WHATS THE PROBLEM ?

[hillbilly stalker]

When a turkey gobbles at at everything but a turkey call ?  I think my calling stinks, even tho I have killed several longbeards over the years.  My buddy who is a excellent caller, says they aint nothing wrong with my calling.  I can find them, get fairly close,  but seldom get a response on my calling.  public land birds and private land birds. Most of the birds I have killed is by getting close and using a push pin call.  They almost never gobble at it, but if Im close enough, they come and check it out. 

[RemingtonRules]

I think everyone experiences this to some degree.  Are you trying different tones/calls?  Also different cadence.  For example, I had bird that would only gobble if I cut two times immediately followed by a few short yelps.  I also had a bird that would not respond to me but when his main hen cut loose he answered and broke right to her.  He knew her voice/tone, even though he was right near me. 

Just because they do not gobble does not mean they are not interested.  Sounds like you are doing what you need to do.  Don't be afraid to experiment.  Try to listen to the hens and mimick their calls.

[Happy]

Don't let it get to you. By all means practice as much as possible. Truth is that there is not a single turkey hunter out there that has not been snubbed. On the other end of the spectrum a nail scratching a coffee can can bring them running if the conditions are right. Keep practicing and keep hunting. Turkey hunting is for stubborn people.

[Marc]

On the way home today I saw a bird (on property I do not have access to).  Having no luck, myself, I just wanted to see how the bird reacted to my calling...

I called to him, and he crossed a fence, a creek, and a road to get to me...  Never once gobbled.  Walked right in front of my truck and kept going up the hill (looking for that hen that was not there I suppose).

I'd bet I have bungled more birds than I have killed by giving up too soon and wanting to hear that gobble.  And, a lot of the birds I have killed have come in silently.

As far as calling, the best way to get better is to record yourself...  I remember thinking how my own calling was coming right along until I recorded it...  Friction calls are a bit easier to judge, but for me to learn to use a mouth call, recording myself was an important part of the process...   And, if you can, try doing it outside with the recorder a bit away from you.

[Ihuntoldschool]

Keep getting close and using the pushpin. It worked for you before so you should have confidence it will work again.  Not all turkeys come in gobbling every step of the way.  If you call  a gobbler in range shoot him in the head whether he is gobbling or not.

[g8rvet]

Gobbling is for the TV shows.  Calling him in is the important part! 

I had one that I could see across a chop.  Looking right at him.  Pulled out everything I had for an hour and no response.  Remembered I had an aluminum call in my vest.  Pulled it out and cut and yelped and he went bonkers gobbling.  Still did not kill him.  He was surrounded by hens. 

[GobbleNut]

Over the years, I have become convinced that there is a very specific tonal quality that certain calls have, and in the hands of a user that has managed to hit on it and know how to consistently find it, that trigger a gobbler to both respond and come more consistently than other calls. 

Mostly I have seen it happen with typical yelping,...and it seems to have something to do with the inflection put on the back end  (lower end) of yelps rather than the higher front end.  I have witnessed it too many times to think that it is just by coincidence,...and it also seems to be a very elusive tone to identify. 

I have seen it a number of times with certain box calls that will get a gobbler going when other calls that sound pretty much the same to me have failed to have the same effect on a bird.  I'm sure the same specific tone can be found in other friction calls, and even mouth calls, at times.   

I know several hunters that use the same box calls all the time and do nothing but plain old simple yelping that have consistent success while others struggle to get gobblers to respond on calls that sound almost exactly the same to me.  I'm at a loss to figure out just exactly what that tone or inflection is, but there is no doubt in my mind that it is real.

[hillbilly stalker]

They got me again today,  got in the middle of 3, maybe 4 longbeards on a ridge.  The birds were not together.  They gobbled their brains out, one answered my calls twice and that was it.  I was on them while some were roosted and some were on the ground.  Thought I was in the drivers seat being the hen in the middle of the toms.  Wrong,  I left with them still gobbling (they moved farther out).  My rhythm, or cadence must be off. I have a couple calls that you don't see anymore, just so the birds don't hear everything off of Wal- marts shelf. My buddy says my calling is fine,  when he has one gobble, it has about a 90% chance of dying.  I refuse to bushwhack the birds or hunt out of a blind.  I gotta find a way to get em dead tho.  Thanks for all the input and keep it coming.

[g8rvet]

My buddy says my calling is fine,  when he has one gobble, it has about a 90% chance of dying.

That is an incredible number.

[hillbilly stalker]

90% is just a number I'm throwing out there.  He is very good tho.  He kills his limit every year, his boys (3),  have had the opportunity to limit every year.  They started calling/killing their own at 14-15 years old. He can read a bird good and really fire them up.  I guess I ain't holding my mouth right tho.

[Stickbow98]

There's much more to killing gobblers than just calling.
Set-up position is very important... Are you on the same level or above the birds? Always easier than calling them downhill, but it can be done.
Try to find a strut zone and be in the area BEFORE they gobbler gets there.
The #1 problem is likely the number of hens you're competing with, and their breeding stage. If you have birds gobbling in an area in the a.m., but not responding and following hens... go back later on after 10:00 or so and try again. Once the hens separate from the Toms they will be more susceptible to your calls.
We all like to hear ourselves call, but knowing where and when are the first priority!
Good luck, at least YOU are hunting!!