Calling on public land?

[paboxcall]

Most people yelp loudly and often on a walmart box call. That is, when they are not walking around imitating a crow slowly flying around about six feet off the ground.

[owlhoot]

 

Most people yelp loudly and often on a walmart box call. That is, when they are not walking around imitating a crow slowly flying around about six feet off the ground.

right there   

[jblackburn]

In general, I'm more passive on public land, but it's about reading the bird.  The eastern I killed on SE LA public land came in on a string right off the roost to tree yelps and a few clucks.  The public land OK rio came in after some aggressive yelping and cutting.  I think it depends on a lot of factors.

[CMBOSTC]

I use an alternative to walking when I decide to go in deep to avoid other hunters. I have retrofitted and camouflaged a mountain bike to carry gear. I've been doing this for years and it works great depending on access roads and trails. It's pretty silent also.

Chris
Gobble, Gobble... "BOOM"!

[cnette01]

I do hunt public land.  It is a wildlife management area that is comprised of land that was going to be flooded to build a lake, but due to environmental concerns was never flooded.  So there is a pretty good network of roads around the property making it difficult to get away from other hunters.  The birds get call shy pretty quick, so I don't call very often.  Decoys help sometimes and hurt sometimes, but I usually put one or two out.  I have had turkeys run to the decoys when I called, have seen them take their time and stroll over, and I have seen them walk and run away.  I usually try to emulate what the turkeys do with my calling.  When they are vocal, so am I. If they are quiet, I call very little.  Very seldom do the toms come in gobbling like what you see on TV.  Usually, they are quiet.  It usually gets better at the end of the season, because most of the hunters stop going due to the heat, bugs, etc. 

[Cutt]

I only hunt Public, so can't compare my calling, if I was hunting Private. On Public I call as each situation dictates, soft or loud. If anything with Public, I say less of, as not letting the gobbler pinpoint your postion, with too much calling, as to make him search. As with Public, I notice as the Season goes on, they very seldom make that straight to the gun approach. As they will circle to any advantage point, usually siliently, to look, or use a crest in the hill to put up their periscope as they circle. And if your calling any now, they'll more than likely nail you.

A good example on Public, I always keep inmind, One time where I found a walking and talking gobbler headed up a steep hill. I Circled to the top, but he had already made it down the other side. So I stayed on top as their was a logging road leading to the field. On the logging road I did some loud excited yelps and cutts moving towards the field. This calling sequence was not soft and lasted about 20 seconds, then complete silience.

He never did hit my calling, but I knew he was searching, even though he didn't respond I remained silient, where most would have moved on,  bumped him, or contined calling, because he didn't gobble. About 45 min. later I hear a cluck below me as he was using his periscope, he did not walk down the logging road like I anticipated, he crossed it behind me, and got below me. Remaining silent to hear his next move, as I couldn't see him, 10 minutes later, he then gobbles out in the field on the high advantage point to survey the field, as he knew the hen was headed their. Waiting again, no calling, he gobbles closer, no need to call as he eventually walks right down the logging road from the field side, after making a complete 180 degree circle around me looking for my mistake I never made. Too much calling in this situation, he would have nailed me.

[hoyt]

It's been about 40 yrs since I hunted any private land, but I call the same anywhere I hunt. Like many have said let the turkeys determine the way you call.

I pay a lot of attention to how much noise hens are making and try to go by that. Some public land areas hens will make a lot of noise coming off the roost..cackling, cutting, yelping, etc., and some areas like where I hunt now..hardly none coming off the roost. I've never heard a hen cuttin or cackling around here.

Quiet yelps is all I hear and a very few of those due to my hearing.

But, I have killed a gobbler here using nothing but loud, sharp cuttin with mouth call. I heard him after daylight a real long ways off and cutt as loud as I could with the mouth call and he cut me off.

I had to go through new thick country to get to him for about 500 yds and every time he gobbled I came back with a loud cutt and he cut me off every time. Right until I finally convinced him I wasn't walking up the last really steep ridge he was anchored out on and he finally decided to come on down.

[greencop01]

 


      I hunt public land and you gotta scout and pay attention to your set-up. I consider hunters hunting my calling and set-up accordingly, wide tree, good visibility to see a man sized critter sneaking up on me and not letting my desire to seal the deal on a tom cloud up my self preservation. And at times I flushed the tom and walked away to hunt him another day. And often as hard as it is I hunt later in the season. Also hunter etiquette, if a vehicle is parked at my place I'll drive to my alternate. I'm not paranoid but I've had one too many run ins with slobs, I won't argue I just walk away. I don't know about where you hunt but I'm here in the North East and at times it can be frustrating but the good hunts outweigh the bad. As for calling I go on what the tom tells me, I give him what he wants. But soft clucks, directing them behind me and calling like I could care less and gettin my gun up.