Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips
General Discussion => Turkey Hunting Tips ,Strategies & Methods => Topic started by: RKeeper1 on January 28, 2019, 10:40:09 AM
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Last year we went to a new area that we were told had turkeys. We went in the evening before to roost birds. I threw every locator call I had em em and got no response. As luck would have it, 2 geese came in to this big pond and started honking excitedly when they we're about to touch down. That right there got a gobble from a bird! I do have a good call on hand now to help locate. My question is have you guys known that there are birds in an area but they won't give up their location? Try to owl hoot em in the AM but what if that doesn't work either. Going to a new spot this season too that's pretty far away and don't want to waste my time if there are no birds but I also know they can be tight lipped to
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If anybody had the sure way to get a gobbler to answer eveytime he'd be a billionaire. To answer your question. Very rarely do birds gobble on the roost at dark, here in Louisiana and a lot of places I've hunted out of state. They do gobble in the morning a lot sometimes until the pressure gets bad. I scout the areas I intend to hunt and get an idea of how many gobblers are in an area. I start in early March and go as often as possible up until the opener. It's a lot of work some mornings are silent but it's the only way to know for sure what you have to work with.
As far as using locators in the morning...I don't. I let the gobbler gobble on his on or not. I've found over a lot of years if there gobbling on there own you can work them if there tight lipped that morning and somehow you get a shock gobble out of them maybe they'll answer a hen maybe not.
And we've all heard the "door slamming made em gobble bit" how many of those door slammed located Gobblers were called to the gun?
This applies to Easterns in the south. I've heard a lot of roost gobbling out west and some places farther North they gobble a lot Louisiana and Mississippi on public land not so much.
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Might be productive to spend the first day scouting either by vehicle or on foot. I know it feels like a wasted day but it will pay off in the long run
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So my ritual goes like this, I spot from traveling around in truck first, then go to "locator" calls next (I have my favorites), from there boots on the ground. Pretty much my game plan, I do talk to locals when I travel and I have had some luck by asking the right people. I also look at maps and gps Mark the spots I want to go to for a look. Some of the same I do for spring at home but have been hunting the area for a long time and just need to keep up with what was planted grain wise, and how the spring is coming in. I'm scouting pretty much year round on the home farm.
MK M GOBL
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I've had very limited success with a coyote "yipper" in locating gobblers in late afternoon. Even if I know there are gobblers in a woods, they generally won't sound off in the late afternoon. Over the years, I've turkey hunted various locations often enough that I have a general idea where the flocks will roost, allowing me to show up on opening morning without specifically needing to scout. In addition, during the deer bow season I've listened to the noisy fly ups and turkey chatter that follows, further adding to my knowledge of their roosting habits. Also, while I've got an owl hooter, I prefer to just sit tight and let the gobbler(s) decide when to sound off.
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I get on a high spot and listen. If I don’t hear anything I might hoot, but most of the time I’ll just sit till I feel like they are on the ground and go prospecting for a willing participate. If I know one is around or have a good suspicion one is close but quiet, I’ll hoot.
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Here's a bunch of loose ideas. Mind you, I've been on the same property since 2001, so I know where they are. I just don't know from day to day if they'll gobble.
1) You're lucky to get a gobbler gobbling at dusk. Mine do when they're particularly horned up. Most of the time, you have to be close enough to hear them flap. However, some nights they get to gobbling, and I've been hours after sunset and heard the gobblers setting each other off in the general neighborhood. The next morning is usually extremely hot action.
2) I've almost entirely given up on locator calls. I'm way out in the country; the nearest house in most directions is over a mile away. Still, I can hear a lot and so can the turkeys. When I'm on the property, crows and owls will set them off, but so will the school bus, a car door, somebody rummaging through scrap metal. We used to have a neighbor that had a donkey. That donkey kept the gobblers gobbling pretty well-- ditto for the pea fowl and guinea fowl and roosters. The trick is to be just patient enough to wait for the stray sound to set them off.
3) Often times on days where it seems the gobs have all jumped in a hole and pulled the lid over the top, I'll notice crows going off, just before I see turkeys. Crows hate turkeys for some reason and often kick up a fuss when they walk out into a pasture.
4) I used proxies. After 19 seasons, I pretty well know where the birds are roosted, and I can make assumptions on things. For instance, I've got a flock of hens that have roosted about 250 yards from the back of the house. If I hear them flying up in the evening, I can usually surmise that the gobs over on Heartbreak Ridge are going to be there in the morning. If the hens are wild on Heartbreak they'll be quiet at Virginia, etc. It ain't for sure, but it's a pretty good bet.
5) I have about 4 listening posts on my 200 acres. I can go to one of those posts and cover maybe 50 acres at a time, listening for birds. These posts are well enough away from the roosts that I won't bother the birds, but I can hear how active they are up to and through flydown. If action at one listen post is dead, I'll go to another part of the farm.
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We have had this discussion many times before. Some of us swear by using locator calls,...and some of us despise them and those that use them. (Disclaimer: I am not trying to get into a pissin' match here,...just trying to help those who want to know about locating turkeys)
Simply put, the use of locators depends entirely on the circumstance. If someone is restricted to 200 acres, there are few, if any, reasons to use a locator.
On the other hand, if you are hunting a much larger area on which you are not familiar,...and especially an area where turkeys might be widely scattered apart,...it is only logical to try to find a gobbler to hunt before you start hunting. The easiest way to find that gobbler is to get him to gobble to let you know he is there.
The trick is to use the RIGHT locator call at the RIGHT time. Do either of those two thing WRONG, and you are wasting your time. Do them correctly and you will find gobblers to hunt wherever you go across the country,...at least I, and the others I hunt with, have. It is all about understanding the instinctive behavior of gobblers/gobbling and what triggers that behavior.
And finally, there are ethics/courtesy concerns for those that use locator calls. Running around the woods squawking on a locator in areas where other folks are already hunting will win you no friends in the turkey hunting community.
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We have had this discussion many times before. Some of us swear by using locator calls,...and some of us despise them and those that use them. (Disclaimer: I am not trying to get into a pissin' match here,...just trying to help those who want to know about locating turkeys)
Simply put, the use of locators depends entirely on the circumstance. If someone is restricted to 200 acres, there are few, if any, reasons to use a locator.
On the other hand, if you are hunting a much larger area on which you are not familiar,...and especially an area where turkeys might be widely scattered apart,...it is only logical to try to find a gobbler to hunt before you start hunting. The easiest way to find that gobbler is to get him to gobble to let you know he is there.
The trick is to use the RIGHT locator call at the RIGHT time. Do either of those two thing WRONG, and you are wasting your time. Do them correctly and you will find gobblers to hunt wherever you go across the country,...at least I, and the others I hunt with, have. It is all about understanding the instinctive behavior of gobblers/gobbling and what triggers that behavior.
And finally, there are ethics/courtesy concerns for those that use locator calls. Running around the woods squawking on a locator in areas where other folks are already hunting will win you no friends in the turkey hunting community.
I agree w everything said here. I actually started to post and decided to refrain since it has been so hashed out. I was telling a fellow just the other day a very big part of roosting is timing. Some days birds gobble slightly earlier. Some nights they seem to gobble from a night roost later. There’s no exact science. It’s slmost a feel. When one gobbles though others gobble. It’s not real long lived where I’m at. I bet if the right guys were there they’d gobble many if not most nights
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I never run thru the woods screaming like a owl before daylight ... how many owl's have you heard on the ground hooting ... that's good way to give up your location in my opinion ... i just let nature wake the birds up .. now during the day sometimes i will use a crow call...
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I never run thru the woods screaming like a owl before daylight ... how many owl's have you heard on the ground hooting ... that's good way to give up your location in my opinion ... i just let nature wake the birds up .. now during the day sometimes i will use a crow call...
I agree w this too. One thing I didn’t address is you say you’re worried bout going to a place w no birds. You need to find out before season. Not do all you locating the morning or night of.
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Started using a goose call a good while ago when the resident geese became a problem here in NC. It worked better than anything we had been using for years.
I do like donkeys nearby ....seems to work most of the time. I can count on one hand how many times a gobbler has shocked to my owl call. BUT the owls get fired up after it and then I go quiet......once in a while that works. I do like a wood duck call as well. A jake brake out on the hwy that carries over the river bottom gets good results too.
One thing I have had work over the past few years is a crow call when I first start hearing the "tweety" birds wake up when its still fairly dark. Once he gobbles I shut up until and try to pinpoint him when he free gobbles. It seems with more gobblers around the more they gobble at each other than anything else. Especially if you can get the boss killed quickly in the season.
After first light and throughout the day...the crow has worked for me just fine. Like the guy said above in the previous post. Crows hate turkeys. Cannot tell you how many times I have had a gobbler come in silent through the woods only to have 2-5 crows follow him in raising heck above him in the trees. Even had a dead one at the house in the backyard after hunt before I cleaned him up. Crows started going crazy when they found him.
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Locating a gobbling bird in the evening can be difficult in many parts of the country. I use an owl call in the morning to keep tabs on a bird when I’m getting in position. I don’t make a turkey noise til I am in position to kill him. Once the morning gobbling has settled down all bets are off. I am doing any and everything to jerk a gobble out of one. If he’s not gobbling I’m not hunting him. I’ve killed several silent birds but it’s not my jam. I will walk over birds to get to one that is fired up
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I'm on the fence with hooting, I feel like I'm just making the turkey give up his locale for another hunter or I'm just making noise because I don't feel they respond to a barred owl hoot like they did 25 years ago. Thats my opinion and based off of the places I hunt. I like to let the day come alive on its own most of the time.
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I never run thru the woods screaming like a owl before daylight ... how many owl's have you heard on the ground hooting ... that's good way to give up your location in my opinion ... i just let nature wake the birds up .. now during the day sometimes i will use a crow call...
Works for me for over 40 years. I have never climbed a tree to do it. Never running through the woods either. And i don't use no stinking calls. Voice only. Ive tried the crow calls and very rarely a response , your results may differ.
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I enjoy locating turkeys, it is another fun part of the package. I like to use the barred owl vocalizations in areas where they exist. I enjoy the interactions with the owls about as much as I do hearing a gobbler on the roost. I like using crow calls just to get those black marauders stirred up and if a gobbler responds that is great also. I couldn't begin to count the pileated woodpeckers that have answered and come in to have a look see at their new neighbor, and I enjoyed that also. I have an old Lohman hawk screamer that has caused old long beard to speak out before He could catch Himself and, a few redtail hawks have flew over to check out new bird in town. All of these encounters are, to me an added blessing. I used these calls to shock gobblers into giving away their location many times during my fist few years of hunting. Now days for various reasons I don't use the tactic so much, I just let nature wake up on Her own. I will occasionally use my voice to get an owl to answer, because I enjoy listening to them and if a gobbler responds then that's an added treat. Having made all these remarks I will say, nothing beats time on the ground making observations of turkey sign and available food, water sources, nesting and roosting areas, likely strutting zones, locations used for dusting. Spending time pre-season at listening posts both in the morning and at roost time will pay huge benefits to your success and understanding of the Wild Turkey.
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You could try using hen calls, had a bird a couple years ago on public land, wouldn't say anything till I pulled out a hen call, then he would fire back with loudest gobble in the county. :gobble:
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You could try using hen calls, had a bird a couple years ago on public land, wouldn't say anything till I pulled out a hen call, then he would fire back with loudest gobble in the county. :gobble:
I got a buddy who goes hard with hen calls to roost birds. He has good luck doing it. I'm able to hunt almost every morning but bet I don't get to go out and roost birds more than 3 times a season. I'll normally try a owl and if that doesn't work I call it good.
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Depends. If I am scouting preseason and covering more ground, I am a bit more likely to use locators. An owl in the daytime usually gets nothing. I was scouting a new spot on a NF and was there at sun up. I started owl hooting (with my mouth) after waiting for the gobblers to wake up. Called an owl in literally to the limb over my head. Got a good video of him calling back. No turkeys answered.
I have killed several birds thanks to a crow call in the later morning. I hunt a piece of property that has a bottom run through it. They never answer a crow call there. But they dang sure bust off when a red tail hawk cries out in the am.
If I am in a rush and need to make something happen while hunting, I may owl hoot if it is past gobble time. I agree with getting the real owls fired up and let them do the work. I can't call more natural than they do.
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I don't get too fancy try an owl in the morning, crow during the day and coyote howl right at dark in the evening. Just because i don't get a response doesn't mean a birds not there, my best luck is with a crow call works really for me keeping tabs on an intermittent gobbling bird.
I don't use the owl call in the morning unless I don't know there are birds in the area or around and its past the time i anticipated them starting to gobble in the morning.
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I like to get the real owls talking with a hoot call. But we have an over abundance of owls in the swamp so it’s fairly easy. If that doesn’t work I like my wood duck call to set a gobbler off on that squeal. The coyote thing worked well in the Midwest from my limited trip up there. That’s my novice experiences so far anyway
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I hunt on a large piece of public land in north florida, like 250,000+ acres, I rarely hunt the weekends anymore. As far as locator calls I always carry an owl hooter but rarely use it, the real owls usually start on their own, my go to locators are a piliated woodpecker and a Canada goose or wood duck, just because most people don't use them yet. Most turkeys I have killed are roosted within walking distance of the roads, if they hear a call anywhere near a road they will clam up and you won't hear them again. I sometimes coyote howl if I bust one off the roost if I bump one in the dark, I don't know if it helps, but I figure it might make them look for a coyote instead of a hunter. Or maybe I am just crazy, but the amount of pressure this place gets is unreal, 10 or 15 years ago they would gobble to calls/locator calls til around 930-1000, now gobbling cuts off around 745-8. Which makes spotting them going to roost much more important, if I heard gobbling in an area but couldn't close the deal, I will fish in the afternoon til fly up time, then will get out the 20 - 60 power spotting scope and try and find them from a long way off with it, it is amazing how well you can see a large blob moving from limb to limb in a pine tree. Sorry for the long post, hope it helps someone.
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Last year we went to a new area that we were told had turkeys. We went in the evening before to roost birds. I threw every locator call I had em em and got no response. As luck would have it, 2 geese came in to this big pond and started honking excitedly when they we're about to touch down. That right there got a gobble from a bird! I do have a good call on hand now to help locate. My question is have you guys known that there are birds in an area but they won't give up their location? Try to owl hoot em in the AM but what if that doesn't work either. Going to a new spot this season too that's pretty far away and don't want to waste my time if there are no birds but I also know they can be tight lipped to
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk There are no guarantees locating. I think louder is better but others like to use a realistic sound like crow or owl. I use a diaphragm and squeal as loud as possible if that don't work I use a short cuts. So I have a high pitch call and a lower end sound. Here are somec tips to locate. Position yourself so the call carries, hills across fields and down waterways. Call in multiple directions.You will be surprised how many toms won't respond unless you hit them in the face. I believe the area your in affects a gobblers response to a locator
,my areas where there is high traffic or slot of every day noise such as kids playing or dogs barking are low success areas.Quiet areas get more responses for me.
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Almost every morning I turkey hunt I hear owls hoot. I’ve never heard a turkey respond. But I rarely hear turkeys on the roost either.