Do hens make a lot of sounds in the spring where you hunt?

[GobbleNut]

You know I totally agree with all thats said. But I spent several days in blind around an area (pre season) and just listened to all the subtle sounds that turkeys make when feeding and socializing.  At 50 yards my old ears would never hear them....so those days taught me alot about being subtle with my calling. I hunt only 1 small area that private and the rest is public. Overall the hunters that I've encountered on public are way to zealous with their calling. Just my 2 cents.

Good discussion. You hit on one important consideration above...and that is where you are hunting and the circumstances that exist there.  Without question, there are situations that warrant very conservative calling tactics...and conversely, the use of aggressive tactics might well be a negative thing to employ. That is compounded with heavy hunting pressure wherein other hunters are generally using calling tactics, often loud and long, that eventually the turkeys in the area wise up to.

There are also places...usually large tracts with low turkey densities...where it is important to FIND turkeys to hunt before incorporating that low-volume, subtle calling that is typical of what we hear from those undisturbed flocks. If one hunts those kinds of places...which I do a lot...that loud, aggressive calling is quite often a key to getting turkeys that might be a half-mile away or more to let you know they are there...turkeys that a guy would never know existed if he was using the soft, subtle stuff that they would never hear, or have any inclination to respond to. (And of course, falling back into a less-aggressive calling strategy is usually the best option once a gobbler has been struck and an optimal set-up has been contemplated and achieved)

I suppose my point would be that knowing and understanding the circumstances that exist where a guy hunts...and what kind of calling strategy to employ...is an important consideration in choosing how to go about hunting a particular place.

[eggshell]

I had  to chuckle after reading the last few post. I can remember arguments about whether birds become call shy or not. They definitely pick up on it after a few bad experiences. At least that is my opinion. I think they become shy to mouth calls quicker then any other call type. Most are too far on the musical tone side. I been scoffed at before, but I am dug in on this belief. That's why changing up calls on high pressured birds is a good strategy or example of woodsmanship. Doing what it takes to get birds in. Trumpets seem to work better late in the season, and I think that's because so few use them. I carry all mouth calls and maybe one slate until mid season and then I get out the friction calls and a trumpet.

[mountainhunter1]

Most of the time, if you hear a hen really yelping like most hunters do, she is out of sorts about something. Maybe she got separated from the rest of the flock, or maybe she was spooked an bit earlier by a coyote or something, or she could just be agitated by that aggressive hen in camouflage on the next ridge.

Totally agree. But...as a tool in hunting turkeys, the use of loud, aggressive calling, even when it does not seem "natural", has its place. Used in the right circumstances, sometimes being that loud, aggressive, camouflaged hen on the next ridge gets that agitated response one needs...which lets that "camouflaged hen" know there is likely a gobbler over there with her.   

True That! You appear to know those limited times when that is needed. Where I hunt, it appears that many of the hunters think that is 24 hours a day seven days a week. I have wondered at times if folks were amplifying their calling with some electronic device or something. I'm being a bit facetious to say that, but many of the public guys today must think that the gobblers are nearly deaf or something of the sorts. 

[YoungGobbler]

I had  to chuckle after reading the last few post. I can remember arguments about whether birds become call shy or not. They definitely pick up on it after a few bad experiences. At least that is my opinion. I think they become shy to mouth calls quicker then any other call type. Most are too far on the musical tone side. I been scoffed at before, but I am dug in on this belief. That's why changing up calls on high pressured birds is a good strategy or example of woodsmanship. Doing what it takes to get birds in. Trumpets seem to work better late in the season, and I think that's because so few use them. I carry all mouth calls and maybe one slate until mid season and then I get out the friction calls and a trumpet.

I think you're right with the mouth calls.I like how they sound... But I find them very loud. Not sure it's always a good tool to use. I'm not sure that for turkeys they sound really turkey'ish. The other day I was snowshoeing in a place where turkey spend winter and I heard a few yelps and as I stopped and listened, I was like... That really sound like something scraping on a slate...

[YoungGobbler]

Most of the time, if you hear a hen really yelping like most hunters do, she is out of sorts about something. Maybe she got separated from the rest of the flock, or maybe she was spooked an bit earlier by a coyote or something, or she could just be agitated by that aggressive hen in camouflage on the next ridge.

Totally agree. But...as a tool in hunting turkeys, the use of loud, aggressive calling, even when it does not seem "natural", has its place. Used in the right circumstances, sometimes being that loud, aggressive, camouflaged hen on the next ridge gets that agitated response one needs...which lets that "camouflaged hen" know there is likely a gobbler over there with her.   

True That! You appear to know those limited times when that is needed. Where I hunt, it appears that many of the hunters think that is 24 hours a day seven days a week. I have wondered at times if folks were amplifying their calling with some electronic device or something. I'm being a bit facetious to say that, but many of the public guys today must think that the gobblers are nearly deaf or something of the sorts.

I'm gonna make a connection between this thread and Gobble's other thread where you last said that a good Woodman would try to not spook turkeys and I really liked how you said that... I had never really thought about that but that's a good one that I will keep in mind...

[Bowguy]

Me personnaly, the sound I most often hear from hens are bubble cluck, just as day the break, until when they are ready to fly down. and once they're on the floor... It's dead quiet. Honestly, pretty sure I can count on one hand the times I've heard a yelp from a hen (In the spring). Actually, I only have two times that I can think of when I heard a yelp in the spring... To me that's just some food for thought to add to Gobbblenut's thread...

Young gobbler what state are you in you hear that little vocalization? I agree with what many guys said regarding timing of breeding phases, pressure, attracting predators, etc but idk anywhere where you dont have at least some days of yelping.

[Tom007]

In my years in the field, I have heard minimal heavy yelping in the spring. Usually it's later in the season when I call in a lonely hen that I believe has been already bred. She hangs around and is reluctant to leave. I always employ subtle, soft calling unless windy conditions force me to turn it up. My deadliest calls are clucks and purrs, whether on a pushpin, mouth call etc. I have been working with Trumpets, and a tube call, but I have some work to do with these. There are times that aggressive calling is needed, but this is a tactic I only use on dominant hen, hung up gobbler, or pair of gobblers.

[GobbleNut]

I think the number of turkeys hanging out together determines, to a great degree, how much vocalization you are likely to hear from them. It has been my experience that the more turkeys in the group, the more likely they are going to chat with each other...and any one of them might say something that sets off one or more of the others.

This is especially true with turkeys on the roost. Get a big group roosting together, or in close proximity, and they are very likely to be pretty vocal in that timeframe right before they fly down, as well as sometimes after they fly up in the evening.

On the other hand, it seems that the smaller the number of turkeys roosted together, the less likely they are to say a lot to each other. I have experienced a number of encounters where I thought a gobbler (that was gobbling) was by himself on the roost because I heard no other calling only to find out there was a hen or two with him that never made a peep.  That seems to rarely be the case with a large group of birds.

[YoungGobbler]

I think the number of turkeys hanging out together determines, to a great degree, how much vocalization you are likely to hear from them. It has been my experience that the more turkeys in the group, the more likely they are going to chat with each other...and any one of them might say something that sets off one or more of the others.

This is especially true with turkeys on the roost. Get a big group roosting together, or in close proximity, and they are very likely to be pretty vocal in that timeframe right before they fly down, as well as sometimes after they fly up in the evening.

On the other hand, it seems that the smaller the number of turkeys roosted together, the less likely they are to say a lot to each other. I have experienced a number of encounters where I thought a gobbler (that was gobbling) was by himself on the roost because I heard no other calling only to find out there was a hen or two with him that never made a peep.  That seems to rarely be the case with a large group of birds.

I think you're right on this one. It would explain why in the fall (big groups) i hear more yelp then in the spring (small group of 1-2 tom for 3 to 6 hens at most usually).
Another factor could be that , if I'm not mistaken, you're hunting rios and merriams, instead of eastern, isn't it? That could also explain what you're hearing. And I also think that rios and merriams hangs in bigger group than eastern, right?

[YoungGobbler]

Me personnaly, the sound I most often hear from hens are bubble cluck, just as day the break, until when they are ready to fly down. and once they're on the floor... It's dead quiet. Honestly, pretty sure I can count on one hand the times I've heard a yelp from a hen (In the spring). Actually, I only have two times that I can think of when I heard a yelp in the spring... To me that's just some food for thought to add to Gobbblenut's thread...

Young gobbler what state are you in you hear that little vocalization? I agree with what many guys said regarding timing of breeding phases, pressure, attracting predators, etc but idk anywhere where you dont have at least some days of yelping.

I'm actually in Canada, just up north of Maine...

Our season opens in the end of april and I don't know exactly when the breeding period and the nesting period beggin,  but I know that when our season opens, it's usually two weeks at max after complete snow melts. I don't know exactly when turkeys really start breeding and when hens start to lay eggs. What I know is that turkeys usually split from their winter group to their spring group around the very end of march, and the firsts few weeks of april. I could guess that maybe at that splitting time we would hear some yelpings, but after that, it didn't happened to me yet to hear some heavy yelps on a particular morning...

[davisd9]

Depends on the morning.


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[Bowguy]

Me personnaly, the sound I most often hear from hens are bubble cluck, just as day the break, until when they are ready to fly down. and once they're on the floor... It's dead quiet. Honestly, pretty sure I can count on one hand the times I've heard a yelp from a hen (In the spring). Actually, I only have two times that I can think of when I heard a yelp in the spring... To me that's just some food for thought to add to Gobbblenut's thread...

Young gobbler what state are you in you hear that little vocalization? I agree with what many guys said regarding timing of breeding phases, pressure, attracting predators, etc but idk anywhere where you dont have at least some days of yelping.

I'm actually in Canada, just up north of Maine...

Our season opens in the end of april and I don't know exactly when the breeding period and the nesting period beggin,  but I know that when our season opens, it's usually two weeks at max after complete snow melts. I don't know exactly when turkeys really start breeding and when hens start to lay eggs. What I know is that turkeys usually split from their winter group to their spring group around the very end of march, and the firsts few weeks of april. I could guess that maybe at that splitting time we would hear some yelpings, but after that, it didn't happened to me yet to hear some heavy yelps on a particular morning...

If i may? Most of the guys here are not near you. You'll get great info but perhaps not time specific to your region so learn the nesting, breeding, break up, etc. Learn what they eat, where theyll nest as the area changes from seasonality things or farming for instance.
There's almost never a year and it used to really be that way hens didnt yelp crazy many mornings for a bit. Coyotes, bobcats have them quieter lately plus less birds but assume if youre in a learning stage there might be more to uncover.
If you hunt the same areas expand