Done
I have from loud to soft:
Yell
Normal voice
Woods voice.
You may think turkey don't care but I know deer and bears do... When I'm in the woods w friends or family, we speak softly.
Whisper
I have a good friend I hunt with occasionally. When we hunt together, it usually ends up being a lot of walking and a lot of talking and catching up. But, we seem to have a bit of a disagreement on the volume. I prefer to talk very quietly almost in a whisper. He talks in a normal voice tone. Who knows.
I've always been someone who prefers to be very quiet in the woods even after a harvest. I've never understood the people that yell and cheer when they kill a deer or a turkey. I try and remain as quiet as possible.
I hunt mostly by myself... So i do a lot of talking to myself ..LOL...
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 08, 2022, 06:09:07 PM
I hunt mostly by myself... So i do a lot of talking to myself ..LOL...
Any argument over who gets the first shot? :TooFunny:
We whisper, and a little louder if we're in a blind, but never at a level of our normal voice.
Quote from: lacire on May 08, 2022, 06:16:00 PM
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 08, 2022, 06:09:07 PM
I hunt mostly by myself... So i do a lot of talking to myself ..LOL...
Any argument over who gets the first shot? :TooFunny:
:TooFunny: Yes ...
When I'm getting walked in on I say in a loud voice,hey I'm hunting hear. It's worked for me,other than that,whisper.
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It is true that sometimes turkeys are unfazed by the sound of human voices. And other times they run to the hills. How are you going to know which situation you're dealing with? Plus I find it disrespectful to be loud in the woods, especially in early morning hours. Not only do we whisper, we walk and move with as little noise as possible. It's always a good practice for all types of hunting...and fishing.
We whisper. I taught the kids to be quiet as well. Just seems right. Almost like being quiet in God's country. Respectful.
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Quote from: Cowboy on May 08, 2022, 07:07:39 PM
We whisper. I taught the kids to be quiet as well. Just seems right. Almost like being quiet in God's country. Respectful.
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Well put, absolutely
Quote from: Cowboy on May 08, 2022, 07:07:39 PM
We whisper. I taught the kids to be quiet as well. Just seems right. Almost like being quiet in God's country. Respectful.
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I agree, even backing out for the day I do not talk at a normal tone til I am at or in the truck/cabin, not that it happens much, I normally hunt alone and get along with myself quite well.
Most on here seem to agree woodsmanship is the number one thing when hunting turkeys. I don't see talking in the woods as good woodsmanship. When im hunting i don't want to let any of the animals know I'm around if i can help it. Quiet as a church mouse. No breaking sticks, easier said than done, no shaking saplings by rubbing against them, and definitely no loud talking.
You maybe able to get away with talking in areas with lots of human activity throughout the year. In the quiet areas where human activity is limited whispering is a no brainer for me.
If you have to ask this question it is obvious you don't hunt Turkeys that have been heavily pressured ;)
No one likes a loud mouth, whisper!
I try to keep noise to a minimum. They might not be able to smell very good but they can hear just fine
I prefer to whisper while hunting turkeys, deer and in general just being in the woods. I try not to disrupt anything.
Here is the best way to describe it. I can walk through my home in the dark and not bump into anything because I know where everything is. I know what was on the table, in the living room or where I put things in the garage.
If something is missing or out of place, I know it.
When I go in the woods I am entering their home! Those animals know when something is out of place, something is different. I try not to disrupt or unnerve them, and I know that makes me a better woodsman.
Quote from: Turkeybutt on May 08, 2022, 08:35:23 PM
I prefer to whisper while hunting turkeys, deer and in general just being in the woods. I try not to disrupt anything.
Here is the best way to describe it. I can walk through my home in the dark and not bump into anything because I know where everything is. I know what was on the table, in the living room or where I put things in the garage.
If something is missing or out of place, I know it.
When I go in the woods I am entering their home! Those animals know when something is out of place, something is different. I try not to disrupt or unnerve them, and I know that makes me a better woodsman.
Exactly!
That is a completely wrong assumption on your part. To the contrary, I hunt some of the most heavily pressured gamelands in the country, despite what is perpetuated on YouTube about Michigan and PA, they don't own that to themselves. I have hunted many other states and have yet to find anything remotely close to what we have to fight here, especially during turkey season the past 5+ years. From a safety standpoint, it probably would be a good idea to talk loud while walking around to have a better chance of others knowing your are coming and not get shot, but I do not do so.
As to some other comments, I am not referring to yelling or loud talking, just in a normal voice enough to be heard clearly at a given distance apart, and I can assure you that you would not hear me yourselves 40 yds away. I have major hearing damage (but I do not talk louder to compensate like some do), so when I am with someone else, I cannot hear whispering, so it is not an option for me. I also do not talk during the setup and flydown periods, only later in the morning and day, and not at roost times, as I am already handicapped with hearing period.
I do not agree that it is disrespectful to actually talk in the woods, versus whisper, that is only personal preference and not an absolute, and no, it is not the same as talking in church during a service. It's interesting that folks went there as a reason, and I respect that for your own choice, but I love the outdoors as much as anyone here and that is just not my belief or choice.
As to woodsmanship, I have been hunting for more than 50 years and my skills are on par with anyone on here, so we will have to disagree on near silence. That doesn't mean that I don't still learn things each hunt, actually to the contrary, I used to believe that silence mattered and was critical to success, but have since learned that is a myth, to a point. It started by experimenting with voice levels with deer close by and I have taken several mature bucks while chatting with a friend on the phone without stopping or hanging up, just a brief pause while I shot. I then started experimenting while turkeys were in range and have not seen any ill effects so far. If I scare a few animals off by talking during a hunt, so be it, I'm good with that, but my experience says it doesn't matter and that at times, it has the opposite effect of creating curiosity or takes away the "predator" sense prey animals get and they let down their guard. I equate this one to the "fact" that everyone says you must wear camo for deer and turkeys, or that you should never shoot more than XX yards, they make sense for some, but are not absolutes.
Again, the main trigger for my original post was the continuous stream of videos where they whisper, usually while setup in a field with no birds within 300 yds, then shoot one, and still keep whispering. Just doesn't make sense and wanted to see why others choose to go either way, so thanks for the responses thus far!
I always whisper in the woods, hunting or not.
Silence is golden
Gene Nunnery talks about animal community in The Old Pro Turkey Hunter, chapter 2. I tend to agree with Gabe on this matter.
Quote from: jmerchant1 on May 08, 2022, 09:08:04 PM
I always whisper in the woods, hunting or not.
This.
I too whisper or talk very low in the woods- don't want anything to know I'm there
I always catch myself and laugh about whispering to my hunting buddies while I'm still in the truck. If we see one in a field, I whisper " Don't even look at em".
"If you have to ask this question it is obvious you don't hunt Turkeys that have been heavily pressured ;)"
That's shockingly wrong. We never have "the place to ourselves". So yeah... he hunts birds that see a ton of hunters a season. Most of which are hardcore hunters. These sort of condescending comments are why the majority of threads on here are geared towards your typical internet "expert" topics. Threads like "is the Nomad vest the best on the market?". Or my personal favorite "should there be a minimum spur length requirement?".
Make effort to be quiet even if you don't have to.
Certainly turkeys can hear whispering, and most certainly they can hear talking...
I have seen birds get nervous during whispering and start to leave, but that nervousness could have been for a number of reasons.
Frankly, none of us would ever know how many birds we have spooked whispering or talking, cause it is likely we never would have seen them in the first place (i.e. they would have spooked before ever getting to us).
My rule of thumb... Keep whispering to a minimum, and talking is not allowed in the turkey woods. Hand-signals, and pointing are preferred with birds that are close that we cannot yet see, whispering when necessary... NO talking.
I try to use a low voice. My hearing just won't let me hear a whisper anymore. When I hunt with my grandson he's always wanting to whisper questions. It's frustrating. Protect your hearing folks.
Quote from: Cottonmouth on May 08, 2022, 10:13:30 PM
I always catch myself and laugh about whispering to my hunting buddies while I'm still in the truck. If we see one in a field, I whisper " Don't even look at em".
I do this too!!
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No offense but I cannot believe anyone that has even the least bit of hunting experience would ask this question.
Quote from: BDeal on May 09, 2022, 01:24:49 PM
No offense but I cannot believe anyone that has even the least bit of hunting experience would ask this question.
No offense taken, I am very secure in my abilities in the woods and my harvests can speak for themselves, so your comment is irrelevant.
To a degree, I should not be surprised by some of these comments, as they are no different than the old school stances on tss vs lead, traditional vs compound, 40 yard max shot, and the list goes on. Old norms and values change and evolve over time, and if you aren't growing or changing, you are just dying.
To a point, Shane Simpson and Catman's videos are good examples of what I am referring to as talking in the woods versus completely whispering. They are realistic in their volume as compared to most and I do not see any disrespect of the "holy" woods, spooking animals, or much else detrimental. That was what I have found too. This was an simply an open discussion to see which way folks went and why, but not intended to sway anyone either direction or do the usual attack statements because it is not your way.
Quote from: barry on May 09, 2022, 11:52:08 AM
Quote from: guesswho on May 08, 2022, 05:39:17 PM
Whisper
Sign language!
Have used it deer hunting to let somebody know a deer is coming to their stand. May not be the normal stuff, raise orange hat so person can see you, put hand with thumbs to head to indicate buck coming and maybe direction if trail splits.
Quote from: bwhana on May 09, 2022, 01:57:19 PM
Quote from: BDeal on May 09, 2022, 01:24:49 PM
No offense but I cannot believe anyone that has even the least bit of hunting experience would ask this question.
No offense taken, I am very secure in my abilities in the woods and my harvests can speak for themselves, so your comment is irrelevant.
To a degree, I should not be surprised by some of these comments, as they are no different than the old school stances on tss vs lead, traditional vs compound, 40 yard max shot, and the list goes on. Old norms and values change and evolve over time, and if you aren't growing or changing, you are just dying.
To a point, Shane Simpson and Catman's videos are good examples of what I am referring to as talking in the woods versus completely whispering. They are realistic in their volume as compared to most and I do not see any disrespect of the "holy" woods, spooking animals, or much else detrimental. That was what I have found too. This was an simply an open discussion to see which way folks went and why, but not intended to sway anyone either direction or do the usual attack statements because it is not your way.
My dad had a problem when I hunt with him about whispering in the woods. A prime example. We were set up on a hot gobbler really fired up. Double/ triple gobbling. He hung up at about 75-100 yards and would not cross a small swamp and come through some thick new growth aspen. We got up and planned moved. I whispered the plan to him as the turkey was still gobbling letting us know he was still there. He confirmed the plan in a low normal voice. I cringed and signaled him to lower his voice.That was it no more gobbles.
We continued with the plan circled around the aspen and swamp and set up in the older growth timber he was in. Took about a half hour for the move. That turkey that was tearing it up never made a sound. I called for a bit and nothing. We moved a little closer and called some more. Nothing. Sat for a while waiting on some sort of sign the gobbler was still there. Finally we gave up and and left. On the way out I wanted to check on where the bird was gobbling from. We got about 50 yds from where I thought he was and the gobbler erupted from the under brush and flew over a grove of tamarack. The bird was hammering like no other an hour and a half ago and went silent the moment my dad made the mistake. He whispers while we are hunting now.
You'll have to tell me again how it don't matter. It's not old school, its experience. You go ahead and keep on growing, talk in the woods, leaves more for the rest of us "old school" hunters.
Quote from: Sir-diealot on May 09, 2022, 05:37:24 PM
Quote from: barry on May 09, 2022, 11:52:08 AM
Quote from: guesswho on May 08, 2022, 05:39:17 PM
Whisper
Sign language!
Have used it deer hunting to let somebody know a deer is coming to their stand. May not be the normal stuff, raise orange hat so person can see you, put hand with thumbs to head to indicate buck coming and maybe direction if trail splits.
Where I grew up that exact hand signal means " don't shoot, I'll marry your daughter"
You guys always make me realize that I have no friends that turkey hunt.
Doesn't matter if I whisper, speak normal or scream, no one will hear me, because I will be alone.
Y'all make me sad ;D
My 8 year old calls it our hunting voices ... keep the volume down.
Quote from: Howie g on May 09, 2022, 11:31:28 PM
My 8 year old calls it our hunting voices ... keep the volume down.
Many, many years ago, when the Outdoor Channel was still worth watching, my wife would joke I had the "whisper channel" on.
Too many variables out of my control which can blow a hunt, but speaking at normal volume isn't one of them.
The people who speak in the woods with regular volume and tones are the same ones who will make a post asking folks opinion then get mad and delete the post when the answers don't align with themselves. ;D :toothy12:
The so-called president seems to prefer whispering....
Quote from: BDeal on May 09, 2022, 01:24:49 PM
No offense but I cannot believe anyone that has even the least bit of hunting experience would ask this question.
Everyone has their own perspective of hunting, hunting techniques, and woodsmanship.
I have a friend who likes to talk incessantly when hunting... Duck hunting he quiets up when birds are working, but turkey hunting, I feel it is tough to get a bird to come in. He feels that the talking is not a negative, and it is part of the enjoyment of hunting with someone else for him... I feel otherwise.
YouTube videos show some hunters barely talking and using hand-signals... Other videos lots, and lots of whispering... I have seen other
videos of birds coming in with guys talking.
I have watched birds in range, seemingly not react at all to whispering... And I have seen birds get nervous (although there are a number of things that could have been making them nervous). We would have no idea how many birds heard that whispering and never came in in the first place (if any)??? I do know that sitting quietly (and still) will not scare birds off.
I am a chatterbox socially, but in the woods (whether hunting or fishing), I prefer silence (at least as far as humans go). The sounds of the woods (or the silence) is my mental therapy, that keeps me off a therapists couch...
There is no reason to talk at normal volume in the woods in my opinion unless you are not terribly interested in killing a bird.
Quote from: crow on May 09, 2022, 10:19:37 PM
Quote from: Sir-diealot on May 09, 2022, 05:37:24 PM
Quote from: barry on May 09, 2022, 11:52:08 AM
Quote from: guesswho on May 08, 2022, 05:39:17 PM
Whisper
Sign language!
Have used it deer hunting to let somebody know a deer is coming to their stand. May not be the normal stuff, raise orange hat so person can see you, put hand with thumbs to head to indicate buck coming and maybe direction if trail splits.
Where I grew up that exact hand signal means " don't shoot, I'll marry your daughter"
I have a feeling I would be getting something back that says "If you come near my daughter I'll shoot!" By the way, that was to read thumbs to head [fingers up] to indicate a buck.
Again, the main trigger for my original post was the continuous stream of videos where they whisper, usually while setup in a field with no birds within 300 yds, then shoot one, and still keep whispering. Just doesn't make sense and wanted to see why others choose to go either way, so thanks for the responses thus far!
[/quote]
It makes sense to me why they're whispering. Just because you think there isn't a bird within 300 yards doesn't make it true.
Also, after you shoot a bird it doesn't mean another one isn't sneaking in
silently.
Your hunting methods seem to involve some assumptions on your part.
I don't hunt by making assumptions, that is why I try to be as quiet
and unobtrusive as possible.
I'm also going to disagree with one of your previous posts that said if
talking in a normal voice costs you a few birds, that you're okay with that.
I'm definitely not okay with that.
My objective, is to try to never let the birds know I am hunting them.
That being said, everybody should hunt in the manner that makes them happy. If talking to your buddy makes the hunt more enjoyable for you
then go for it and enjoy.
..... I feel like I missed a good one.
Unnecessarily loud human noise in the woods is a sacrilege. ATVs, trucks, talking louder than necessary, music, etc, etc. unintelligible whispering on a video however is pointless.
Quote from: Brillo on May 10, 2022, 09:24:52 PM
Unnecessarily loud human noise in the woods is a sacrilege. ATVs, trucks, talking louder than necessary, music, etc, etc. unintelligible whispering on a video however is pointless.
Those turkey hunting videos, for the most part, are pointless, and useless and kind of pathetic. So let them whisper unintelligibly, nobody's missing anything important anyway.
Now can you imagine if all those people spoke loudly in the woods while filming their self-infatuated videos? Now that's sacrilege.