking for them coming from two directions and they start changing up how they reply, one may mostly stop gobbling, the other may continue, but shorter gobbles. Likely when one stops gobbling, it's because they are trying to pick out the hen, or hens, visually. They will circle you, going back and forth, trying to find a spot where they can see the hen. When you have two doing this, close enough they can very easily see you, you need to be careful moving. While they are doing that, and slowly moving closer, don't be surprised if a third bird, starts gobbling from another direction, even closer. Most likely at that point, you are going to get busted. That's how i got busted many times. Three birds on three sides, all trying to find the hen, or hens visually, is when you are going to get busted. Do not make a sound at that point, unless you have a bird, for sure within range, but just out of sight. You might do a quick yelp to try and get him to move and show himself.

I on may hunts, was in areas with lots of toms, and getting multiple birds coming in from multiple directions, will almost always get you busted, unless you are in a ground blind. I never used a ground blind, i got busted many times. We would try to hide next to a large oak tree, or in a small clump of brush. We were good with one bird, but when a second or a third bird starts gobbling from different directions. What's worse, is when you know there are two coming in from different directions, then one decides to stop responding, so you don't know exactly where he is. Your first instinct is to keep looking around, but doing so, is going to get you busted.

Other things to avoid doing, are bumping the call or making unplanned noises with the call, when the tom is in close. Really don't make any noises, other than deliberate calls, once the bird is inside of 200 yards. Even at 300 to 400 yards out, you should be very careful about making any noises other than deliberate calls. When they can hear you from 2 miles away, they can pin point your location from around a mile away. If they are 300 yards away and they hear some human sounding noise, they will know that noise came from the same spot where they think a hen is. Now if their brain, is functioning good enough to know that something is up, is another thing. Sometimes older birds will figure out something is up, quickly, turn and run the other way, seemingly for no reason. But like bucks during the rut, they can also get very stupid. But even getting very stupid, if you make the wrong sound or wrong movement at the wrong time, they will most likely be a black blur going the other direction. But then i have walked up to a group of five jakes, that were pecking the hell out of a tom i just shot. Stood right next to the group, yelled and waved my arms. They eventually stopped looked at me, then went right back to pecking the tom. I had to shoot one, point blank to get them to stop. The end of the barrel, was only an inch or two from the second bird i shot. Even then, it took the other four jakes a while to realize something had happened. Eventually something clicked with one bird, he took off, then the other three followed. You really never know what to expect from them.

It definitely works much better, when you only call in one bird at a time. It can be very boring for hours there, then get very crazy, quickly, you never know what those birds are going to do.

I am going to try to do some calling this weekend. See if i can call up some of our mute birds, that we have around here. I did last year, it was very different, the local birds flat won't gobble, or i have not heard one yet. Been seeing a lot of toms moving around, in the area, when driving to and from work. I really want to get out and do some calling, while they are still moving, they have been moving for a month now, around here. Late last week, and this past weekend, i saw more than i have seen in the past month.

Good luck.

thank you!!

[BarBBar]

If turkeys are roosting on your land, set up a brush blind before the season about 150 yards away at a higher spot where you can see them in the tree at dawn, but take a path in they can't see. Get in there quietly before first light. Wear a good head net. Watch for rattlers, wear gaiters. When you see the birds fly down, hit two or three licks on a box call. If a gobbler gobbles, hit one more hen sequence, and pick up your shotgun. I called in three gobblers last year with an old Burnam Brothers cedar box. Chalk it up, and don't over call. Early April works best for me.

[Dmck]

Been calling turkeys for a long time. Two scenarios Either a gobbler is by himself or with a few other gobblers in which case you don’t have to call a lot if you don’t hear any nearby hens. They are probably going to come. Second scenario they are with hens which most times they usually are. At that point you I am no longer calling the gobbler cause he ain’t gonna leave the hens. When I know a gobbler has hens I call a LOT because my goal now is to aggravate the dominant hen so she will come investigate. I’ll call over her, cut at her, whatever I think I need to do to make her mad. If she comes looking, that gobbler will be right behind her. It’s worked pretty well for me for 40 years lol

This right here. Many a Gobbler has been killed following an old mad hen to a fight. Cutting, fighting purr, and cuttting yelps.

[Dmck]

I don't have a lot of spring turkey hunting experience. What do you people do on opening day? Hen call only, hen call with hen(s) decoy, hen call with hen(s) and jake decoys, decoys only? How do you approach it?
Hunting near Comfort.

Thanks

If you want to learn how to use a mouth call H.S. Strut two reed is an inexpensive call that you can make yelps and pretty good cuts. Sure helps having both hands free.