Last year was my first time out turkey hunting. I practiced my arse off with a mouth and box call. Can you call too loudly? If the calls sound accurate to a turkey but are too loud will that make a difference??
ive been doin it for about too years now but it just depends last weekend i was only about 100 yd away when i all out just yelped loud as i could with my mouth call and one fired right back and i also went after that for awhile messing with him and still pretty loud, and he answered everything didnt end up killing the bird only because he was on the wrong side of the ravine. But ive also heard that you just want to do small light yelps or just quite puts and purrs when they get in close.
No two turkeys are alikeand no 2 situations are the same. For the most part I keep it soft and subtle and I don't call a lot. What's killed a lot of turkeys for me is resisting the temptation to call at a hott bird gobbling. That being said there are birds that need to be fired up and worked aggressively. There's been plenty birds that just would not cooperate til I got aggressive on my calling with them. Like I said no two situations are alike but as a general rule soft and less is better than loud and more. Knowin when to put yor call down and shut up for good is another deal closer. Sometimes you can softtalk a gobbler and then get aggressive with him just long enough to get his blood pumpin. then put your call down. sometimes after firing a bird up you can face the other way and cast a series of yelps away from the gobbler ( like a hen goin the opposite direction). This trick often works. But most of my birds are killed by being easy with them. 70% of turkey hunting is setting up, 20% calling and 10% shooting.
You can definitely call to loud. But you can also call to softly. But calling to soft won't hurt you near as much as calling to loud, most of the time.
every situation is different try to pay attention to the hens while you are hunting they are your best teacher sometimes you can cal to loud but i have heard some loud mouth hens ...good luck
Quote from: guesswho on April 29, 2013, 06:56:28 PM
You can definitely call to loud. But you can also call to softly. But calling to soft won't hurt you near as much as calling to loud, most of the time.
Yep, that pretty much sums it up in a couple of sentences. ....The trick is finding out what kind of calling a gobbler wants to hear before you blow it by doing the wrong thing.
i would have to say it depends on how far away the turkey is located......if you are not runnin' and gunnin' and just sittin',calling quietly will not get to a bird that is distant....all depends on the situation .... :OGani:
I will most always start out calling soft at first. I'd rather call softly and if I get a response, I'll keep it soft. If I don't I'll try again a little louder.
If there's a wind blowing you might have to start out louder.
No two birds seem to react the same...... sometimes they are close and you need soft seductive calling and sometimes they are a couple hundred yards away and need to be yelled at. :funnyturkey:
This is all great stuff to know, thanks gents. It seems like i'll be doing all my calling uphill as well. Any tricks to get them down and out of the tree line into the sun??
start soft and get louder, you don't need to be ripping Cutts off the next mountain if the bird is only 80yds away. Start light and soft and slowly turn it up
I find that calling excitedly but skipping a few gobbles (don't respond to his gobbling each time) and toward the end, let him find you (go quiet) works fairly well on most gobblers. Maybe a few soft calls to get him to step out those last few yards. I've had good luck getting close birds to come back when they've decided to leave by giving them a few excited, loud cuts, even though they're still close...It pretty much comes down to trying different things and see what that particular turkey responds to...My experience has been that excitement trumps subtlety more often than not...
IMO many turkey hunters call too loud AND too much. I let the bird tell me know what he wants by the way he reacts to the calling.
Quote from: WildTigerTrout on April 30, 2013, 09:07:17 PM
IMO many turkey hunters call too loud AND too much. I let the bird tell me know what he wants by the way he reacts to the calling.
Agreed wild tiger...To clarify...I wasn't advocating calling incessantly. My comments were toward calling to a bird that was gobbling and committed...Sometimes I actually take a little nap. That way I'm not calling too much...Incessant calling will almost certainly shut birds up.
Quote from: sixbird on April 30, 2013, 08:57:37 PM
I find that calling excitedly but skipping a few gobbles (don't respond to his gobbling each time) and toward the end, let him find you (go quiet) works fairly well on most gobblers. Maybe a few soft calls to get him to step out those last few yards.
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Quote from: BBD on April 30, 2013, 10:32:15 PM
Quote from: sixbird on April 30, 2013, 08:57:37 PM
I find that calling excitedly but skipping a few gobbles (don't respond to his gobbling each time) and toward the end, let him find you (go quiet) works fairly well on most gobblers. Maybe a few soft calls to get him to step out those last few yards.
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:z-winnersmiley:
Quote from: sixbird on April 30, 2013, 08:57:37 PM
I find that calling excitedly but skipping a few gobbles (don't respond to his gobbling each time) and toward the end, let him find you (go quiet) works fairly well on most gobblers. Maybe a few soft calls to get him to step out those last few yards. I've had good luck getting close birds to come back when they've decided to leave by giving them a few excited, loud cuts, even though they're still close...It pretty much comes down to trying different things and see what that particular turkey responds to...My experience has been that excitement trumps subtlety more often than not...
most who replied to the question answered with a statement that refers to the bird gobbling...you are very lucky to experience those occasions. down in s. fl., on public land ,dealing with a vocal bird happens about only 30% of the time.....
Pretty much what other's have said. No two turkey's sound exactly alike or react to the same situation the same. Now turkey's may not be the smartest critter in the would's but there not stupid, the dumb ones get weeded out (perhaps we could learn something from this), anyway. Calling LOUD from the start can cause a turkey close to spook, because they know that bird should be on his back, so he moves away from an odd thing. Why, you always call softly, then work up from there. this way any close birds will come in. one more point, if a turkey run's away and another see's it what will it do?
I call loud when I'm running and gunning, and almost as loud when I'm working a bird. I don't sit and wait for them to work in, don't let them gobble a dozen times without calling or wait 30 minutes between calls. Works well for me.
Don't assume that there's any one method that will work best for every area and every situation. Its all about what works for you, where you hunt.
Quote from: sixbird on April 30, 2013, 08:57:37 PM
I find that calling excitedly but skipping a few gobbles (don't respond to his gobbling each time) and toward the end, let him find you (go quiet) works fairly well on most gobblers. Maybe a few soft calls to get him to step out those last few yards. I've had good luck getting close birds to come back when they've decided to leave by giving them a few excited, loud cuts, even though they're still close...It pretty much comes down to trying different things and see what that particular turkey responds to...My experience has been that excitement trumps subtlety more often than not...
This is pretty much my method on many birds I will ussually throw a few softer clucks and purrs followed by a louder yelp. It is very situational as many have stated if he is with hens I forget about the gobbler and just mimick the the hen he is not going anywhere she isn't going. I have killed several birds by causing the hen to come over ussually calling often attempting to mimick exactly what the hen is doing.
If I'm not sure and can only here the gobbler I will ussually use the method above calling loud enough to get a response then shutting up for a few minutes and once he has committed inside that 75 yard range or so I will ussually shut up for two reasons. 1 is I prefer to use a slate and this elimates movement and the other I dont want him having me exactly pinpointed if he is within view and you call you had better not move. I will sometimes cluck softly with a mout call when they are in close its pretty cool when your in the woods and he answers inside 40 yards keep in mind ever bird is different only expierience will be your best teacher.
At least 75% of our turkeys die to one or two calls.
You can talk yourself out of a turkey pretty easy.
Last year was my first time ever hunting turkeys. I felt like I called too loud last year and didnt get a bird. This year I tried calling softer and got my first bird. Not sure if calling softly was the only reason or just being at the right place at the right time. What I do know is, Ill continue to call soft.
Great advice given already! If I am running and gunning, I'm for medium volume calling to elicit a response. If I strike him or hear him from a long way off, I will try to get closer to him before calling. If I cant get closer I may increase the volume a bit to get his attention. If he starts closing in, I then tone it down. If I'm set up blind calling I'm trying to get attention drawn to me. I tend to call on the louder but realistic side of the spectrum, UNLESS I'm hunting public ground and the hen's have scaled back there calling. That's when soft calling can do the trick. Very very seldom do I "scream" at a gobbler when he is within 75 yards or so....
Keep in mind, hens get loud as well, Generally it's when they are fired up about something(within the flock) or they are ultimately trying to get some attention, whether a gobbler or another hen, from a longer distance.
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Very well put Scott!!
i always just go with the flow. The mood of the bird that morning. Start soft though.
If he cranks up hard, let him have some more calling. Keeping him gobbling his head off is always a lot of fun! Good luck. :fud:
thanks guys.. alot of good info about this subject
I am sure that you can with some older toms. However, I call too loud and too much and I call in lots of gobblers every spring. The spot you are calling from is most important.
After 50 years of spring seasons. I find what the bird responds to and stick with it.
But check this radical philosophy: I am a retired, career wildlife biologist, that worked on restoration of the wild turkey in Maryland. I had a good friend who was a long time turkey biologist for the state of Pennsylvania. He was a very successful turkey hunter and his theory and the way he hunted was: call as loud as you can all the time no matter how close the bird is. He claimed it excited them. I never tried it because I had confidence in "my way and experiences".
here is my two cents: can you call too loudly, I'd say yes...don't want to scream at a bird with a box that is 30yds away...I'd treat it like you were talking to somebody..the further they are from you, the louder you talk..same with a turkey...at least that is how I call to them.