How early is too early for locator calls

[opster246]

My oldest son passed his hunter safety class tonight and we are going out on his first turkey hunt in the morning.  We are hunting public land and have a couple different spots we could try.  How early would a barred owl call get a gobbler to sound off.  I'm thinking the best spot is not the closest, with 2nd choice being a bit closer to home.  I'd like to try a locator call at the #2 chioce before passing it up and see if any birds gobble, but being on public land, I want to be early.  We are praying for an early tom so we can be home in time for church - if not we'll have plenty of time to reflect on Easter in the pop-up!

Thanks for the help!

[glennz]

Id say an hour

[jellybusta]

Owls are a natural sound in the woods so i don't think you gotta worry about spooking the birds if you go that way, It cant hurt to try one might gobble really early, but if I know where im hunting I usually try to locate birds starting when I hear the first crows call in the morning and 9 times out of ten thats when you can get the first gobbles

[chatterbox]

Owls are a natural sound in the woods so i don't think you gotta worry about spooking the birds if you go that way, It cant hurt to try one might gobble really early, but if I know where im hunting I usually try to locate birds starting when I hear the first crows call in the morning and 9 times out of ten thats when you can get the first gobbles

This. In my experience, crows at first light will get them to gobble more than anything.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

You need to be doing more scouting in the mornings on a regular basis instead of relying on a locator call the evening before a hunt.

Goodluck.

[opster246]

Thanks for the help. 

I get the scouting idea, but the public land is over 100 miles away and takes 2 hours to get there.  @ $4/gal for gas - I was only able to make 1 scouting trip and checked 3 areas.  It was later in the day before I made it to some of the spots.

As we pulled into the #1 choice and started the 500 yard walk, another youth hunter and his dad were dropped off where we were going to cut in and beat us by about 2 minutes (after a 2 hour drive).  We turned around and headed back to the #2 spot and heard them on the roost, but they went the other way after flydown. Good time out though!!

[Siwash]

Thanks for the help. 

I get the scouting idea, but the public land is over 100 miles away and takes 2 hours to get there.  @ $4/gal for gas - I was only able to make 1 scouting trip and checked 3 areas.  It was later in the day before I made it to some of the spots.

As we pulled into the #1 choice and started the 500 yard walk, another youth hunter and his dad were dropped off where we were going to cut in and beat us by about 2 minutes (after a 2 hour drive).  We turned around and headed back to the #2 spot and heard them on the roost, but they went the other way after flydown. Good time out though!!

Wow, that's a long way to drive for turkey.. nothing closer?

[Trevor2]

Thanks for the help. 

I get the scouting idea, but the public land is over 100 miles away and takes 2 hours to get there.  @ $4/gal for gas - I was only able to make 1 scouting trip and checked 3 areas.  It was later in the day before I made it to some of the spots.

As we pulled into the #1 choice and started the 500 yard walk, another youth hunter and his dad were dropped off where we were going to cut in and beat us by about 2 minutes (after a 2 hour drive).  We turned around and headed back to the #2 spot and heard them on the roost, but they went the other way after flydown. Good time out though!!

Wow, that's a long way to drive for turkey.. nothing closer?

"For Turkey"? You say that as if they aint worth it lol is there any other animal out there lmao jk

[opster246]

Sure is a long way, but the public land in IL. mostly requires a site specific permit which required an application back in Dec.  This was the only option we had for public land that I knew of in such short time- unless someone has some private land they would be willing to let my son hunt closer to home!!

[hotrod49er]

Leave the locators in vest before daylight. And if you have not bought 1 save your money. There are plenty of owls and crows out there to get them to sound off. just my opinion

[vtmchunter]

Leave the locators in vest before daylight. And if you have not bought 1 save your money. There are plenty of owls and crows out there to get them to sound off. just my opinion

I agree!  I used to tote around crow and owl calls, and I have made a turkey gobble with a crow call; however, I give turkeys more credit than they are due.  I think they key in on someone by myself that is tempted to call too much with owl/crow calls and are spooked more than shocked to gobble.  Now, I just leave the locators at home and take a bigger variety of turkey calls.

[eaglea1]

X2, but I really like thunder off in the distance. That gets em talkin

[gunnerj]

You really can't be too early. A couple of years ago, I had a coon fight in the woods I was set up in and the toms were firing off gobbles and hour before daylight. Locaters only get occasional gobbles. I rarely have them work. The toms will go off naturally more consistantly. 

[fsu33952]

I have roosted turkeys in the evening and then went back in the next morning early to make sure that I was the first hunter in the woods. I would hear them gobble way early. Like an hour and a half before first sign of daylight. I remember when I was a kid, after hearing one gobble at 330am after an owl hooted right on top of him that I had never heard a turkey gobble that early. He told me it was because I had never been in the woods that early before. Made sense to me. I come from a family of die hard coon hunters that claim to hear them gobble at all hours of the night.

[TauntoHawk]

A coyote will get them hammering in the middle of the night or wee hours of the morning I know that.. I really dont use locator calls first thing in the morning unless it gets to 6:30 and I haven't heard a single gobble or hen sound yet and by then im off to a pretty bad morning.

I have roosted turkeys in the evening and then went back in the next morning early to make sure that I was the first hunter in the woods. I would hear them gobble way early. Like an hour and a half before first sign of daylight. I remember when I was a kid, after hearing one gobble at 330am after an owl hooted right on top of him that I had never heard a turkey gobble that early. He told me it was because I had never been in the woods that early before. Made sense to me. I come from a family of die hard coon hunters that claim to hear them gobble at all hours of the night.