Seen a lot of posts about less being more as far as calling.... I have made some of those posts myself.
But there are times, when more is more.... What situations do you like to call loud and agressively?
For me it is one of two conditions...
If I am talking to a hen, I will get down on the call... You know... That hen that sounds like a white trash gal, about to throw the hammer down on some other gal comin' after her man... I wanna' make that hen as mad as possible, so that she brings the consortium of hens and toms with her to me....
Second situation is that tom that sounds off at your call, and is obviously heading towards you at full speed, and is excited at every sound that comes out of the call... I'll stay on the call pretty hard for that guy...
When do get on and stay on the call agressively???
Exactly that: first bird of the year I heard gobble spontaneously. Moved in set down. Second series of calls he answered and I jumped on him. We went back and forth several times with each of us cutting the other off. Then I withdrew and got on the gun. He gobbled once or twice more than went quiet- SOP for MS birds. Within 10 minutes he was at 27yds...
I'm normally reserved believing that most of the time a gobbler is coming whether you hammer or just stroke him so to speak. But when they're hot I'll respond in kind.
As far as calling aggressive to hens- I haven't been real successful at that. Mostly they pack him up and go the other way, lol. I have kinda soft sold hens with yelps. Clucks. Purrs.
Good thread!????????
Mostly to a hen in order to get her upset and come looking for me and bring him with her, Usually he will be somewhere behind her.
Almost never now. Everything in Florida seems tight mouthed anymore.
24/7!!!
What is aggressive calling?
Do you mean calling like real hens call?
I don't really get into this aggressive/soft calling deal. I play the game by feel and don't even consciously think about it. My brain is constantly taking in the feedback from the turkeys, and I just subconsciously react. I didn't even really realize how much I did this until I started teaching my boys how to hunt and started explaining things. I firmly believe indecision is worse than a bad decision when it comes to turkey hunting.
Good-looking and Platinum level member of the Elitist club
I agree with your first condition with the hens, I have had many conversations with them talking the same language their talking and they come over to see what's going on with Gobbler in tow. The second condition is different, if he is coming in hard I will usually stop the calling and wait to see how he is reacting. He may just run up your gun barrel.
When a gobbler drifts away with his hens, I open the flood gates and let 'em have it :fud:
I only do what the hens do... Plus 1.
I mostly only call aggressively if I'm hunting turkeys.
And I'm awake.
Quote from: Yoder409 on March 26, 2024, 05:49:15 PM
I mostly only call aggressively if I'm hunting turkeys.
And I'm awake.
I'm guilty also. I have learned more patience, but am pretty aggressive. Till it's time to not be, lol. Z
At some point every day generally speaking.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Never been my style. My game is "soft and subtle", more of a "cleanup" man I reckon.
I have had them run me over and I have never heard another peep and they seem to disappear. You have to make a call as your decision and get ready for cake or crap. They are interesting creatures. They seldom are alarmed by quiet calling,the kind that they do most of the time.
All depends on the situation. Being a call maker and propagator of Easterns, I love to call. Love to really fire them up. If I think I can get away with it I send it, until I shouldn't. When that is depends on the tom/toms mood. I'm often wrong, but when I'm rite Bam!.
Quote from: Happy on March 26, 2024, 04:52:42 PM
I firmly believe indecision is worse than a bad decision when it comes to turkey hunting.
Great words of wisdom for turkey hunting, but also true in most facets of life!
I use both aggressive and conservative/passive calling tactics depending on the circumstances...which can obviously vary a bunch depending on a whole list of factors. Having said that, where I generally hunt (which is an important qualification in this discussion), I would estimate that I strike gobblers with aggressive calling probably ten times for every one time I will strike one with passive calling. But that is just the nature of the game WHERE I MOSTLY HUNT.
Conversely, I am just as certain that the fellows that stick with conservative calling where THEY hunt have learned over time that that is the best way to approach things wherever they are.
One thing for certain is that before I give up on an area, I am going to throw the kitchen sink at them before I leave. Admittedly, doing that doesn't work all that often, but it has worked just often enough that I ain't gonna quit doing it. At the same time, I also hunt under the mantra of "once you do something you can't take it back". It is generally best not to get too crazy right off the bat...but at some point, you might as well go there... ;D :D
After reading through this post I remembered something I read from a pretty renowned duck guide on a different forum.
The guide was know to be generally a pretty conservative caller. One day while hunting just outside of a refuge he would call to the ducks and they'd never waiver. He noticed as he picked up the calling the ducks would come off there path into the refuge. Soon the guide was calling to them all the to the gun.
When they got back to landing after a successful days hunt a person who knew the guide came over and in discussion asked I'm curious why you switch from your normally conservative calling to aggressive calling all the way to the gun?
The guides answer was simple. Wasn't working!
I'm a conservative caller as a rule. I have on occasion hammered gobblers all the way to the gun and I have argued with boss hens to see them tow their boyfriend in range. I too am a believer that once you get aggressive you can't go back. It either works or turns them off sending them tight lipped the other way. I believe (to steal a phrase) in taking their temperature. The birds will let you know how to call to them. A brood or boss hen will usually start getting aggressive with you when calling. If she does, I start interrupting her by mimicking what she says. I say it louder, and longer cutting her off and never allowing her to have the last word. She can't stand it and will argue non stop to your set up. In my experience this tactic will not work with a younger hen that is lower in the pecking order. I pretty much do the same technique when calling aggressive to a gobbler. Cutting him off and not letting him have the last word. They will usually start chain gobbling as if saying "shut up and listen". It's alot of fun when it happens, but timing is everything. For me conservative calling works most consistently.
Good thread. I like reading everyone's different perspectives.
Western Oklahoma on a henned up Rio.
Most of the time
Quote from: Gobbler-one on March 27, 2024, 08:09:39 AM
I'm a conservative caller as a rule. I have on occasion hammered gobblers all the way to the gun and I have argued with boss hens to see them tow their boyfriend in range. I too am a believer that once you get aggressive you can't go back. It either works or turns them off sending them tight lipped the other way. I believe (to steal a phrase) in taking their temperature. The birds will let you know how to call to them. A brood or boss hen will usually start getting aggressive with you when calling. If she does, I start interrupting her by mimicking what she says. I say it louder, and longer cutting her off and never allowing her to have the last word. She can't stand it and will argue non stop to your set up. In my experience this tactic will not work with a younger hen that is lower in the pecking order. I pretty much do the same technique when calling aggressive to a gobbler. Cutting him off and not letting him have the last word. They will usually start chain gobbling as if saying "shut up and listen". It's alot of fun when it happens, but timing is everything. For me conservative calling works most consistently.
Good thread. I like reading everyone's different perspectives.
X2
I spend most of my time on heavily pressured public land . I like a bird to gobble once on the roost so I know where he is but I'd prefer he not burn the woods down and attract other hunters. Once I get a close set up, I dial it down.....soft and sweet. Leaf scratching. Scrape a wing on a tree. I want him to slip in drumming and let my gun shot be the only sound the other hunters hear.
I was a soft, easy caller until a few years ago. I bought property in north Mississippi which has steep ridges and big white oak bottoms. More often than not, it's easy to not hear them in the bottoms or they gobble very little on the roost. Took a friend of mine who has hunted extensively in Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri. After hunting with me he changed my tactics. We now call loudly and aggressively, trying not to sound like a single bird, but a flock. We are waking the birds up in the bottoms, now it's common to have Tom's gobbling in multiple directions. I've enjoyed the learning experience.
I respectfully disagree: you can be aggressive then take it back! If he's hammering you but not coming- hammer him back! Then withdraw that "support". Man the gun and shut up. It just might break him and bring him to see where that " hot lil thang" went. You can thank me later.
Quote from: jakebird on March 27, 2024, 02:47:50 PM
I spend most of my time on heavily pressured public land . I like a bird to gobble once on the roost so I know where he is but I'd prefer he not burn the woods down and attract other hunters. Once I get a close set up, I dial it down.....soft and sweet. Leaf scratching. Scrape a wing on a tree. I want him to slip in drumming and let my gun shot be the only sound the other hunters hear.
X2. I want that sucker to gobble one time, once I have him pinpointed, I'd prefer he doesn't make another sound until he's flopping. I'll slip in until I can see him on the roost, then I will make a few soft calls, fluff the leaves and that's all he'll get.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm like Mark Prudhomme i want the gobbler to know i'm available as it's becoming daylight with soft calling. Being aggressive isn't something i necessarily do on a regular basis, it all depends on the mood and what the turkeys are telling me in response to my calling etc. Now up in the day as things settle down from all the morning activity, i will become more aggressive in trying to get a response from a gobbler or hen. So for me it's all about what i'm hearing and receiving back.
I am aggressive at all times. I was raised by the old school though; call once every hour with a few clucks every 15 minutes to let them know you're still there.
My tactics changed when I started testing myself on public ground outside of my area and more heavily hunted areas. I became an aggressive caller that pushes the bird to get worked up. Then I pull the rug out from under them when I dial it down.
My theory is if I can get that tom worked up, he is more likely to come check things out or at least give away enough information for me to alter my setup as he makes a move. In other words, it's hard to kill them if they are not gobbling.
Another thing is that I found out that I am super aggressive with my setups. I hunt by myself 99% of the time unless my kids are with me. Hunted with a couple of different guys last year and I completely blew their minds when I took off at a dead sprint when we heard one on the next ridge over. When I heard that bird, I immediately knew were he was and knew we needed to make up about a half mile towards the ridge intersection to have a chance, but these guys just didn't have that kinda get up and go. When they finally made it to me, I was about ready to ring their neck because I thought they were wasting time. They were about to ring mine because they thought I was being way to aggressive. :TooFunny:
Quote from: Spurs on March 28, 2024, 11:46:17 AM
I am aggressive at all times. I was raised by the old school though; call once every hour with a few clucks every 15 minutes to let them know you're still there.
My tactics changed when I started testing myself on public ground outside of my area and more heavily hunted areas. I became an aggressive caller that pushes the bird to get worked up. Then I pull the rug out from under them when I dial it down.
My theory is if I can get that tom worked up, he is more likely to come check things out or at least give away enough information for me to alter my setup as he makes a move. In other words, it's hard to kill them if they are not gobbling.
Another thing is that I found out that I am super aggressive with my setups. I hunt by myself 99% of the time unless my kids are with me. Hunted with a couple of different guys last year and I completely blew their minds when I took off at a dead sprint when we heard one on the next ridge over. When I heard that bird, I immediately knew were he was and knew we needed to make up about a half mile towards the ridge intersection to have a chance, but these guys just didn't have that kinda get up and go. When they finally made it to me, I was about ready to ring their neck because I thought they were wasting time. They were about to ring mine because they thought I was being way to aggressive. :TooFunny:
I'm also very, very aggressive with my set ups, I push the envelope on what I can and can't get away with on these rascals
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I aggressively call to get a hen with one or more toms mad so she will come in and bring the toms to me. Other wise, I use softer calls.
Call aggressive most times.Last spring I got one,and only called twice.
All day. Everyday.
Not really. But it works in certain circumstances. I've called them across multiple ridges, across creeks, across roads (a car literally had to stop to let him cross). You name it. Aggressive calling can work. It can also backfire. But I'd rather him them gobble all the way in than sit in silence.
But that's me. And it's not for every occasion. I know when to shut up too
Quote from: Duckdogdad on March 27, 2024, 09:37:44 PM
I was a soft, easy caller until a few years ago. I bought property in north Mississippi which has steep ridges and big white oak bottoms. More often than not, it's easy to not hear them in the bottoms or they gobble very little on the roost. Took a friend of mine who has hunted extensively in Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri. After hunting with me he changed my tactics. We now call loudly and aggressively, trying not to sound like a single bird, but a flock. We are waking the birds up in the bottoms, now it's common to have Tom's gobbling in multiple directions. I've enjoyed the learning experience.
Being an Ozark hunter myself, I also get loud and aggressive very often. If I can get them fired up and coming, I'll go to leaf scratcher mode sometimes and if they hang up, I'm moving, if they shut up for an hour I'm gone to the next spot. I can't stand turkey hunting in a deer hunting style. To each there own.
I probably call more than I need to, but calling and getting a response is the fun part! There are two situations where I call the most:
First thing when the whole flock is flying down and sounding off. I try to sound like as many birds as I can, but usually matching what the flock is doing plus a little extra. When the flock calms down, you've missed that window.
When a hen is responding. I will call aggressively at hens every chance I get. It creates a lot of turkey noise and you get a live decoy out of it! Had one hen cutting back and forth in the decoys for 45 minutes straight one morning before the silent tom I was after finally let loose a gobble and strutted in.
This happened to me just this past weekend, I'm hunting an open field with few trees. I have a small ground blind set up in the shade of a tree along the fence line.
Catch sight of a gobbler walking past me about 70 yards from me he's following a hen. Since they are going away from me I hit the call they both kind of look and keep walking so I really lay into the calling. Hen stops and looks back and starts to slow walk back to me. I think game over. But gobbler just stand out there walks around some struts some and watches the hen come back to me. She skirts by me and the decoys close enough to shoot if he was with her. I'm watching the gobbler and he just starts walking off into the middle of the field. Then I lose sight of him and the hen wanders back into the woods on the other side of the fence.
I guess I missed seeing another hen that the gobbler followed out into the field. Only thing I could think of was they headed to a cow pond to drink or dust in the sand. Bubba
Quote from: deathfoot on March 30, 2024, 04:48:02 PM
I know when to shut up too
I don't...
Sometimes I call when I should shut up, and sometimes I shut up when I should call. And sometimes everything works out, and I get to do the dead turkey dance. :turkey2:
Sometimes I do not think there is anything different that could be done to kill a bird... Older bird, knows the game, and he will make that hen come to him on that particular day...
Sometimes I do not think it matters what you do after that initial call and he is coming in, and wants to die... You could keep calling, or shut up, and he is still comin' in. (Those are the birds that I need to find, but there seem to be less and less of them every year, and they do not last long during the season).
Me... I tend to like to get them worked up, and then shut up... Until that is not working, then do something else... Then I curse, swear, and hit the steering wheel on the truck on the way home, swearing vengeance for my next trip out. :bike2:
I get aggressive if it's late morning and I know the gobblers have lost their hens. Had a few almost run me over before I could get the gun up. It definitely earns a rise in their interest.
On windy days, sometimes you have to hit it hard to be heard.
I normally try to match the intensity of other turkeys I hear. If no hens are talking and he's a long ways off, I'll also lean into it more than usual.
Jim
It's all part of the game and what makes it fun ! Sometimes it's aggressive calling that works other times it's best to tone it down and slow play it ! I do believe just about every gobbler has a window during the season in which he is susceptible to being called in . It's your job to be there waiting during that window. That gobbler will usually let you know fairly quick if today is the day .