Rios vs Easterns and I need HELP

[TX Aggie]

Need some advice on locating roosted birds – actually, I need some all around advice on hunting Rios. I was introduced to turkey hunting in the east and learned to hunt Easterns in GA. I learned to use the owl hoot with calls that duplicate the great horned owl and it worked flawlessly. I am rather good at it and have used the same knight and hale owl hoot call for years – I still have the same exact call. Is that not what I should be using for hill country birds? Is there a better way to locate birds on the limb than the hoot?

I am form TX and have just recently moved back to the hill country (Austin area & hunting in San Saba county to burnet county) and have been looking forward to hunting Rios for years. I have numerous places to go and many different terrains that I have been hunting this season – food plots to heavy cover / creeks to tanks / pastures to cedars. I even looked forward to showing some of my friends and family members who like to hunt but have never hunted turkeys what I have learned and trying to get them into turkey hunting. I was very successful over in the east – we hunted from Alabama to Georgia and had a blast for over 7 years.

My problem now is I feel like everything I know doesn't apply to Rios. My owl hoot doesn't make them pop in the mornings or evenings, I haven't called in a bird yet with my mouth call/slate or aluminum pot/box ect ect, none of them like my hen decoy, and I am running out of weekends. I may go this year and not even kill a bird.

I sat out in the woods literally all day yesterday. I was on a roosted bird at 5 am (missed that opportunity) – ate lunch sitting on the ground – and left yesterday evening at 9:15 pm. I had birds all around me from 5:45 pm to 9 pm that would not show their face. I had an avian x feeder out and called to gobblers all afternoon and even had a few passing by hens that talked to me but none even showed the slight interest and nothing that got close enough to enjoy the experience. I got on a bird in the morning that I couldn't get him within 50 yards – we had a whole conversation and he loved the aluminator mad man pot – he would cut me off and scream his head off but never come close enough. He was a very nice mature bird that I wanted a shot at oh so desperately.

I guess I am looking to other hill country Rio hunters – what am I doing wrong that works for easterns. I planned on being tagged out and calling in birds for friends and family by now – instead it has been the most frustrating hunting season ever.   


Any help is greatly appreciated - thank you.

[spencerhoosier]

As far as a locator call is concerned, I was in Nebraska and Kansas a few weeks ago and used a coyote call. Seemed like the ticket as it fired them up.

[Gooserbat]

Look for trees and sound like a yote.  I've seen them roost on highlines in western OK so any roosting structure could hold birds, but my first bet would be along the creek bottoms in the bigger trees.

[GobbleNut]

To me, Rios have always seemed less susceptible to straight calling than any of the other subspecies.  I have had less success calling them to the gun than any of the other subspecies. They seem to need more "visual" stimulus than the others.  They also seem to be more habituated to roosting in the same locations day after day, which means that if all else fails, you can usually determine their travel habits to and from the roost sites and hunt them accordingly. 

[TX Aggie]

I thought about the coyote call - I figured that might scare them away - i pictured them thinking - ok there is a yote over there so when I hit the ground I'm going this way (away from me).....

I just didn't know if there were not any great horned owls in my area and since that is what I am sounding like when i'm hooting maybe i was causing them all to shutup and move on once they come off the limb.

To me, Rios have always seemed less susceptible to straight calling than any of the other subspecies.  I have had less success calling them to the gun than any of the other subspecies. They seem to need more "visual" stimulus than the others.  They also seem to be more habituated to roosting in the same locations day after day, which means that if all else fails, you can usually determine their travel habits to and from the roost sites and hunt them accordingly. 

good advice - I will set out my decoy a little better and maybe try a jake - I do know now where 2 roosts are and worst case scenerio I will camp out there until one of us dies....


You don't call to a rio any different than an eastern - do you? I can tell the gobble is very different. These rios seem to have a softer sound that actually sounds like a bird saying gobble than the mature eastern - they have a very harsh loud tahhh tahhh (for lack of better terms)

thank you for the help and advice - I have some disapointed hunters that I have taken with me numerous times this year. I keep telling them something is wrong and i just dont know what it is.

I have only this upcoming weekend to hunt for the rest of the season and I am putting all my eggs in one basket. I am hunting this place in Bertram, TX that has multiple mature birds and 2 roosts that I know of. I busted one off the limb sunday morning BUT I know where he sleeps. 

[jblackburn]

There is a bit of a learning curve with Rios. Never hunted TX, but I have hunted KS and OK quite a bit.  I found that if you can get close, within 200, or better within 100 yards, they will be more likely to come in.  The maddening (and fun) thing about Rios for me is how vocal they are.  They will keep gobbling and gobbling as they get farther away.

I also have had great success later in the season.  When I was hunting KS, I rarely went earlier than mid-May, even killed out during Memorial weekend a couple times.

I think they decoy better than easterns, but I've hand them shy away from them, too. But, most Rio country is pretty open, so they can help a lot.

As far as calls, I don't change much.  They seem to like raspy.

[Gooserbat]

Looks like I'm in the minority, but I've always considered Rio's to be easy compared to Easterns.  I've always found that once the commit to a call it's usually a done deal.  The one thing I've found is a Rio hen is an obnoxious little she devil who will have no qualms about leading her tom away.  I look for single birds.  I've called them from farther than a 1/4 mile.  The one I killed earlier this spring was a 500 yard ordeal.  The best time I've found is 9:00-2:00. 

[jblackburn]

I wouldn't disagree that they are easier, but they are very different.  I've have my butt whipped by Rios, but I think I've had more "suicidal" Rios than easters.  I think it has as much to do with when we find them, there are a lot of them versus only a handful of easterns may be in thousands of acres of seemingly good habitat.

[Mike Honcho]

I agree with Gooserbat, that Rio's seem to be easier to hunt than Easterns...I hunt both all the time and I see Rios do things that 4 hours east of where I hunt Rios an Eastern would never do.  Don't get me wrong they whup me a lot too!

I could have doubled twice recently within 30 minutes on Rio's  but didn't because it is my land and I want to build up the population...OH and I didn't have enough tags!

I live in Kansas and I have never had a Rio or Eastern either one gobble to an owl hoot call.  I hear owls all the time right around the birds and they don't make a sound. 

I have better luck with a crow call for a locator....and I think Rio's shock gobble easier than Easterns.

If you've learned to hunt turkeys back east you are probably a very good turkey hunter...you'll just need a little time to learn the habits of the Rio's in your area. 

Good luck!

[TX Aggie]

Thank you for the help I will be looking for this same gobbler that I busted off the limb sunday morning. I got a really good look at him but I believe he may have hens with him leading the group away from me.

This would the frist time I have had to put up with that. What is the best way to handle hens that are keeping my tom from coming to say hello?

My thoughts were to almost hunt them like deer - just sit in his possible path and hope he comes with in range as he walks by. This would absolutely kill me not to call out to them but if that is what it takes... Should i set a decoy out and would that bring them in closer or push the hens away as they see the decoy? OR should I gobble to them in lieu of the slate & mouth call?

I am hunting with my step dad and cousin (who are both new to turkey hunting) and they are both dying that I am not calling enough. I go back and forth between the aluminum pot and the diaphram and call approx. every 5 minutes or so. I do a 6-9 repetitions give a few seconds and give another 6-9 repetitions and then wait for 5 minutes or so. Is that around about right for you guys as well?

That is how I was taught to call in easterns and it seemed to work for that area. I also would keep pretty quite once we had a bird coming in. I wold give some very short and soft yelps some purrs and maybe a cut or 2 but keep it some what soft and not call so much. Other hunters I am with here in the TX hill country are telling me that once we have a bird comig in and seemingly interested you have to get aggressive and bring him in and not to let up on the calling. That just kind of goes against everything I was taught.

Thank ya'll very much for the advice tips and opinions. I feel like I am learning to turkey hunt all over again here in my own home......

[jblackburn]

I've had them just about gobble themselves off the limb in southern and northern KS at an owl hoot.  Turkeys are weird.

[Jasonb53]

 I tend to think that the problem you are having has been common all over this year,but being from florida and only hunting in texas once I really have no experience with rios
Birds have just seemed weird to me

[Marc]

I have hunting nothing but Rio's, so I have nothing to compare to...

I have found that less is more as far as calling...  If I can get a bird worked up, and then have the patience to shut up, I seem to do much better.  I have found that the toms so frequently gobble like crazy until they start coming in...  For such a vocal bird, they always seem to come in rather quiet...

I have had owl calls, crow calls, goose calls, and  turkey calls all work to get a gobble...  Also had some luck slamming the door of the truck.  A gobble call can work mid-morning as well.

[stinkpickle]

...The one thing I've found is a Rio hen is an obnoxious little she devil who will have no qualms about leading her tom away...

This!^^^  Especially the ones I've hunted in central Texas.  The north Kansas Rios I've hunted seem to be a little more Eastern-like...not much, but different than those in Texas.

[TX Aggie]

Thank you for the help we will see what happens in the morning. The unknown for me will be whether or not to set the decoy hen out. I know the travel path and possible route - I feel confident on this. I plan on sitting in the path way and being quiet (this will be hard to do). BUT I dont want the other hens he is with to see the hen decoy and go in a different direction before they lead him close enough.

Thanks again for the tips and I will give it one more try - I only have this weekend to hunt for the remaining season.

Gig'em!