Turkey Vocabulary

[Stevo]

Hi guys, my question is this.  Up in the day, with no gobbling going on, I've been sitting on foot plots and also a hardwoods area.  Each spot an hour or so at the time, and then rotating to the other.  Given good weather conditions, what calls would you make to get a gobblers attention?  I've been doing the standard series of yelps, clucks, purrs, with no luck.  Same calls I've used on birds gobbling on the roost with success.  If a Gobbler is in the vicinity, does just the sould of other turkeys draw him in, and do you think they want to hear something in particular?

Thanks much.

[870TAG]

HEY STEVO,
    THERE ARE MANY ASPECTS OF YOUR HUNT THAT ARE AS IMPORTANT AS YOUR CALLING. HOW LARGE IS THE HUNTING AREA THAT YOU ARE HUNTING? HAVE YOU SCOUTED IT (CAREFULLY) FOR SEVERAL WEEKS TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE NUMBER OF BIRDS THERE AND THEIR HABITS?ARE YOU HEARING GOBBLES AND HENS CALLING EARLY BEFORE AND DURING FLYDOWN TIME?HERES SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND. NEVER CALL JUST BEFORE MOVING....YOU MIGHT SPOOK A BIRD THAT IS COMING YOUR WAY. ALWAYS WAIT 15 MINUTES OR LONGER. HOPEFULLY SOME OTHER GUYS WILL RESPOND AS WELL AND WE CAN ALL SHARE IDEAS....KNOWLEDGE.
     870TAG

[Cutt]

I know this goes against most turkey calling tactics, as most times light calling and less calling is better?

Although at times when birds are not that hot and gobbling on their own, I'm a firm believer one most go against basic calling tactics, and get the birds fired up and gobbling.

Birds hear hens all day purring and clucking, but a times I just feel you have to sound like a different hen? One that wants to breed, with excited yelping and cutting?

I don't like to over call , but I do occasionally like to give some loud cutts with excited yelping when nothing is happening? Even on pressure Public land it works at times, where most avoid this and resort to soft calling, fearing of spooking birds? I know I have had this work many times, and I hunt pressured areas.

I always think back when I showed up on Public land, a few years back around 9.00am, only to see many cars and hunters. Actually talked to a couple hunters that were leaving an area, and said they never heard a bird all morning. Walked up a ridge, did some cutting, and excited yelping and got an instant response. Cut his gobbling off with some more excited talk and shut up. Ten minutes later he came from the other top, down the bottom, up to me and I was toting out a nice 3 year old after being in the woods for 20 mins, on pressured land that was just hunted.

Sure I found the right bird, but I believe this calling at times gets them going where soft talk a lot of times is thrown aside as just a normal everyday hen they hear?

[guesswho]

Gobble, Spit and Drum!

[doepee]

Do you know where the birds are roosting??  Are you sure there are some there or are you mostly blind calling?  If you know where some are roosted, If you can put one or a couple hen decoys and maybe a flydown cackle or beat your hat agains your leg and some soft cuts with a few mild yelps thrown in after flydown..  Good point about not calling to much and a good point to maybe get one fired up, a loud aluminum call, high pitched glass, or maybe a good box get loud and real excited with some yelping and loud cutting then go quiet for 15 to 20 minutes.. I always start off kind of quiet then progress from there   Just my 2cents though

[Ky strutt n bust n]

in mid-day i kinda like to tune it up a little bit and do some cutting. i have called up several boss hens that way and if you get her pissed off its on. i ve killed a hand full of birds by starting off cutting and if a hen is around and shes the boss she'll more then likely repsond back. 9 times of out 10 if a gobbler is anywhere close between you and that hen you can get a gobbler to awe you.

[Stevo]

Thanks to all who have responded. 
The place I am referring to is private land, about 150 acres.  70% is set timber, about 20 years old.  The remainder is fairly open hardwoods.  We have a food plot in the middle of the timber, 250 yrds x 30 yrds in size.  I know the birds are there, or at least were there last fall during deer season.  I am a little worried that they be going to more open areas nearby where there are large gas lines and fields.  In the timber, visibility is 30 yrds at best.  That's why I have been setting up on the food plot.  Have heard very litle gobbling activity in the morning.  I live an hour an half a way so trying roost them the night before is difficult.

[spltlim]

it may be very possible that the birds are just not there in the spring....different food sources in the area that they are hitting...also you mention fields and gas lines...this could very well be more suitable nesting habitat for the hens then what is on the land that your hunting

[Houndstooth Game Calls]

When I got to a place of that nature I ease in setup give a few easy calls so often and if havent had any luck I might throw some excited calling in or some long yelps assembly type yelps and if nothing I will hit' em with my trusty tube I have struck more turkeys or fired up more hens with long assembly yelps than anything on the tube with some fast clucks before the yelp or after! But on the other hand I never hunt on my own land usually in the evenings to give the turkeys time to have there peace and do there thing unless I am guiding where the paying hunter wants to hunt in the evenings! One thing is true we all have our own ways wich makes for interesting conversation and a great thing to learn and compare notes!

[gunnerj]

Start by getting as close as possible to the roosted(gobbling) birds with out getting busted. Wait for them to fly down before calling. Call conservatively unless you are in competition with a hen. If they aren't gobbling, generally they aren't there. You may not have the appropriate habitat for what they need at this time of the year. Maybe you need to change up the feed in the food plot? What type of grass in the grassy areas? All considerations in managing a property for hunting. 

[gunnerj]

I forgot, get a comfortable chair. I sit for at least 3 hours first thing in the morning unless busted. The longer you can sit the more successful you'll be hunting turks. Cabelas gob lounger is my choice. Lowboy makes a good one. In the blind, the Double bull blind chair is worth the 40 bucks. Set up and ability to sit long periods is as important as the calls. Again -