Switching from a pot call to a mouth call

[Lcmacd 58]

Well put Gobblenut!  This GAME will drive you NUTS most days but when things go your way, it's MAGICAL.  This is why we ALL Love this sport!

Very well put .....

[mspaci]

they do not care when u switch at all

[Notsoyoungturk]

A lot of great information here.  Too many good quotes to list.  As said before, we are working against nature.  We are asking the gobbler to leave the comfort and safety of his strut zone and come to a hen.  Both things go against his nature.  I agree with the silent treatment.  If he is coming your way, let him come.  Don't call in the competition or take a chance on making a call he doesn't like.  Extra calls also give him hope that you may come to him.  He knows where you are and unless presented with a better option, he will eventually come and check things out.  How many times have people awakened from a nap to find a gobbler in their lap.

In the end, you have to read the room.  See what this gobbler wants. 

One trick that has been successful at times for me is a gobbler cluck.  Now, he thinks another gobbler is moving in on the hen.  Then, moving to the situation is part of his nature.  Not a perfect solution but it is another arrow for your quiver.

[YoungGobbler]

A lot of great information here.  Too many good quotes to list.  As said before, we are working against nature.  We are asking the gobbler to leave the comfort and safety of his strut zone and come to a hen.  Both things go against his nature.  I agree with the silent treatment.  If he is coming your way, let him come.  Don't call in the competition or take a chance on making a call he doesn't like.  Extra calls also give him hope that you may come to him.  He knows where you are and unless presented with a better option, he will eventually come and check things out.  How many times have people awakened from a nap to find a gobbler in their lap.

In the end, you have to read the room.  See what this gobbler wants. 

One trick that has been successful at times for me is a gobbler cluck.  Now, he thinks another gobbler is moving in on the hen.  Then, moving to the situation is part of his nature.  Not a perfect solution but it is another arrow for your quiver.

Thanks for your advice Buddy 

[Marc]

Some really, really good advice given...

In general, the more I have hunted, the more I have learned to call as much as necessary, and as little as possible.

Inevitably, birds will slow down and often begin a more nervous approach as they get close to the gun...  At some point they either expect to see that hen, or for her to come to him...  Very often they walk and talk more nervously as they approach gun range with no sign of a hen.

I think like most of us, I like to continue with the strategy or call that is working...  Cause well, it is working.  But once I have a bird I even think is coming, I also have a mouth call in place...

I often start a bird on a friction call that I finish on a mouth call...  Maybe it is a bird that walks behind those rocks or bushes, and I want him to come out the side I can shoot...  Often it is a quiet cluck or purr in response to nervous clucking from a close tom (a.k.a. bubble cluck)...  Sometimes it is to make him pick up his head when he is in range so I can shoot him more easily....

There are probably a few birds I might have killed with more aggressive calling...  But there are a lot more that might have continued to come, if I just would have shut up a bit more.

In the past several years, seems like I kill at least one eating lunch...  Pick a nice spot where I can eat...  Get my lunch laid out, do a serious of calling, and relax and eat...  I have dropped at least one sandwich from an unexpected close gobble...  Last season, I had to switch my sandwich for a shotgun when a bird suddenly and quietly appeared right in front of me in half-strut.

It is a fun game, but the turkeys often seem to break the rules... 

[bbcoach]

I want to pose a question, are we as hunters, too apprehensive, about soft calling birds in that last 100 yards because of confidence?  I for one, have been apprehensive of soft calling birds in because I didn't have confidence in my soft calling.  Last spring I found a mouth call that I am total confident in and will be utilizing the technique more.

[eggshell]

I would say yes bbcoach, we are not confident in soft calling. I get hung up on what I hear and not what the gobbler hears. I know they can hear many times better then us, but I just have a hard time believing it. I also like hearing myself call and it's just an ego thing. I have undoubtedly messed up more birds than I have killed by over calling, but man am I having fun.

[GobbleNut]

I would say yes bbcoach, we are not confident in soft calling. I get hung up on what I hear and not what the gobbler hears. I know they can hear many times better then us, but I just have a hard time believing it. I also like hearing myself call and it's just an ego thing. I have undoubtedly messed up more birds than I have killed by over calling, but man am I having fun.

I want to pose a question, are we as hunters, too apprehensive, about soft calling birds in that last 100 yards because of confidence?  I for one, have been apprehensive of soft calling birds in because I didn't have confidence in my soft calling.
Last spring I found a mouth call that I am total confident in and will be utilizing the technique more.

That is the key...using the right call for those close-in encounters.  From what I can tell by looking at most mouth call designs I see on the market, it seems to me most of them are constructed in a way where they are not conducive to soft calling...at least when used by your "average caller".  The mouth call "fad" in today's hunting world appears to me to be catering to loud, aggressive calling rather than the soft stuff. 

In reality, it is easy to fall for that mind-set when that "average guy" sees the "top-tier" callers using a particular call and wants to emulate that calling.  Unfortunately, "that calling" is often done with a call that, when used by the average guy, is not capable of producing those soft calls for them. When they get into that situation where those soft sounds are needed, they cannot reproduce them on the call they are using because that call is not designed for that to begin with. 

Conversely, the right call design for that "close in" stuff may not produce the more aggressive sounds sometimes needed, as well.  Summary:  if you are a mouth call user, it is not "against the rules" to carry multiple calls that are specifically designed for certain purposes and just switch out when needed and as the circumstances call for.   

[bbcoach]

I find myself agreeing with you more and more Gobblenut.  Up until last spring, I thought I needed to practice more and more and get more proficient with the mouth call I was using but I found out it wasn't the caller, it was the call.  For me, it was about the thickness of the reeds and tension that was the problem not me.  Will I mess up?  Yep, but if I allow him to walk off without trying some soft feeding calls and/or scratching in the leaves, I'm never going to learn a thing.  To me, turkey hunting is ALL about learning from our mistakes, but it may become a Triumph if we have a little more Confidence in ourselves.               

[Canadian]

Lots of good stuff here. Theres this little saying i once heard from im not sure where, that has done me very good, "never interupt your enemy while hes making a mistake."

This has helped me to, as Marc stated earlier, call as much as necessary and as little as possible.

As for the question "it seems unnatural to end a conversation that youve started with an animal". As gobblenut mentioned, its all situational. I will say though, i killed a bird in south florida this year that i 'started' a conversation with. 15 minutes before i shot him, i stopped responding to him. The entire time, i could hear another hunter approaching from the opposite direction with a pot call. As the other hunter called to the gobbler, i responded 1 time to the other caller, but again, not to the gobbler. The gobbler and his hen chose to go in my direction. And the way that hen came in looking, i believe that i fooled them into thinking i was the real deal, as opposed to the other hunters that 'kept having a conversation'. Im not saying this would work every time. However, i listen to turkey audio almost every day, and spend a fair amount of time sitting under or near roost sites, and i dont believe it to be unnatural at all. For all that gobbler knows, she could have gone silent because she already has a boyfriend with her, and maybe hes willing to come attempt at stealing her away?

Regardless of his thought process, or lack thereof (their brain is the size of a walnut) - just as curiosity killed the cat, so i believe curiosity will kill the gobbler.

Sent from my SM-S918W using Tapatalk

[Marc]

I want to pose a question, are we as hunters, too apprehensive, about soft calling birds in that last 100 yards because of confidence?  I for one, have been apprehensive of soft calling birds in because I didn't have confidence in my soft calling.  Last spring I found a mouth call that I am total confident in and will be utilizing the technique more.

I would say yes bbcoach, we are not confident in soft calling. I get hung up on what I hear and not what the gobbler hears. I know they can hear many times better then us, but I just have a hard time believing it. I also like hearing myself call and it's just an ego thing. I have undoubtedly messed up more birds than I have killed by over calling, but man am I having fun.

That is the key...using the right call for those close-in encounters.  From what I can tell by looking at most mouth call designs I see on the market, it seems to me most of them are constructed in a way where they are not conducive to soft calling...at least when used by your "average caller".  The mouth call "fad" in today's hunting world appears to me to be catering to loud, aggressive calling rather than the soft stuff. 

Some great posts!

Most of us like hearing ourselves call, and even more so getting a response from a bird (even when doing so is counterproductive to actually killing the bird we are calling).

My impression on mouth calls is, that I will not put one in on a bird I am working, unless I am familiar enough with, and capable of making some "softer sounds."  Lots of calls either stay in the drawer at home, or go in the garbage, cause I, me cannot make the sounds I want with them.

I have in recent years, been able to watch and call birds I cannot hunt from longer distances...  Looking at birds I can barely see with binoculars and watching their body positions change (sometimes going in and out of half-strut) at long-distance subtle calling...  Often changing direction towards me...  I have been amazed at the distances these birds can sometimes apparently hear even the most quiet of calling!

And...  It is also my observation when considering an "interested bird," that more often, it is the quiet birds that start moving towards my direction, and the bird that gobbles stays put...  Yet...  Even after these observations, I still get nervous and anxious when a vocal bird goes quiet.  I WANT to hear him gobble, and I want to MAKE him gobble...  As I have aged, I have developed the ability to stay quiet for longer, and let things unfold more and more often.

I do believe that practice with a mouth call is important...  And being able to position that call in your mouth without thinking, to quickly make the sounds you desire to make.  Me...  I have to reposition a call to go from high-end to low-end.  I want a call in my mouth that I intuitively know where to position and how to make the sounds I want...

Too many

[Tom007]

My routine of calling is pretty simple. I'll use friction calls to start, ie; Box, pot, pushpin etc. I've added trumpets and wing bones in as of late. Once I get him to engage and I know he's coming, I'll stick to what fired him up. Here's my rule of thumb: "Once I see him", I switch to my mouth call, no more movement. On occasion I'll hit my push-pin that is laying at my side on ground to keep him coming. I've been using a mouth call since the 80's, so I am confident with it. Never had this "switch" stop a bird from coming to the gun. I can say that the mouth call is my "finisher". Great posts here....

[Marc]

I want to pose a question, are we as hunters, too apprehensive, about soft calling birds in that last 100 yards because of confidence?  I for one, have been apprehensive of soft calling birds in because I didn't have confidence in my soft calling.  Last spring I found a mouth call that I am total confident in and will be utilizing the technique more.

Another comment on confidence and soft calling "closer" birds...

I find it is easier to make a soft cluck or turkey sound, than to properly produce a good loud yelp on a mouth call.

I do NOT like calling at birds within 100 yards that I can see.  They can pinpoint sound exceptionally well, and I feel he is likely to pinpoint me.  If I can see him, he can generally see me, especially if I pinpoint my location by calling to him.

If a bird at 100 yards is walking my direction, I remain still and quiet...  If he starts going the wrong direction, I wait until he is behind some sort of physical visual barrier, and give a pur or cluck, or chirp.  If he does not veer off, I wait until he is in good gun range and do the deed...

That bird that is coming, and veers off, will often circle around and come in from behind...  If he veers off and goes above me to the right, I will turn around...  Might come in high/right, or high left.

[Paulmyr]

I want to pose a question, are we as hunters, too apprehensive, about soft calling birds in that last 100 yards because of confidence?  I for one, have been apprehensive of soft calling birds in because I didn't have confidence in my soft calling.  Last spring I found a mouth call that I am total confident in and will be utilizing the technique more.

It's definitely not a confidence issue for me. I'm definitely confidant I suck at soft purrs and whines so I just don't use them. I'll use soft yelps if needed. Or leave scratching if the cover/ terrain is in my favor.

I'm getting better but have never had a gobbler come in and go away from a lack of soft calling. Bad set ups and hens stealing them away is a different story.

[RustyBarrels]

I've been doing the friction to mouth call regimen since I was a teen. If I get a response, it instantly goes back in the pouch and the diaphram comes out. 
Next step is to make sure my gun is ready for duty, I'm in a comfy shooting position, and I have a good stick or wing for scratching the leaves.  Make the transition to sound like a hen who's just out with the girls and indifferent to the Tom's intentions. Soft cluck and purr, scratching, low and sweet 3 note yelps: it's magic.
Actually, may not be too magic, because it's actually realistic.
So much so, he'll never notice you switched calls.