Turkey Troubles

[EKYHunter]

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Same law in KY. And calling them in like that just educates birds. If you’ve got a bird answering and he’s going away, he’s got hens or he’s got someplace he wants to be. You can circle around and get in front of them or simply move on to another bird. Or, fire up the hens. If you hear one calling, initiate her. If she yelps, you yelp. If she cuts, you cut. Aggravate her and she might just come looking to shit you up, dragging that gobbler with her. Lost calling will sometimes bring the hens as well. You could also try a fighting purr. Purr on a mouth call and a slate or box call. When this works, they’ll come running. A kee kee can also work to bring in the hens. Lastly, if you feel safe, you can gobble back at him with a gobble tube, mouth call, or tube call. It can also depend on how much property you have to hunt. If it’s a lot, you can get very aggressive in your tactics or if a small piece of land, you’d better off waiting until later in the morning when the hens should be nesting. Lots of options.

 

[Sheltowee]

I'll hit a locator call during scouting trips on occasion but, yeah, bad juju to call in a bird before season.

Weirdly, a Canada goose call was most my reliable locator for several years.

 

[benbanned]

The best call is the one that sounds like a hen the gobbler knows. That will more often be achieved with a mouth call IF you're good at it. Look up Scott Ellis on YouTube if you want to see what can be done with a mouth call.

I'll check him out. Thanks .

 

[EKYHunter]

I'll hit a locator call during scouting trips on occasion but, yeah, bad juju to call in a bird before season.

Weirdly, a Canada goose call was most my reliable locator for several years.

I’ve got an old Olt that I use. Works pretty good.

 

[brushcreek]

Thank goodness I’ll never live in the south

it's a bad idea regardless of where you live, assuming you want to kill turkeys

 

[TheTone]

Thankfully I have a ton of public spots to hunt so I’m not exactly worried about some pre season calling. Oddly enough I can 100% guarantee I’ve called in some birds pre season and then killed them in the same spot.

A friend was even telling me about a bird he called in and shot twice in one day. First shot was all body and then called him back in a few hours later as if nothing had happened. Second shot did the trick

 

[Gellar]

I'll hit a locator call during scouting trips on occasion but, yeah, bad juju to call in a bird before season.

Weirdly, a Canada goose call was most my reliable locator for several years.

I killed a tom last year because of a goose. It was midday, last day of the season, I was blind calling on the edge of a mowed crp field. A lone goose honked above me and a turkey shock gobbled really close behind me. I got turned around and 2 Tom’s were 10 yards apart 60 yards away and closing fast.

 

[wisconsinteacher]

Have you found a certain kind of call works best to get him interested? Did you just throw out a soft yelp?

If I know he is close, soft yelps and sit tight if he gobbles. I have found that if you get in his bubble, (60-200 yards depending on location) he will come looking for you. I always want to call more, but I have to tell myself to put the call down and wait. Turkeys don't know time like we do so sit tight and don't move.

 

[Dom]

Hey Yall,

I had a weird day in the Colorado turkey woods on Sunday, looking for a few tips on things I am doing wrong.

So I started the morning walking around a meadow with a few steep ridges coming off of it. Was a sort of scouting hunt to see if it was a good area. Turned out to be a dry hole so I moved to a new spot and got there around 7AM and saw a bunch of fresh tracks in the snow as soon as I got there. I ended up setting up on top of a small ridge right in front of a large open meadow. I threw a breeder Hen and a Jake decoy down in a a draw right beneath me where I saw a bunch of tracks moving through toward the meadow. From about 7:30 - 9:30 I heard about 5 different gobbles coming from the other side of the adjacent draw, about 80 yards away. I was using my mouth call and would respond every time with a loud yelp (something I have heard from a few Merriams guys). It seemed like these gobblers were running away from my call, I would hear them gobbling farther and farther away. I got impatient and started chasing them a bit and the same thing would happen, I would hear a gobble, some seemed as close as 30-40 yards away, I would throw a yelp out, and the next gobble was farther away. I never saw a turkey.

You guy have any tips on how to bring these birds toward me instead of chasing them away? Should I try staying quiet, maybe throw some soft clucks or yelps rather than loud ones?

Change your call. Loud calling is not advised unless you’re trying to locate them from afar. When their close stop calling or go to very soft calls at most.

 

[Dom]

If I know he is close, soft yelps and sit tight if he gobbles. I have found that if you get in his bubble, (60-200 yards depending on location) he will come looking for you. I always want to call more, but I have to tell myself to put the call down and wait. Turkeys don't know time like we do so sit tight and don't move.

Facts!