Do you use a gobble call?

[Greg Massey]

Yes, box call and Roger Parks gobbler pot call ... Jake / Gobbler yelps

[PharmHunter]

I don't carry a special gobble call, but in the right situation will definitely gobble on a box call.

[TRG3]

Illinois allows a hunter to fill three permits with gobblers during the five short spring seasons. Typically, I use the gobble call to take at least one and sometimes two while hunting on private ground. I hunt with either a full strut or jake with a couple of hen decoys. During the early seasons, the response to my gobbles is often one or more gobblers coming in to establish dominance. My gobbles represent a newcomer and the resident gobblers come in to challenge the newcomer, very often attacking my gobbler decoy. In the late seasons when many hens are on the nest and gobbler dominance has been well-established, I often take my largest gobbler of the season when only the most dominate bird is still looking for willing hens. Typically, my hen yelps followed by an occasional gobble will entice the real gobbler to come on in after he has tried unsuccessfully to lure the new-to-him hen (me) away from the newcomer gobbler. Sometimes I double gobbler back at his response, trying to challenge him and get him worked up.  At some point, often after a couple of hours, the real bird will decide to challenge the newcomer, generally only gobbling once or twice as he comes in, running up to the decoys in a fighting demeanor. Encounters of this kind require patience but are very exciting as the end results often develop rapidly.

[YoungGobbler]

Illinois allows a hunter to fill three permits with gobblers during the five short spring seasons. Typically, I use the gobble call to take at least one and sometimes two while hunting on private ground. I hunt with either a full strut or jake with a couple of hen decoys. During the early seasons, the response to my gobbles is often one or more gobblers coming in to establish dominance. My gobbles represent a newcomer and the resident gobblers come in to challenge the newcomer, very often attacking my gobbler decoy. In the late seasons when many hens are on the nest and gobbler dominance has been well-established, I often take my largest gobbler of the season when only the most dominate bird is still looking for willing hens. Typically, my hen yelps followed by an occasional gobble will entice the real gobbler to come on in after he has tried unsuccessfully to lure the new-to-him hen (me) away from the newcomer gobbler. Sometimes I double gobbler back at his response, trying to challenge him and get him worked up.  At some point, often after a couple of hours, the real bird will decide to challenge the newcomer, generally only gobbling once or twice as he comes in, running up to the decoys in a fighting demeanor. Encounters of this kind require patience but are very exciting as the end results often develop rapidly.

Thanks for your answer!
I experienced something like that last season. There was me with hen calls, a gobbler, and other hunter set up with hen calls and gobbler calls... The gobbler went right away to the other hunter's set-up... It didn't ended with a kill, but I could understand what triggered this gobbler.

[Kylongspur88]

Yes. Gobbler and jake yelps on a pot call. I can produce a passable gobble on a diaphragm.

[TRG3]

I've watched most of the videos Matt Dale has produced regarding calling turkeys. In one of them, he mentioned one of the older box calls that was labeled "gobbler" on one side and "hen" on the other. Digging through my many calls, I found one by H.S. Strut labeled "Field Champion" with the gobbler side producing lower yelps than the hen side. I plan to use this box call when our first season comes in on April 8th, the same day that an eclipse that's scheduled to pass directly over my area of Southern Illinois. To me, trying new things is a large part of the excitement of turkey hunting.

[joey46]

Use one on private occasionally.  Never on public.  Seems to intimate some. 

[RustyBarrels]

Hey @ bowguy, forgive my ignorance but what is rattling mean in the turkey woods?  That's a term I only hear during the rut

[Notsoyoungturk]

I have found the gobbler cluck to work well at times.  Nothing fancy but effective.  The Roger Parks call is the easiest I have found.  I have a video of him demonstrating the call.  I have sent it to many people on OG and will be glad to send it to you if you PM me a cell phone for text or email.

[Bowguy]

Hey @ bowguy, forgive my ignorance but what is rattling mean in the turkey woods?  That's a term I only hear during the rut

I was referring to fight rattle or fight purr. It's an aggressive purr sound they make when they fight. You can do it with pots, push pins, mouth calls