A cutting question

[RustyBarrels]

What is the all the rage over cutting? Over the past 20 spring seasons, I have never heard the cutting runs you'll hear Champ callers demonstrate. I've only witnessed individual cuts sprinkled in with aggressive purrs whenever I've seen birds fighting. Therefore that's the only scenario I imitate using cuts at all. Anyone else relate?

[coyote1]

I don't relate. I have fired several gobblers with cutting added in with yelps and brought them in to the gun. I have called in a few hens and they cut when they get excited.

[RustyBarrels]

Im sayin that Ive literally never even heard a bird do that in real life.   

[ChesterCopperpot]

Im sayin that Ive literally never even heard a bird do that in real life.   

That's really odd. I've heard piles and piles of them cut. A dominant hen will almost always cut if a subordinate hen (or what appears to be a subordinate hen, i.e. you) gets to talking too much. Also hear them cut a lot once they're on the nest and another bird gets too close. Had one going crazy on me Tuesday. She cut and walked circles around us for an hour. All that said, I don't cut on calls very much unless I'm trying to pull a henned up gobbler and she's cutting, or if it's later in the morning, early afternoon and I'm covering ground trying to strike up a bird.


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[EZ]

Im sayin that Ive literally never even heard a bird do that in real life.   

That's really odd. I've heard piles and piles of them cut.

Absolutely. It's a very excited and effective call. I cut at least some on every hunt. Cutting (in the right situation) can take a gobbler from luke warm to fired up hot!

[Ihuntoldschool]

Hens cut all the time.  Listen to real hens in the Spring of the year you will hear it. 

[vt35mag]

Definitely have heard hens fire up and cut just like the guys do on stage.  It can be an effective calling tool for sure.

[perrytrails]

As Ray Eye says, if you call softly and very little, you'll get the same reaction from the turkeys.

I believe that 100%.

I'm not saying yak yak blow the woods down. If he or she likes it pour it on. Gotta gauge their temperature.
You might have the most exciting hunt of your life.

Cutting is my number one way to strike or pull a gobble out of one.

[CALLM2U]

I hear and use cutting a good bit in the Spring. 

You can fire up a gobbler or pull a feisty hen to you with cutting. 

That being said, keep in mind, the competing callers are compacting a long sequence down to 3 mins or so.  That naturally adds more vocalizations in that what you would normally hear in the woods. 

[bbcoach]

As Ray Eye says, if you call softly and very little, you'll get the same reaction from the turkeys.

I believe that 100%.

I'm not saying yak yak blow the woods down. If he or she likes it pour it on. Gotta gauge their temperature.
You might have the most exciting hunt of your life.

Cutting is my number one way to strike or pull a gobble out of one.

THIS!  Some will say, only call every 15 minutes and do it softly.  I say get after them.  Don't be timid but don't blow the trees down in the woods.  I've killed more gobblers with aggressive cutts and yelps then with timid calling.  I want the gobbler to know, he has a Lady that is READY to party and READY to be Bred.  Don't be afraid to get aggressive!

[tal]

 Birds do cutt. It signals aggression or sexual excitement. Following the thread I'll also give people a chance to take exception. Call shyness is a myth. If turkeys stopped listening to turkeys they would be extinct. They will quickly learn to avoid what ain't good enough. If you are sounding like a turkey (with variations like turkeys) the worst thing that can happen is they ignore you. It's not the Pied Piper's magic flute. They may have company or just not interested at the moment. I often get answering calls from birds that is a "come join us" or "we're over here" but they don't come to you. This does not mean you call loud and long every time you step into the woods. Like so many things with turkeys..... it depends on a hundred different things at any moment.

[EZ]

I hear and use cutting a good bit in the Spring. 

You can fire up a gobbler or pull a feisty hen to you with cutting. 

That being said, keep in mind, the competing callers are compacting a long sequence down to 3 mins or so.  That naturally adds more vocalizations in that what you would normally hear in the woods.

I had a competition cutting to a hen once that was so hard and went on for so long that my tongue could hardly move anymore (mouth call) and my right hand was going numb (pot call).....eventually, there were gobblers gobbling on every hillside for as far as I could hear.

[Greg Massey]

Early morning i avoid cutting at the gobbler, because i don't want the competition of the hen's, but say mid morning i will try to use cutting to my advance. You can possibly get a response from the gobbler, but regardless if he's not seeing what's cutting in this instant real hen, he more than likely will give you a gobble or just walk away without responding all together. It's all about competing with real hen's and reversing the roll of the gobbler coming to you..  Competition calling is just what it is competition calling, you only have so long to compete.

[bigriverbum]

the property i'm hunting this week is thick with hens. have seen a dozen in last 2 mornings

had one cutting like crazy for a few minutes just over the hilltop from us this morning. 2 toms were thinking of coming over the top to us and a deer snorted 30 yards to our left. apparently that set her off.

[turkeyfool]

I've almost got to the point where if I don't shoot one early (which almost never happens), I look at my phone to check the time and can't wait until it approaches 9,930, 10 so I can let it eat. As someone mentioned, I don't really cut early. But at 930 or so I let it eat and it seems to work