Hens Calling Gobblers

[saltysenior]

 Roughly 30yrs X 12 days a year = 360 days in pretty good turkey land.....During that time I probably heard a hen yelping maybe 10 times while hunting....during those days I venture to say I saw a hen or hens close by at least 50% of the times.... is my hearing that bad , or have other hunters experienced the same  



 

[1iagobblergetter]

I would say maybe have it checked out. My hearing isn't great either along with the ringing in my ears,but I hear hens quite often while out hunting. I already know my hearing sucks,but hunting with my son who is 13 yrs old really shows it. He definitely hears the far off calls when I dont.

[howl]

It's you. Hens make lots of noise. Most of it I can't hear from more than 20 yards away.

Getting your hearing checked and your ears cleaned out might be worth a try. I've had my ears cleaned a few times. The first time I kept hearing a noise I couldn't identify while I was walking down the hall from the doctor's office. It was my shirt rustling.

[CALLM2U]

They're definitely vocal in the Spring.  Most are soft calls that you don't hear unless they're fairly close. 

[Uncle Nicky]

I will say that they don't call nearly as much as the guys who are hunting think they do. It's mostly clucks & purrs, but sometimes a bossy old hen makes her precense known.

[Happy]

There is one hen this year behind my house that goes ballistic every time I call to the gobblers off my back deck. I am talking nonstop yelping and cutting for 20 minutes. That is the loudest and most vocal hen I have heard in a long time. Most keep there conversations pretty low key and it would be easy to miss if you aren't either very close or really paying attention. A turkeys hearing is amazing to say the least. Many times I have heard a tom fire up and head to an unseen and unheard hen. I still couldn't hear her but know full well she was calling to him

[saltysenior]

They're definitely vocal in the Spring.  Most are soft calls that you don't hear unless they're fairly close.

  my question mentioned yelping....I heard the soft ciucks, purrs, and putts when they were close...the loudest was the alarm putt just before they left town......the loud yelping that they do in contests and what most hunters do in the woods is what I've heard very little of from a real turkey. 

[silvestris]

The wild birds don't read the news releases.

[lil foot]

Here in Florida I hear a lot of cutting mixed with occasional yelping. soft stuff of course, but more cutting then anything else when there're loud.

[GobbleNut]

I agree with the notion that you would think we would hear more loud yelping from turkeys since we hunters are so inclined to do that when calling to them.  That notion is not necessarily indicative of how we should be calling to them, however.  It's all about turkey behavior and flock dynamics.  Under the right circumstances, turkeys will make a racket,...and some of it can be just like what we hear in contests and from a lot of callers.  In other circumstances, they will be as quiet as the proverbial church mouse. 

A single hen turkey tending her nest in the spring is naturally going to be as inconspicuous as possible.  Put that same hen in the fall woods where she has become separated from her brood or flock and she may go ballistic with her calling.  Back to the spring woods in the early breeding season, a lonely hen turkey is likely to raise a ruckus searching for a gobbler.

Hearing,...or not hearing,... certain turkey sounds while out there pursuing them, should be taken with a grain of salt.   Even though it seems we don't hear it from real turkeys all that often, loud yelping is still one of the most effective ways of locating and then, with moderation, calling in a gobbler.

[Uncle Nicky]

  Even though it seems we don't hear it from real turkeys all that often, loud yelping is still one of the most effective ways of locating and then, with moderation, calling in a gobbler.

Can't say I agree 100%. I liken it it to going to a club or bar....a woman screaming at you from across the dance floor isn't very appealing. Neither is the woman who sits in a corner saying nothing or mumbling to herself. It's the woman making eyes and talking sexy to you that makes you come unglued and take unnecessary chances. 

[SteelerFan]

Yeah... I'm pretty sure we do more talkin' than the average hen. Keep in mind we are also trying to reverse mother nature's plan. Gobblers gobble, and hens go TO THEM. They puff, spit, drum, gobble to attract the ladies.

We are trying to switch it up by convincing Mr. Tom to come look for the hen.

I know I upset this little lady as she came looking for me... lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKexhri7m3M

[GobbleNut]

Your video is a classic example of how a hen turkey will "cutt" and how she will behave when doing so, SteelerFan.  We, as hunters, should take the time to learn to replicate that sound,...as well as the cadence of the call.  Hens will also often add short yelp series when cutting, as well.

For less experienced hunters, when hunting a "silent" woods trying to strike a gobbler, cutting/yelping will often raise a response from a bird.  In some situations, it will pull a dominant hen in a flock to you, as well, and she will often drag the rest of the group, including any gobblers, with her when she comes.  It is a valuable call to learn and have in your calling arsenal.