Calling all turkeys!

[scruffy]

Ok, I've had more than one bird called away from me by a real hen or another hunter, so I'm very interested in improving my calling.  It seems some hunters have toms running in opening morning of every season they hunt, others like me, well, it's later in the season if ever....

Just luck, or technique?

Well, I've been doing some research on calling since I bought my new HS Lil Duece call which came with friction calling instructions - (also seen at http://www.hunterspec.com/images/pdfs/friction_calls.pdf ).  I've found I probably do a hen yelp instead of a tree call in the early morning, I do more gobbler yelps than hen yelps, and I don't cluck right.  Clucking, acording to the doc, is short range hen talk that is soft and shows contentment.  My clucking is loud, more like cutting, only my cutting is monotone generally, I don't move it "up and down the scale".

So I have some things to work on.

Does anyone else have any instructions, recommendations, or tricks they use?

What do most of you guys do when calling in a turkey?  Do you sit and yelp mainly, or mainly cutting, mix it up 50/50?

Or do you do what I do and wrap on the slate or box call, probably having no idea what we're saying.....  :?

later,
scruffy

[22KHornet]

I would love to help you out.    The only problem is the only way I get a shot at a turkey is to low crawl though the grass and brush :oops: .  I have been spending some time listening to the espn site were they have turkey's on audio.  I hear the mushrooms are already out so if you can't find any turkey's you can alway's hunt mushrooms, watch out though they are pretty stealthy and can be dangerous if cornered  :lol:

[turkeyhunter]

Hmm.  Well, what works best?  As you can imagine each turkey is different and each situation is different.  Where I hunt there are so many hens that it is very difficult to get a tom off of the roost.  If you do locate a tom on the roost and set up near him, listen for the hen yelps.  Don't be loud in the early morning.  When the hens wake up they are generally quiet and progressively get louder.   I usually try to tick the dominent hen off by copying the sound she is making as exactly as possible.  This will make her mad and do one of two things, 1.  bring her (and the rest of the flock) in to see just who the heck you are, or 2.  make her lead her toms and flock away from you.  

If you don't get a tom off of the roost I find many times just sitting there and taking it easy for a couple of hours will do the trick.  Every 10 or 15 minutes give a good yelp so the toms know where you are at and many times what will happen is after they have their morning "quickie" they will come looking for new hens. :lol:  :lol:   Just remember, you are the hen trying to call in you tom.  When you do see a tom all of your calling should be quiet.  Learn how to do a purr if you can.  On your slate call it is simply pulling the striker in a downward motion with light pressure.  Don't do that too quickly though because it is also a fighting sound.  

Anyway, I hope some of this proves to be useful.  I have gotten to go out 3 times this year and have been able to take turkeys 2 of those times.  The third time I woke up too late but when I got the field I had planned on hunting it was full of turkeys.  If I had only gotten up early enough I might have been 3 for 3 this year!  Good luck on your future hunts.  :-D

[scruffy]

Turkeyhunter, you make me sick!  :wink:   2 for 3, could have been 3 for 3, I want to be that good someday.  Heck, going 1 for 5 would work for me (5 day season)!!!  :eek:

I'll use your advice.  In reading your post I see I'm making two mistakes.  I need to "set back and relax" like you said.  I'm a die hard preditor hunter so I'm normally calling, if nothing comes in kick back and rest 30 minutes for straglers to show up, and then head for a new spot.  I don't sit in one spot for hours, so I'll start doing that!!!

And I hadn't heard that once you see a tom to shut up.  A few years ago the little box call that went on your shotgun was the rage (I bought one...) and I thought you were supposed to call him all the way in.  But recently I've been noticing on the hunting shows exactly what you say.  Many, not all, but seems like most people now adays stop calling when the toms are visible.  Twice now I've had a tom strutting around 150 yards away and called, he'd gobble, but he never came in.  I guess I should have stopped calling and just waited patiently.

I can do a mean pur, and a soft pur, on my big slate.  Still practicing on my new small glass duece.  Do you use that when you see a tom or before?  I couldn't tell for sure from your last post.  You mentioned it right after not calling to a visible tom, so I'm a little confused.

And thanks again for the help!  Hopefully with some helpful guidance I can consistantly call them in.

22khornet, no morels so far that I've found.  But I've seen alot of people on the side of the roads and hitting the public hunting areas (no blaze orange either...).  So far no signs of mushroom tresspassors on my place, but I'm sure it will happen.  This year I'm escorting offenders (if I catch them) up to the house and we can talk with the county sheriff about tresspassing charges.  Last year some lady with her small kids tresspassed across my property and my neighbors while I was turkey hunting.  She got all irrate at me when I told her to leave.  I should have called the sheriff then, what an example for your kids, tresspass and then yell and scream at the property owner when he nicely tells you to leave and don't tresspass again.  RRRR :evil: still is irritating, almost a year later!

Anyway, on a happier note,  :-D , I'm hitting my dad's farm Saturday morning for a turkey/morel hunt and I have some morel "roosting" areas scouted out.  :wink:

Today being the first day of 4th season I dragged my body out of bed at 4:30am and was out and set up just after 5:00am against my future deer ladder stand tree.  The winds were already picking up and it was farely warm.  Remember 2nd season where it was 90 the first two days and 60mph winds the third (30mph fouth day, 2" rain last day....), well today is supposed to be 90 degrees AND 60mph winds.  I just hunted until 7:00am and then off to work.  At 6:48 someone over the hill a ways off in a corn field shot three times, one shot, long pause, then two shots to finish him off. ()  But I didn't see any turkeys, in the valley I was in my call probably wan't going very far in the thick warm air and lots of wind noise blowing the tops of the trees.

On the way to work though in the first 4 miles I saw 10 turkeys in the corn field, 7:15am.  They must have flown down and gone right to the corn fields to eat because of the heat and wind (hense the guy shooting presumibly a turkey in a corn field this morning south of me....).

But all was not boring for me.  At 6:30am a doe stopped around 125 yards away to inspect a still born calf that was born yesterday evening  :cry: , and then crossed the fense and walked briskly through my new clover plot (clover just popping out of the ground) and followed my tracks to my stand tree, walking past 5 feet behind me.  She could tell I was there as I was out of place but didn't know what I was.  She walked around and up to 4 feet infront of me looking me over.  She had to smell me but my cammo must have looked delicious!  Then the sun shone through the trees at full strength and she caught an eye full of the reflection off the barrel and up went the tail and off she went.  There's nothing like seeing deer from your deer stand tree, even if the stand isn't up yet.  It should be a good spot, to the north a deer bedding area, they move south into a corn field, cross fense and into my clover plot, then continue south to mature (20+" diameter) oak trees (one holding my deer stand) and then past the oaks is the creek with pool of water from field tile that flows water all winter long.  On the other side of the creek the timber goes up the other side 100 yards to the top of the hill and east and west for miles.  Lost of deer bed in the "big" timber.  They take the opposite migration, bedding area, creek, past oaks trees (deer stand), clover, then corn.  :wink:

Wait a minute, it's turkey season, what am I doing writing about deer!   :shock:  Sorry!

Anyway, it was a really good morning!  :wink:

later,
scruffy

[turkeyhunter]

Scruffy,

I don't quite shut up when I see a tom but I do make my calls much softer.  If your calls are loud it is easier for the tom to pinpoint where they are coming from which means it will be easier for you to be spotted.  I like purring and clucking when I see a tom or a hen to bring them on in.  Remember, a soft purr is the contentment call of a turkey.  It kinda means "everything is ok and I like where I'm at".  Every situation is different but sometimes you will find a tom to hang up at about 150 yds expecting the hen to come to him.  

Now, on the reverse side of that, if I have been sitting for a long time with no sign of anything I will usually call very aggressively for a few minutes.  Real loud like I am trying to wake up the country side.  I will even use two calls like a slate and box or a slate and a diaphram call to imitate two hens fighting with each other.  If that doesn't get them going then nothing will.  Then I will get up and move to the area that I think they are moving to.  I have killed several toms in past years later in the afternoon after I have moved.  This year I just got lucky! :eek:  

[scruffy]

Ok, now more of the pieces to the puzzle are coming together.  :grin:  The lightbulb is coming on brighter all the time.  My first full morning (maybe full day, we'll see how long the "honey do" list is....) is Saturday so I hope to try my new found knowledge.

Here's my plan turkeyhunter,

Stalk up quietly to where my first stand will be at 5:00am.  Settle in and soak it all in (one of my favorite parts of hunting).  Then around 5:20am do a short tree call consisting of three light and soft yelps.  I'll repeat the soft tree call again at 5:40am, which if when shooting time opens.  At 5:50am I'll send out a succession of 6 soft hen yelps, 6:00am another succession of hen yelps a little louder.  Then I'll drop down to 15 minutes between sending out 4 to 6 hen yelps.  

At 7:30am, if I haven't heard anything at all, no gobbling on roost, no hens, basic dead woods, I'll spend a couple minutes cutting excitedly on the slate, going up and down the tone scale, moving from the outside of slate to inside and then back to the outside.  Then I'll shut up for 15 minutes and see if anything comes in silently.  At 7:45am I'll assume something has come in silently and is looking for the hen.  I'll let out some soft purs of contentment.  Just a couple, I don't want to give away my exact location.

At 8:00am, if no sign, sound, nothing all morning, pack it up and move.  If I heard gobbling earlier on the roost or responding to my call or another hen I'll fall back to a hen yelps, 4 to 6 of them in succession, every 15 minutes and wait out a henned up gobbler.  

If by 10:00am I haven't heard anything more I'll move to a different spot and call some different turkeys.  Starting with hen yelps, 4-6 succession, every 15 minutes.  If I haven't heard/seen anything, a couple minutes of cutting, 15 minutes later some soft purrs, then 15 minutes later back to the hen yelps.

Noon, break for lunch  :grin: or go home and begin working on the "honey do" list  :cry: .

If I see a tom and he hangs up 150 yards off lets say I'll let off a couple soft clucks to get him listening to my now quieted calling and then a minute or so later a couple soft purrs to tell him I'm not coming to him.  If that doesn't draw him in I'll go silent and wait for him to come looking for me.  If after an hour he hasn't shown up I'll start all over with the hen yelp cycle and try to call that gobbler or another gobbler in.

Ok turkeyhunter, and everyone else, shoot up my plan, tell me what I might be doing wrong?  I know every situation is different, this is just my script for a live broadcast, and every live broadcast hits snags, things change, and you have to improvise.  I'm just trying to come up with a sound script for heading into the turkey woods.

With that disclaimer, what would you guys tell me to do different?  Hopefully with it typed out like this you guys can point out a mistake before I make it.

Oh, and if I bag a turkey this weekend, you guys are getting the credit!!!

later,
scruffy

[turkeyhunter]

The only problem that I see with your plan is that you need to schedule time in your day for plucking turkey feathers, driving around showing off your tom to your friends, taking several pictures, posting on this site, etc.  Sounds like you are on the right track.  I am by no means an expert but I can usually get them in at least close enough to see.  One of my favorite hunting trips I spent an hour with one lonely hen right there with my flock of decoys.  It was sure fun playing with her.  I learned alot just by listening to the real sounds she made to my decoys.  I hope all goes well for you on Saturday.  I may get to go out one more time before season closes but I don't know.  Make sure you let us all know how the trip goes!  :-D    :-D  

[scruffy]

Thanks for all the help Turkeyhunter!!!  I'll be sure and keep you updated.

Last night a tom was in my 1/2 acre clover/grass "test plot" I planted last year.  The only problem, I was on a tractor and he was running for the timber before I saw him.  I was mowing up some marshy area next to the clover to get it to dry (cutting down on mesquitos, west nile virus... :? ) when I disturbed his meal.  I saw a hen in the same plot last Tuesday afternoon.  I've also seen 9 deer in 5 sightings since Monday morning, including 2 does this morning that I bumped while walking to where I was setting up.  The clover grass mix seems to be working.  I've planted 6 acres, after tonight 8 acres, in the red clover and grass (whatever kind of grasses were there...) mix.  I cut it down to 8" and then cut it back to 8" when it exceeds 12".  The clover/grass mix has a really lush blanket, lots of bugs for the turkeys, lots of nutrition, and hopefully with 8 acres it'll last until the end of deer season  :wink: .  The deer last year had my test plots ate to the ground by late october and the 1/2 acre plot hasn't been able to get above 6" so far this spring.  Last year I ran the cutter through it 3 times, never touched the clover (which never got above 10"), just to cut the tops off the weeds.  I imagine this year the clover/grass will choke out any weeds that try and grow.

Anyway, I have two farms set up for Saturday's hunt, one for the morning, one for the afternoon.  My daily 2 hour calling at my place is like daily practices for college football.  And Saturday is game day!  :wink: But if everything goes right with my land management, hopefully everyday during the season will be game day at my place!

later,
scruffy

[turkeyhunter]

Tell you what scruffy, with that set up don't worry about calling.  I'll just come out and call them in for ya! :lol:  :lol:   Course then when deer season opens up I would have to come back to see if my .280 would work as well in Iowa as it does here! :lol:  

Sounds like you have it all together!  Good luck!

[scruffy]

Sounds good to me!  :wink:  To bad we can't use rifles in Iowa for deer.  You'll have to buy an H&R ultra slug or muzzleloader.  :grin:  

Yea, I think I enjoy managing my place and set up more than hunting it.  When I bought my place the hunting wasn't so good.  It had potential, mature oaks, creek, open areas, it's timber was a funnel between two large areas of timber on both sides east and west, with corn and bean fields north and south.  There were deer trails through the place but all of them were pass through trails from one end to the another.  Nothing made them stop or actually come to my place.  Results were sporadic waiting for traveling deer to walk by, but when the deer went nocturnal results were nonexistent.  

Now after a four years of work I can't move around the open areas without bumping deer, primarily does, many mornings and evenings and getting huffed and snorted at.  They have trails connecting feeding areas, water, and off to the bedding areas in the big timbers.  Lots of buck scrapes and rubs in the timber.  The deer have rich green forage (and more when the clover grows up), allot of cover some of it being very dense, big and small openings, acorns from 10 year old to 100+ year old oak trees, other winter forages, and the water in the creek is additionally fed by a constant flow of fresh cool water from a field tile.  No matter how cold it gets during the winter there's always running water coming out of the tile into the creek.

So my place is becoming like the "strip" in Las Vega.  It's where the action is.  I hope the turkeys react the same way the deer have.  The visits and pass throughs turn into a pull up, have a meal, drink, stay awhile, and eventually see the inside of my freezer.  :wink:

I still have plans for cedars along some of the fences, a couple patches of dense cedars, a pond, more deer stands   , transplant oak seedlings for future additional winter forage, etc. etc. etc.  The job will never be done.  But it's far enough long I can start to reap what I have sewn!  And it doesn't take a huge amount of ground if you get the right spot.  Location location location.  I have less than 20 acres, but it's surrounded by a few thousand acres of the best deer habitat with me right in the middle.  You don't need to own Vegas, just the "Strip".  Other people own and farm the corn and bean fields and big timbers, leaving me to concentrate on my "honey hole".

later,
scruffy

[scruffy]

Well, no turkey.  Friday evening I went out to roost a bird and had a couple young girls, sounded like 10 year old, yelling like ninnies as they ran through the timber looking for mushrooms...  They pretty much scared everything away.  So on Saturday morning when I was up and out to my setup by 5:00am there was not a sound, well, turkey that is.  Lots of pheasants, crows, owls, but no gobblers.  I stayed until 9:00am and decided to move to plan B.

I moved to a farm 30 minutes away and talked to the farmers wife and got info on where they had been gobbling that morning.  I moved into the roosting area, tried some calling, nothing, moved to a field, glassed it over for a 10 minutes, nothing, moved to the nesting area, called, nothing.  I then moved back around to the east end of the roosting area and pushed everything out into the nesting area (on neighbors property).  Deer, crows, any turkeys that might have been hiding, etc.  I made quite a racket.  This was around 2:00pm.  Then fell back and I set up next to the two track for tractor/equipment field access.  The lane was 20 to 25 feet wide all the way across.  I figured that if the turkeys want to roost in this area, the set of timber along the creek they do every night, they'll have to get past me.  3:00pm, nothing.  4:00pm, nothing.  I was relaxing, and didn't expect anything until probably 6:00 to 7:00pm.  I ate a snack, drank some water, soaked in the day.  At 4:30pm I heard a kid on an unmufflered 4 wheeler ram rodding around the nesting area on the neighbors property.  I poised ready incase something came my way, but no turkeys...

Since any turkey going to roost past me would have to get past the 4 wheeler first I decided to try another plan.  I fell back on spot and stalk techniques.  I started down one side of a large corn field, between 350 to 400+ yards across and very long (maybe 3/4 mile).  On the other side was thick timber and a good sized creek, prime turkey habitat.  As I moved across on side I glassed the other and spotted 1 tom and 1 jake with the binoculars.  With the naked eye they were just specs, so I'm estimating they were well over 400 yards away.  I sat up on my side of the field (no way to cross without being seen) and started calling.  I don't know if they could hear me or if they were just eating in my direction but they started moving my way.  They worked along a small grass finger going into the field and worked to 300 yards away and moving in.  

Then gun shots!  Lots of them, quick series of 3 to 4 shotgun loads going off.  The tom's heads popped up looking around excitedly for a second before turning around and heading back to the timber.

Curious why there was shooting I made my way to the road.  A father and 3 boys and grandad were setup on the top of a hill on the gravel road and the dad was throwing the clay pigeon down the hill over the road and the 3 boys and grandad would all fire.  As about as illegal as you can get!!!  :evil: 5 people standing in the middle of the road, dad throws clay, 4 shotguns fire down the road.  :evil:

I thought about calling the sherif, and for the life of me I don't know why I didn't.  Oh yea, no cell phone signal because I was in the middle of no where, miles off the pavement.

Oh, after I got home I check along my creek, 1 hen and atleast 1 tom tracks, fresh, in the mud, right infront of my deer stand tree.  :roll:

Sunday through Tuesday I was gone on a mini vacation.

Tomorrow morning I'll get back out there again at my place before work.  :grin:

Oh, and on vacation, I fould a Lohmans 4 in 1 locator, redtail hawk, coyote howl, woodpecker, peacock (clearance for $1.99).  I couldn't do a decent coyote howl on it (atleast not like I can on my coyote howler) but I could do a mean redtail hawk!  Last night at 10:00pm I went out to see what it sounded like on the deck and got into a screaming match with a hoot owl.  Sure fired him up!  :grin:  I hope the gobblers like it just as well!

Hey, 22khornet, how did your hunting go on Saturday?

later,
scruffy

[dawei]

Ok, I've had more than one bird called away from me by a real hen or another hunter, so I'm very interested in improving my calling.  It seems some hunters have toms running in opening morning of every season they hunt, others like me, well, it's later in the season if ever....

Just luck, or technique?
LARGE SNIP..................

later,
scruffy

I use these:

http://www.casscreek.com/prod_gobbler.html

http://www.casscreek.com/prod_turkey.html

[scruffy]

How much do either of those run cost wise?  It would be a good training tool, but on that note, I remember seeing something on the NWTF board on sounds, I'll have to go back and check it out.  But having something in the palm of your hand to practice with while driving down the road or pacticing outside (it's amazing the difference between outside and inside) would be more beneficial than listening to the sounds on the internet inside.  

later,
scruffy

[dawei]

How much do either of those run cost wise?

LARGE SNIP...................

later,
scruffy

I paid $21.97+tax for the Turkey; $29.99+tax for the Gobbler.