Ever run into this situation? I hunt strictly public land, and for years I've hunted the same place. In all this time, I've tried crow calls, owl calls, woodpecker calls, hawk calls, even off the wall stuff like specklebelly calls. Never have luck getting birds to gobble. I've also heard many bad imitations of owls and crows (mine may fit in that category), and never heard a gobble in return.
This area also happens to have crows (A LOT of these), owls, woodpeckers, and hawks. My theory has always been if they won't even gobble at the real thing, which they often dont, they aren't going to gobble much at the imitations either.
Have you ever experienced something like this? If so, how do you go about locating the birds in a non-intrusive way?
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Quote from: smalls on January 21, 2016, 02:07:11 PM
My theory has always been if they won't even gobble at the real thing, which they often dont, they aren't going to gobble much at the imitations either.
Have you ever experienced something like this? If so, how do you go about locating the birds in a non-intrusive way?
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I don't think blowing the crow call will scare them, and I understand what you asking. That said, if anyone knew a way to make them gobble all the time there wouldn't be a turkey left in the woods. Not much you can do IMO, but keep trying. When everything is quiet and nothing is talking much - I've struck more gobbles cranking hard on a box call then any other call in recent years.
I run into days like that, but never a season or an area... Not to ask a dumb question but are birds gobbling on the roost day/night on their own? or is it you get can't birds to locate during hunt hours?
MK M GOBL
I haven't had a turkey gobble at a locator call in better then 10 yrs. Ever. Crow, hawk, owl, peacock. you name it. Nothing.
Quote from: MK M GOBL on January 21, 2016, 05:32:22 PM
I run into days like that, but never a season or an area... Not to ask a dumb question but are birds gobbling on the roost day/night on their own? or is it you get can't birds to locate during hunt hours?
MK M GOBL
They gobble from the roost. I've listened to several birds gobbling at daylight. Of course, there are those quiet days. Ive had mornings were the damn things gobbled at owls, songbirds, woodpeckers, heck even trucks on the highway. But during the hunt, it's difficult to get birds to gobble at locator calls. This is a heavily hunted area (lottery hunts have 100 drawn), but it has a very strong turkey population. The Parish has ranked as one of the top in turkey harvest in the state for years. Probably also has the highest population of "owl imitators" as well.
It's a very odd place really. I think the pressure and the amount of locator calling has something to do with it. I've heard several people stop right at my truck, get out, blow on an owl call, wait 5 minutes, and drive off. Never even kill the engine sometimes.
And I'm not really looking for pointers so much as to start a conversation to see if anyone else has experienced this and maybe how they've dealt with it. I've been out with other people on this place and we can't get anything to gobble, and these are far more experienced turkey hunters than myself.
And believe me, I've wondered if it was just me not being good on locator calls, but 4 years hunting this place and being with other hunters has proven that wrong.
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I have the same issue. It's rare I hear one gobble up into the day and very rare of an evening, so blowing a locator call just seems useless.
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I haven't faced this problem but would a gobble call work? It seems like once one gobbler gobbles the rest just can't help themselves.
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Hunting pressure can cause them to shut up once they hit the ground. Yahoo's running all over the place, making every noise known to man that can strike a gobble, will cause a bird to get lock jaw very quick, even on the limb.....
Think about it, put yourself in their shoes.
More hunters educate turkey's on big clubs and public land than they kill them. Especially here in Louisiana. You hit the nail on the head.......
The turkey can hear so well, so what people are thinking when they pull up in a truck and start calling immediately.
It may work the first time, but when the inexperienced hunter doesn't hear a gobble and shuts the door and drives off, he just educated any bird within ear shot or sometimes, in site. Think about it. To us, it's fun and games. To them, it's life or death!
This is where I really enjoy the challenge of turkey hunting. This is what turns a hunting turkey's into a passion and an obsession for us that think about turkey season 365 days a year!
To kill those birds, you're going to have to think like a turkey as well as out smart that turkey.....
Do what others are not doing. Turkeys in your situation may not be as vocal as you would like, but remember this..... he still has one goal in mind come spring.....
So there still is a chance and turkeys are still going to act like turkeys. Slow down! And when you think you are slowing your pace down enough, slow down a little more and that'll be just right. Call quieter and less. Some times don't call at all! I've scratched in more birds (scratching in the leaves like a feeding hen) than I can remember.
If you've got one on the limb and you know if you call to him he's just going to shut up and fly down and go wherever you are not. Then try imitating a hens wings when she flies down. Use your hat or a wing, smacking it against your leg, then crash the leaves around as she hits the ground.
Warning! Get gun ready and don't move! Listen for drumming and scan with just your eyes for movement .
I hope this helps and I'd love to hear feed back if you try these tips. Like anything though, it may need practice and most of all don't gI've up. Experience and more time in the woods being patient and setting back and letting the turkey educate you instead of the other way around will improve your success more than anything else.
Sorry for the long reply. Lol kinda got caught up in the moment. ..... Turkey season is right around the corner and I'm ate up with it bad! I almost felt like I was in the woods scratching up an old gobbler that's eluded me for weeks.
Good luck and don't miss!
Quote from: Buckmaster1546 on January 21, 2016, 09:25:07 PM
Hunting pressure can cause them to shut up once they hit the ground. Yahoo's running all over the place, making every noise known to man that can strike a gobble, will cause a bird to get lock jaw very quick, even on the limb.....
Think about it, put yourself in their shoes.
More hunters educate turkey's on big clubs and public land than they kill them. Especially here in Louisiana. You hit the nail on the head.......
The turkey can hear so well, so what people are thinking when they pull up in a truck and start calling immediately.
It may work the first time, but when the inexperienced hunter doesn't hear a gobble and shuts the door and drives off, he just educated any bird within ear shot or sometimes, in site. Think about it. To us, it's fun and games. To them, it's life or death!
This is where I really enjoy the challenge of turkey hunting. This is what turns a hunting turkey's into a passion and an obsession for us that think about turkey season 365 days a year!
To kill those birds, you're going to have to think like a turkey as well as out smart that turkey.....
Do what others are not doing. Turkeys in your situation may not be as vocal as you would like, but remember this..... he still has one goal in mind come spring.....
So there still is a chance and turkeys are still going to act like turkeys. Slow down! And when you think you are slowing your pace down enough, slow down a little more and that'll be just right. Call quieter and less. Some times don't call at all! I've scratched in more birds (scratching in the leaves like a feeding hen) than I can remember.
If you've got one on the limb and you know if you call to him he's just going to shut up and fly down and go wherever you are not. Then try imitating a hens wings when she flies down. Use your hat or a wing, smacking it against your leg, then crash the leaves around as she hits the ground.
Warning! Get gun ready and don't move! Listen for drumming and scan with just your eyes for movement .
I hope this helps and I'd love to hear feed back if you try these tips. Like anything though, it may need practice and most of all don't gI've up. Experience and more time in the woods being patient and setting back and letting the turkey educate you instead of the other way around will improve your success more than anything else.
Sorry for the long reply. Lol kinda got caught up in the moment. ..... Turkey season is right around the corner and I'm ate up with it bad! I almost felt like I was in the woods scratching up an old gobbler that's eluded me for weeks.
Good luck and don't miss!
Man, you making me crazy! Lol!
Kinda went a little Kenny Morgan there. Reminded me of One Man Game with some of that "Get the gun up and get ready" and "slow down a little more" stuff. Haha!
I'm itching for the season to roll around. Hopefully I'll be in the woods more this season chasing those darn birds. I start getting that itch in December, and I've already made some scouting trips. Can't wait for those March woods!!
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It definitely doesn't get much better than a spring morning, walking to where I want to listen at daylight!
Don't get me wrong, I love my deer hunting and I never thought anything could drive me as crazy as bow hunting deer. When I was younger, I remember being told by older guys in camp, how they just deer hunt to pass the time till turkey season or because they just like to be in the woods. But their real passion is turkeys. I never could agree with them. Lol about 9 years ago I struck my first gobbler with my little deuce slate call and he couldn't get enough of it. Heck I couldn't get enough of it. I never saw him but it sounded like he was about to be in my lap at any second. Then of course a hen came between us and stole him away. Lol then I was hooked and it gets worse every year! Now I'm one of those guys at the camp thats talking about turkey season all the time.
Yeah honestly though my passion for it has been my biggest and hardest thing to overcome in the turkey woods. I tend to be to aggressive at times and I've finally slowed down and man just because you haven't heard him in 30 minutes or at least it feels that long, doesn't mean he's not there! I've learned a lot since I slowed my ways. I love it!
I haven't scouted just for turkey yet, but I'm in a big club down here and plenty are still deer hunting so I don't want to step on any toes. But I cover a lot of our turkey woods in February with my squirrel dog and get a lot of Intel on the turkey's in the process.
I've been polishing me and my sons turkey barrels this last month. Yep now it's time for the annual try and get the best pattern possible from my gun thing! Haha its rediculous lol
Good luck man and happy hunting!
Lot of Louisiana on the forum latley. Leave the owl and crow call in the truck. You answered your own question too many people blowing crow and owl calls. I can't count how many times I've been working a gobbler and heard a truck coming down the road stop and start crow and or owl calling. They heard the gobbler they knew the general direction why the locator call the gobbler was already located lol. If I can hear the truck and door slamming believe the gobbler heard it better. There are other ways to get them to gobble( nothing works 100?) Since you hunt LA I'll let you in on the secret , get you a dog whistle and blow it till they gobble.
Hmmm, that's an interesting tactic, but then again I've heard some pretty crazy things used to locate turkeys. I'll have to try that.
Definitely been a lot more Louisiana posts around here. I've been lurking around for the last 2 years almost, and this is the most chatter from the Bayou State I've seen. Pretty awesome.
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Its about the same here. Higher pressure.....
They don't respond to calls much, but they will gobble back at a horn off a car.
I've never been able to get one to respond back from a owl or crow call. But I can sometimes get a gobble from some aggressive cutting on my glass or box call. Even if they are henned up or just not interested in coming to a call, they will still gobble back a lot of times but not always.
That's turkey hunting. ..... time to try and find another bird, maybe.
Come back and try him again later.
Smalls..guessing Clear Creek..right?
What part of the state are the rest of you from? I mostly hunt Kisatchie around the Castor Plunge area.
Livingston parish
Just east of Baton Rouge.
Quote from: Clif Owen on January 22, 2016, 09:54:56 PM
Smalls..guessing Clear Creek..right?
What part of the state are the rest of you from? I mostly hunt Kisatchie around the Castor Plunge area.
Among other places. I've hunted all over the southern part of the state, including Kisatchie and Indian Bayou. A lot more places I want to hunt too. Kinda goofy that I live in SELA and have never really hunted anything over here though.
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I've tried several locator calls and have never gotten a response on private land and I've been a mile or more from the road. Thank god we have a ton of owls and crows around here. I did accidentally hit the alarm button on my key fob one morning and that got every turkey within a mile fired up and they started going back and forth at each other. I may start doing that one more...
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It's interesting to hear that the standard locators aren't doing it in a lot of cases, in other places either. I gave up on owling quite a few years ago, and the crow calls only seem to work once in a while for me. Then again, nothing seems to work all the time.
I've made more than a couple birds sound off by taking a piece of a branch and hitting a dead tree with it, imitating a woodpecker. It works so well at times, that I've thought about making some nice sticks up and offering them for sale. ;D
Bob
No "for sures" for getting a bird to gobble. So try the crow, goose, owl, hawk, pilliated woodpecker, gobble, car door, plane, thunder etc etc. Nothing gained; nothing lost.
I've hunted all over north Alabama and southern Tennessee and have never had this happen to me. I've had bad days where I haven't had luck but never a a certain area.
I hear some guys say they can't strike birds w locators. I haven't had that problem but there are days where things can be tough.
When locators fail to work I like cutting on a mouth call.
Being its heavily hunted, I'd bet you may get more response at dusk striking em on roost. It'll put you ahead of the game n on birds first thing next morning. Another option is to try later in the day, I've struck out early some days n the woods came to life after 10.
Course there are always less crowded spots somewhere I'm sure so that's another option
As one who has used locator calls religiously in areas all over the country, I always enjoy this topic when it is raised. The effective use of locator calls is as much an art as is the use of turkey calls. True, there are places where locator calls are not nearly as useful and productive as they are in other places. However, there are plenty of places where using locators will add immensely to your enjoyment of the hunt,...not to mention greatly increase your chances of success.
For what it might be worth, in my travels turkey hunting, I have never been to an area where the use of a good locator call at first light in the morning was not an effective way to find roosted gobblers. I have hunted a few places where locators were less effective in the evening in getting gobblers to sound off, and there have been a couple of places where the birds would not gobble in the evening at all.
Personally, as far as I am concerned, not having a couple of good locator calls with you when turkey hunting is on par with not having a good turkey call with you. The trick with locators is knowing how and when to use them. I feel confident in stating that I have killed a lot of gobblers that I would not have taken had I not used my locator calls to find them. I suspect there are many others here that probably feel the same way.
However, I have no doubt there are individuals on here that hunt places where the use of locator calls is completely unnecessary. My advice is to have them on hand,...and know how to use them,...for those times when they will make a difference.
I've turkey hunted a lot of years and I'll be honest - I have NEVER had a turkey respond to any locator call. If I try to locate them it's usually a loud, sharp series of cutts.
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I think an important point to be made in whether or not to rely on locator strategies when hunting is how well you know your hunting area the size of the area, and the turkey density in the area.
For instance, hunting small parcels of private land with high densities of turkeys requires an entirely different strategy than hunting large areas with low turkey numbers. A guy who comes to New Mexico to hunt our vast areas of public land on a DIY hunt is in for a rude awakening if he thinks he will just stroll out into the woods and find a gobbler without a good locating strategy. You can literally start in a spot here that appears to be great turkey habitat and walk all day in any direction and never get within hearing range of a gobbler.
Here, it is absolutely essential to find birds to hunt before you start hunting,...and the easiest way to reliably do that is to use a locator call at the right time of day. Having developed a good locator strategy here over the decades, and then applying that same strategy in other places around the country, I have found that, in most places I have hunted, the same techniques will work.
The bottom line is that although using locator calls is not necessary in hunting all places, there are some places where they are really important,...and you darn well better know how to do it if you expect to kill a gobbler.
Quote from: mikejd on January 21, 2016, 06:22:57 PM
I haven't had a turkey gobble at a locator call in better then 10 yrs. Ever. Crow, hawk, owl, peacock. you name it. Nothing.
I won't say never but rarely do I get birds to answer to a locator call.
Usually the owls are hooting like crazy in the morning and later the crows are hollering so I just let them do the calling and I just be quiet.
Whether it's you or the yotes, the birds are feeling pressured. Go out the afternoon before and get on the highest ridge you can (or take a climber), and read a book or play with your phone till you watche (hear)them roost...Problem Solved.
In general over the years, I personally hear way less gobbles here in PA. Regardless if it' s shock gobbles, or birds gobbling on their own on the roost. And I believe coyotes have a lot to do with this, as they learn not to give up their location mainly in the dark, where a coyote can move in and try to ambush them at fly down.
Just my opinion, as the birds are still there as they were years ago, but coyote numbers are way up as compared to years ago. There was a time years ago I could get a response with an Owl Call before daylight, but coyotes were not as numerous. And the fact every other hunter is hooting too, they wise up. Locator calls have become so ineffective over the years I don't even use them now.
Another thing I noticed is I never hear a bird on the roost sound off anymore before decent light. While years ago I have run into quite a few birds gobbling their fool head off an hour before first light. I just think coyotes and pressure have had an adverse effect on their gobbling. Who knows? Another 50 years from now when our grand kids are hunting them, they may never even hear them gobble?
Rarely used them before the season and never during. Hunting public land it drives me bonkers when guys start while it's dark or a bird gobbles and out come the owlers and crowers even if the bird is sounding off every breathe. Never understood it. I let nature do it and prefer one to gobble just enough for me to figure out where he is instead of letting everyone else know
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I will bunt kisatchie opening weekend listen before the season for gobblers to gobble on their own. These Turks are call shy, I've called some in with excited calling but most only approach half way, hunter must sit longer in most cases, scout before season and forget the locator call
Plenty of good advise, just wanted to chime in to respond to the OP. One private place that I hunt, a pine tract with a field and a creek bottom that runs through it where they roost. Never once had a bird respond to a crow call. Ever. That place is loaded with crows. See them every morning I hunt there. When I first hunted there, I was using it to locate and literally had 15+ pizzed off crows circling my head. I have owl hooted and had them answer, but now I tend to set up along the field and let them work their way to me instead of trying to get close to them. What set off at least 50% of the ones I have killed there has been a Redtailed Hawk. They must nest there every spring and when that hawk screeches, 9 times out of 10 if a gobbler is roosted in the bottom, he will gobble. Nothing to the dozens of crows. Also a house across the bottom raises peacocks, I hear them nearly every hunt. Birds never gobble to them either.
Another place I hunt - public. Lots of creek bottoms and the place is lousy with owls. Usually have a hoot off on every clear morning. Gobblers rarely respond. I have called them in the tree I am sitting against plenty of times. Videoed one later up in the morning that followed me as I was walking along a new area and hooting occasionally. He got closer and finally lit over my head. Got some good video after I fired him up by hooting. Nary a gobble. Crow calls? Work great there. Not every time of course, but as long as I wait til the sun is up, if Tom has not cleared his throat by the time I think he should and I don't have any solid intel, I will give the crow call a shot before I move on. Have had more than a few responses.
So, I believe them hearing those locators all the time will make them immune. A friend of my nephews took him turkey hunting one morning. He stopped at a little culvert over a branch. Had a guard rail. He opened his tool box and grabbed a rubber mallet out of it. Walked over to the guard rail and gave it a whack - BUUUUWHHHHOOOOONNNNGGGGGGG! Again. Last time. Said he has located a bunch of turkeys like that. My brothers Father in Law, as he got older would drive around and honk the horn. He killed more birds then I will see in my life with his side by side and #6 low brass. Said more than half had been located with his truck horn.
Quote from: g8rvet on February 08, 2016, 03:25:27 PM
My brothers Father in Law, as he got older would drive around and honk the horn. He killed more birds then I will see in my life with his side by side and #6 low brass. Said more than half had been located with his truck horn.
There is a cop here on base that turkey hunts, I see him all the time riding around, come to a stop, flip on the siren for a second and turn it off then hop out for a listen.
Lots of good opinions here. I have got them to gobble to an owl call but have more luck with a few loud sharp cuts,or the truck horn ,than anything else. There is one place that i hunt that the birds almost NEVER gobble with their feet on the ground and if you can get one to gobble after 8 am it is a miracle .
Was hunting a small section of public ground, about 500+ acres, on a beautiful spring morning, cool, still, blue skies. Had some action there the day before. But that particular morning I never heard a bird, and I tried everything.
Then, around 11:00am, the community fire whistle sounded off about a mile up the road.
The woods came alive with gobbling, at least 8 different gobblers gobbling each time that whistle peaked. After a minute or two the siren went quiet and so did the woods. Never heard another bird.
Some days are like that.
Quote from: paboxcall on February 27, 2016, 01:01:59 PM
Was hunting a small section of public ground, about 500+ acres, on a beautiful spring morning, cool, still, blue skies. Had some action there the day before. But that particular morning I never heard a bird, and I tried everything.
Then, around 11:00am, the community fire whistle sounded off about a mile up the road.
The woods came alive with gobbling, at least 8 different gobblers gobbling each time that whistle peaked. After a minute or two the siren went quiet and so did the woods. Never heard another bird.
Some days are like that.
Although apples to oranges kind of reminds me of something from last year. I had one gobbler I knew where he liked to be. He was always within this one 80 or so acre track. Any way, the last couple weeks of the season I could never get him to respond to anything. I would see him from 3-400 yards away and he would not respond to anything, not yelps, clucks, gobbles, purrs, cro calls, owl nothing. I swore that he had to be a deaf bird. Any way, season comes to an end and I was driving through the area he lived in... I turned a corner and this SOB was strutting in the middle of the freaking paved road. Not only was he strutting, but I honked the horn and gobbled his head off and got off the road and just kept strutting like he did not care I was there.... Its like he knew the season was over and was celebrating :dancingturkey:
Quote from: mikejd on January 21, 2016, 06:22:57 PM
I haven't had a turkey gobble at a locator call in better then 10 yrs. Ever. Crow, hawk, owl, peacock. you name it. Nothing.
Can't say never but I can count on my hand how many responses I've got.
back pocket locator call for me is a dog whistle.... shhh dont tell anybody my secret ;)
In my experience a turkey that is fired up is most likely to respond to a non turkey locator call
I locate turkeys with a turkey call, be it fly down time, mid-day or fly up time. I just get far better responses that way. Im so far off the road that I dont care who hears it...
2015 Old Gobbler contest Champions
I use my mouth call most of the time to locate. Occasionally, I have used a dog whistle and or an air horn that you can get at Walmart.
Chris
Smalls, I hunt same areas as you do. Also have hunted a few other midwest states.
I find that turkeys in La and Miss even on public land hear enough real and fake crow calls in the middle of the day and will only gobble at them if they are in the perfect time of the year when they are really fired up. Same for gobbling at woodpecker calls. I have killed a few birds in middle of the day that have made that mistake but majority of the time you won't get them to gobble at one or just one gobble. Allot of times I find they gobble at a crow that is sitting over their head cawing at the turkey. Can't beat the real thing, if I am walking and hear a crow or another loud noise I ALWAYS stop to listen...
As for midwest my favorite locator call in the evenings at dark is a coyote howler. I have made many a bird gobble at that, even better than gobbling at them...
I have also had very poor luck with locator calls... Never ever had a response from a crow call (probably too many crows around), had some luck with owl calls, but I always wonder if they are gobbling to the call at near-by hens... There is a lot of owl activity in some of my areas, and with a lot of natural owls hooting all morning, I rarely seem to hear a bird gobble in response to such calling...
Heard them respond to actual coyotes... Hunting somewhat near a neighbors house, I heard a marital argument break out once that seemed to generate some gobbles...
Best locator call I have used is a honker call though... Just enough around that they hear some, but not so much that they become overly accustomed to them... I have most certainly heard birds respond to a loud honker call (which I actually carry at one property).
"Heard them respond to actual coyotes... Hunting somewhat near a neighbors house, I heard a marital argument break out once that seemed to generate some gobbles..."
This legit made me laugh out loud