Just looking for a little more incite before the 2014 season, what's your preference.
When I know the turkeys pitched out of the roost. And are on the ground :gobble:
I give them a few soft yelps before they pitch down. This lets them know where I'm at. And maybe, and I do mean maybe, sway their route when they fly down.
Quote from: Hognutz on March 05, 2014, 12:33:40 PM
I give them a few soft yelps before they pitch down. This lets them know where I'm at. And maybe, and I do mean maybe, sway their route when they fly down.
I'll second that.
The most honest answer I can give is it depends.
Quote from: matchbook454 on March 05, 2014, 12:55:33 PM
Quote from: Hognutz on March 05, 2014, 12:33:40 PM
I give them a few soft yelps before they pitch down. This lets them know where I'm at. And maybe, and I do mean maybe, sway their route when they fly down.
I'll second that.
3rd.... and maybe a little fly down cackel
Same here, just in case he hasn't decided where he wants to go when he hits the ground.
I usually give a few tree yelps, because I just can't help myself. :)
If you're set up on a gobbling turkey, usually when his feet hit the ground and you're in a spot you feel pretty confident you can call him in to. I wouldnt usually engage one until I felt pretty good about my set up.
Example, If I had a creek between the turkey and myself, I'd try to get on the same side of the creek as him before I made a sound and gave away my position.
No calls till I'm pretty sure they are on the ground.
I have learned to leave them alone in the tree.
I really like to fire him up the evening before. If he gobbles at everything thrown at him it's a good chance that he will come that way in the AM unless hens are with and drag him the other way. In the AM after he sounds off several times before flydown time then does that double gobble many do just before they pitch down I will tree yelp to him ever so softly then do a flydown flap and wait till I can assess his mood. If he is really fired up many times I will just wait on his direction of travel and if coming maybe purr and cluck just a bit or just scratch a bit. Really depends on the Tom's disposition. I love to call but, many times less is more for older toms'.
Quote from: TrackeySauresRex on March 05, 2014, 01:01:49 PM
Quote from: matchbook454 on March 05, 2014, 12:55:33 PM
Quote from: Hognutz on March 05, 2014, 12:33:40 PM
I give them a few soft yelps before they pitch down. This lets them know where I'm at. And maybe, and I do mean maybe, sway their route when they fly down.
I'll second that.
3rd.... and maybe a little fly down cackel
:agreed:
Quote from: chatterbox on March 05, 2014, 05:09:16 PM
No calls till I'm pretty sure they are on the ground.
I have learned to leave them alone in the tree.
^^^This. I just try to know the area and the birds. Then just like to hunt/call them when they are out of the tree....
Quote from: VA_Birdhunter on March 05, 2014, 05:26:04 PM
Quote from: TrackeySauresRex on March 05, 2014, 01:01:49 PM
Quote from: matchbook454 on March 05, 2014, 12:55:33 PM
Quote from: Hognutz on March 05, 2014, 12:33:40 PM
I give them a few soft yelps before they pitch down. This lets them know where I'm at. And maybe, and I do mean maybe, sway their route when they fly down.
I'll second that.
3rd.... and maybe a little fly down cackel
:agreed:
I will fifth that LOL
Quote from: chatterbox on March 05, 2014, 05:09:16 PM
No calls till I'm pretty sure they are on the ground.
I have learned to leave them alone in the tree.
im with you
I am assessing if he has hens, if so which is the boss hen, what calls and pitch is she making. If he is alone how fired up is he. Depending on the situation determines what I do. I call more if I can tell he is alone and ready.
If I call to him in the tree I start with a light yelp (two notes) after he gobbles.
Same here. It depends, but at the most a couple very soft tree yelps. Otherwise I wait until I hear him fly down or know he is on the ground.
If he is alone, I will usually do a few soft tree yelps, then maybe a fly down cackle with a few wing beats. That only if he is alone. If he's with hens then I usually don't call till he's on the ground. I may have to make a few moves to get in front of them and try to call the whole flock in.
it just depends. but I never call until I hear one it just depends on how fired up he is. but I usually only give a few tree yelps but on some birds I don't call til he is on the ground. it Is a hunt by hunt thing. but more often then not I give a few tree yelps.
I like to get out early and start calling to him at 0200. That's 2 am for you non military types. I believe that giving him some seductive yelps and a few loud cutts invades his dreams of those soft feathered thighs, and he subliminally thinks he's awake and hearing that hen dirty talk him.
When he wakes up I hit him with a few "my Johnson is bigger than yours" Jake yelps and he gets so angry he flies down into my lap. Of course sometimes that doesn't work and he flies the other way if he has smalljohnsonitus
Over calling on the roost saves a lot of turkeys lives each year.
If i have solid position on the bird, i will give one tree yelp or flydown cackle at flydown time. If he pitches my way, i might purr once and scratch in the leaves but that's it. If he flies down away from me, he has just simply told me where I need to be to kill him and Ill reposition ahead of him using a crow call.
If I cannot get the position I want on the bird while he is on the roost, Ill let him flydown and then work to get in tight on him.
Most of my birds die to 3 calls or less.
You should be thinking about every thing you do while turkey hunting and evaluating the gobbler's movements and gobbling in relation to your actions. Your mind should never stop evaluating the situation until you're throwing over your shoulder and even then you should be reviewing the hunt to identify everything that went right and what went wrong.
Quote from: CASH on March 06, 2014, 05:15:28 AM
I like to get out early and start calling to him at 0200. That's 2 am for you non military types. I believe that giving him some seductive yelps and a few loud cutts invades his dreams of those soft feathered thighs, and he subliminally thinks he's awake and hearing that hen dirty talk him.
When he wakes up I hit him with a few "my Johnson is bigger than yours" Jake yelps and he gets so angry he flies down into my lap. Of course sometimes that doesn't work and he flies the other way if he has smalljohnsonitus
I believe that we may have crossed paths and I heard you in the woods a few times. ;D ;D
I have went to places to where I new a gobbler should be gobbling and not heard anything. Wait for good light when you know he should be on the ground and call lost. Real low to begin with. Next thing you know you hear a loud racket with a thump and there he is right in front of you. I ran into two last year that would fly from his roost, tree to tree to his hens and then get down with them and start walking and gobbling. I have had them fly from a long way off late in the morning a bunch of times. Seems like it is getting more frequent over the past few years. I wonder if predators could be causing them to do that.
Quote from: CASH on March 06, 2014, 05:15:28 AM
I like to get out early and start calling to him at 0200. That's 2 am for you non military types. I believe that giving him some seductive yelps and a few loud cutts invades his dreams of those soft feathered thighs, and he subliminally thinks he's awake and hearing that hen dirty talk him.
When he wakes up I hit him with a few "my Johnson is bigger than yours" Jake yelps and he gets so angry he flies down into my lap. Of course sometimes that doesn't work and he flies the other way if he has smalljohnsonitus
Dang it, CASH; you're ruining my evening with your posts!!!! ;) hahahaha... I like to do exactly this, as well, btw.
Quote from: bamagtrdude on March 06, 2014, 07:45:10 PM
Quote from: CASH on March 06, 2014, 05:15:28 AM
I like to get out early and start calling to him at 0200. That's 2 am for you non military types. I believe that giving him some seductive yelps and a few loud cutts invades his dreams of those soft feathered thighs, and he subliminally thinks he's awake and hearing that hen dirty talk him.
When he wakes up I hit him with a few "my Johnson is bigger than yours" Jake yelps and he gets so angry he flies down into my lap. Of course sometimes that doesn't work and he flies the other way if he has smalljohnsonitus
Dang it, CASH; you're ruining my evening with your posts!!!! ;) hahahaha... I like to do exactly this, as well, btw.
Quote from: Turkey Trot on March 06, 2014, 05:55:50 PM
Quote from: CASH on March 06, 2014, 05:15:28 AM
I like to get out early and start calling to him at 0200. That's 2 am for you non military types. I believe that giving him some seductive yelps and a few loud cutts invades his dreams of those soft feathered thighs, and he subliminally thinks he's awake and hearing that hen dirty talk him.
When he wakes up I hit him with a few "my Johnson is bigger than yours" Jake yelps and he gets so angry he flies down into my lap. Of course sometimes that doesn't work and he flies the other way if he has smalljohnsonitus
I believe that we may have crossed paths and I heard you in the woods a few times. ;D ;D
:TooFunny:
Come on turkey season!
First off I like to just set back and let him gobble his head off . But I'll through out a few light tree calls and shutup. If he he answers he knows your there. Just take his temperature.
I usually don't call to him while he's on the limb. I like to let him fly down and then I give him a little time before either calling or moving to a better setup. Sometimes if he flys away from my setup I will try to get as quickly as possible to where he was roosted and call from there. I also will take a wing and rub it against a tree while he's still roosted. Any thing out of the norm due to the heavy pressure birds get might just work.
As a newbie, I'm learning that less if often more. Sometimes I'll give him one call to let them know where I'm at. Other times, they can gobble and let me move in on them and tell me where they are going.
Depends on which gobbler you're calling to. Got one behind the house that I've tried every scenario I know of and he still sits up there and gobbles his head off until either a hen or hens come to him or he decides to gobble from the ground for a while. Always from a farther distance than when he was in the tree.
Quote from: CASH on March 06, 2014, 09:36:10 PM
:TooFunny: Come on turkey season!
No doubt; I'm ready to give some big ole TOMS *BIG*johnsonitis with my calling! ;)
Quote from: CASH on March 06, 2014, 05:15:28 AM
I like to get out early and start calling to him at 0200. That's 2 am for you non military types. I believe that giving him some seductive yelps and a few loud cutts invades his dreams of those soft feathered thighs, and he subliminally thinks he's awake and hearing that hen dirty talk him.
When he wakes up I hit him with a few "my Johnson is bigger than yours" Jake yelps and he gets so angry he flies down into my lap. Of course sometimes that doesn't work and he flies the other way if he has smalljohnsonitus
man I got this old crazy neighbor every year at some point he will tell me he heard turkeys middle of the night I have been warning everyone to stay clear of the old geezer but geesh now im thinkin what do you drive...?
If I hear no hens, I'll call to him on the roost. If he answers, I shut up. I've let him know where I am and at this point it is a waiting game. There's a 50/50 chance he'll fly down on my side of the tree even with out calling. But letting him know I am there tilts the odds slightly in my favor.
I have had birds fly out of the tree, sail and land a few yards in front of me. If I hadn't called to him I don't think that would have happened.
Quote from: bamagtrdude on March 07, 2014, 06:51:10 AM
Quote from: CASH on March 06, 2014, 09:36:10 PM
:TooFunny: Come on turkey season!
No doubt; I'm ready to give some big ole TOMS *BIG*johnsonitis with my calling! ;)
:icon_thumright: :z-guntootsmiley:
Quote from: CASH on March 06, 2014, 05:15:28 AM
I like to get out early and start calling to him at 0200. That's 2 am for you non military types. I believe that giving him some seductive yelps and a few loud cutts invades his dreams of those soft feathered thighs, and he subliminally thinks he's awake and hearing that hen dirty talk him.
When he wakes up I hit him with a few "my Johnson is bigger than yours" Jake yelps and he gets so angry he flies down into my lap. Of course sometimes that doesn't work and he flies the other way if he has smalljohnsonitus
:TooFunny: :TooFunny: Funny stuff right there!
Here's the tree call I use.......
Yelp yelp yelp = I luv U
Yelp yelp yelp yelp yelp = I luv U long time!
On a serious note. As the season progresses and Birds have bin somewhat harassed. I will say nothing,until they hit the ground and circle around in the direction there going if need be.
There's no carved in stone answer for that question. Too many individual situations.
Gobbling or not I will do no more than a few soft clucks when I know there still in a tree, if I even do that. I do not like to call while they are still in a tree. I will wait until I know they are down. Soft yelp, and see what he does, and thin take it from there. If I can see the gobbler on the limb when he comes off I will do a quick short fly down.
:OGturkeyhead: :OGturkeyhead:
Maybe a few tree yelps & putts. I never call much till they hit the ground.
other than a tree yelp (and I don't do that often) I always try and wait until after the crows start calling. Not sure why, but what I usually do.