Calling

[Aaron7155]

I'm curious about calling I'm from the moutains of nc I have hunted for 3-4 years with no luck seasons soon so I bought a loftis chatterbox and I have no idea if I'm doing it right what to look for I'm a self taught (or not taught) turkey hunter and deer hunter I'm looking for any and all help I've looked over countless videos online and I know 1 other turkey hunter that says my calling is good how often do you call what calls do you recommend anything will help I apologize if this is already asked but I tried to look thank you and god bless

[ChesterCopperpot]

Whereabouts in the mountains?


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[GobbleNut]

I've looked over countless videos online and I know 1 other turkey hunter that says my calling is good how often do you call what calls do you recommend anything will help I apologize if this is already asked but I tried to look thank you and god bless

If you have looked at videos and other sources, you should have by now seen the commonalities used in turkey calling.  If you think you can make the basic calls,...yelps, clucks, cutts, purrs...that sound reasonably like what you hear on videos, then your calling probably has nothing to do with your lack of success. 

It is more likely a result of when you are calling, what you are saying, and where you are saying it from.  With today's turkey calls available, calling is the easy part.  Learning the when, what, where, and why to call is the much more difficult task,....and that very often results from trial and error and time spent in the turkey woods.   

You really have two choices from my perspective.  One of those is to find someone to hunt with that has the experience to show you the ropes,...and tell you why he is using those "ropes".  The other is to keep doin' what you are doin' until you figure it out for yourself. 

I can tell you that from my own turkey hunting history of going through the latter myself,...and taking a bunch of other folks by the hand and teaching them afterwards,...that the first choice will shorten your learning curve  by a whole lot. 

[Aaron7155]

Thank y'all for the quick reply unfortunately I have very few if any experienced turkey hunters I know I have an owl call and have done some scouting haven't started this year yet it seems every year I'm getting closer and near Asheville sir

[captfire]

go to you tube look up Jason cruz i got a lot from him i put his hunting in to the way i hunt it has helped me a lot. when i started turkey hunting i did.nt know crap but hang in their and learn from your mistakes and u will get in game .....

[Aaron7155]

Will do I watch a lot of hunting shows as I love to deer hunt but the first time I herd a turkey drum was one of the most memorable moment I've had in the field I went to a local call maker today and showed him what I was doing with my push pin (chatterbox) I read the instructions I honestly love the call sounds better then the Walmart stuff and he said I was doing great so I'm hoping this year will be the year what are y'all tactics from locating to scouting any help will go along way for me thank you all for your time

[silvestris]

Engage him in conversation and then shut up and be still.  A blind hog will find a acorn and then like magic he will then begin to find more.

[davisd9]

"A turkey hen speaks when she needs to speak, and says what she needs to say, when she needs to say it. So every word a turkey speaks is for a reason." - Rev Zach Farmer from "The Reverend" NWTF Film

[ChesterCopperpot]

Thank y'all for the quick reply unfortunately I have very few if any experienced turkey hunters I know I have an owl call and have done some scouting haven't started this year yet it seems every year I'm getting closer and near Asheville sir

I think Matt Dale of Dale Outdoors on YouTube does a fine job of covering different scenarios, different personalities of birds, different set-ups etc. for beginners and every year I find myself going back and watching a few of his shows. Go look at his channel and search through the different topics and watch the ones you have questions about. Reason I asked whereabouts in the mountains, I'm about an hour and a half farther west than Asheville but I hunt that direction every once in awhile. Might be able to get up with you later in the season if you still haven't had any success.


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[Bowguy]

One thing I always say is it's better to view calling as persuasion. Yes sometimes blind calling big areas works but you're odds go way up if you're in an area birds frequent and make your sounds. Your odds automatically rise.  Listen to everything else everyone said I just wanted to add that. Can't call turkeys that aren't there or ones that can't get to you because of some obstruction. Least most times

[Greg Massey]

I will add, if turkey hunting is passion of your, then keep on practicing with your calls, scouting and keep trying. Most all of us weren't successful until we had couple seasons of turkey hunting under our belt. Take your cell phone and record yourself and play it back, learn to play proper cadence with your calls. As a turkey hunter as you become more experienced in what the turkey is telling you, sometimes within few gobbles you can tell if your going to kill that turkey or not. Patience plays a big part of turkey hunting. More turkeys are killed between 7:30 in the morning until mid day say 2:00 clock or so. Gobbler are communicating among themselves all year long. The pecking order is a yearly ritual and is challenged all the time. Good Luck..

[Aaron7155]

Thank you to everyone that has responded and I will be glad to take you up on your offer copperpot I do love to turkey hunt I will watch the videos you all suggested and am looking more for this season then any before what I usually do is hunt game land so there's a lot of competition but there's a long logging road in there I usually go early morning with an owl call and try locating from the logging road I'm sure a lot of others do to but I try to push as far in as I can and hunt all day and there are periodic fields threw out the logging road I've seen turkeys in when I walk the road I have herd turkeys like the field in the rain I have decoys a Tom fanned out and a hen I haven't had the chance to get a jake yet but I always like the run and gun method but whatever works works lol

[Aaron7155]

Another question I had is who makes a good owl call? I usually use a old tube looking one (beat up so has no name on it) and it sounds decent I know the hoot hoot for me hoot hoot for you I believe is how you do it but I need a lot of practice and want a quality one I can use for years

[Aaron7155]

I herd the Lynch Barred Owl Hooter was pretty easy and good for a beginner anyone ever use it?

[GobbleNut]

Heard a podcast that stated turkey's shock gobble at noises because they are in the same frequency as a gobble.

I hadn't ever heard this, but from my own personal experiences with "studying" the phenomenon of gobbling turkeys, I would have to say with some level of confidence that frequency of the sound has little, if anything, to do with shock gobbling. 

Gobblers will shock gobble to just about any noise.  The commonality I have seen is the LOUDNESS of the sound.    Whatever the sound used is, it has to trigger that INVOLUNTARY gobbling response from a gobbler. My advice is to not worry about anything other than making a really loud, abrupt noise.  That initial, loud sound that hits the gobbler's ears is what triggers TRUE shock gobbling.   

The above is the "simplified" version.  There are definitely nuances involved with using locator calls that have to be understood, as well.  I have talked about those in prior posts,...may try to dig them up and post again.