which is more important ? calling ability or turkey knowledge

[Brillo]

Last year was my first year of committed turkey hunting and I would have said calling matters most.  Now I think that both matter about equally but that depends.  I seem to be in constantly shifting situations all complicated by the reality that I am not good at either.

[GobbleNut]

Last year was my first year of committed turkey hunting and I would have said calling matters most.  Now I think that both matter about equally but that depends.  I seem to be in constantly shifting situations all complicated by the reality that I am not good at either.

Your observation that "both (calling and woodsmanship) matter about equally,...but that depends" is right on target.  There is a learning curve for every one of us throughout our turkey hunting lives.  That curve is pretty steep at first, but it will remain until the very last hunt each of us will have. 

Those "constantly shifting situations" you speak of are collectively one of the reasons why turkey hunting is so intriguing to many of us.  The reality for all of us is that there are situations we are put in where we come to the realization that, like you discovered in your first year, all of us are sometimes "not good at either".   

[Tom007]

Last year was my first year of committed turkey hunting and I would have said calling matters most.  Now I think that both matter about equally but that depends.  I seem to be in constantly shifting situations all complicated by the reality that I am not good at either.

Your observation that "both (calling and woodsmanship) matter about equally,...but that depends" is right on target.  There is a learning curve for every one of us throughout our turkey hunting lives.  That curve is pretty steep at first, but it will remain until the very last hunt each of us will have. 

Those "constantly shifting situations" you speak of are collectively one of the reasons why turkey hunting is so intriguing to many of us.  The reality for all of us is that there are situations we are put in where we come to the realization that, like you discovered in your first year, all of us are sometimes "not good at either".   

Very well put GobbleNut. We all get "humbled" no matter how long we've been at it.

[ScottTaulbee]

I'm gonna say neither are more important than one another. You can sit in a general area but without having some type of calling ability you're lowering your chances to get him close enough for a shot. But on the same foot, you can be a world champion caller but if you sit down wrong to him, you're a had lad, every time.


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[GobbleNut]

Since Scott brought this back up, I will expand on the concept a bit more to perhaps stir a little more discussion.

Recognizing that both calling and woodsmanship are important components to being successful, here's a scenario and question for all.  Let's say you put two hunters in the same location in the turkey woods,...that is, they have chosen the same set-up on a gobbler. 

Hunter #1 is a highly skilled caller in terms of being able to make most all turkey sounds very realistically.  He can yelp, cluck, cutt, purr, cackle, etc. very realistically.  He can change tones, pitches, cadence, etc. to mimic live turkeys very accurately. He has some experience hunting turkeys, but not as much as hunter #2.

Hunter #2 is not as good "technically" a caller as #1, but has had more experience calling to gobblers in assorted situations. In short, #2  knows a bit more about "what to say" to turkeys, but his calling ability,...that is, making very accurate sounds with a turkey call,...is borderline.  More specifically, his yelping, clucking, cutting, purring, etc. is "off" just a little, but he understands more about interacting with turkeys in terms of when to apply those calls.

So here's the question:
Removing the woodsmanship component,...and again, both hunters are in unfamiliar country, set up in the same location and otherwise under the same circumstances,...which of the two do YOU think would call-in more turkeys? That is, would hunter #1's calling skills possibly supersede his lack of experience and result in gobblers coming to his calling more often than hunter #2, or would #2's experience in "knowing what to say" make him the better bet?  ....Or perhaps would their different skills more or less "even out" in equivalent hunting situations?

What say you?  Who would you bet on to call in a gobbler in that situation?

[ScottTaulbee]

Since Scott brought this back up, I will expand on the concept a bit more to perhaps stir a little more discussion.

Recognizing that both calling and woodsmanship are important components to being successful, here's a scenario and question for all.  Let's say you put two hunters in the same location in the turkey woods,...that is, they have chosen the same set-up on a gobbler. 

Hunter #1 is a highly skilled caller in terms of being able to make most all turkey sounds very realistically.  He can yelp, cluck, cutt, purr, cackle, etc. very realistically.  He can change tones, pitches, cadence, etc. to mimic live turkeys very accurately. He has some experience hunting turkeys, but not as much as hunter #2.

Hunter #2 is not as good "technically" a caller as #1, but has had more experience calling to gobblers in assorted situations. In short, #2  knows a bit more about "what to say" to turkeys, but his calling ability,...that is, making very accurate sounds with a turkey call,...is borderline.  More specifically, his yelping, clucking, cutting, purring, etc. is "off" just a little, but he understands more about interacting with turkeys in terms of when to apply those calls.

So here's the question:
Removing the woodsmanship component,...and again, both hunters are in unfamiliar country, set up in the same location and otherwise under the same circumstances,...which of the two do YOU think would call-in more turkeys? That is, would hunter #1's calling skills possibly supersede his lack of experience and result in gobblers coming to his calling more often than hunter #2, or would #2's experience in "knowing what to say" make him the better bet?  ....Or perhaps would their different skills more or less "even out" in equivalent hunting situations?

What say you?  Who would you bet on to call in a gobbler in that situation?

I'm going with hunter #2. I'm betting on experience every time. I'm far from a competition grade caller on anything but I'd say I'm average to slightly above average on a variety of callers, pot calls, box calls, scratch box, diaphragm, trumpet, and learning a tube. I routinely kill turkeys when others aren't. I was fortunate enough to live on a farm my parents owned growing up and from age 6 until age 18, when the real world started, I was turkey hunting every day of the season and after tagging out I'd ask every body I knew that turkey hunted if they wanted me to take them and call. For the past 9 years after age 18, I still typically get 2 to 2 1/2 weeks of the season to hunt but it's been public land only for me. I say all that to say, the guy who has the most experience has also made the most mistakes and has a good understanding of what not to do or when not to call. The other guy, though he's a premium caller, doesn't.


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[Greg Massey]

Woodsmanship, Experience, Knowledge and a general understanding of making the proper calling to a gobbler with at least a good RHYTHM are the most important. And as we all know having turkeys to hunt... IMO... Setup is key also in getting to pull the trigger ... Pattern your shotgun and know its limitations.  My Vegas bet is on hunter number 2 ... but i also like the odds of hunter number 1

[RH1]

Since Scott brought this back up, I will expand on the concept a bit more to perhaps stir a little more discussion.

Recognizing that both calling and woodsmanship are important components to being successful, here's a scenario and question for all.  Let's say you put two hunters in the same location in the turkey woods,...that is, they have chosen the same set-up on a gobbler. 

Hunter #1 is a highly skilled caller in terms of being able to make most all turkey sounds very realistically.  He can yelp, cluck, cutt, purr, cackle, etc. very realistically.  He can change tones, pitches, cadence, etc. to mimic live turkeys very accurately. He has some experience hunting turkeys, but not as much as hunter #2.

Hunter #2 is not as good "technically" a caller as #1, but has had more experience calling to gobblers in assorted situations. In short, #2  knows a bit more about "what to say" to turkeys, but his calling ability,...that is, making very accurate sounds with a turkey call,...is borderline.  More specifically, his yelping, clucking, cutting, purring, etc. is "off" just a little, but he understands more about interacting with turkeys in terms of when to apply those calls.

So here's the question:
Removing the woodsmanship component,...and again, both hunters are in unfamiliar country, set up in the same location and otherwise under the same circumstances,...which of the two do YOU think would call-in more turkeys? That is, would hunter #1's calling skills possibly supersede his lack of experience and result in gobblers coming to his calling more often than hunter #2, or would #2's experience in "knowing what to say" make him the better bet?  ....Or perhaps would their different skills more or less "even out" in equivalent hunting situations?

What say you?  Who would you bet on to call in a gobbler in that situation?

I'm in with #2....but old lady luck often times has her way to equalize us.

[g8rvet]

Since Scott brought this back up, I will expand on the concept a bit more to perhaps stir a little more discussion.

Recognizing that both calling and woodsmanship are important components to being successful, here's a scenario and question for all.  Let's say you put two hunters in the same location in the turkey woods,...that is, they have chosen the same set-up on a gobbler. 

Hunter #1 is a highly skilled caller in terms of being able to make most all turkey sounds very realistically.  He can yelp, cluck, cutt, purr, cackle, etc. very realistically.  He can change tones, pitches, cadence, etc. to mimic live turkeys very accurately. He has some experience hunting turkeys, but not as much as hunter #2.

Hunter #2 is not as good "technically" a caller as #1, but has had more experience calling to gobblers in assorted situations. In short, #2  knows a bit more about "what to say" to turkeys, but his calling ability,...that is, making very accurate sounds with a turkey call,...is borderline.  More specifically, his yelping, clucking, cutting, purring, etc. is "off" just a little, but he understands more about interacting with turkeys in terms of when to apply those calls.

So here's the question:
Removing the woodsmanship component,...and again, both hunters are in unfamiliar country, set up in the same location and otherwise under the same circumstances,...which of the two do YOU think would call-in more turkeys? That is, would hunter #1's calling skills possibly supersede his lack of experience and result in gobblers coming to his calling more often than hunter #2, or would #2's experience in "knowing what to say" make him the better bet?  ....Or perhaps would their different skills more or less "even out" in equivalent hunting situations?

What say you?  Who would you bet on to call in a gobbler in that situation?

#2 easy.   Some of the worst callers in the world I have heard were live hens.  They all have different voices.

[Turkeyman]

Anybody that has turkey hunted long enough has heard those terrible sounding real hens. They'd finish last in any of our "human judged" turkey calling contests. But a tom goes bananas!  They know...they know. That's why when I call I'm far more concerned with note length, note separation and cadence that tone and clarity.

[Cut N Run]

Hunter #2 is my choice without question.  I've heard awful callers that turned out to be live hens.  Knowing what to say & when to say it goes a long ways towards sealing the deal on a gobbler.  You could be the best "show" caller in the world, but too much, too loud, or in the wrong scenario just doesn't work.  There's lots of days when the hens aren't too vocal.  Loudly calling relentlessly on those days will usually force the turkeys to avoid you.  It's all about taking the gobbler's temperature to see what he wants or what he'll react to in a positive manner. 

Gobblers aren't always the only ones to call to either.  Sometimes (especially early in the season) getting in a shouting match with a hen will get under her skin and cause her to tow a gobble to you...even if he's not saying much.

Jim

[WildTigerTrout]

Knowledge of your quarry and wisdom.  Never hurts to be a good caller but woodsmanship IMO is most important.

[Marc]

I do not see how one could "effectively" call wild turkeys without knowledge?

Making a turkey sound on a turkey call is not all that difficult (especially with a friction call).  Knowing where to make those sounds, which sounds to make, and when to make them, all require knowledge...

For "me," the fun of turkey hunting is to utilize my limited knowledge to effectively call in, and trick a bird...  Personally, I enjoy the fact that my knowledge base is ever increasing and changing where turkey hunting is considered...