I try to improve with every season I turkey hunt. This off season I am going to work on my gobbler sounds. I also want to hunt the dominant birds in an area. All the birds I harvested were the strutters in the situation I was presented and all had 1" plus spurs. But I dont think they were the " boss" in their areas. Just mature birds. Baby steps, lol. Z
I work on my calling year around and this off season I am putting together a new gun.
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Quote from: zelmo1 on June 04, 2024, 05:26:17 AMI try to improve with every season I turkey hunt. This off season I am going to work on my gobbler sounds. I also want to hunt the dominant birds in an area. All the birds I harvested were the strutters in the situation I was presented and all had 1" plus spurs. But I dont think they were the " boss" in their areas. Just mature birds. Baby steps, lol. Z
I have been researching and gathering info on Gobbler vocalization. I invested in a "Gobbler Box" call and have been learning gobbler and Jake sounds on it. I feel learning to call in Tom's with Jake and Gobbler sounds will enhance my abilities to call in more turkeys and give me a better chance in luring them away from their hens in certain situations.
After 53 years and being 69 years old I am working on not forgetting what I already learned. Your never too old to learn but just keeping and applying what you already know is important. I am learning my physical abilities will limit my hunting and cost me opportunities. The biggest thing I am learning is, "it just doesn't matter anymore". I am going to work on just enjoying the time in the woods, and accepting that I really don't have to kill gobblers to be successful.
Oh Zelmo, I have come completely to the opposite side of the spectrum. I no longer target the dominate gobblers in an area. I think it's important to leave them for breeding. I had one such bird this year I know has been the boss in a certain woods for 3 years and I intentionally avoided him. He had hens with him almost constantly. Now don't get me wrong, if he presents a shot I will take him, but I don't go with the intention of killing him specifically. A satellite two year old is just fine.
I agree with eggshell on the dominate gobblers being a vital part of flock structure. I personally wouldn't target them until the end of the season. As far as improvements go, physical fitness is tops for me. It's probably one of the less fun things and therefore the least popular, but it makes a huge difference. There are always equipment tweaks I make every year, but it ain't gonna be anything drastic.
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Great insight eggshell Thanks
I understand the breeding cycle needs that dominant bird. My wife and I took all 3 year olds this year. We are lucky to have arguably the best "spot" I have ever seen or imagined. There are 10-15 longbeards in this concentrated area and we are the only ones that have legal permission to hunt it. It's amazing what a little friendly behavior will bring. But we haven't harvested any of the real dinosaurs there. I think, that's usually my downfall, that there are 4/5 year old birds there that are pretty wiley. The 3/4 year olds pretty much run the breeding in this area. We have noticed the 2 year olds( subdominant ) birds never have any hens and they come in rather shyly. Not looking to disrupt the cycle in this awesome spot. I don't think, again not my strong suit, that taking one dinosaur from this area will be the downfall. It may be mute, they are quite crafty, lol. Z
I like to turn to good old turkey hunting books. I like to read the stories and I might pickup on a tip or two. I try to improve my calling year round. I would like to get a little more out of my long box, like softer talk, so I'll be working on that call. I also want to master the purs and clucks on my pushpin, I think they could be deadly.
My doctor says there's to much Sam and I need to shed 60# of him. I think that is the main thing I need to do before next year.
Quote from: Gooserbat on June 04, 2024, 08:26:06 AMMy doctor says there's to much Sam and I need to shed 60# of him. I think that is the main thing I need to do before next year.
I'm with YOU !!!
I'm down about 10#. But another 50# would make my knees and lower back a lot happier, I think.
Other than that..... I'm going to work on my restraint.... Try not to fill all my tags before the end of the first week. :toothy9: :toothy9:
Working on Cardio this off season.
#1 goal for me every off season is going and looking at the public ground that I have only ever investigated through aerial maps. Throw the dogs in the truck and put the weight vest on while I walk and we're getting all sorts of things done lol
Scout,talk to ranchers, buy stuff,get my gear in order,practice calling.
We all weight our guns and vest and count ounces. If I lost 25 lbs those long spring hikes would be quite a bit easier on the legs and knees. I think I will make the effort this summer. And practice my calling of course.
Quote from: Tom007 on June 04, 2024, 06:19:55 AMQuote from: zelmo1 on June 04, 2024, 05:26:17 AMI try to improve with every season I turkey hunt. This off season I am going to work on my gobbler sounds. I also want to hunt the dominant birds in an area. All the birds I harvested were the strutters in the situation I was presented and all had 1" plus spurs. But I dont think they were the " boss" in their areas. Just mature birds. Baby steps, lol. Z
I have been researching and gathering info on Gobbler vocalization. I invested in a "Gobbler Box" call and have been learning gobbler and Jake sounds on it. I feel learning to call in Tom's with Jake and Gobbler sounds will enhance my abilities to call in more turkeys and give me a better chance in luring them away from their hens in certain situations.
I don't think there is a need for a special box call to make gobbler sounds, including the gobble (no rubber bands necessary). I have always liked less "tools" or calls needed to make the sounds I want. Makes for lees fidgeting around and less time between calls when needed.
Most box calls come with 2 tones (one on each side), one lower then the other. The lower side I use for gobbler yelps & clucks. So you can go from hen sounds to gobbler sound with little movement and less time between calls.
Here is a link (hope it works) to a video of David Halloran gobbling on a box call. He goes through several calls and the gobble is at about 1:50 on the video.
https://www.google.com/search?q=david+halloran+gobbling+on+box+call&sca_esv=f716cdc2862777a3&sxsrf=ADLYWIIBeVwjcSnBRmO61lF0hS2pQfOg8g%3A1717517154527&ei=YjtfZu3xH7rL0PEPkum8gAk&ved=0ahUKEwjtqpD_qcKGAxW6JTQIHZI0D5AQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=david+halloran+gobbling+on+box+call&gs_lp=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&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5b9311f0,vid:MS7dP_5zS-4,st:0
Personally I think my gobble sounds better than Hallorans. :toothy12: A bit louder too. I hold my box vertically but with the paddle up (opposite of Halloran) and use 2 fingers to move the paddle across the paddle while holding the box firmly in my other hand. For a jake gobble I will make the gobble slightly shorter and sometimes immediately follow the shorter gobble with a jake yelp or 2. I do the jake yelps on a mouth call as there is no time between gobble and yelps.
As far as the type of box call I like...one with relatively narrow or thin rails and 1" or 1 1/8" across the rails. Any wider and the gobble becomes a bit more difficult to make it sound realistic.
Quote from: Treerooster on June 04, 2024, 12:32:35 PMQuote from: Tom007 on June 04, 2024, 06:19:55 AMQuote from: zelmo1 on June 04, 2024, 05:26:17 AMI try to improve with every season I turkey hunt. This off season I am going to work on my gobbler sounds. I also want to hunt the dominant birds in an area. All the birds I harvested were the strutters in the situation I was presented and all had 1" plus spurs. But I dont think they were the " boss" in their areas. Just mature birds. Baby steps, lol. Z
I have been researching and gathering info on Gobbler vocalization. I invested in a "Gobbler Box" call and have been learning gobbler and Jake sounds on it. I feel learning to call in Tom's with Jake and Gobbler sounds will enhance my abilities to call in more turkeys and give me a better chance in luring them away from their hens in certain situations.
I don't think there is a need for a special box call to make gobbler sounds, including the gobble (no rubber bands necessary). I have always liked less "tools" or calls needed to make the sounds I want. Makes for lees fidgeting around and less time between calls when needed.
Most box calls come with 2 tones (one on each side), one lower then the other. The lower side I use for gobbler yelps & clucks. So you can go from hen sounds to gobbler sound with little movement and less time between calls.
Here is a link (hope it works) to a video of David Halloran gobbling on a box call. He goes through several calls and the gobble is at about 1:50 on the video.
https://www.google.com/search?q=david+halloran+gobbling+on+box+call&sca_esv=f716cdc2862777a3&sxsrf=ADLYWIIBeVwjcSnBRmO61lF0hS2pQfOg8g%3A1717517154527&ei=YjtfZu3xH7rL0PEPkum8gAk&ved=0ahUKEwjtqpD_qcKGAxW6JTQIHZI0D5AQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=david+halloran+gobbling+on+box+call&gs_lp=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&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5b9311f0,vid:MS7dP_5zS-4,st:0
Personally I think my gobble sounds better than Hallorans. :toothy12: A bit louder too. I hold my box vertically but with the paddle up (opposite of Halloran) and use 2 fingers to move the paddle across the paddle while holding the box firmly in my other hand. For a jake gobble I will make the gobble slightly shorter and sometimes immediately follow the shorter gobble with a jake yelp or 2. I do the jake yelps on a mouth call as there is no time between gobble and yelps.
As far as the type of box call I like...one with relatively narrow or thin rails and 1" or 1 1/8" across the rails. Any wider and the gobble becomes a bit more difficult to make it sound realistic.
The box call I had made I have heard is the only box call to win the National Gobbling Championship. It's not built like a normal box, the yelps and gobble are the best I've heard. If you watch the 2023 Roger Parks YouTube Seminar at Unicoi, he discusses and demonstrates this. He's considered one of the best in the subject of Gobbler Vocabulary and calling in Gobblers. I like his theory's regarding this, it makes sense to me. Again, this is something I'm going to add to my arsenal, it's not for everyone. That's why there are so many different calls and call makers out there. Pick what works for you, I'm always looking to give me more versatility and edge on those wary Tom's.
A gobbler box from Donny Richards is nothing like the conventional box call. Donnie gobbler box has the most realistic gobbler yelps and Jake yelps. Sure you can take a regular box call and make some kind of sound when trying to mimic the sound of a gobbler...
Roger Parks gobbler pot call is another awesome call within itself with making gobbler and Jake sounds.
I look forward to playing calls and working on cadence in the off season. And like you said Tom, I'm going to continue working on gobbler vocalization.
Quote from: Greg Massey on June 05, 2024, 06:23:11 PMA gobbler box from Donny Richards is nothing like the conventional box call. Donnie gobbler box has the most realistic gobbler yelps and Jake yelps. Sure you can take a regular box call and make some kind of sound when trying to mimic the sound of a gobbler...
Roger Parks gobbler pot call is another awesome call within itself with making gobbler and Jake sounds.
I look forward to playing calls and working on cadence in the off season. And like you said Tom, I'm going to continue working on gobbler vocalization.
Amen brother, I have you to thank for Donny's info. I agree 100%, his box is unique and I am going to try it in the Fall woods this year for sure......
I agree I keep telling myself you gotta get better with the diaphram calling and it keeps getting pushed back and heck before you know it the season is here this season started to sound like I was purring then I quit and went to the pot call what to do :TooFunny:
Regarding targeting the older gobblers, I agree with the idea that shooting those birds might disrupt the breeding interactions within a flock. For me, it tends not to be an issue based on the way I hunt anyhow. I hunt for that "interactive experience" with the gobblers I pursue, and that generally does not fit with the "reluctance of callability" those older birds tend to exhibit.
In addition, I lost my superman vision a while back so I can't tell spur size (that generally-agreed-upon indicator of age) at any distance beyond about five yards now. Hence, I am relegated to shooting whatever mature gobbler decides he wants to venture near enough to my calling to endanger himself. It is amazing to me that most of those gobblers turn out to be two or three-year-olds. Can't imagine why... ;D
Around these parts, it is uncanny how often the gobblers that are killed and are beyond that three-year-old mark turn out to be the result of some circumstance besides "calling them in". I am beginning to believe that older gobblers have some kind of aversion to approaching turkey calling... ;D :angel9: :toothy9:
Quote from: GobbleNut on June 06, 2024, 09:40:08 AMRegarding targeting the older gobblers, I agree with the idea that shooting those birds might disrupt the breeding interactions within a flock. For me, it tends not to be an issue based on the way I hunt anyhow. I hunt for that "interactive experience" with the gobblers I pursue, and that generally does not fit with the "reluctance of callability" those older birds tend to exhibit.
In addition, I lost my superman vision a while back so I can't tell spur size (that generally-agreed-upon indicator of age) at any distance beyond about five yards now. Hence, I am relegated to shooting whatever mature gobbler decides he wants to venture near enough to my calling to endanger himself. It is amazing to me that most of those gobblers turn out to be two or three-year-olds. Can't imagine why... ;D
Around these parts, it is uncanny how often the gobblers that are killed and are beyond that three-year-old mark turn out to be the result of some circumstance besides "calling them in". I am beginning to believe that older gobblers have some kind of aversion to approaching turkey calling... ;D :angel9: :toothy9:
Agreed here Jim. I am happy with any mature gobbler, 2, 3 year old, whatever. I am just intrigued with adding Gobbler/Jake vocabulary into my bag of tricks. Henned up Tom's are real tough to coax away from their ladies, I have heard Gobbler/Jake sounds just might change the game here. Challenging him could just change a slow, quiet day into a thrilling hunt. I figure it can't hurt to add a few more tricks to the bag...
Quote from: GobbleNut on June 06, 2024, 09:40:08 AMRegarding targeting the older gobblers, I agree with the idea that shooting those birds might disrupt the breeding interactions within a flock. For me, it tends not to be an issue based on the way I hunt anyhow. I hunt for that "interactive experience" with the gobblers I pursue, and that generally does not fit with the "reluctance of callability" those older birds tend to exhibit.
In addition, I lost my superman vision a while back so I can't tell spur size (that generally-agreed-upon indicator of age) at any distance beyond about five yards now. Hence, I am relegated to shooting whatever mature gobbler decides he wants to venture near enough to my calling to endanger himself. It is amazing to me that most of those gobblers turn out to be two or three-year-olds. Can't imagine why... ;D
Around these parts, it is uncanny how often the gobblers that are killed and are beyond that three-year-old mark turn out to be the result of some circumstance besides "calling them in". I am beginning to believe that older gobblers have some kind of aversion to approaching turkey calling... ;D :angel9: :toothy9:
I'm with you Jim, at my old age, I don't know how many gobblers I have left to hunt. So if he comes to my calling he better look out ... What's the old kid saying, bang bang your dead...
Quote from: Greg Massey on June 06, 2024, 03:04:44 PMQuote from: GobbleNut on June 06, 2024, 09:40:08 AMRegarding targeting the older gobblers, I agree with the idea that shooting those birds might disrupt the breeding interactions within a flock. For me, it tends not to be an issue based on the way I hunt anyhow. I hunt for that "interactive experience" with the gobblers I pursue, and that generally does not fit with the "reluctance of callability" those older birds tend to exhibit.
In addition, I lost my superman vision a while back so I can't tell spur size (that generally-agreed-upon indicator of age) at any distance beyond about five yards now. Hence, I am relegated to shooting whatever mature gobbler decides he wants to venture near enough to my calling to endanger himself. It is amazing to me that most of those gobblers turn out to be two or three-year-olds. Can't imagine why... ;D
Around these parts, it is uncanny how often the gobblers that are killed and are beyond that three-year-old mark turn out to be the result of some circumstance besides "calling them in". I am beginning to believe that older gobblers have some kind of aversion to approaching turkey calling... ;D :angel9: :toothy9:
I'm with you Jim, at my old age, I don't know how many gobblers I have left to hunt. So if he comes to my calling he better look out ... What's the old kid saying, bang bang your dead...
I've killed some long spurred warriors and some with 3/4" spurs. I hunted them all about the same and couldn't tell you what I did different to kill the big ones.