Is Sounding Like a Real Turkey Overrated?

[AppalachianHollers]

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I’ve learned on the Refuge forum that duck calling isn’t about realism primarily, but the ability to manipulate birds. Often, less-than-accurate sounds work better to this end.

I’m curious to what extend you believe the same holds for turkeys. Maybe big game is just different, and realism is everything—but I am reminded about the way people talk about longboxes. Seems people tend to try to “manipulate” more than imitate a real hen.

Can you draw a parallel between a cutdown duck call and a long box in this regard? Are they are other “manipulator” calls (or calling surfaces/materials) where one sacrifices realism for effectiveness?


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[ol bob]

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Most real bird would never place in a calling contest.

[MK M GOBL]

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I think the cadence, rhythm of "How a turkey talks" is more important. I have used clear calls, raspy calls and all can do the same thing. It's about learning to talk turkey and what to say, when say and when not to call. 


MK M GOBL

[Greg Massey]

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I think the cadence, rhythm of "How a turkey talks" is more important. I have used clear calls, raspy calls and all can do the same thing. It's about learning to talk turkey and what to say, when say and when not to call. 


MK M GOBL

X2 and also knowing it's time to stop calling.

[AppalachianHollers]

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The emerging synthesis is “birds are birds.” Lot of the cadence, knowing when to call and when not to has direct parallels in duck hunting.


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[Old Gobbler]

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Sounding like a real hen is what its all about , thats how you trick gobblers

Not that im a judge of sorts...but my decades of hunting around the country , selling calls and running OG ive met a considerable amount of turkey hunters , ..the absolute most skilled among the group  had a few things in common , and not in any order

1 determination

2 extremely good woodsman ship and common sense in the woods , very quiet walker ....doest spook game ever , knows how to pick the perfect spot for various setups etc..

3 they were incredibly good callers , im saying GOOD ..the type you hear close or far in the woods and you are 100% tricked into thinking they are a actual wild turkey ... most hunters sound like a ...hunter , and that works most of the time for most of the gobblers...but not all the time , the guys that sound authentic are the" Killers " some guys are utterly lethal cause they know how to do the most realistic kee kee or cluck and nothing else notable..and they play those strong points to deadly effectiveness...

These are the types of hunters that kill plenty of gobblers

IMO Shannon

[nitro]

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I agree Shannon. All the points you listed are goals for anyone who wants to consistently kill Gobblers.

Learn to be highly skilled with as many types of calls possible.

[Old Gobbler]

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To refer to the longbox , I had the pleasure of meeting Niel Cost many moons ago , he was always with Lamar Williams

Anyways I could talk for a spell about his personal boatpaddle (no spring)call he showed me and demonstrated its running he was GOOD , if I picked up with little practice and tried to mimic what I thought was a turkey in a novices ears I would have turkeys running from me in short order...you have to practice with that call , record yourself , play it back , listen to recordings of real turkeys not other turkey call salesmen ....Mr Cost was a expert on what he knew best and I am sure many a Gobbler was laid to rest because of it

 ... guys its the operator , you have to apply yourself to the given tool to bring out its effectiveness,  there is a champion in every call ...with that said about 1 million diaphragm calls are sold to people who have mastered the perfect highlands chimpanzee..and will never progress past that ..truth ...but if you practice,  you will be a killer

Don't get me started about how at some  turkey conventions have the largest collection of tone deaf individuals I've ever seen ..aimlessly yodeling on a call with a huge grin of satisfaction,  there i said it ...got it off my chest

But anyways whatever tool you use master it , identify your strong points with it and exploit it to its fullest effectiveness

[TauntoHawk]

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There's calling to make them gobble and there's calling to bring them to the gun.. that's where manipulation comes in, you can use some less than "real" sounding calls to pull gobbles when nothing else will but it doesn't mean he's on his way but just like a locator call can be useful information.

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[Meleagris gallopavo]

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I listen to turkey sounds and practice everyday.  Although you may not need to sound perfectly like a turkey, sounding perfectly like a turkey helps more than it hurts.  Crappy sounding calling and great sounding calling both kill turkeys.  I imagine the great sounding turkey calling has a higher percentage chance of success.  I want to call turkeys well, period.


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[Yoder409]

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Most real bird would never place in a calling contest.

I respectfully disagree.

[Yoder409]

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Sounding like a real hen is what its all about , thats how you trick gobblers

Not that im a judge of sorts...but my decades of hunting around the country , selling calls and running OG ive met a considerable amount of turkey hunters , ..the absolute most skilled among the group  had a few things in common , and not in any order

1 determination

2 extremely good woodsman ship and common sense in the woods , very quiet walker ....doest spook game ever , knows how to pick the perfect spot for various setups etc..

3 they were incredibly good callers , im saying GOOD ..the type you hear close or far in the woods and you are 100% tricked into thinking they are a actual wild turkey ... most hunters sound like a ...hunter , and that works most of the time for most of the gobblers...but not all the time , the guys that sound authentic are the" Killers " some guys are utterly lethal cause they know how to do the most realistic kee kee or cluck and nothing else notable..and they play those strong points to deadly effectiveness...

These are the types of hunters that kill plenty of gobblers

IMO Shannon

Excellent post, boss !!

I hear hunters in the woods that have, apparently, have never heard an actual wild turkey hen in their lives.  Some are off on tone.  Some are off on cadence.  Some aren't even speaking turkey language.  Yet, some of these guys still kill some birds.  A lot of these same guys are the ones who say that some of the worst callers they ever heard were real hens.  Or that a real hen would never win a calling contest. 

But the guys who will CONSISTENTLY get on a bird and hang a tag on him are guys who SOUND LIKE A REAL HEN.   I'll never be a competition caller.  But I've been running a diaphragm call for over 40 years and I still strive to improve my craft and up my game each year.  I take about as much pride in having a guy say "Holy crap !!!  I thought you were really a turkey !! " as I do killing a gobbler. 

A hunter with determination and great woodsmanship skills will kill a lot of birds.  I know a lot of these guys.

A hunter with determination a nd great woodsmanship skills who can call lights-out.........will kill MORE birds than that.

[Snood Life]

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To refer to the longbox , I had the pleasure of meeting Niel Cost many moons ago , he was always with Lamar Williams

Anyways I could talk for a spell about his personal boatpaddle (no spring)call he showed me and demonstrated its running he was GOOD , if I picked up with little practice and tried to mimic what I thought was a turkey in a novices ears I would have turkeys running from me in short order...you have to practice with that call , record yourself , play it back , listen to recordings of real turkeys not other turkey call salesmen ....Mr Cost was a expert on what he knew best and I am sure many a Gobbler was laid to rest because of it

 ... guys its the operator , you have to apply yourself to the given tool to bring out its effectiveness,  there is a champion in every call ...with that said about 1 million diaphragm calls are sold to people who have mastered the perfect highlands chimpanzee..and will never progress past that ..truth ...but if you practice,  you will be a killer

Don't get me started about how at some  turkey conventions have the largest collection of tone deaf individuals I've ever seen ..aimlessly yodeling on a call with a huge grin of satisfaction,  there i said it ...got it off my chest

But anyways whatever tool you use master it , identify your strong points with it and exploit it to its fullest effectiveness

There is soooooo much truth in this post. Bringing the heat!

[AppalachianHollers]

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I’m struck by how the Shannon himself lists determination, woodsmanship, (and setup) ahead of calling realism.

Let’s put it this way: which of the following is more likely?

1 - Gobbler gets roped in to the gun from 300 yards away, despite the lack of good setup, because of that extra edge from ultra-realistic calling.

2 - Gobbler gets called in from 100 yards away by “bleh” calling coming from good position with an easy path.

Obviously the question isn’t whether a good setup or good calling are both desirable. They are. It’s why we buy custom calls and play them all year, but also scout and study our quarry.

The question is ultimately how do the marginal effects of what makes an ideal turkey hunter rank? Are turkeys that much pickier for realism than ducks? Or, as with ducks, is context king?
It’s admittedly purely academic. Nobody would choose to call worse than they could. But it’s a useful question insofar as it makes us understand the birds themselves better.


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[WildTigerTrout]

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IMO it takes more than good calling but combine good realistic calling with good woodsmanship and that fellow will kill a lot of turkeys.