My oldest son passed his hunter safety class tonight and we are going out on his first turkey hunt in the morning. We are hunting public land and have a couple different spots we could try. How early would a barred owl call get a gobbler to sound off. I'm thinking the best spot is not the closest, with 2nd choice being a bit closer to home. I'd like to try a locator call at the #2 chioce before passing it up and see if any birds gobble, but being on public land, I want to be early. We are praying for an early tom so we can be home in time for church - if not we'll have plenty of time to reflect on Easter in the pop-up!
Thanks for the help! :jesus-cross:
Id say an hour
Owls are a natural sound in the woods so i don't think you gotta worry about spooking the birds if you go that way, It cant hurt to try one might gobble really early, but if I know where im hunting I usually try to locate birds starting when I hear the first crows call in the morning and 9 times out of ten thats when you can get the first gobbles
Quote from: jellybusta on April 08, 2012, 05:54:37 PM
Owls are a natural sound in the woods so i don't think you gotta worry about spooking the birds if you go that way, It cant hurt to try one might gobble really early, but if I know where im hunting I usually try to locate birds starting when I hear the first crows call in the morning and 9 times out of ten thats when you can get the first gobbles
This. In my experience, crows at first light will get them to gobble more than anything.
You need to be doing more scouting in the mornings on a regular basis instead of relying on a locator call the evening before a hunt.
Goodluck.
Thanks for the help.
I get the scouting idea, but the public land is over 100 miles away and takes 2 hours to get there. @ $4/gal for gas - I was only able to make 1 scouting trip and checked 3 areas. It was later in the day before I made it to some of the spots.
As we pulled into the #1 choice and started the 500 yard walk, another youth hunter and his dad were dropped off where we were going to cut in and beat us by about 2 minutes (after a 2 hour drive). We turned around and headed back to the #2 spot and heard them on the roost, but they went the other way after flydown. Good time out though!!
Quote from: opster246 on April 09, 2012, 08:26:36 PM
Thanks for the help.
I get the scouting idea, but the public land is over 100 miles away and takes 2 hours to get there. @ $4/gal for gas - I was only able to make 1 scouting trip and checked 3 areas. It was later in the day before I made it to some of the spots.
As we pulled into the #1 choice and started the 500 yard walk, another youth hunter and his dad were dropped off where we were going to cut in and beat us by about 2 minutes (after a 2 hour drive). We turned around and headed back to the #2 spot and heard them on the roost, but they went the other way after flydown. Good time out though!!
Wow, that's a long way to drive for turkey.. nothing closer?
Quote from: Siwash on April 10, 2012, 08:26:56 PM
Quote from: opster246 on April 09, 2012, 08:26:36 PM
Thanks for the help.
I get the scouting idea, but the public land is over 100 miles away and takes 2 hours to get there. @ $4/gal for gas - I was only able to make 1 scouting trip and checked 3 areas. It was later in the day before I made it to some of the spots.
As we pulled into the #1 choice and started the 500 yard walk, another youth hunter and his dad were dropped off where we were going to cut in and beat us by about 2 minutes (after a 2 hour drive). We turned around and headed back to the #2 spot and heard them on the roost, but they went the other way after flydown. Good time out though!!
Wow, that's a long way to drive for turkey.. nothing closer?
"For Turkey"? You say that as if they aint worth it lol is there any other animal out there lmao jk
Sure is a long way, but the public land in IL. mostly requires a site specific permit which required an application back in Dec. This was the only option we had for public land that I knew of in such short time- unless someone has some private land they would be willing to let my son hunt closer to home!! :happy0064:
Leave the locators in vest before daylight. And if you have not bought 1 save your money. There are plenty of owls and crows out there to get them to sound off. just my opinion
Quote from: hotrod49er on April 11, 2012, 11:35:34 PM
Leave the locators in vest before daylight. And if you have not bought 1 save your money. There are plenty of owls and crows out there to get them to sound off. just my opinion
I agree! I used to tote around crow and owl calls, and I have made a turkey gobble with a crow call; however, I give turkeys more credit than they are due. I think they key in on someone by myself that is tempted to call too much with owl/crow calls and are spooked more than shocked to gobble. Now, I just leave the locators at home and take a bigger variety of turkey calls.
X2, but I really like thunder off in the distance. That gets em talkin
You really can't be too early. A couple of years ago, I had a coon fight in the woods I was set up in and the toms were firing off gobbles and hour before daylight. Locaters only get occasional gobbles. I rarely have them work. The toms will go off naturally more consistantly. :anim_25:
I have roosted turkeys in the evening and then went back in the next morning early to make sure that I was the first hunter in the woods. I would hear them gobble way early. Like an hour and a half before first sign of daylight. I remember when I was a kid, after hearing one gobble at 330am after an owl hooted right on top of him that I had never heard a turkey gobble that early. He told me it was because I had never been in the woods that early before. Made sense to me. I come from a family of die hard coon hunters that claim to hear them gobble at all hours of the night.
A coyote will get them hammering in the middle of the night or wee hours of the morning I know that.. I really dont use locator calls first thing in the morning unless it gets to 6:30 and I haven't heard a single gobble or hen sound yet and by then im off to a pretty bad morning.
Quote from: fsu33952 on April 27, 2012, 02:02:30 PM
I have roosted turkeys in the evening and then went back in the next morning early to make sure that I was the first hunter in the woods. I would hear them gobble way early. Like an hour and a half before first sign of daylight. I remember when I was a kid, after hearing one gobble at 330am after an owl hooted right on top of him that I had never heard a turkey gobble that early. He told me it was because I had never been in the woods that early before. Made sense to me. I come from a family of die hard coon hunters that claim to hear them gobble at all hours of the night.
In my 3 years I have never had to use a Locator Call, I start my walk back to the rear of the woods and I hear them Gobbling there Heads off. So I dont even own a Locator Call. But as Iam hunting I notice that Crows fly over and Call and the Toms Get fired up and gobble at about everytime they Crow.
Hootowl
Quote from: Hootowl on April 27, 2012, 06:56:39 PM
In my 3 years I have never had to use a Locator Call, I start my walk back to the rear of the woods and I hear them Gobbling there Heads off. So I dont even own a Locator Call. But as Iam hunting I notice that Crows fly over and Call and the Toms Get fired up and gobble at about everytime they Crow.
Hootowl
Being able to count on a turkey to gobble is very uncommon in lots of places. I have heard turkeys gobble everywhere before and then go back then go for a week before I hear another one. Just like this morning. Last weekend turkeys were gobbling all over and then today was the prettiest day all season and didn't hear anything. The turkeys are there. There are tracks, poop and strut marks all over but not a sound. Crows making all kinds of noise but nothing.
I have never had much luck with crow locators until this year. The first two days here in NY they are tearing it up everytime I use it! I had some birds in a really tough spot to set up on today and I probably hit it ten times and every time they would gobble their heads off. I think the key to having one shock gobble is that they have to be in the mood and you need to be somewhat close. All birds I have had respond are within 200 yards.
I only want them to gobble enough for me to get set up on him. You let him gobbler to much and that means someone else might hear him too. It sucks to get set up and then hear someone else calling the turkey too.