Lessons in calling

[g8rvet]

I have called up a decent number of birds for me and others over the years, but am far from an expert called.  I got to enjoy a fantastic lesson in turkey talk yesterday deep in a swamp.  I was just prospecting late morning and called up a hen.  We had a great conversation and there is nothing quite like the feedback you can get from talking to a hen in her language at 30 yards.  Really helps you get the tone down with clucking and soft three note yelps (which she was mostly doing). She just could not understand why she could not see that hen, but as long as she wanted to talk, I figured nothing could beat a live hen for calling in Tom.  He did not show, but I had fun all the same.   

[kjnengr]

Did she give you the scoop of the local hangout?  Any good gossip? Did she give you the whereabouts of her cousin Tom?

[g8rvet]

LOL  No.  She had an attitude.  I think she wanted to fight mostly! 

[ChiefBubba]

Hey man what's up? How's it going? I'm still chasing my bird down here. Unbelievable how much you can learn from them. I had one a few years ago just circle around my tree and clucked, yelped and purred her way around me. One thing we tend to forget is how quiet they are and short calls they make. sometimes we get into the habit of LOUD AND LONG  Bubba

[g8rvet]

Hey Chief.  I think I am impatient because my duck season sucked so bad in FL. 

I was hunting a private lease I was in a few years back.  We had to hang a peg near one of the deer stands and then stay in that general area.  So I was working a gobbler in front of me when I hear one of the members walking up behind me yelping, cutting and raising a ruckus, calling like crazy.  I was about ready to stand up and fuss at him, when a hen walks by!  She sounded terrible and was going nuts calling.  Flew up to the the tree above my head.  Then did a fly down cackle after sitting there for about 20 minutes.  Went straight to the gobbler. 

[kjnengr]

Nothing like learning from the real thing. If I never hear or see a gobbler all day but have a conservation with a hen, I have had a great day in the turkey woods.

Those close interactions are the best. Get to hear/see all the little things they say and do.

I've never had it happen, but I can definitely agree with this.

[g8rvet]

That is odd kj, I have it happen multiple times a year it seems.  Wonder if it is difference in calling, where or how I hunt.  I have hens in the field totally ignore my calling, but a lot times in the woods or swamp I call them in to point blank range.  Might be because when I can't get a bird to gobble, I will set up and blind call quietly in likely locations. 

[Dtrkyman]

I've killed or at least located many gobblers by getting into it with a hen...there usually by themselves later in the morning and once you get them going it is really fun...I remember one hen on public ground where I hadn't heard a bird the prior day and nothing until we started "arguing" after about a ten minute battle of cuts and yelps ole boy finally cut loose about 100yds out...didn't kill him that morning but did the next right where he first sounded off!


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[kjnengr]

That is odd kj, I have it happen multiple times a year it seems.  Wonder if it is difference in calling, where or how I hunt.  I have hens in the field totally ignore my calling, but a lot times in the woods or swamp I call them in to point blank range.  Might be because when I can't get a bird to gobble, I will set up and blind call quietly in likely locations.

It's probably just that I hunt areas with low turkey populations and just don't encounter that many hens.  Not that often anyways.  For instance, I hunted all weekend  this weekend and never heard a yelp.  I heard some clucking, and purring from some hens that got close but most birds aren't that vocal in my area.   

[Marc]

Really helps you get the tone down with clucking and soft three note yelps (which she was mostly doing). She just could not understand why she could not see that hen, but as long as she wanted to talk, I figured nothing could beat a live hen for calling in Tom.  He did not show, but I had fun all the same.

I had considerable interactions with hens last year (far fewer with toms than I would have liked)...

Nothing like learning from the real thing...  The vast majority of sounds they make are on the low end (purrs, clucks, soft yelps, etc.).

They make little "pucking" sounds as they eat, and they purr far more than I would have thought.  We generally do not hear these sounds, as they have to be close to hear them.

Last year experimenting with a scratch box, I was playing with some low-end sounds, and had a tom fire off from quite some distance...  I was amazed at how far away he could hear such a quiet call...  I have come to the conclusion that if I can barely hear a tom gobble, that any sound I make is probably comparable to me listening to the stereo in my car.

I noticed that they do a lot more purring than I thought as well...  They have a contented purr as the meander around and eat, they have an excited purr when the are trying to pull a tom off another hen (usually with soft of excited clucks mixed in), and they have an agitated purr when another hen is in their area.

Great to call in a hen when a tom is in tow...  I have mixed feelings on calling in a solitary hen though...  Couple years ago, I called in a hen, and although there was a lot of low end stuff, she was also yelping and clucking quite loud and aggressively, and eventually drummed up a tom... 

I was able to keep her in my area right up until we had a tom sound off below us, at which time she immediately went to him, and took him further away.  In your case, if she left you suddenly, I would not be surprised if she hear a tom drumming, that you did not hear, and stole him away.

[tha bugman]

I have called up a decent number of birds for me and others over the years, but am far from an expert called.  I got to enjoy a fantastic lesson in turkey talk yesterday deep in a swamp.  I was just prospecting late morning and called up a hen.  We had a great conversation and there is nothing quite like the feedback you can get from talking to a hen in her language at 30 yards.  Really helps you get the tone down with clucking and soft three note yelps (which she was mostly doing). She just could not understand why she could not see that hen, but as long as she wanted to talk, I figured nothing could beat a live hen for calling in Tom.  He did not show, but I had fun all the same.

Having fun and making memories with the ones you love is what really matters....way more than floppage ( but I aint opposed to that either!)