Realism / Calling

[NEhomer]

Turkey calling and fly casting are commonly over-rated.

You don't want to squawk or flail but competent is quite adequate for the overwhelming number of cases of success.

[ScottTaulbee]

first and foremost every situation/bird is different....ive killed birds calling soft/loud..calling a lot or calling a little...my expierence is woodsmanship will kill more than calling...so setup to me is a huge part of that...knowing/reading that particular bird or flock as well 1 hunt a few years back i never made a call until I cut loudly and sharp twice to get a gobbler to stop and peekaboo for the shot...was an incredible 30 minutes of tree talk between the flock...but I knew where they landed and loafed the previous day and I got in tight in the dark

Agree, while I was scouting a new farm that I've never been on before yesterday, I listened to the hens roosted around the river until they flew down but never heard a gobble at all. I walked around and found 2 piles of gobbler poop, there was a creek in a bottom, half way up this hill was oaks, then went to pines, and at the top of the ridge was another oak flat. As I was standing there, without ever seeing any sign of a gobbler on that side of the farm, I said to myself, "I'll kill a gobbler here". I went about 1/3 of the way back down and started side hilling it around, I didn't go 60 yards when I thought I heard a gobble and pretty close at that. I owl hooted and he gobbled at maybe 50 or 60 yards up on top of the hill. Without a doubt, had it been season, I could have killed that turkey with a cluck or scratching in the leaves. Realistic calling wouldn't have mattered in that situation


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[GobbleNut]

A couple of things: 
Set-up:  Yes, set-up is important...and knowing where to set up by patterning turkeys can kill you a gobbler...whether you know squat about turkey calling or not.  If that is your bag, that will work. On the other hand (and in my opinion only), skillful calling in terms of realism and applying all the various elements to that will also get you gobblers that will come to you even if you are not in the ideal location.  That is one time when (genuine) realism and knowing what to say and when will make a difference.

Cadence: We speak of cadence in turkey calling a lot. Some folks seem to think that cadence means calling like you are marching to a steady drum beat...couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, there is a "rhythm" to turkey calling, but it ain't to a drum beat...that is, same note spacing, same volume, same tonal quality, etc.  Real live turkeys rarely do that...so don't...   

[Greg Massey]

Sure setup, woodsmanship, scouting and patterning turkeys are a big plus in helping you kill turkeys. The reason for adding realism in your calling is not just to sound like other hunters in the woods, the purpose of the realism is to sound like a real turkey. All turkeys have a vocalization of notes and sounds like a beginning, middle and end note alone with high and low volumes. Reading and understanding Turkey's vocabulary will give you more of an advantage in you being more successful. DO YOU not want to practice with your realism and cadence in your calling, IF NOT then just continue sounding like a hunter, because if a another hunter is adding realism to his calling in my opinion he is sounding more like a REAL HEN.

As others have said in the long run being more REALISTIC will in turn kill you more gobblers, why go into the woods with half of your arsenal of tricks, for myself I want every advantage I can take alone with me in my bag of tricks in other words why limited yourself. AS A LOT US have said we have less turkey to hunt. So I want to AGAIN utilize my arsenal of tricks in / with not sounding like other hunters in the woods and sounding more like a real turkey... SO think about it, do I want to just SOUND LIKE A HUNTER OR DO I WANT TO SOUND LIKE A REAL TURKEY. It's the same using your locator calls you can sound really bad using them or you can sound more realistic in using them. So again I want to take advantage of my arsenal of tricks along with realism, vocalization and cadence while competing with real turkeys and other hunters WHO just don't really care and want to sound like other hunters. MY overall plan is to go into the woods wanting to sound like real turkeys and hopefully be more successful.    Great Post everyone .....

[Happy]

For my 2 cents, the more realistic you sound, the better. That includes knowing when and when not to call. Being a good woodsman is also key. Being able to consistently be on turkeys is just as important. If all three of these skills are upper tier, then the hunter will be more successful than most.

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[Ihuntoldschool]

Never heard a real hen sound fake. They all sound real. 

Loud/soft. The answer is Yes.  Hens call loud. Hens call soft. 

[Marc]

Turkey calling and fly casting are commonly over-rated.

You don't want to squawk or flail but competent is quite adequate for the overwhelming number of cases of success.

Good post...  I do not completely disagree, but...

I fly fish as well...  There are certainly days when fish will take almost any presentation that even vaguely resembles whatever is coming off...  I have also fished spring creeks in which a perfect cast and perfect drift with specific size/color of flies makes a huge difference.  Fishing pressure and water clarity come to play here.

As I mentioned earlier, I have seen turkeys that probably would have come in to someone rubbing two garbage can lids together...  That period of time when the hens first stop using the roosts to sit on the nests, those toms can be particularly vulnerable to just about any sound that possibly resembles a hen....

But...  There are situations with henned up or cautious birds in which good calling and a strategic setup are required to be (more) successful.  There have been times that I felt that my calling has pulled in birds, and there have been times I felt that my mistakes or lack of realism have prevented me from killing killable birds.

I know I have a ways to go on my calling (especially with a diaphragm).  Wish I had more time and access to more productive areas to hunt.  Some/many people enjoy the time in the field, and if they can kill an occasional bird, all the better.  For me, I need some degree of success to enjoy turkey hunting.  Neither approach is right or wrong.

I have a limited amount of time, so I am limited to the knowledge of experience that time in the field allows...  But, I can practice calling to my heart's content.  It is the one aspect of becoming a better hunter that we all have some command of.  I am certainly not as good a caller as I want to be, but I am better than I was even a year ago.

I have limited time in the field (and on the water), so...  I do what I can to be as successful as my own situation allows for...  If I am going on a fishing excursion, I will practice casting for distance and accuracy before a "big trip," and I practice and record my turkey calling (replacing mouth calls that need replacing) before the season...  I have kids, and serve the public, so my patience is continuously being testing.

A couple of things: 
Set-up:  Yes, set-up is important...and knowing where to set up by patterning turkeys can kill you a gobbler...whether you know squat about turkey calling or not.  If that is your bag, that will work. On the other hand (and in my opinion only), skillful calling in terms of realism and applying all the various elements to that will also get you gobblers that will come to you even if you are not in the ideal location.  That is one time when (genuine) realism and knowing what to say and when will make a difference.

Cadence: We speak of cadence in turkey calling a lot. Some folks seem to think that cadence means calling like you are marching to a steady drum beat...couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, there is a "rhythm" to turkey calling, but it ain't to a drum beat...that is, same note spacing, same volume, same tonal quality, etc.  Real live turkeys rarely do that...so don't...   

Well said!

I will only add that while you can set up on turkeys and often more successful kill them without calling at all...  That is not for me.  If I am taking a kid or inexperienced hunter, in which harvesting a bird is a larger consideration, I have and will continue to employ such tactics...  Set up and quietly wait for the birds to show...

But... I do not think I would personally harvest a bird I did not (feel) I call in at this point...  Last season, I was setting up for a longer sit, and without making a call, a bird showed up (while I was getting set up).  He got a pass...  I love shooting a bird that comes in gobbling to my call...  I will not pass a bird that quietly comes in looking for the hen (that is me).  But I will not kill a bird that I did not have a part in fooling (and that is ONLY my personal preference).

I will also add that I love hearing a gobble while turkey hunting, but it is the hens I actually LISTEN to.  The sounds they make, and when and how they make them...  I will admit that new hearing enhancement allowed me to hear turkey sounds I had only heard about last season, and I will attempt to emulate some of these sounds this season.

[tlewis81]

Turkey calling and fly casting are commonly over-rated.

You don't want to squawk or flail but competent is quite adequate for the overwhelming number of cases of success.

Good post...  I do not completely disagree, but...

I fly fish as well...  There are certainly days when fish will take almost any presentation that even vaguely resembles whatever is coming off...  I have also fished spring creeks in which a perfect cast and perfect drift with specific size/color of flies makes a huge difference.  Fishing pressure and water clarity come to play here.

As I mentioned earlier, I have seen turkeys that probably would have come in to someone rubbing two garbage can lids together...  That period of time when the hens first stop using the roosts to sit on the nests, those toms can be particularly vulnerable to just about any sound that possibly resembles a hen....

But...  There are situations with henned up or cautious birds in which good calling and a strategic setup are required to be (more) successful.  There have been times that I felt that my calling has pulled in birds, and there have been times I felt that my mistakes or lack of realism have prevented me from killing killable birds.

I know I have a ways to go on my calling (especially with a diaphragm).  Wish I had more time and access to more productive areas to hunt.  Some/many people enjoy the time in the field, and if they can kill an occasional bird, all the better.  For me, I need some degree of success to enjoy turkey hunting.  Neither approach is right or wrong.

I have a limited amount of time, so I am limited to the knowledge of experience that time in the field allows...  But, I can practice calling to my heart's content.  It is the one aspect of becoming a better hunter that we all have some command of.  I am certainly not as good a caller as I want to be, but I am better than I was even a year ago.

I have limited time in the field (and on the water), so...  I do what I can to be as successful as my own situation allows for...  If I am going on a fishing excursion, I will practice casting for distance and accuracy before a "big trip," and I practice and record my turkey calling (replacing mouth calls that need replacing) before the season...  I have kids, and serve the public, so my patience is continuously being testing.

A couple of things: 
Set-up:  Yes, set-up is important...and knowing where to set up by patterning turkeys can kill you a gobbler...whether you know squat about turkey calling or not.  If that is your bag, that will work. On the other hand (and in my opinion only), skillful calling in terms of realism and applying all the various elements to that will also get you gobblers that will come to you even if you are not in the ideal location.  That is one time when (genuine) realism and knowing what to say and when will make a difference.

Cadence: We speak of cadence in turkey calling a lot. Some folks seem to think that cadence means calling like you are marching to a steady drum beat...couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, there is a "rhythm" to turkey calling, but it ain't to a drum beat...that is, same note spacing, same volume, same tonal quality, etc.  Real live turkeys rarely do that...so don't...   

Well said!

I will only add that while you can set up on turkeys and often more successful kill them without calling at all...  That is not for me.  If I am taking a kid or inexperienced hunter, in which harvesting a bird is a larger consideration, I have and will continue to employ such tactics...  Set up and quietly wait for the birds to show...

But... I do not think I would personally harvest a bird I did not (feel) I call in at this point...  Last season, I was setting up for a longer sit, and without making a call, a bird showed up (while I was getting set up).  He got a pass...  I love shooting a bird that comes in gobbling to my call...  I will not pass a bird that quietly comes in looking for the hen (that is me).  But I will not kill a bird that I did not have a part in fooling (and that is ONLY my personal preference).

I will also add that I love hearing a gobble while turkey hunting, but it is the hens I actually LISTEN to.  The sounds they make, and when and how they make them...  I will admit that new hearing enhancement allowed me to hear turkey sounds I had only heard about last season, and I will attempt to emulate some of these sounds this season.

what enhancement did you acquire

[TrackeySauresRex]

Turkey calling and fly casting are commonly over-rated.

I have seen people look like Frankenstein while casting and catch fish.

[Marc]

what enhancement did you acquire?

Tetra's...  Started a separate thread on that a week or so ago, that is probably still drifting around the forums.

[g8rvet]

Never heard a real hen sound fake. They all sound real. 

Loud/soft. The answer is Yes.  Hens call loud. Hens call soft. 

They don't all sound pretty, but they all sound real. 

[Penguin907]

I think realness is less important when trying to trigger a gobbler with loud noses for location.

[GobbleNut]

I think realness is less important when trying to trigger a gobbler with loud noses for location.

Agree. (although we are getting off track a bit here)
When locating gobblers on the roost in particular, the goal is to try to trigger a shock response...a response that is instinctive in gobblers. Simply stated, that shock response is involuntarily triggered in that instance where a loud, abrupt sound reaches the gobblers ears. In my experience, loudness (and abruptness) of whatever sound is used in the locator call of choice is what triggers that response more than anything else. Some folks swear by realism in locator sound...I personally don't give a hoot (pardon the pun) about realism. For me, it is all about loudness and abruptness. 

A prime example of this phenomenon is the occurrence of thunder at just about any time of day. I can't tell you how many times I have been in a silent woods with no gobbling occurring and suddenly a loud clap of thunder rolls and one or more Toms instantaneously gobbles.  I would be willing to bet there are quite a few folks here on OG that would attest to having that same experience. 

[Wigsplitter]

Cadence and realism are very important in my book! Best teacher is some real turkeys uou call in and get yiu pinned down for an hour while scratching and plodding along doing their thing being turkeys - pay attention to them and repeat as close yo what you  heard as possible!!