Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

Another pre-season topic for discussion (mostly for the newer hunters among us):

We tend to discuss turkey calls and calling a great deal. My impression is that some folks might begin to think that calling ability is THE key to turkey hunting success. Now, I tend to agree that the more realistic somebody's calling is, the better. I have concluded over the decades, however, that calling ability is secondary to what we generally classify as "woodsmanship".

To me, that term can best be summed up as knowing what to "say" to a turkey, when to say it, why you are saying it, and where to say it from. Unfortunately for most of us, learning how to pull that off on a somewhat regular basis often requires a learning curve that is only accomplished with significant time spent in the turkey woods...and generally with quite a few failures front-loaded onto that learning curve.

Quite honestly, learning to make all of the sounds a turkey makes with adequate realism with the tools available today is the easy part. That other element of experience and woodsmanship? ...Not so much.  ;D 

Your right about one thing Gobblenut....this is mostly for the others on here, not the G.O.A.T.S  :TooFunny:

In all seriousness, calling is like putting mustard on a hotdog. It's always a hotdog and sandwich and you can eat it plain, but mustard makes it a whole lot better. Good calling is putting some mustard on something that is already done. Woodsmanship is what kills the most turkeys and that entails a whole lot of things. From reading a birds mood, to positioning, to how and where you move, knowing turkey language and what to say when. The number one problem with may inexperienced hunters/callers is too much mustard. Too much Mustard ruins even a hotdog.

I get into this one with an old buddy (accomplished turkey killer) at least once a year.

It becomes obvious, eventually, that it's easier to call a bird to a place he WANTS to come to.  THAT.... being in that spot.... is your woodsmanship.

So, that being a given..... out of two guys that have equal woodsmanship skills.... my premise is that the guy who calls with more realism will kill more birds.

He disagrees.   He's allowed.

It doesn't really matter what quary you're hunting, if you have good woodsmanship, your sucess chances go way up.  Squirrels, deer, turkey ect. 

Where I grew up, there was a old man who was well known for his sucess in turkey hunting.  He rarely called.  He just understood turkeys and how they moved.  So he was often where they wanted to be and never made a call. 

While it's impossible to deny his sucess, I do enjoy the communication aspect of turkey hunting.  I want to have a conversation with one and fool him. 

Quote from: CALLM2U on January 20, 2026, 09:14:48 AMI do enjoy the communication aspect of turkey hunting.  I want to have a conversation with one and fool him. 

I would take this one step further. I want to have that conversation and KNOW that the reason I killed him was BECAUSE he came to my calling.

Now, I have killed gobblers where I knew I would have killed them if I had never made a peep but that is not what I play the game for. The "reward", if you will, in turkey hunting for me is having that conversation and knowing that he came looking for me because he thought I was a real turkey (of the feathered variety, that is).  ;D

I like your topic. To me, for the places that I hunt, calling is almost overated, if I can say so... I hunt Ag. country and turkeys are easy to observe and study and they become very predictable on their territory. Woodsmanship to me is knowing where they roost and where they go after that and by knowing that, you can "almost" (to not say pretty much, depending on the case) hunt them without making a sound when you know they will pass right there, or roam around there... Visual is also something I learned last year. A good decoy well placed will attract them, without you even needing to make a sound. I still use calls, but knowing where they will go is much more important than making realistic calls. I try to make realistic calls, but if you are where they will pass, it won't matter that much if your calls are a little bit off... And on the other hand, your calls can be perfect, but you won't call them from the neighboors land if they don't want to go where you are.

Your right youngGobbler. A lot of birds are killed this way. It's deer hunting only the deer have feathers and gobble. Around me there are hundreds of deer bait sites and the turkeys have learned where they are. The deer hunters quit putting out corn when season ends in January or February, but the birds still come back and scratch out the leftovers. They learn to hang in the area too. I know hunters who go sit in those blinds and then claim they called a gobbler in, I think that is only marginally true. They steered or speeded up a gobbler that would have been there anyway. In essence they shot a bird over bait. This is legal as long as the bait had been removed for 30 days. I don't believe it's ever removed to the animals. We feed deer in our yard and watch deer come and check even in the summer when there's been no grain for months. This is not woodsmanship or calling in birds. Woodsmanship is being lost

Some would throw stones at me for not hunting them with calls and not having a conversation with the tom I'm hunting... But I am not baiting turkeys either. I'm a hunter and that's it... I enjoy when I set-up right on a game and get them...

I think woodsmanship and good calling go hand in hand. If a hunter spends years honing his/her woodsmanship skills (aimed towards killing turkeys), it would stand to reason that person has learned a whole lot about turkey language. If they haven't, then they haven't been paying attention.

Woodsmanship is everything. If a man has a ton of woodmanship, which includes knowing not only where to call but when and when not - his calling can be barely average and he will be just fine. And do not miss this - the man who says he is a good woodsman, yet he does not have a wheelbarrow or patience, he is just kidding himself. Patience is a key part of any notion of woodsman skills.

A true woodsman has one objective far beyond killing a turkey that day - and that is to leave the truck, go hunt, and then return to the truck without alerting the turkeys to the fact that you were there. Everyone spooks a turkey at some point, but the idea is to get from the truck and back to the truck and to hopefully not spook a turkey that day. Using deep drains or steep bluffs for entry and exit to avoid them knowing you are there takes far more effort, but that is much of what woodsmanship is all about.

Today, we have a lot of hunters who can run a diaphragm or a pot call like a scolded dog, but they are flailing their way through the woods and struggling to draw turkeys to the gun barrel on a consistent basis. Most will tell you that they are killing it in the woods if you ask, but if you sit back and observe what is happening on public land where I live - 80% of those are more in charge of killing prevention than turkey killing. So many guys just flail and flush the woods from the time they leave the truck to the time they arrive back at it to go home. And maybe that is a good thing since the Wild Turkey numbers are not what they used to be.

Woodsman-ship and patience will out do the best caller setting up in the wrong spot (a place where the Tom just won't go). A turkey hunter with keen woodsman-ship and the ability to sit tight and scratch the leaves will kill a boat load of Tom's, no doubt.

I highly recommend newer hunters buy as many box calls as you can and constantly run them on my public. In reality, they pretty much do that now. Seriously, calling is the icing on the cake, but woodsmanship trumps everything assuming you have birds. I can and have hunt without calls with consistent success, and in most situations the call is not even required. Calling adds a lot of fun though.

If I could only have one of those 2 skills, give me the woodsmanship every time.

I've had this conversation with my hunting buddies, and I believe it is 75% Woodsmanship and 25% calling.  Scouting and setting up where turkeys want to be and go is critical in my book.  Being in close proximity of birds after fly down and during the day, increases your odds exponentially to get that bird to finish to your gun barrel.  Calling is the icing on the cake.  Knowing what to say and being able to give that bird just enough icing to the end of the barrel is so sweet.  Calling a bird across an open field 500 to 1000 yards away is really tough but get into his bubble at 50 to 100 yards away without him hearing or seeing you will definitely make your day and ruin his most of the time.

Short answer: Woodsmanship.

Long answer:  I've been at this over 40 years. I make my own calls.  I pro-staffed for a call company. I'll be the first to tell you that calling is the least of my considerations. 

The only reason fellows seem to get wound up over calling is the same reason they get wound up over shotgun patterns.  You can do these things without an open season. 

BTW: I want to compliment you guys. I've been a lot places over the years where there was an argument when this topic was brought up-- not just one over the other, but the very definition of woodsmanship.  Me?  I see woodsmanship as anything you do in the field that isn't calling.


One thing I think gets left out. I'll leave it to y'all to put a name to it.  For 15 years, I've been going into the woods well before season starts and recording the birds.  I was inspired by the Spittin' Feathers series.  I make a few podcasts every year with the results of these recordings.

If you're interested, they're here: Podcasts (https://genesis9.angzva.com/?cat=3998)

I considered myself a fair turkey hunter when I started.  I was already a pro-staffer.  However, I feel my education really started when I began making those podcasts.  Being out with the turkeys gave me a visceral understanding of them.  It is not something I can express.  It is something I've tried to write about and failed.  I certainly cannot teach it.

I agree Shaman, I sit here at the house or work out in the garden and listen to turkey talk off and on all year long. I too have thought about how to descriptively explain a lot in writing and it's just a different language. Experience is the best teacher.

I was extremely lucky to be mentored by two men.  One could not call that well, but was very good in navigating the forest.  He killed a lot of turkeys and chastised me severely when I snapped a twig while walking.  He taught me woodmanship.  The other was a master caller.  I only hunted with him on one occasion, but I spent oh so many nights with him and he taught me to call.

Woodmanship became a habit; something I rarely had to contemplate.  Now calling is a different animal.  What to say, when to say it, and the volume used to say it requires much contemplation, so for me, calling is everything. 

I hunt a mix of private agricultural land and some public WMA land. On the WMA it can be tough to spot the birds and pattern them enough to set up and wait on them to make a mistake, so good calling can be helpful. On the ag land it is very different. These birds can be patterned to a degree, but they don't respond much, if at all, to calling when they get in the fields. This is where woodsmanship seems to be a greater advantage to me. If I can only have one of the two, woodsmanship would be my choice, but I'm glad I don't have to choose between the two exclusively.

A consistently successful turkey hunter will possess "turkey woodsmanship", and will also be a good caller. Perhaps not "contest quality", but at least good. Have that guy go out with the worst sounding call in his arsenal  and he's still going to kill turkeys.

The success I've had comes from picking a place turkeys tend to travel, setting up wisely, knowing when to use a handful of different calls for different situations and sounding realistic. The sounding realistic part come from practicing year round and knowing what to say when. I'd say woodsmanship is slightly more important than calling ability. We don't need to call fancy, just sound like a turkey and let curiosity get the best of them.

Yeah Gobblenut, so much goes into turkey hunting --- wow, it would take a book, or a series to tell it all. 

Woodsmanship, I rank up near the top ---- knowing when to move ---- Yep, you're right, making the sounds are pretty easy, it's knowing when to say them, how loud to say it, when to not say anything -- whew.   

My blood is boiling just thinking of it.

Quote from: Davyalabama on February 04, 2026, 10:59:34 AMmaking the sounds are pretty easy, it's knowing when to say them, how loud to say it, when to not say anything -- whew. 

I don't mean to quote YOU on this, I'm sure many guys would say the same... But then again, When, what, how... In my mind, it does not matter that much, meaning, if you set-up right, like on his usual trail, or around his strutting zone, you can say a quack or two too loud and it won't matter, he will still come to sneak you out. And if you're setup is not right, like when you're "running and gunning" and you just hear a gobble over there and now you're like trying to call him somewhere random... You can call whatever you think is right and you won't succeed in calling him out... Unless HE really is down to it...

Quote from: YoungGobblerYou can call whatever you think is right and you won't succeed in calling him out... Unless HE really is down to it...

I'm a firm believer that a good or better caller can convince a gobbler "he really is down to it" at times where a poor or average caller just isn't gonna change his mind.

This is a common sense thing that new guys never seem to understand. Ive always said the best caller can't call one in that never hears him because the bird ain't within earshot. Many guys see birds deer season and figure they gotta be exactly there. That ain't necessarily so. Find the birds during hunt season, where they are going and you're mostly there already.
Heck if you're the right spot you prob don't even need to call many times. As Gobblenut said that's not why many do it. If it wasn't for interaction it might lose appeal but I can call to nothing in my family room.
If the biggest thing newer hunters wonder what take away from the forum this year this is prob it.

I would emphasize again that, with the tools (calls, calling instruction videos, YouTubers, etc.) available today, there is no reason for anybody not knowing how to sound like a real turkey. My five-year-old grandson picked up one of my box calls and within five minutes was yelping on it well enough to call gobblers.

Knowing how to make turkey sounds does not equate to knowing when to apply them in the turkey woods. That comes only from time and experience in those woods. Those experiences should include trying all sorts of tactics to sort out what works when, and under all kinds of circumstances, situations, and conditions. "Pidgeon holing" yourself by sticking to a single set of tactics and calling is a sure-fire way to kill fewer gobblers than you would by being a bit more "experimental" in your approach. Sure, you don't want to get away from some level of "natural-ness" in how turkeys sound and behave, but that can vary a lot more than it seems some people believe it does.

Given enough time and experience...and dedication...in pursuing gobblers, pretty much everybody can learn how to "get'er dun"...assuming they are hunting in a place where there are turkeys to begin with.

A prime example: Back to those dreaded YouTubers. There is a zillion of them now trying to get a piece of the pie, and they run the gambit of how they call, what they sound like, and what sorts of tactics they use wherever they might be hunting. Watch a few of them and you will quickly see there are lots of ways to CALL and kill gobblers...even some of them that probably shouldn't.  ;D  :angel9:

Quote from: GobbleNut on February 05, 2026, 09:13:14 AMI would emphasize again that, with the tools (calls, calling instruction videos, YouTubers, etc.) available today, there is no reason for anybody not knowing how to sound like a real turkey. My five-year-old grandson picked up one of my box calls and within five minutes was yelping on it well enough to call gobblers.

Knowing how to make turkey sounds does not equate to knowing when to apply them in the turkey woods. That comes only from time and experience in those woods. Those experiences should include trying all sorts of tactics to sort out what works when, and under all kinds of circumstances, situations, and conditions. "Pidgeon holing" yourself by sticking to a single set of tactics and calling is a sure-fire way to kill fewer gobblers than you would by being a bit more "experimental" in your approach. Sure, you don't want to get away from some level of "natural-ness" in how turkeys sound and behave, but that can vary a lot more than it seems some people believe it does.

Given enough time and experience...and dedication...in pursuing gobblers, pretty much everybody can learn how to "get'er dun"...assuming they are hunting in a place where there are turkeys to begin with.

A prime example: Back to those dreaded YouTubers. There is a zillion of them now trying to get a piece of the pie, and they run the gambit of how they call, what they sound like, and what sorts of tactics they use wherever they might be hunting. Watch a few of them and you will quickly see there are lots of ways to CALL and kill gobblers...even some of them that probably shouldn't.  ;D  :angel9:

Thats a fact. Sometimes when bored I'll put a you tube on. Not to sound funny, but some of these guys are so bad, they don't even sound close to a turkey. Yet the birds come in, they even post how great the call is. Hmmm I just switch to another video where I don't need perfection but at least close to realism.
Great topic Gobblenut

I agree woodsmanship is a must, but as you get older I put more emphasis on my calling.

After you pass the age of 65 you will understand my comment...
 

Quote from: Greg Massey on February 07, 2026, 11:17:37 AMAfter you pass the age of 65 you will understand my comment...
 

Quote from: Greg Massey on February 07, 2026, 11:17:37 AMI agree woodsmanship is a must, but as you get older I put more emphasis on my calling.

After you pass the age of 65 you will understand my comment...
 

Well, I am well past that age...and yes, I do understand that...  :D  :angel9:

Both are important. It's 100 percent both and it's not an either or thing. To over emphasize one at the expense of the other is foolish.

Having said that the better your calling, the more you'll realize the importance of calling and it's ability to completely change a birds mood, make him do things he didn't want to do and wasn't going to do just a minute or seconds earlier.

And if youre sitting over decoys or crawling behind a gobbler decoy then yeah you're right calling isn't very important to your success at all.

Quote from: Ihuntoldschool on February 07, 2026, 12:01:36 PMBoth are important. It's 100 percent both and it's not an either or thing. To over emphasize one at the expense of the other is foolish.

Having said that the better your calling, the more you'll realize the importance of calling and it's ability to completely change a birds mood, make him do things he didn't want to do and wasn't going to do just a minute or seconds earlier.

And if youre sitting over decoys or crawling behind a gobbler decoy then yeah you're right calling isn't very important to your success at all.

This post is the winner!!!

As "Turkeyman" said in an above post, it's called "turkey woodsmanship"!!!

Quote from: Ihuntoldschool on February 07, 2026, 12:01:36 PM.....the better your calling, the more you'll realize the importance of calling and it's ability to completely change a birds mood, make him do things he didn't want to do and wasn't going to do just a minute or seconds earlier.

This is NOT wrong.   :icon_thumright:

Quote from: GobbleNut on February 07, 2026, 11:44:43 AM

Quote from: Greg Massey on February 07, 2026, 11:17:37 AMAfter you pass the age of 65 you will understand my comment...
 

Quote from: Greg Massey on February 07, 2026, 11:17:37 AMI agree woodsmanship is a must, but as you get older I put more emphasis on my calling.

After you pass the age of 65 you will understand my comment...
 

Well, I am well past that age...and yes, I do understand that...  :D  :angel9:

Well BC doesn't come after most guys birth year :funnyturkey: Back when we started turkeys were a lot bigger, had teeth and we didn't need a call we just needed to look and smell delicious.

 :TooFunny:

Quote from: Greg Massey on February 07, 2026, 11:17:37 AMI agree woodsmanship is a must, but as you get older I put more emphasis on my calling.

After you pass the age of 65 you will understand my comment...
 

As some of my grand uncles say... They walk really well in the woods  ;D  Meaning they'd rather wait them then go and search them  :toothy9:  :toothy9:

The better one is at both then the more successful they will be. However if I had to pick one over the other, I would give a slight edge to woodsmanship. There's also a third advantage that many haven't discussed. That is having an intimate knowledge of the area. Don't get me wrong, I think that the guys that hunt a lot of different places wind up being better hunters. However, I know some pretty crappy hunters that are successful purely because they have hunted the same spot for years and can at least get to a good location. Those are also the same guys that get thrown for a loop when animal patterns change up for some reason.

Your right Happy. I know a couple of those guys and they're often the ones that rush to post their bird on social media. I also know guys that hunt over deer bait sites. They quit putting out deer bait by the end of January or February, and that makes the sites legal for turkey hunting. I assure you the turkeys still stay around those sites and glean left overs. I have always enjoyed going to new places and figuring out the birds in new ground. I know a small group of guys that consistently kill birds wherever they go. Heck, one of them goes by Happy. I often get a call for help about mid season from a certain guy. If his birds change up their patterns he is in trouble. He goes and sits at the same exact spot every year. 

Quote from: Ihuntoldschool on February 07, 2026, 12:01:36 PMBoth are important. It's 100 percent both and it's not an either or thing. To over emphasize one at the expense of the other is foolish.

Having said that the better your calling, the more you'll realize the importance of calling and it's ability to completely change a birds mood, make him do things he didn't want to do and wasn't going to do just a minute or seconds earlier.

And if youre sitting over decoys or crawling behind a gobbler decoy then yeah you're right calling isn't very important to your success at all.

I think too many times people want either/or, the #1 thing, this over that, turkey hunting can't be narrowed down to these type of things.  Now, you have to have birds, period.  Then, you can't narrow it down to why, in #1 simple things for everyone.  There are too many variables even to this. 

Woodsmanship vs calling vs knowing birds vs etc., etc., etc.  That's what keeps me coming back year after year, what worked on one bird, may not work on another.  A big boss turkey isn't the next big boss turkey, we may have to change strategies, locations, time of day, etc. 

We can't even agree on turkey guns or shells, it doesn't fit the same parameter.  You may be hunting decoys in an open field, can't get them close enough, fine, use your decoys and 100 yard shells.  I believe out West, they even use rifles in some instances.  I'm a woods hunter, I use old guns passed down to me (I'm taking memories with me when I grab a gun) from two people that were very important in my life.  I would rather have those old guns and lead shot versus anything new and more capable (or so you think). 

It's me vs the turkey, no holes barred, I bring everything I can to the table, he brings everything he can to survive.  I'll say this, I sure am glad it isn't winner takes all.  I die or he dies.  I would have been in a pine box or on his dinner table a long time ago. 

It isn't #1 thing, it's did you hunt him fairly, even that is a topic for discussion.  So many rabbit holes to go down when chasing these fine birds.  I do it, because it's in me, it's something I enjoy, I'm passionate (to a point) about, it's not something I have to brag about (this wasn't always the case) I tell maybe one friend and my wife and FIL when I kill a turkey, that's it, sometimes on a forum for people that don't know me, thanking God mostly.  However, after last year, that will stop too, the part about mentioning anything on a forum. 

There are books written on this subject, many books, some by some great authors and turkey chasers, they can't even nail it down to one specific thing.  Some of the authors I've read, I know were some mighty fine chasers in their day, too.