Turkey calling success

[laker1]

Just wondering from you pro's out there what percentage of the time do you think you know turkeys are in the area or answering you do you get them to come in. Now be honest about it. Our you that good?

The more I hunt the worst it seems to get for me.

[FishinFools]

I'll take a shot at this...risking a jinx on my Tuesday opening morning!

I don't "set up" when I hunt until I have a bird located. That may mean roosted the night before or gobbled during my hunt. If you draw a line from where I set up to where I think the bird is and then draw another line perpendicular to the first line and intersecting the birds location, then we cause that as a reference. (in other words, does the bird move closer to you or further away from you?

1) closer (coming in to my set up) once I begin to call, I say it happens about 40% of the time. Of the 60% of the time he does NOT come closer, I would guess almost all of that is because he is already with hens, or there is something physical between us which he just won't cross. You can't do much about the hens (I try to challenge the boss hen and sometimes that works, usually not. I enforce a 15 minute rule on myself and move. Some times I get busted, but that is pretty rare.

2) coming towards me, but doesn't get into gun range. "hang up.". Used to happen to me a lot. I still read each bird differently, but my default position on a cautious bird is to call very aggressively. Lots of purrs, clucks. Less yelping. Maybe some cackles thrown in. Get him thinking that there is a sure deal looking for him. It amazes me that one they are committed to investigating this hen, they sprint right in (sometimes). If they do come in but slow or stop, as long as i think i can do it quietly, i move my spot, ,but never drirectly towards him. In recent years, if I do my scouting well, know the terrain and get a bird working my way, I say that bird dies 75% of the time.

[123fish]

So much depends on the bird you are working or the situation itself. Down here in the far southwest corner there aren't many turkeys to start with so you have the advantage of not much hen competition. The previous five gobblers that I called in for my son-in-law or buddy came right in with very little calling and no messing around. They had barely had any hen contact before we set up on them and it showed. Just enough calling to let them know you we're there and it was game on right now. The disadvantage is that it can be thirty miles in between gobblers that you have located. I'm guessing the more hens in an area the less chance you would have of them coming to the call.

[laker1]

Thanks,and you guys are good.

Both of you sound like you have done your scouting and have amny areas to hunt and some where no other hunters have been.

Wonder what the learning curve is on birds that are still running around, can they get educated.

Could be a interesting thread,hope to get more discussion from the pro's and people like me who have a lot to learn.

Got a jake this year and I am happy. But frustrated in some areas I have been hunting and know the birds are there,but I think they are laughing at me when I call.

I am good at calling hawks in,also one otter this year.

[DonBo]

I'd venture a guess, that of the birds that answer me, probably only 1 in 5 or 6 will come in. Of those, maybe 1 in 3 or 4 will commit enough to come within range.

[FishinFools]

As a follow up, I did jinx myself!

Put two up Monday night. Was 75 yards away at first gobble this morning. Could see one in my binos on the limb. Two flew down, had them at 20yrds spitting and drumming, couldn't see either.

They moved. I moved. They came back, exact path I anticipated...but with a freaking full flock! Hens, jakes, two gobblers in tow. I waited as long as I could, passing on a clear shot of Tom #1 cuz #2 was right behind him...couldn't risk it. Two minutes later, I had three hens 10ft off my boots and I knew I was going to be busted for sure. Tracked Tom #1 until clear and rushed a shot as he moved through a 12" opening in the brush at 30yards.

I got one breast feather, no blood on the scene. No bird. But holy did the woods expolde when i shot! He got a few copper plated #6's and a master's degree in my calling/bad vibes. I think he is done with me for at least a few days...not to mention all 15 of his friends.

First time in 25 years turkey hunting that I took the shot, and missed...

Time to find a new bird...he is wise on me for sure.

To top off this wonderful morning, I locked my keys in my truck.

A jinx, for sure! I need some good karma!

[Archerysniper]

First time in 25 years turkey hunting that I took the shot, and missed...

Their are only 3 kinds of turkey hunters.

Those that have missed

Those that are going to miss

And those that lie and say they haven't missed

[FishinFools]

I feel better now! Glad to be a member of the first group on your list.

[paceman]

I feel better now! Glad to be a member of the first group on your list.

Yep me too

[bigbucks]

Me too, wouldn't have believed it, then failed to kill two in a row. I hit them, but not good enough. Word to wise all turkey loads don't work well in all guns...

[DonBo]

I think I may have missed one once.

[Thunderchicken]

Laker I by no means call my self an expert but I am a good turkey hunter LOL!! I have found that the only time I get a bird to come in to the call is.

A) Late morning after the hens go to nest.

Find a bachelor group of gobblers either in the tree or else where.

C) Or it is when all the moons align, and the birds are not afraid to answer.

I have hunted the black hills and western parts of this great state of SD. And I have had great luck every year.. Not kidding either when I say that I have killed a bird every year for the last ten seasons. And yes I do get to go more than most so that does help when the weather or birds are not in the mood. But I always prove to my hunting companions that with patients and a lot of luck anyone can do it. My daughter is going to go with me next year and she is already trying to out do my calling in the garage, and to be honest I believe she is better already!!! Good luck guys and don't give up calling it will work, at least most of the time.

[Greybeard53]

Wow, there are so many variables that it’s a tough question to answer.

Not that my ideas carry any more weight than anyone else’s, because even after chasing these birds for over 35 years now, I still get proven wrong on a regular basis, but in my humble opinion these are a few of the most important variables.

1. Timing. Early spring vs. late spring. Early in the spring Tom’s are ready and hens aren’t. They’ll come in at a higher %. Later, when the hens are receptive the Tom’s will talk a lot but don’t have much reason to chase. (unless there’s a high populations of Jakes/young Tom’s) Later in the spring when most hens are nested, the Toms will need to search a little harder and be willing to come in at a higher % again.

2. Style of hunting: run&gun vs stalk vs blind.

-Run&Gun hunters key primarily on active birds. If they don’t come in quickly they move on. So they don’t always know if he’s not coming, or just coming slowly. If you have lot’s of land access and plenty of birds, this is really fun and exciting.

-Stalking can get you in position to get a bird, but calling may or may not even play into it. I’m more about the hunt than just filling a tag, so this is my least favorite style. To each his own.

-Blind hunters are tied to one spot, but if one answers your call I believe he will eventually try to make it back to you. It may take several hours or more however if he’s with hens, but a patient hunter will get a chance a high percentage of the time. In my opinion a high percentage of hunters leave the blind too soon and miss opportunities.

3. Hunter Patience (See above)

4. Hunting pressure. Turkeys will definitely change their behavior if they see a lot of hunting pressure. They often respond less and are more cautious. But their instinct to breed will always win out at some point. Good calling is more important than ever.

5. Turkey population/flock make up. A lot depends on the number of hens vs Jakes vs Tom’s. If there is an over abundance of hens it can make it really difficult because the Tom’s have no reason to chase.

While Tom’s are usually dominant over Jakes, if there is an over abundance of Jakes, they will often gang up on lone Tom’s and as a result, the Tom’s become less vocal. An over abundance of Tom’s equals a lot of happy hunters.

Anyway, I apologize for the long post. Best of luck to everyone for the rest of the season.

PS: Yes, I think I may have missed before too.

[NoWiser]

Alright, experts, what do you think happened to me today?

I hunted a woods with a good turkey population Tues. and Wed. without hearing so much as a gobble. The only excitement were two hens walking through and a pair of woodducks landing in my turkey decoys.

So, this morning I went to a woods that has never been real good for turkeys, but I needed a change of scenery. I was sitting in a blind on the edge of a large field with a buffer strip of grass around it. All morning I heard gobbling to the point I thought the neighbors must have pet turkeys. Then, about 500 yards away I saw two toms by themselves. I called a couple times and they pretty much beelined it for me, but hung up about 70 yards away, before walking into the woods leaving me shaking with a broken heart. An hour later I was getting ready to leave to get to work and I look out of the corner of my blind to see a big red and white head looking at me 20 yards away at the edge of the woods. Two big jakes come out, gobbling. Pretty soon two toms come out, 30 yards from them, gobbling. The toms were slowly making there way away from me, with the jakes right behind. When the jakes would get too close, the toms would turn around and try to kick some butt. When I would call softly, all 4 would gobble simultaneously.

Now, with 2 jakes and 2 gobblers, and no hens, I thought they should come right in to my decoys. They pretty much acted like they were not even there. I had out 2 hens and a jake. I had one of the hens in front of the jake in a sort of breeding position.

Any advice?? Should I go to just hen decoys, or just single hen decoy? Should I call more or less? I have to admit, seeing all 4 gobble at once was a hoot, and probably called a bit more than I should have, once I knew they were headed the other way, just to see them put on a show. I'm heading back out there after work, and bright an early tomorrow morning. Any advice??

[sticknstring]

Lack of movement in the spread will often do that this time of year. They may have had a destination in mind and were reluctant to detour as well - who knows. Just turkeys being turkeys! Sometimes a quick reposition or a different call can make the difference. Those same birds that ignore you in the morning will often come back and check you out later in the day, especially in the afternoons. The good news is you found some birds! Maybe reposition where they passed by for tomorrow morning. If undisturbed, they'll often follow the same routine.

[Greybeard53]

You'll never know for sure, but one possibility would be that if the two jakes were somewhat aggressive, the third jake (your decoy) may have changed the numbers enough that it intimidated them a little. You might want to try it again with just a hen decoy or two. Just a thought.

[bigbucks]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding. The jakes were 20 yards away & the toms 30 from them or just 30 yards? Seems like they were in range to me or were you bowhunting. Admittedly 50 yards is right on the edge of range & maybe they were still too close to each other, just trying to get the full picture.

Either way it sounds like you were darn close to tagging out.

[NoWiser]

I'm bowhunting so they were out of range for me, and repositioning wasn't possible being in a blind. With a shotgun, there is a decent chance I'd be having turkey for dinner!

Either way it was about as exciting as it gets! Tomorrow morning will find me in a new spot along the edge of the woods, and with only one or two hen decoys out. Mornings like this make getting up early not seem so bad! I've got until May 30th to get my bird, and the alarm isn't getting set any later than 4:00 a.m. until I take care of business!

Thanks fellas

[sticknstring]

Peristence and patience fill lots of tags each spring. I went out this morning to the same area I had all the action Tues but all was quiet. Called in two hens early on, but never heard a gobble from the blind. The overnight rain had them tight-beaked. As I left for work at 8:30, I could hear a bird about 300 yds away fired up gobbling about every 30 seconds. Go figure!

[rangerforme]

I'd order these items in terms of importance in killing a turkey.

1) You have to be on property with turkeys around.

2) PATIENCE - #1 killer of turkeys

3) Patience - see #2

4) Calling

Basic calling is all you need, I've heard some terrible sounding calls work just fine. Its more of knowing when and when not to call to a bird.

I think most people call way too much, once I get one to respond I will usually shut up, it may take that bird an hour to get to me but most the time they will come. If you continue to call that bird will assume you are coming to him. Hence the word patience again!

[Musky Buck]

I'm with rangeforme, that has been my experiences though limited. My nephew sounded sick with his call, awful, just messing around by the woods, he walks up to the yard and I told him geez you need some practice, we look back to the creek bottom, corner and 4 toms come out right where he stood minutes earlier looking around etc. acting all worked up and he sounded like a cross between a crow, goose, duck, chicken. Last Spring I'd call they'd gobble and none would come into range, definitely thinking I over called but unable to see him, he'd gobble each time so I was more trying to figure if he's getting closer, further away, or stationary, when he sounded further away I left my post, got 200 yards ahead of him and figured he'd walk right by which he thankfully did. 11" beard, 1 1/4" spurs and the rest is history, but man I'd like to see one decoy someday, but I think the earlier in the season the better maybe for that as I see them fluffed and gobbling usually a month before the season opens pending weather a bit etc. Keep at it is the best plan but have a plan B always at the ready.

[Thunderchicken]

I'm with Greybeard on this one.. More often then not I find that when jakes come in with the gobblers they pay more attention to the jakes then the hen. Over the years now I have quit putting out a decoy and I have had better results cause I feel that once they see the hen they stop lookin, and so they hang up out side of bow range more often then not.