Locator calls, when, where, how.

[mountaineer long beard]

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Saw this mentioned in another thread so I thought I'd posit the question. What's your strategy for using locators morning and evening. What do you use and when? One area I hunt I can call from my back porch the other I drive to. How far from your vehicle do you go and how long after shutting it off? Any other advice you have on this I'd appreciate.

Mike

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[Bowguy]

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Typically in the morn I’d either have a bird roosted or at least know where to be. I’d never use it than if hunting. Now I’m scouting when I’m trying to locate as many as possible I’d use it. Get a response and move. Nighttime only to roost and it could be a classic locator or turkey sounds I’m using.  Most locator type call use hunting is running and gunning which do to some limitations in sight and hearing I dont do a lot of anymore. The most usage though is preseason scouting

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

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I use them out west to confirm roost. Hunt real open country and I often sit in a good glassing spot watching for birds. Watch them go up and over, up and over, contours in the hill....eventually they dont come out of one. Once the sun sets, I use that last bit of light to scurry over within a few hundred yards and then rip a call out. They gobble and I then know where in that draw they roosted. I watched were they walked over the knob so I know I need to set up between there and the roost for best likely success. Other spots I have know roost trees. Will rip a shock call near roost trees to check if a bird is roosted there without any previous scouting but that's because of years of previous scouting I know exactly which trees the bird will roost in and the game is finding which one they did that night.

A buddy was hunting with me once and we had a tom come within 20 behind us. He slipped off and wouldn't respond to a yelp. We knew he was around just not were. Everytime we ripped a locator he gobbled. It allowed us to figure out which direction he was heading now and get set up back in front of him.

During scouting I'll use them and I will use them straight out of the truck or just as I walk along, frequency depends on topography and foliage.

During the season I use a yelp as a locator first but then will follow after some time with a shock call sometimes. Based off the above experience... they may not want to gobble at a yelp or hen call but its a knee jerk reaction to gobble at a shock call.

When... I dont think I ever have in the morning but have throughout the day and especially at sunset.
Where... anywhere?
How..... see above

[ChesterCopperpot]

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I owl hoot before and up until the crows start up. The barred owls are typically breeding that same time period where I live so they tend to call a lot anyways (usually wind up calling one or two in every spring). At that point I’m just trying to get one to gobble from the limb. Once I’ve got that general direction I’ll head that way and usually hoot once more when I think I’m getting within 100yds just so as not to push too close.

During the day I always have a crow call. Love my Gibson, Mincey, Gosey, and Woodhaven crow calls. There are piles and piles of crows where I live here in the mountains and they make a racket all day everyday. Meaning I don’t ever worry about the calling being unnatural. Up through the day I’m using it to search out birds or move on one that is gobbling with the primary reason being that I do not want to make a turkey sound until I’m absolutely positive I’m in a place where I can set up fast and kill a turkey. Too many times when I was first getting started I’d crank out on a pot and have one immediately answer close and wind up buggering that bird as I scrambled around looking for a setup. So that’s the main way I use my crow calls now. If I’m going to make a turkey sound I’m going to be back against a tree that I know I could sit down against quickly.


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[GobbleNut]

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Saw this mentioned in another thread so I thought I'd posit the question. What's your strategy for using locators morning and evening. What do you use and when? One area I hunt I can call from my back porch the other I drive to. How far from your vehicle do you go and how long after shutting it off? Any other advice you have on this I'd appreciate.
Mike

We have covered locators a number of times in the past, Mike.  I would suggest looking back through some of the old posts on this subject to begin with.  I am a true believer in the value of locators and learning how to use them effectively.  Having said that, there are times, places, and conditions where they are not needed and are not really all that useful.  As I have stated many times in the past, using locator calls properly and under the right circumstances is an art unto itself.  There is a learning process involved, but once you figure it out, locators will be a valuable tool in your turkey hunting arsenal. 

Again, I would suggest you review some of the older threads on this subject,...and then come back here and ask any questions you might have.
Jim

...In reviewing old posts, I would suggest referencing "location, location, location" near the bottom of page three in the "Learning to turkey hunt" section.  If I say so myself, that is a good starting "primer" for learning to use locator calls... 

[mountaineer long beard]

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Saw this mentioned in another thread so I thought I'd posit the question. What's your strategy for using locators morning and evening. What do you use and when? One area I hunt I can call from my back porch the other I drive to. How far from your vehicle do you go and how long after shutting it off? Any other advice you have on this I'd appreciate.
Mike

We have covered locators a number of times in the past, Mike.  I would suggest looking back through some of the old posts on this subject to begin with.  I am a true believer in the value of locators and learning how to use them effectively.  Having said that, there are times, places, and conditions where they are not needed and are not really all that useful.  As I have stated many times in the past, using locator calls properly and under the right circumstances is an art unto itself.  There is a learning process involved, but once you figure it out, locators will be a valuable tool in your turkey hunting arsenal. 

Again, I would suggest you review some of the older threads on this subject,...and then come back here and ask any questions you might have.
Jim

...In reviewing old posts, I would suggest referencing "location, location, location" near the bottom of page three in the "Learning to turkey hunt" section.  If I say so myself, that is a good starting "primer" for learning to use locator calls... 

That was very helpful thank you. What would you say is the average effective range for locators?

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[avidnwoutdoorsman]

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Saw this mentioned in another thread so I thought I'd posit the question. What's your strategy for using locators morning and evening. What do you use and when? One area I hunt I can call from my back porch the other I drive to. How far from your vehicle do you go and how long after shutting it off? Any other advice you have on this I'd appreciate.
Mike

We have covered locators a number of times in the past, Mike.  I would suggest looking back through some of the old posts on this subject to begin with.  I am a true believer in the value of locators and learning how to use them effectively.  Having said that, there are times, places, and conditions where they are not needed and are not really all that useful.  As I have stated many times in the past, using locator calls properly and under the right circumstances is an art unto itself.  There is a learning process involved, but once you figure it out, locators will be a valuable tool in your turkey hunting arsenal. 

Again, I would suggest you review some of the older threads on this subject,...and then come back here and ask any questions you might have.
Jim

...In reviewing old posts, I would suggest referencing "location, location, location" near the bottom of page three in the "Learning to turkey hunt" section.  If I say so myself, that is a good starting "primer" for learning to use locator calls... 

That was a good post there boss, "Location, Location, Location"

I think with the OP's question above what is your frequency or distance between locator calls? Do you like to do it at your spots? Or is it an every XXXyds kind of thing.

For anyone, one of the easiest locator calls that I feel like I mainly see out west and maybe I'm breaking an unwritten rule by saying this out load but is a Peacock Call. Kind of like our 20 different turkey calls we care with us. I care at least 4 varieties of locator calls. Some work better than others based on time of day, pressure on the birds, and area I am hunting.

[GobbleNut]

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I think with the OP's question above what is your frequency or distance between locator calls? Do you like to do it at your spots? Or is it an every XXXyds kind of thing.

I'll attempt to answer that one then, (based only on my own perspective).... 
Personally, I only use locators when I am trying to roost birds ("roost" being first and last light when turkeys are "on the roost").  The circumstances that generally apply are 1) I am in a new hunting area and am looking for gobblers to hunt,...or 2) I am trying to confirm the location of where a gobbler is specifically roosted in a place where I already know that they are there. 

Number two (knowing there are gobblers in the area) is pretty straight-forward. Usually, my only consideration is trying not to be too close to the roost area.  I'm not sure that really makes a difference, but I just feel better if I am close enough to hear them gobble, but not so close I think I might cause alarm.
   
Number one is a bit more complicated.  Generally speaking, when going through my roosting process, I want to cover as much of the country I have available to hunt as thoroughly as I can, while at the same time taking into consideration that there is usually a pretty small window of time in which gobblers are likely to respond to locators while on the roost.

Simply put, use the distance you think you can hear a gobble in whatever the type of terrain you are in to judge how far between locator-call stops you should go.  If you are walking through relatively dense vegetation, that my be 100-200 yards.  If you are driving in wide-open country, your stops may be half-a-mile apart. 

In addition, factors like weather conditions, mountainous versus flat or rolling country, land-status considerations, the road/access situation, the subspecies you are hunting, turkey densities, hunter densities (and how your adapt to that), and others all play a part.

It's all a learning process, but once you figure it out, unless you are always hunting the same small parcels of property and never venture out of your comfort zone, you will always be carrying your locator calls and using them (in the right circumstances) when spring gobbler hunting. 

[shaman]

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I gave up on locator calls when I'm hunting. Let me explain.

Look, I still love that first morning after I open up turkey camp.  I roll out the front door with my coffee and owl off the front porch and get a gobble in return.  However, when I'm hunting, I generally don't use locator calls.

What I've found is that patience and the neighbors usually are all the prodding the turkeys need.

• The schoolbus comes around 0630 weekdays.  The backup annunciator is usually enough to set off birds
• There's a donkey over on the next ridge. When he goes off, every gobbler in the world wants to join in
• Crows.  Crows seem to hate turkeys.  I generally have the crows tell me whenever the turkeys are coming out into the field. The Gobblers usually answer
• Neighbors slamming their car doors or starting up their tractors or old trucks do a good job

 . . . You get the idea. I'm out in the sticks.  Outside of a neighbor about a 1/4 mile up my road, I've got nothing for better than a mile. Still, there's enough human activity and enough natural noise that if the gobblers want to sound off, they will.  I'm hunting on my own 200 acres, so I pretty well have birds scouted out beforehand-- I probably hunter their great-great-grandfathers.  However, if I get stuck, all I have to do is go to one of the 5 or so listening posts I've got and listen.    It doesn't take long for them to tell me where they are.


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[GobbleNut]

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• The schoolbus comes around 0630 weekdays.  The backup annunciator is usually enough to set off birds
• There's a donkey over on the next ridge. When he goes off, every gobbler in the world wants to join in
• Crows.  Crows seem to hate turkeys.  I generally have the crows tell me whenever the turkeys are coming out into the field. The Gobblers usually answer
• Neighbors slamming their car doors or starting up their tractors or old trucks do a good job

 Still, there's enough human activity and enough natural noise that if the gobblers want to sound off, they will. 

Yours is one of those situations where the use of locator calls is totally unnecessary.  I'm sure there are plenty of others here that are in that same situation.  You are hunting your "comfort zone" year after year,...no need to change things. 

Your list brings up an important point for the wise turkey hunter to recognize and use to his advantage.  That point is that there are ways to make a turkey gobble to let you know he is there. The common denominator in almost every single one of those is that something is making a loud, abrupt noise that stimulates that totally-involuntary gobble response. 

The key is triggering that involuntary response.  There is no "if the gobbler wants to sound off, he will" involved.  Learn the methods that make a gobbler "sound off" and you will very often be able to make him gobble when you want him to, not when he thinks he wants to.   

[shaman]

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Except that there are plenty of days in the season where the gobs don't feel like gobbling and they won't-- locator calls or no. On those days, it helps to know where they're roosting, where they're feeding and show up early.   

 

[JMBknvc]

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I've found that limited window has been a big factor to getting a turkey to gobble. Have not had much success with getting a bird to shock gobble in the evening but mornings are a different story. Use the locator call first thing in the morning to try and locate a bird. Since I seem to be hunting new ground a lot. However, have been keep a careful watch as to when I'm getting those responses. Just shortly after there is light in the horizon, about 15 minutes to legal shooting time.

[GobbleNut]

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I've found that limited window has been a big factor to getting a turkey to gobble. Have not had much success with getting a bird to shock gobble in the evening but mornings are a different story. Use the locator call first thing in the morning to try and locate a bird. Since I seem to be hunting new ground a lot. However, have been keep a careful watch as to when I'm getting those responses. Just shortly after there is light in the horizon, about 15 minutes to legal shooting time.

Agreed.  However, from my experience, that window varies a bit based on a number of factors. 

First, depending on where (and when) you are hunting and, to a degree, what subspecies you are hunting, evening roosting can be productive.  Without question, evening roosting with a locator varies in its effectiveness from being very reliable to being almost a waste of time.

Secondly, and again based on personal experience, the subspecies you are hunting will make a difference.  Merriam's, Rios, and Goulds all seem to be more willing to shock gobble in both the mornings and evenings, and in a wider window of time, than Easterns and Osceolas. I have found that Merriam's, Rios, and Goulds will all gobble earlier in the morning than the other two, as well.   

Of course, all of those observations are just based on my own, admittedly-somewhat-limited experience in hunting them in only a smattering of their varying places and habitats.  I will make this statement though:  In the places I have hunted the five subspecies, I have NEVER hunted anywhere that I could not get them to shock gobble to a properly-executed locator call during the appropriate window of time in that morning period.   

[ssettle]

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I actually have to drive thru the area I hunt where turkeys roost. The road I drive on comes within 50 yards of a gasline. I hunt about 300 yards from it due to posted property. I've killed birds coming from and going to that gasline. I sometime park and can see my truck from where I sit in the early season. But since that road leads to other hunting camps most times vehicles driving past will screw up my hunting.

[Ethanb214]

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I’ll use a hoot all morning in the dark until I can tell I’m close to the birds (lots of times the birds I hunt never are in the same area as before so it can be hard to roost them especially when I don’t have the ability to go out the night before) and it never seems to bother them. I can get right up on them. And I’m just now experimenting with crow calls and such and typically I’ll really only break that out when I’m about to get up and walk out of the woods to know if I’m about to spook a bird on my way out.