Just curious here....but how many of you feel that the "art" of calling a gobbler to gun or bow range has been lost somewhere between decoys and pop up blinds? I never use a pop up , but will deploy a deke once in a great while if I feel the situation requires it. I'm sure this will get numerous opinions, but I feel as a whole the turkey hunting masses have just lost sight of what it takes to call a gobbler in.....
se
I don't use a blind or decoys but don't hold anything against anyone that does. I take great pleasure in working a bird into gun range with any of the many types of calls that I use, but will also use an ambush site to kill a stubborn bird I've worked for days.
:smiley-patriotic-flagwaver-an
I dont fault anyone either...not my point....:) and I will belly crawl to one if needed! But that's not what I'm getting at. Tons of ways to kill turkeys but, calling them and truly talking to them just seems to be more overlooked more these days.
se
I have never used a blind, I do use a decoy. If we took away the blinds and decoys we would loose about 80% of our so called professional celebrity hunters.
I believe the "art" is still alive and well, how it is approached by different individuals is up to them. Working a bird to the gun is one of the most heart pumping experiences you'll ever have, whether or not you have dekes or a blind, it still takes a pair of hands, unless you use a mouthcall, to sway that bird close. I also believe there are ample opportunities for those who have little or no chance of hunting without the use of the afore mentioned, and that in the end, a bird on the table is better then no bird at all.
I agree with Pappy. The art is still alive and well. This will be my first year using blinds, as this will be the first year I try and take my son turkey hunting. I plan on using decoys as well with my blind sets. I've used decoys in the past with success on fields and in the woods. I have killed a few using the dekes that might have slipped by without them. In my experience the dekes will bring birds in front of you that may other wise stayed behind you. They will also draw some attention away from you allowing you to make a shot that might have resulted in a spooked bird without them.
I do think the TV hunts with the blinds and dekes are just an easier way to get a half hour of film with 2 or more people in the woods. Most of the guys on TV are on primo ground and could probably go out and kill a bird without the aid of a blind or dekes, but might take a week or more of filming to put together enough footage for show.
Also, when using dekes it has given me a few more moments to watch the bird before I shoot. I enjoy watching them bump, peck, kick and gobble at the decoy. I don't live near my hunting ground it is 179 miles from the house and 255 miles from work, so if a deke would help me kill one it's just another tool in my box.
I also play/practice with my call just about everyday to help improve my skills to fool birds. Just Wednesday night I was in the backyard hooting back and fourth with an owl. My wife asked me if I was insane.
Nothing is better then roosting a bird then posting up against a big oak long before sunrise hearing the birds start to talk. As the sun comes up throwing a few soft yelps and purrs at him and have him fly down 60 yards off the end of your barrel. Watching him strut and gobble as he zig zags into range a few minutes after flydown. That only happens for me once every few seasons. The rest of the time I'm working my butt off trying to figure out what to do now.
As long as your not shooting them out of trucks, with a rifle, over bait, or on roost YOUR TURKEY HUNT'N in my book.
I do no use a blind, but I will use a decoy or two in my setup.
Great post.
On my first hunt two years ago i was prepared (if that ever happens) having read as many posts here as I could and watching as many videos on calling as I could find I went after a turkey (any turkey) with two friends and a guide. No one I Knew hunted turkeys yet.
We were put on a ridge across from a small farm where the turkeys were known to hang out before day break, the idea was that the turkeys were known to fly down and land on the ridge. Well they did not and actually did not fly down ( we could see them in the trees). The guide kiddingly said bring out the Gasking cedar call and give it a try (I only knew one kind of call then) which I did and the turkeys ignored me. About ten minutes of off and on calling I heard something behind me one gully over so I hand signaled the guide and he got excited and signaled back to keep talking to the birds that walked up on us and were chatting away. We were pinned down and did not get off a shot but that was a thrill for me. I later tried a blind and darn near wore it (wont do that again to darn small for my frame). My first bird that year was from a fly down in the early morning and my second was from a ambush in the middle of a field all without any decoys. I practice with calls from people on this site and intend to put them to use in the field.
Yes I believe the art of calling is dying. But not because of decoys, blinds or other attractants. These offer just a different style to the hunt but they can't shadow the fact you still need to call and call right.
What in my opinion is killing the art is the new gun loads and chokes. You can be lacking in the art of calling when you no longer need to bring them into 20 - 30yrd max. Its not to hard to set up with in 60yds of a roost. And you can use just about anything to yelp a bird to 50yds.
Great points gentlemen.....
Just for the record I am not ridiculing people for using dekes or blinds. Not my intent at all. I even stated that I use a decoy once in a while. So there is no need to defend the use of them. That is not what my statement is saying.
No offense taken with me. I like the thread. Madarchery makes a good point, but most of my birds are taken much closer then my guns max range. The same has been said about bows and rifles. As long as there are men we will try and squeeze the last bit of performance out of anything.
I have used both,but would say 90% of the time I dont.I do without any apologies plan on using both when my two boys start hunting.Some people cuss the use of blinds but to me it just helps so much with new/young hunters and helps,IMO,with the success factor.I would rather use a blind/dekes and help my boys score on birds than doing it "the real way' as some call it and have them get discouraged by lack of success.do both guarantee success............no,but a bouncing kid needs all the help he can get tryin to lure in ol' tom.I let people decide what methods works best for them,and if its legal,I wont belittle ANYONE for their choice of methods.
Again the thread is going off course. It's not about if using a decoy or pop up is right or wrong. It's whether or not the "art" of engaging a gobbler in a conversation and saying the right things to lure him into gun range has been lost. But since dekes and blinds keep getting brought up my thougts are as follows. My 4 year old sat in my lap at the base of an oak tree, with his .410 on a monopod last spring as I called up a pair of longbeards. He sat motionless as I called these two in. He didnt not feel comfortable with his shot so he did not shoot(even though they were at 15 yards :). I feel teach them to sit still at a young age will cause them to be better woodsman. If you start them in blinds that is probably the way they will continue to hunt the rest of there life. Just my thoughts. NOW, is that saying blinds are wrong? Not at all. As many have said it is all preference. I just used that as a comparison because many folks I encounter year in and out at trade shows, conventions, in the woods hunting, or guiding hunts are lost with out either of them....
The art is fading which is a shame. Not because other methods of killing are wrong. Its a shame because With sites like this it is easy to meet a dozen great call makers.
I think guns, ammo, dekes, blinds and more all have an impact. Our hectic lives are another factor as well. Get it done anyway you want. You'll find me sitting in a blind between lunch and 2 or 3 while the birds are loafing!
Who ever would have thought we would have $300 dekes that are so real you can't tell if there real or not and blinds that used to be cut brush are now pop up condominiums with drink holders! It's no different than the calls we have today versus my great uncle that used nothing but honeysuckle leaves for calling in birds. Everything that's out there has become quite user friendly to make a novice speed into a advanced turkey hunter and it's gonna be more to come I am sure. The art is still there it's the advancement in calls and equipment that's just changing the way you get from point a to point b. It's amazing in style of calling in the advancement people have made in calls and calling styles of there sound they create on a yelper old Ben lee would fall out if he was here to see it. So the arts still there it's just way more advanced than it ever was? I don't knock anyone for sitting in a blind or setting a flock out to trick a Tom what ever puts that bead on him is the objective as long as its with in the game laws. Good subject!!
Quote from: scott ellis on December 23, 2011, 05:31:26 AM
Just curious here....but how many of you feel that the "art" of calling a gobbler to gun or bow range has been lost somewhere between decoys and pop up blinds? I never use a pop up , but will deploy a deke once in a great while if I feel the situation requires it. I'm sure this will get numerous opinions, but I feel as a whole the turkey hunting masses have just lost sight of what it takes to call a gobbler in.....
se
You are probably correct Scott, But most of these situations that you are referring to are
TV hunts! I still hunt turkeys with a pot call that I made and a mouth call that I got from Scoot Hook or a "special call" I got from my good friend Sadler McGraw. And I am always leaned against a tree or laid back in my gobbler lounger waiting on a long beard to mess up and show his face, so to answer your question about the art of calling.......... Not in my neck of the woods, and thats All I give a crap about! ;)
If you hunt in my neck of the woods, you would swear calling was a dying art! :TooFunny: :TooFunny: :TooFunny:
I think it is. Too many people have no idea how to engage the wild turkey vocally. They think sitting there and hammering one while he is in his roost tree is perfectly acceptable, and seemed to be surprised when he flies off in the other direction. I was lucky to learn under the direction of a fine turkey hunter.
The one thing I do is practice, practice, practice. You only get out of something what you are willing to put into it.
Calling is no different.
Speak your peace folks. 166 views and 14 replies? No one right or wrong but it's GREAT to get folks opinion. :)
In respect to TV, yes. In the real woods no. Most guys on this board aren,t making TV shows. So we don't have to over dramatize the calling and blast an excited hen call when he is already standing 30 yards away just to get the camera angle right.
Last year I screwed up calling a bunch of times and learned a lot. To me, that is the art of calling and it gets repeated everyday all across America. I am a lot smarter than last year but will learn just as much this year.
I know that tv turkey hunting is over commercialized. Maybe the traditional art of turkey hunting is changing because of that. Going a few weeks or a season could make a man dip into his savings and buy a new gadget. Like calls, cammo, blind, bigger gun, chokes, sights, faster bow, and on and on.
never used a store bought blind or decoy.i guess im just old scool.i never shot a deer over bait either.its legal in my state.im not saying its wrong just that i have certain limits i wont cross.if you call in a bird and he sees you that can be a good thing.you both live another day.just thank the Lord for the experience.
I don't think that the art of calling a bird into the gun has been lost at all. Whether I'm sitting in a ground blind with decoys out or sitting against a tree with no decoys out one fact remains the same. It's up to me the hunter to get that birds attention by calling to him the way that he wants to be called to and by being where he wants to be. Most of the time the bird can't see my decoys until it's to late for him. Bottom line is I don't care what kind of set up you use if you can't convince that gobbler to come to you then you will be going home empty handed.
Chris
Gobble, Gobble... "BOOM"!
I don't own a blind and have never used one. I bought a decoy to keep attention off my oldest son when he was 8. That was years ago and never worked ::) This year my youngest son missed a bird at 20 steps. That was more fun than setting in a blind watching decoys. In our country we don't have any open ground. It's all timber. We run and gun. No place for decoys or blinds in our type of hunting. What made the hunt ,,,,,,,,,, my son and I, together, made the call we used the week before season opened. It is retired and on the shelf. It is priceless as was the hunt. Old style hunting is still alive and well in Shannon County Missouri :icon_thumright:
I never use a blind when shotgun hunting especially during the Spring, and very rarely set out a decoy. Now Fall bowhunting I will use a blind and decoy.
I will agree it is rampant on many of the shows and filmed hunts, but I am not referring specifically to them. The encounters I am talking about are the TONS of unsuccessful hunts that I have talked with hunters about where they simply have not learned when to call and when not to call or when to become aggresive or become shy and coy etc.....They set up and call, he gobbles,they call some he gobbles some more....no rhyme or reason to it, just turkey sounds.
SE
Quote from: scott ellis on December 25, 2011, 03:12:51 PM
I will agree it is rampant on many of the shows and filmed hunts, but I am not referring specifically to them. The encounters I am talking about are the TONS of unsuccessful hunts that I have talked with hunters about where they simply have not learned when to call and when not to call or when to become aggresive or become shy and coy etc.....They set up and call, he gobbles,they call some he gobbles some more....no rhyme or reason to it, just turkey sounds.
SE
I agree with this Scott. This is just the senario I run across time and time again on public land hunts.
I have never used a blind and don't intend too in the future. I very rarely use a decoy. When I do use a decoy it's a single hen. I like to run and gun to much to be weighted down. IMO using a blind is cheating anyway!
Off topic but IMHO using a blind is no different than wearing camo or a face mask or hiding in a tree top or behind a cedar bush. These hunting shows so many are putting down are generating a ton of interest in our sport and in turn selling tags to help keep it going.
To the topic at hand, I don't think the art of conversing with a gobbler is dying. I know a LOT of guys who are very educated in knowing what to say and when as well as gauging when to lay back and when to be more aggressive and even making a distinction of conversing with a gobbler as opposed to calling to a hen with a gobbler to get her to lead him in. Some of this can be passed along from a mentor, but much of it has to be learned from personal experience. I have killed several gobblers from a blind with a bow but I don't like hunting out of them because my hearing is diminished. Hearing is the part of the conversation that many overlook. What does it take to get a response? Does he gobble at clucks and purrs or yelps or excited sequences or any call? Does he cut it off or is his response delayed?
For pressured birds I sometimes try to turn the tables. Most hunters yelp and cutt until they get a response. I will wait for a gobble and respond with the most uninterested yelps I can produce and wait for him to call again. In my mind I get him looking for me. It has worked on several occasions.
I work gobblers while hunting. Different style calls, different candences depending on their temperature and situation. I dont think the art of calling is dying, I just think there are more and more guys who dont know what they are doing picking up the sport. Their only education is watching the crap they put on the TV. A bunch of guys cant call and due to the bad TV shows with TV show host who cant call, they think it sounds good. What are you gonna do.
Now the QUALITY if turkey hunting shows is diminishing for sure. They show a bunch of garbage on TV these days. Bad shots on game, goofy TV hosts, horrible calling, etc.
I think the art of calling is still there, but the popularity of turkey hunting has exploded. I think the commercial part of turkey hunting has latched onto this and is more concerned with the profit of it.
I think they capitalize on the newer hunters and younger generation. They come up with these fancy videos using dekes and blinds, and all these new fangled tools to hunt with and the younger folks or those new to turkey hunting thinks that what it takes to kill a turkey and they buy into it.
Quote from: savduck on December 26, 2011, 04:40:51 AM
I work gobblers while hunting. Different style calls, different candences depending on their temperature and situation. I dont think the art of calling is dying, I just think there are more and more guys who dont know what they are doing picking up the sport. Their only education is watching the crap they put on the TV. A bunch of guys cant call and due to the bad TV shows with TV show host who cant call, they think it sounds good. What are you gonna do.
Now the QUALITY if turkey hunting shows is diminishing for sure. They show a bunch of garbage on TV these days. Bad shots on game, goofy TV hosts, horrible calling, etc.
I couldn't agree more!!!
Quote from: CASH on December 26, 2011, 09:41:18 AM
I think they capitalize on the newer hunters and younger generation. They come up with these fancy videos using dekes and blinds, and all these new fangled tools to hunt with and the younger folks or those new to turkey hunting thinks that what it takes to kill a turkey and they buy into it.
A credit for some of the TV personalities, Sponsors are responsible for most of this. I know one of the TV personalities that was selected for the hall of fame and I know sponsorships dictate a lot of that crap he has to do and say. Sponsors pay the way are are why the shows are available for arm chair hunters and youngsters. All in all I feel it's helping keep the outdoor sport of hunting going. Hunting permit sales are dropping compared to other outdoor activities. It may not be ideal but it's helping hunters keep a voice in public land management and not leaving it all to trails and natural areas. It's not perfect but it's what it is. If it wasn't for public ground hunting will quickly become so commercialized that the average Joe wouldn't be able to go. Teddy Roosevelt would roll over in his grave if he knew how his vision of non-commercialization of wildlife has played out.