math breakdown of overcalling

[barry]

You can definitely call too much.
You can definitely call too little.
You can definitely not kill birds by doing one of those when you should have done the other!

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

If I call 3x to a turkey during an engagement I've called A LOT.

Most of our birds die to 3 calls or less.  A majority of our roost hunts are transacted with 1 call.

I did call a lot to a turkey in New York with hens this season. I bet I called 35x because the hen and I were battling. My buddy missed that bird at 11 steps.

Calling is situational.  But in 90% of situations, you need very little of it if you're tight on the bird and the set-up is correct.

[El Pavo Grande]

I agree it's not an exact science with so many variables existing for each individual turkey.  Understanding when to call and when to be quiet, even if it means only scratching in the leaves, is the key.  I do know as a whole I typically call less than I used to.  Once I gain a gobbler's interest, I want to pressure him to commit by his anxiety of what the hen is doing...why is she not coming or did she leave?  And as mentioned, your set up is very important....don't give the gobbler an advantage.  Unfortunately, even after many years of chasing them, the ocassional "bonehead" decision on set-up choice still occurs, and it irritates me beyond mention.

And GobbleNut pretty well summed it up perfectly.