Hen Talk

[EZ]

Whenever a bunch of "suction call" aficionados get together and start discussing why these type of calls are so effective in the turkey woods, what you generally hear is: "it's something they don't hear" or "it's a different sound".

I had never really given it much of a thought until years ago during one of those discussions, someone (I wish it was me) said, "No, you're wrong....it's something they hear every day!!!" He was right, don't know why none of us had ever thought of it that way. All of us were seasoned woodmen and callers.

All you have to do is think to when a flock of birds comes by very close and are totally content. Besides the near constant purring and pitting contentment calls the hens give those soft little "rain drop" yelps that a human has to be very close to hear, but gobblers can hear them a long ways off. Trumpet, wingbones and cane yelpers mimic those calls to perfection and I believe that's why they so often get turkey's attention when nothing else will.

I ran across this video that shows exactly what I'm talking about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVD1pp--hDY

What do you think?

[silverspur]

Tony, I think your right however, I do think that the turkeys hear a lot of mouth and box calls that are ran way to loud to long. There is a place for the loud calling for sure but the natural tendency is call loud first then soft. When I think soft calling should be done first. I have taken some turkeys on hunts we did together when it started and ended with soft calling as you know especially in the fall. I hear more loud mouth hens in the spring. But soft calling works extremely well there too.

[packmule]

Tony, I think your right however, I do think that the turkeys hear a lot of mouth and box calls that are ran way to loud to long.

x2

Great video Tony, and I totally agree, those are killer turkey sounds.

[bobk]

That's a great video.  After a bunch of years in the woods, I am a firm believer in soft talk in most circumstances.

[EZ]

I think Mr. Billy is a very smart man
[/quote]

I couldn't recall where I hear it, but I believe you may be right. I'll have to get out my DVD of Mr. Billy and the guys at the yelper roundtable at Unicoi. That may have been when he said it. Regardless, I believe it for sure.

[etapia]

I feel like this is especially true for high pressured birds.

[boatpaddle]

Terrific sounds in that video, Tony....Thanks for sharing it...

      I totally agree, that soft sounds are the "real deal" in the turkey woods....Smitty mentioned about calling to much and calling to loud. Which brings up another eye opening point....

      We, the turkey hunters, are the main culprit/cause for calling loud and proud and for calling to much....Think back to when you started hunting turkeys. Did anyone mention to you about calling soft as a beginning turkey hunter? How about not calling loud?

      I'd reason to say, that most of us weren't told either of those mentioned above.....

     If you watch/ watched video's,  they called loud & lots of it.....If you went to a turkey call show, EVERYBODY is calling loud at their booth, due to all the noise of other callers calling. When a buddy shows you his new call from so & so, he rips off some cutting & loud yelping...Watched a video on Youtube lately ?     Usually it's loud calling.....

    My point in all that is.....We were groomed to call loud and often, just by the examples of what we heard or listen to...A new turkey hunter has no choice, but to call loud or to often....He's been programed to do that.....

    Another point, I'd like to mention is that the trumpet or suction calls are the ONLY omni-directional call, we run in the woods....We point that call in the direction of the gobbler & rip a fine sounding array of turkey talk right in his face....More then likely, it was too loud to be directed, directly at the gobbler....It gets quiet & we wonder, what happened....

    A trumpets sounds carry farther then what most people think, they can....Adjust your calling to your surroundings/ IE: spring foilage, wind, &  showers or rain....

    Watch Mark Prudhomme call with his trumpets on Youtube & listen to his volume.....Listen to how much control, he has over the notes and volume of his turkey talk....A fine example of what it should sound like.

     My 2 cents for whatever it's worth.....

     

[Gobbler428]

Terrific sounds in that video, Tony....Thanks for sharing it...

      I totally agree, that soft sounds are the "real deal" in the turkey woods....Smitty mentioned about calling to much and calling to loud. Which brings up another eye opening point....

      We, the turkey hunters, are the main culprit/cause for calling loud and proud and for calling to much....Think back to when you started hunting turkeys. Did anyone mention to you about calling soft as a beginning turkey hunter? How about not calling loud?

      I'd reason to say, that most of us weren't told either of those mentioned above.....

     If you watch/ watched video's,  they called loud & lots of it.....If you went to a turkey call show, EVERYBODY is calling loud at their booth, due to all the noise of other callers calling. When a buddy shows you his new call from so & so, he rips off some cutting & loud yelping...Watched a video on Youtube lately ?     Usually it's loud calling.....

    My point in all that is.....We were groomed to call loud and often, just by the examples of what we heard or listen to...A new turkey hunter has no choice, but to call loud or to often....He's been programed to do that.....

    Another point, I'd like to mention is that the trumpet or suction calls are the ONLY omni-directional call, we run in the woods....We point that call in the direction of the gobbler & rip a fine sounding array of turkey talk right in his face....More then likely, it was too loud to be directed, directly at the gobbler....It gets quiet & we wonder, what happened....

    A trumpets sounds carry farther then what most people think, they can....Adjust your calling to your surroundings/ IE: spring foilage, wind, &  showers or rain....

    Watch Mark Prudhomme call with his trumpets on Youtube & listen to his volume.....Listen to how much control, he has over the notes and volume of his turkey talk....A fine example of what it should sound like.

     My 2 cents for whatever it's worth.....

   

X2 boatpaddle

[Kygobblergetter]

Now I'm in trouble for practicing my soft talk in the kitchen. Thanks guys! All jokes aside that is a really good point.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[packmule]

Terrific sounds in that video, Tony....Thanks for sharing it...

      I totally agree, that soft sounds are the "real deal" in the turkey woods....Smitty mentioned about calling to much and calling to loud. Which brings up another eye opening point....

      We, the turkey hunters, are the main culprit/cause for calling loud and proud and for calling to much....Think back to when you started hunting turkeys. Did anyone mention to you about calling soft as a beginning turkey hunter? How about not calling loud?

      I'd reason to say, that most of us weren't told either of those mentioned above.....

     If you watch/ watched video's,  they called loud & lots of it.....If you went to a turkey call show, EVERYBODY is calling loud at their booth, due to all the noise of other callers calling. When a buddy shows you his new call from so & so, he rips off some cutting & loud yelping...Watched a video on Youtube lately ?     Usually it's loud calling.....

    My point in all that is.....We were groomed to call loud and often, just by the examples of what we heard or listen to...A new turkey hunter has no choice, but to call loud or to often....He's been programed to do that.....

    Another point, I'd like to mention is that the trumpet or suction calls are the ONLY omni-directional call, we run in the woods....We point that call in the direction of the gobbler & rip a fine sounding array of turkey talk right in his face....More then likely, it was too loud to be directed, directly at the gobbler....It gets quiet & we wonder, what happened....

    A trumpets sounds carry farther then what most people think, they can....Adjust your calling to your surroundings/ IE: spring foilage, wind, &  showers or rain....

    Watch Mark Prudhomme call with his trumpets on Youtube & listen to his volume.....Listen to how much control, he has over the notes and volume of his turkey talk....A fine example of what it should sound like.

     My 2 cents for whatever it's worth.....

   

Spot on!

[guesswho]

Great footage and audio.   To piggyback back off of Boatpaddles comments.   A lot of hunters, if not the majority, have heard more people with turkey calls than they have turkeys.   And they tend to mimic what they hear from other hunters/callers more than they do what they hear from live encounters with turkeys.   

[tal]

 Bingo! Yahtzee! Gin! Add the degree of your ability. Almost good enough, pretty good, good enough most days will not work on a lot of birds. As one old timer told me once "If you are sounding EXACTLY like a turkey the worst thing that can happen is he ignores you" (for a variety of reasons).

[EZ]

Great discussion and lots of good points here.
How many have noticed how well hens respond to yelpers?

[packmule]

Last year was my first year hunting yelpers and I've never called in so many hens.  For me the difference was incredible. 

[Greg Massey]

All calls have a place in the turkey woods , it all depends on the mood of the turkey's , soft calling is something that's probably not done enough ... that's why alone with the trumpets , that i think push pins are another tool for soft calling.. IMO