Locator Call for Beginner?

[Turkeytider]

Guys, never have used a locator call before. I just let nature do the locating! LOL. Would like to try one this coming season. Don`t know what`s best (hooter or crow or something else ) and what might be a good one ( easy! ). Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[GobbleNut]

Any loud, abrupt noise will work under the right conditions.  Locator effectiveness is also, to a degree, a function of where you are hunting.   Whatever locator call you decide you want to use, just make sure you get the loudest one you can find.  Then, use it at the right time of day and you will most likely be successful at locating gobblers with it.  From my experience, more than anything else, LOUDNESS is the key. 

[GobbleNut]

I didn't really answer your question, so let me give you my more "extended" version.  This is a long read, but if you make it through it, you might learn what you need to know to be able to use locator calls effectively. 

Again, any loud and abrupt sound can make a gobbler respond involuntarily to the noise,...or, as we refer to it, make them "shock gobble".  The trick in successful use of any locator is to trigger that involuntary response.  Male turkeys are genetically/biologically programmed with spring breeding behaviors, one of which is gobbling. Part of that "programming" is the peculiar nature of gobblers to be able to instantaneously (and involuntarily) respond to sounds that their brains interpret as being other gobblers gobbling.

There are hundreds of videos that show a group of gobblers together and when one of them gobbles, often all of the other gobblers will gobble right on top of the first one.  That is an involuntary, evolutionally-instilled response. In other words, even if those gobblers were inclined to keep quiet, their brains actually trigger them to gobble.  Quite literally, they can't keep themselves from doing it!

That response gobble can be triggered by any noise,...if it is loud and abrupt.  It is that initial, loud burst of sound that triggers it.  It doesn't really matter if it is a gobble, owl hoot, crow call, coyote, peacock, thunder, horn honking, shotgun blast, or any other really loud, abrupt sound.  It just has to trigger that involuntary brain stimulus in the gobbler. 

But here's the "fly in the ointment". Gobblers can also get what I called "burned" by too much of a good thing.  That involuntary response of gobbling can get stifled by too many repetitive loud noises used too often.  In other words, the more the noise is repeated, the more a gobbler can stifle his response to it.  You hear hunters talk about being in an area where too many other guys are using locator calls and the gobblers have stopped gobbling.  That is possible,...to an extent.  Locators have to be used correctly (loud and abrupt), judiciously (so the gobblers don't get "burned"),...and also under the right conditions and at the right time.

Which brings us to the next point.  Gobblers are most likely to respond to locator calls at first light in the morning, although they can also work at last light in the evening,...and even sometimes during the day (disclaimer: I never use them during the day myself, mainly because I think turkey calling is more effective).  Male turkeys are just more inclined to gobble when they are in the tree at first light in the morning more than any other time of the day.
However, there are places where locator calls are very effective at last light when the birds have gone to roost, as well.

Personally, I always use locator calls as indicated IF I am trying to find gobblers to hunt in an area I am not familiar with or if I am just trying to verify where a gobbler is roosted from a distance.  I have two locators I use: the primary one is a tube call that I can make a very loud gobble on, and the other is a extremely loud crow call.  (another disclaimer: I live where there are no barred owls so I have never used owl calls as a locator).

Another thing:  Using locators in an area where there are a lot of other hunters,...and especially other hunters that are also using locators,...can sometimes cause a lot of anguish with those other folks, as well as be counterproductive.  There are conditions where you are not doing yourself, or others, any favors by relying on locator calls,...even if you are using them properly (which waayyy too many hunters don't).  Again, use them at the right time and in the right places, though, and they can be very effective.

In summary, I repeat:  whatever locator you decide to use, get the loudest one you can find!  Learn to use it at the right time and place,...and you will find gobblers to hunt (and kill) by doing so!




 

[Turkeytider]

I didn't really answer your question, so let me give you my more "extended" version.  This is a long read, but if you make it through it, you might learn what you need to know to be able to use locator calls effectively. 

Again, any loud and abrupt sound can make a gobbler respond involuntarily to the noise,...or, as we refer to it, make them "shock gobble".  The trick in successful use of any locator is to trigger that involuntary response.  Male turkeys are genetically/biologically programmed with spring breeding behaviors, one of which is gobbling. Part of that "programming" is the peculiar nature of gobblers to be able to instantaneously (and involuntarily) respond to sounds that their brains interpret as being other gobblers gobbling.

There are hundreds of videos that show a group of gobblers together and when one of them gobbles, often all of the other gobblers will gobble right on top of the first one.  That is an involuntary, evolutionally-instilled response. In other words, even if those gobblers were inclined to keep quiet, their brains actually trigger them to gobble.  Quite literally, they can't keep themselves from doing it!

That response gobble can be triggered by any noise,...if it is loud and abrupt.  It is that initial, loud burst of sound that triggers it.  It doesn't really matter if it is a gobble, owl hoot, crow call, coyote, peacock, thunder, horn honking, shotgun blast, or any other really loud, abrupt sound.  It just has to trigger that involuntary brain stimulus in the gobbler. 

But here's the "fly in the ointment". Gobblers can also get what I called "burned" by too much of a good thing.  That involuntary response of gobbling can get stifled by too many repetitive loud noises used too often.  In other words, the more the noise is repeated, the more a gobbler can stifle his response to it.  You hear hunters talk about being in an area where too many other guys are using locator calls and the gobblers have stopped gobbling.  That is possible,...to an extent.  Locators have to be used correctly (loud and abrupt), judiciously (so the gobblers don't get "burned"),...and also under the right conditions and at the right time.

Which brings us to the next point.  Gobblers are most likely to respond to locator calls at first light in the morning, although they can also work at last light in the evening,...and even sometimes during the day (disclaimer: I never use them during the day myself, mainly because I think turkey calling is more effective).  Male turkeys are just more inclined to gobble when they are in the tree at first light in the morning more than any other time of the day.
However, there are places where locator calls are very effective at last light when the birds have gone to roost, as well.

Personally, I always use locator calls as indicated IF I am trying to find gobblers to hunt in an area I am not familiar with or if I am just trying to verify where a gobbler is roosted from a distance.  I have two locators I use: the primary one is a tube call that I can make a very loud gobble on, and the other is a extremely loud crow call.  (another disclaimer: I live where there are no barred owls so I have never used owl calls as a locator).

Another thing:  Using locators in an area where there are a lot of other hunters,...and especially other hunters that are also using locators,...can sometimes cause a lot of anguish with those other folks, as well as be counterproductive.  There are conditions where you are not doing yourself, or others, any favors by relying on locator calls,...even if you are using them properly (which waayyy too many hunters don't).  Again, use them at the right time and in the right places, though, and they can be very effective.

In summary, I repeat:  whatever locator you decide to use, get the loudest one you can find!  Learn to use it at the right time and place,...and you will find gobblers to hunt (and kill) by doing so!

Thank you, sir!! I do very much appreciate your taking the time and effort to educate me. I do mean that!  I hunt private land that`s known to me and have a good idea where the birds are likely to be.The more I think about it, the less certain I am that I actually need one. I`m not much of a run and gun hunter ( always felt like I`m much more likely to bump them moving around ),  love the woods, and can stay in one place and wait them out for hours, if necessary.

[GobbleNut]

Glad to help out, buddy.  I have said this many times before:  Good locator-call use and tactics are an art in themselves, just like turkey calling.  I personally believe too few turkey hunters take advantage of their use and effectiveness in finding and pinpointing gobblers. 

[dzsmith]

Guys, never have used a locator call before. I just let nature do the locating! LOL. Would like to try one this coming season. Don`t know what`s best (hooter or crow or something else ) and what might be a good one ( easy! ). Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

learn to owl hoot with your voice its not that hard, and typically in my opinion more realistic once you get the hang of it. I typically only owl hoot when roosting in the evening. a lot of folks do it in the morning...but lets be honest your best chances of hearing a bird gobble on his own is probably in the morning on the limb to begin with. I would buy a Gibson crow call. very easy to use, very easy to master, and it calls crows up like you wouldn't believe. mid morning and later its probably the most effective locator I have. I do on occasion use hawk and woodpecker calls, but....its rare to yank a gobble from a cold bird with one unless they are already gobbling on there own. I have made it happen though. learn to owl hoot , and buy a Gibson crow call. not a primos, not an hs strut...or anything else...buy a Gibson. buy once cry once

[MK M GOBL]

I have used a number of "blown" calls and then have let mother nature and world around us do the rest. Some do seem more effective during different times of the day, and can say there are birds the I/we would have never killed with out a locator call.

in no particular order... Crow, Owl, Peacock, Woodpecker, Coyote, Elk Bugle, Pheasant, Wood Duck, Goose, Sandhill Crane, Barnyard Rooster, Cow Beller, and of course other turkey call sounds.


MK M GOBL