How long to wait between calling?

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

When he commits I shut-up, hopefully the next sound I make is BOOM!!

This^^^

[JohnnieB]

I know one of my mistakes early on was talking to gobblers that were still in the trees. A nfew tree yelps in the dark and thats it until fly down which you can usually hear on a calm morning. I then peak his interest with some yelps and clucks.After his response I go pretty silent unless I can tell he is headed away.

[trackerbucky]

All good answers.  I find that if I want to wait 10 minutes I have to use my watch.  5 minutes will seem like half and hour and if I'm not timing it I'll call way sooner than I think I am.

[Old Gobbler]

Turkeys are animals with  a self preservation instinct built right into them , conditioning {calling/pressure}from other hunters will help re-enforce that natural instinct not to get killed , if a gobbler thinks that a hen{hunter} calling to them sounds very interested in coming all the way to him , he will of course most likely just sit up there on the limb or out in that field and wait for that hot hen that is sounding back to his every gobble - of course there are those gobblers that will throw caution to the wind  and make it to you at break neck speeds, no matter how often or bad a caller the turkey hunter is  , don't we wish there were more agreeable gobblers like this

Books could be written on this subject -Initially , I tend to try and not sound to eager to come his way - If he is sounds like he is not falling for it , and sounds not too fired up , you might have to spice it up with some more aggressive calling and/or try and relocate {undetected} to a more agreeable location  -  When a gobbler gobbles I make it a point not to hen yelp right after , wait a few and hit em' with a realistic yelp - it plays mind games on them

Competition from other hens and proximity to the gobbler will affect calling tactics - also if he is a "problem gobbler" that has a more refined ear and has been educated by constant pressure from other hunters will make things more difficult for you -

Best advice is to call very authentic

[Shotgun]

Old gobbler that is a little different strategy that i will keep in mind this year.

[Brent]

At some point you have to change the game from hunting him to making him hunt you to get the odds in your favor.  Limited calling is a good way to do this.

[redleg06]

There is no hard and fast rule. The only thing that is a constant for me is that if he is coming in, I'll shut up and let him come for the most part.

I'm a big duck hunter too and one of the rules to calling ducks is that you dont call to hear yourself call, if they are coming in then let them come. If they give you reason to think they are losing interest, pick the call back up.

The reason for this is that if they are coming in anyway, the call has served it's purpose for the time being and any extra calling might get him distracted and let him hear something he doesnt like OR hang up and wait for you (the fired up hen) to come to him while he strutts out of range.

[m.blevins]

I call until I get a gobbler really interested and hot, then I shut up the calling and sit silent. When they start closing in I give a few purrs and scratch the leaves to show i'm still there. It has worked wonders for me, they can't stand it when they know you are there and can't find you. I have killed about 6 out of 10 birds with this method.

[NWBama]

If he answers, i tend to shut up and wait.

[Borat]

They are all different.  Some will tolerate an almost constant calling, others might get nervous if they hear you again after his first gobble.  You just have to play it by ear.   I usually base it on how vocal he is. 

Spot on advice. 

[NYGobblergetter]

I agree on calling too much...I used to do that whe I was a newbie because I liked to hear them gobble. Now, just like the others, I like to get them fired up and then shut. While hearing gobbles is nice I'd rather hear a BOOM and feel the heft of a nice longbeard

[contagious]

I try to call very little,you are playing in his house.!!Chances are by the secound gobble he knows where you are within 10 feet.After the secound gobble I will go quite for 15-20 minutes,but as said here before every bird is different.

[joshb311]

I'm a newbie for sure, but my philosophy so far has been to learn at least one thing from every single trip out chasing toms. One lesson I learned from last season is that if you're wondering if you're calling too much then you probably are. Patience is key.

I try to put myself in the position of that gobbler and think what he might be thinking.... which is more appealing in terms of the base animal instinct of immediate reward? A female that never shuts up, or one that justs says what she wants? 

[Mossygoose]

totally depends on the situation

[cahaba]

Simply call no more than you have to. When I was new to the game I hung up more gobblers by calling to loud and to often. Sit back and have patience. If hes headed away from you and you cant catch up to him take note of the route hes going. Of course when you think you got his route figured out he will be where you was the day before.