Turkey Hunting Success?

[n2deer]

Im with guesswho, use the calls that you have confidence in to work the bird and when he gets close you can use a cluck on a mouth call to keep your hands one you gun.

[ncbowhunter]

Thanks again for the continued advice!

[jblackburn]

What are your thoughts on the minimum call proficiency that is needed to kill a gobbler? I am good with a pot & box call, but I just don't have the confidence or the ability needed for a diaphragm call at this time. Do I need this to be successful in the short term? Thanks for your help!

If you can yelp like a a hen on a pot and box you are good to go!  Add a cluck and purr and you will be deadly, if you know when to use all those sounds! 

lots of turkeys have been killed without diaphragm calls, but don't tell that to the outdoor channel hunters!

[Treeninja]

I believe all turkey hunters who use a diaphragm call have a huge advantage over the guys that don't, I've had a gobbler hold up at 60 or so yards, and it took some soft clucks and purrs to get him to commit. Now if I would've been using a pot or box call, I would've never gotten away with the movement that it takes to run the call and get back on the gun to take the shot.

With all that being said, I starting walking around the house and driving to and from work with a call in my mouth. It drives my wife nuts and now that I've taken up waterfowl hunting she's really going crazy, but a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do. Practice practice practice and you'll get it, now that I've learned how to run a diaphragm call thats what I use 90% of the time...

[atoler]

theres been plenty of birds killed with bad calling, no calling, only using boxes, only using pots, etc. The more you have in your arsenal the better off you are to meet anything thrown at you in the turkey woods. I would recommend working with a diaphram for the future, but its not neccessary to kill birds.

I use a mouth call about 95% of the time and can run one well. The last few years I've actually been trying to get back into pots and boxes, simply because no matter how good you sound on any given call, some days they just want to hear something different.

My .02.......get a few quality mouth calls to learn on, If you're trying to learn on most of the crap you find on the shelf at bass pro shops, you aren't gonna get it. try a tom teasers, xt calls, pecker wrecker, southland, woodhaven, etc. I'm also a fan of the new zincs. The call makes all the difference, I can't run any of those crappy hs strut, primos, etc.

[ncbowhunter]

A lot of the responses include knowing when to use what sound and when......I am currently reading Ray Eye's Turkey Bible.......can you guys expand on when is the right time to use a cluck, purr, yelp, etc? Thanks in advance!

[guesswho]

can you guys expand on when is the right time to use a cluck, purr, yelp, etc? Thanks in advance!

Unfortunately that's something that comes with experience from watching and listening to real turkeys react and interact, and can't really be taught.  It will vary day to day, bird to bird depending on several factors.  Example, a cluck can be anything from just a curiosity call, to a I'm here where are you call.  Purrs can be a sign of contentment or a sign of curiosity, and on and on. 

[barry]

If you're worried about using a friction call when a bird is close try using your natural voice to make some soft clucks and yelps, it's easier than you may think

[Neill_Prater]

In my opinion, no. The only "advantage" of mouth calls is not having to use your hands, which, in some situations can be helpful, but, for the most part, once you call the first time, and a gobbler answers, he knows where you are, and there are situations when the best advice is to simply shut up. I am not good with mouth calls, but can fool a turkey. I didn't use them at all for several years, but decided to give them a try again, and have killed several gobblers in the past few years using only diaphragm calls.

Don't worry about being perfect. I had a friend years ago that had false teeth, and sounded, to me, very little like a real turkey, but he called in a really nice bird for me on one occasion, and many more for himself.

Also, I believe that it is possible to overcall some birds, and the fact that it is so easy to call on the diaphragm in your mouth, can, sometimes lead one to do just that.

[Muzzy61]

If you can yelp on a mouth call then practice making very soft yelps, like what we call a "Tree Call" but is really just a contentment sound.  I have been successful using this to close a gobbler the last few yards after putting my pot or box down.  That is about all I use a diaphragm for is hands free soft calling to seal the deal.  Tree call for now and work on a cluck and purr for later and your good to go.

.      Exactly what i do.

[jblackburn]

can you guys expand on when is the right time to use a cluck, purr, yelp, etc? Thanks in advance!

Unfortunately that's something that comes with experience from watching and listening to real turkeys react and interact, and can't really be taught.  It will vary day to day, bird to bird depending on several factors.  Example, a cluck can be anything from just a curiosity call, to a I'm here where are you call.  Purrs can be a sign of contentment or a sign of curiosity, and on and on.

Exactly. It's as much (or more) about rhythm and tone as it is about the "right sound".  It's kind of like when my wife says "That's fine", depending on the tone means whether it is fine or not!

But, I'll do my best to answer the queston.  Most of the time I yelp to say to the gobbler hey, I'm a hen, lets meet up.  I normally use soft clucks and purrs to add realism and sounds of contentment.

Simply changing tone/force of the call can really change its meaning.  Putting a lot of power behind a cluck can turn it into and Putt (alarm call) if the spacing of the notes are far apart or a Cutt if the notes are close.

Plain yelping can turn to excited yelping or and assembly call with changes in cadence, rhythm and/or tone. Putting force behind a purr can turn it into a fighting purr.

[AUDoubleBeard]

Yes don't bring a call your not confident with, my best tactic is to bring your buddy that's good at calling and let him do all the calling its worked out well for me numerous time!   On a serious note I tend to not do that much calling once I can see a bird.

[WickedBama]

You should be fine

[ncbowhunter]

Thanks for the help!