Public land calling help

[UtahGobbler]

I just have a question if anyone wants to share I figure this group knows the most from anywhere I've looked.

I hunt public land in Utah and Colorado and so far I've been fairly successful I'm just wondering if there is any advice anyone could give that would set me a part in terms of calls and calling (I know we are all looking for that). It seems every one in the neighborhood has a primos call (no offense to them) that they picked up at cabelas or something. I'm a guy who likes off the wall calls that haven't been heard around here since I'm sure the birds have heard everything the big companies have to offer or see. I've purchased a few different calls from down south and back east I just didn't know what people thoughts were. I'm particularly looking for unique mouth calls and owl hooters. I'm not sure if I'm making much sense but I love to share info and knew this was the spot.  Let me know if anyone has any advice or is in the same boat.

UG aka Bob

[bamagtrdude]

I've hunted a fair amount of public land (Ft. Hood in Texas, Talledega Nat'l Forests in Alabama) and would say that your strategies of hunting would matter more than your calling.  Meaning, if you can hunt during the week, then you're going to have a MAJOR leg-up on the weekend warrior crowd.  Not to cast aspersions here ('cause I'm sure there are some very successful people on here that employ this strategy), but most of my success has come later on in the morning & during mid-day (9am-1pm) vs. first thing in the morning.  By mid-morning, the early morning crowd has gotten fed-up with "CALL SHY BIRDS" (have you heard that around there? and have gone home.  This is great 'cause you can sleep in!    hehehe...

Some of the more successful turkey hunters I know around here (Alabama) hunt more when everybody else is out of the public land woods - no matter what calls they're using.  They find all the high points, use locator calls & cutts/yelps to find the gobbling birds, and then get down to business with success regularly.

If you want to break outside of the Primos box, then I'd say check out Woodhaven's mouth calls & perhaps the new Spur Collector call; here are a few videos I made on YouTube recently:

Red Wasp: http://youtu.be/LimisYr-RP4
Black Wasp: http://youtu.be/NviuE-dMCo0
Spur Collector: http://youtu.be/2FWiNvYjldA

You can order this stuff online.  That Spur Collector might be really good for Rio's & Marriam's - just a hunch since it's a brand new call, but it's got a higher pitch/note to it when you call on it.

Just my $0.02; good luck man!

BGD

[guesswho]

Trumpet, Wingbone ,and or Tube is worth the time investment to learn to use.  But not many take the time.

[UtahGobbler]

Thanks for the info. I just bought a black wasp so we'll see how it goes. Agreed a little pricey so who knows. I bought a red reactor also and will give them a try. I have the benefit of going mid-week so that helps a ton. I'll look into the spur collector also. Thanks for the info and I just subscribed to your channel on YouTube so I look forward to more videos!

Thanks

UG

[alloutdoors]

Trumpet, Wingbone ,and or Tube is worth the time investment to learn to use.  But not many take the time.

Guesswho just gave you the keys to the kingdom.

The thing about turkey calls is that each call type has a rather specific sound. If you pick up 10 box calls they may all sound slightly different, but they will still all sound like box calls. The best (and for that matter the worst) sounding box calls on the planet still have a box call sound. Same goes for every other call type.

There probably isn't a two year old gobbler out there that isn't already very familiar with diaphragm, pot, and box call sounds. The "secret" to suction yelpers, and to some extent tube calls, is that you are dealing with an entirely different type of sound that most turkeys have never heard before.

[old3toe]

  I hunt public land here and there. Early in the season ill drive around some early on in the morning and try to find a bird gobbling on his own. Normally there's people everywhere so i take note where people are parked and then head to town for breakfast. I'll return around 9am and check some places i know the birds will be and areas overlooked that morning. Hardly ever do i jump out and start calling or hitting locator calls. A lot of times ill roll down the windows and just listen for fifteen minutes or so. I carry lots of calls and try different ones off and on. I like to call soft and move around a bit like a hen feeding. when things are quiet and tough to get things going ill use a tube call 90% of the time and all day. I've used tube calls the whole season and tagged out when nothing seemed to be around or answer other calls. Some times they gobble a few times and shut up until i try a different sound and call sometimes on the third or fourth call or sequence. They all seem to be different and want different talk or hardly any at all. I let them tell me what i should do next!!

[turkey_slayer]

All I hear around here is terrible sounding mouth callers so I just try not to sound like them. I can usually tell  if it's a person before they call by the 100th owl hoot

[jakesdad]

Definetly learn a "odd" type of calling(trumpet,tube,etc)I do this at home hunting on private.While I still use pot and box calls,its not hard to tell where the neighbors are when they are hunting.Same sound,same cadence,same amount of time between calls.I dont know how many birds ive called in past or away from them because I sounded different than the same ol' routine.

[UtahGobbler]

Trumpet, Wingbone ,and or Tube is worth the time investment to learn to use.  But not many take the time.

Guesswho just gave you the keys to the kingdom.

The thing about turkey calls is that each call type has a rather specific sound. If you pick up 10 box calls they may all sound slightly different, but they will still all sound like box calls. The best (and for that matter the worst) sounding box calls on the planet still have a box call sound. Same goes for every other call type.

There probably isn't a two year old gobbler out there that isn't already very familiar with diaphragm, pot, and box call sounds. The "secret" to suction yelpers, and to some extent tube calls, is that you are dealing with an entirely different type of sound that most turkeys have never heard before.

I agree with everything I've heard and I'm looking forward on trying my skills at a wingbone this season. Every bird I seem to kill the last few years have been with a different sounding call that most guys don't use (hence back to the primos reference)whether it be a diaphragm or pot. Thanks fior all the great advice and I knew I came to the right spot. If anyone heads west (the real west..Utah) to hunt (I know it's probably not one of the top choices) let me know I'd be glad to assist.

UG

[Gooserbat]

I agree with Guesswho, also add a Jet Slate type call, a scratch box, and a double frame diaphragm to the list. 

[drum817]

Trumpet, Wingbone ,and or Tube is worth the time investment to learn to use.  But not many take the time.

^^^THIS^^^

[turkeyfoot]

Best advice is to call less and be more patient scout more to know where the birds are before season starts hunt those areas with little calling and lot of patience and you'll kill them they may not be as vocal as before season started but they are still there

[bamagtrdude]

Definetly learn a "odd" type of calling(trumpet,tube,etc)I do this at home hunting on private.While I still use pot and box calls,its not hard to tell where the neighbors are when they are hunting.  Same sound,same cadence,same amount of time between calls.I dont know how many birds ive called in past or away from them because I sounded different than the same ol' routine.

  IMO, this is the golden nugget right here; no matter what call (weird, custom, commercial, kinky, etc.), you *have* to sound like a real hen...  I'm not saying I'm a GNC champ in an NWTF competition or anything, but -- most callers I listen to do *exactly* what jakesdad is saying -- "same sound, same cadence, same amount of time" -- and it just doesn't sound like a real hen, to me or to the gobbler...

Just my opinion here, but ...  The guy that really taught me how to call well hunted *MANY* public land properties that were dubbed "Call Shy/Non-Vocal Birds/Can't Kill Any Birds" pieces of land, & I've got a ton of his home-made videos where he's calling them up to him like ordering chicken at your local Chick-Fil-A & blasting them, no problem...  Granted, he's a terrific caller, but I learned right then & there to take a long, hard look at my calling & do whatever it took to sound like a real hen...  Cadence, pauses, inflections, rasp vs. no rasp, going from low-high-low on my cackles, quiet little purrs, etc. massively improved my call-to-gobble & kill rates...

Definitely experiment with different/odd-ball calls, but if a box call is the only thing you can work, find videos on YouTube of real hens & make *real* sure you're getting really, really close to their calling; I think you'll find the investment in THAT well worth the hard work & effort.

Again, just me $0.02...

[bamagtrdude]

Oh ya - one more thing - my buddy that's a great caller - DIE HARD Primos True Double mouth call user! 

[BowBendr]

Whether it's public or private land (they both can be hunted to death), I think the best thing a man can do is make the commitment to sound exactly like a hen turkey that wants to be with other turkeys. Anybody can make sounds on any type of call, but few make the honest effort it takes to sound just like a real turkey on each call they decide to carry. Most folks don't really pay attention to how birds talk to each other as they go thru their daily routine.