Birds not responding to Locator Calls

[Clif Owen]

Smalls..guessing Clear Creek..right?

What part of the state are the rest of you from? I mostly hunt Kisatchie around the Castor Plunge area.

[Buckmaster1546]

Livingston parish
Just east of Baton Rouge.

[smalls]

Smalls..guessing Clear Creek..right?

What part of the state are the rest of you from? I mostly hunt Kisatchie around the Castor Plunge area.

Among other places.  I've hunted all over the southern part of the state, including Kisatchie and Indian Bayou.  A lot more places I want to hunt too.  Kinda goofy that I live in SELA and have never really hunted anything over here though.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[Dmason3]

I've tried several locator calls and have never gotten a response on private land and I've been a mile or more from the road. Thank god we have a ton of owls and crows around here. I did accidentally hit the alarm button on my key fob one morning and that got every turkey within a mile fired up and they started going back and forth at each other. I may start doing that one more...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[OldSchool]

It's interesting to hear that the standard locators aren't doing it in a lot of cases, in other places either. I gave up on owling quite a few years ago, and the crow calls only seem to work once in a while for me. Then again, nothing seems to work all the time.

I've made more than a couple birds sound off by taking a piece of a branch and hitting a dead tree with it, imitating a woodpecker. It works so well at times, that I've thought about making some nice sticks up and offering them for sale.

Bob 

[gobbler777]

No "for sures" for getting a bird to gobble. So try the crow, goose, owl, hawk, pilliated woodpecker, gobble, car door, plane, thunder etc etc. Nothing gained; nothing lost.

[jwhunter]

I've hunted all over north Alabama and southern Tennessee and have never had this happen to me. I've had bad days where I haven't had luck but never a a certain area.

[Bowguy]

I hear some guys say they can't strike birds w locators. I haven't had that problem but there are days where things can be tough.
When locators fail to work I like cutting on a mouth call.
Being its heavily hunted, I'd bet you may get more response at dusk striking em on roost. It'll put you ahead of the game n on birds first thing next morning.  Another option is to try later in the day, I've struck out early some days n the woods came to life after 10.
Course there are always less crowded spots somewhere I'm sure so that's another option

[GobbleNut]

As one who has used locator calls religiously in areas all over the country, I always enjoy this topic when it is raised.  The effective use of locator calls is as much an art as is the use of turkey calls.  True, there are places where locator calls are not nearly as useful and productive as they are in other places.  However, there are plenty of places where using locators will add immensely to your enjoyment of the hunt,...not to mention greatly increase your chances of success. 

For what it might be worth, in my travels turkey hunting, I have never been to an area where the use of a good locator call at first light in the morning was not an effective way to find roosted gobblers.  I have hunted a few places where locators were less effective in the evening in getting gobblers to sound off, and there have been a couple of places where the birds would not gobble in the evening at all. 

Personally, as far as I am concerned, not having a couple of good locator calls with you when turkey hunting is on par with not having a good turkey call with you.  The trick with locators is knowing how and when to use them.  I feel confident in stating that I have killed a lot of gobblers that I would not have taken had I not used my locator calls to find them.  I suspect there are many others here that probably feel the same way. 

However, I have no doubt there are individuals on here that hunt places where the use of locator calls is completely unnecessary.  My advice is to have them on hand,...and know how to use them,...for those times when they will make a difference. 

[kdsberman]

I've turkey hunted a lot of years and I'll be honest - I have NEVER had a turkey respond to any locator call.  If I try to locate them it's usually a loud, sharp series of cutts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GobbleNut]

I think an important point to be made in whether or not to rely on locator strategies when hunting is how well you know your hunting area the size of the area, and the turkey density in the area. 

For instance, hunting small parcels of private land with high densities of turkeys requires an entirely different strategy than hunting large areas with low turkey numbers.  A guy who comes to New Mexico to hunt our vast areas of public land on a DIY hunt is in for a rude awakening if he thinks he will just stroll out into the woods and find a gobbler without a good locating strategy.  You can literally start in a spot here that appears to be great turkey habitat and walk all day in any direction and never get within hearing range of a gobbler. 

Here, it is absolutely essential to find birds to hunt before you start hunting,...and the easiest way to reliably do that is to use a locator call at the right time of day.  Having developed a good locator strategy here over the decades, and then applying that same strategy in other places around the country, I have found that, in most places I have hunted, the same techniques will work. 

The bottom line is that although using locator calls is not necessary in hunting all places, there are some places where they are really important,...and you darn well better know how to do it if you expect to kill a gobbler.

[old frank]

I haven't had a turkey gobble at a locator call in better then 10 yrs. Ever. Crow, hawk, owl, peacock. you name it. Nothing.

I won't say never but rarely do I get birds to answer to a locator call.

Usually the owls are hooting like crazy in the morning  and later the crows are hollering so I just let them do the calling and I just be quiet.

[Honolua]

Whether it's you or the yotes, the birds are feeling pressured. Go out the afternoon before and get on the highest ridge you can (or take a climber), and read a book or play with your phone till you watche (hear)them roost...Problem Solved.

[Cutt]

In general over the years, I personally hear way less gobbles here in PA. Regardless if it' s shock gobbles, or birds gobbling on their own on the roost. And I believe coyotes have a lot to do with this, as they learn not to give up their location mainly in the dark, where a coyote can move in and try to ambush them at fly down.

Just my opinion, as the birds are still there as they were years ago, but coyote numbers are way up as compared to years ago. There was a time years ago I could get a response with an Owl Call before daylight, but coyotes were not as numerous. And the fact every other hunter is hooting too, they wise up. Locator calls have become so ineffective over the years I don't even use them now.

Another thing I noticed is I never hear a bird on the roost sound off anymore before decent light. While years ago I have run into quite a few birds gobbling their fool head off an hour before first light. I just think coyotes and pressure have had an adverse effect on their gobbling. Who knows? Another 50 years from now when our grand kids are hunting them, they may never even hear them gobble?

[turkey_slayer]

Rarely used them before the season and never during. Hunting public land it drives me bonkers when guys start while it's dark or a bird gobbles and out come the owlers and crowers even if the bird is sounding off every breathe. Never understood it. I let nature do it and prefer  one to gobble just enough for me to figure out where he is instead of letting everyone else know

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk