Calling Question

[skridge]

Im new to turkey hunting and was wondering when you first get into the woods and sit down after day light. How often will you call and what sequences do you use.

[falltoms]

Let him make the first call, then answer him with a soft cluck or tree yelp, assuming he is still on the roost. Its best not to call to much to him in the tree. When he flies down its almost always better to start out calling soft and subtle. You can pick up the tempo later if he is hot

[Marc]

Kind of a loaded question for sure...

The birds are most vocal while on the roost just before they leave...  So assuming you have set up on a bird that is gobbling, as stated above, I might give a couple soft tree yelps, and wait for them to hit the ground before doing a couple more louder yelps and cutts.  Once he responds, I do minimal calling, and no calling at all if it is obvious he is getting closer.

If I am contending with vocal hens, I tend to address the hens...  I cut them off with whatever sequence they are doing...  If she is yelping, I cut her off with a yelp...  If she is cutting, I cut her off again.  Often, this will bring an angry hen into your spread, with an excited tom in tow...

[skridge]

Thanks for the info but what if you havent been able to find any birds on roost and have sat down without hearing any birds? How would you start calling?

[Bowguy]

Great answers

[Bowguy]

Run n gun brother. Get high, walk a ridge, use locator calls and try n talk one in. It's best if he's calling more than you so resist the urge to hear him gobble.,a normal  beginner mistake but try n remember that.
As stated start soft, you can call more aggressive if need to later but you'll kill more by calling less

[Marc]

Thanks for the info but what if you haven't been able to find any birds on roost and have sat down without hearing any birds? How would you start calling?

Give some background on the situation you are hunting...

If you are hunting a large property, I would not stay set up too long in an area where I am not hearing birds...  If I am on a smaller piece of property, there is not a whole lot you can do...

You hunting hills, forests, open fields???  What is the situation you are hunting?  If you are not hearing any gobbling, what makes you think (or know) there are birds in the area?

[skridge]

Thanks for the info but what if you haven't been able to find any birds on roost and have sat down without hearing any birds? How would you start calling?

Give some background on the situation you are hunting...

If you are hunting a large property, I would not stay set up too long in an area where I am not hearing birds...  If I am on a smaller piece of property, there is not a whole lot you can do...

You hunting hills, forests, open fields???  What is the situation you are hunting?  If you are not hearing any gobbling, what makes you think (or know) there are birds in the area?

Ill mostly be hunting public land that is all hills and forrest. The good thing is not many people know about this place so it is not hunted much. I guess the situation im looking for an answer to is if its mid morning and you havent heard any birds all morning would just try locator calls or yelps. Last year i made the beginner mistake of having one answer and getting excited and calling to much. We also had a coon get within 5 feet of us not realizing we were there but thats another story.

[GobbleNut]

Ideally, you want to hear gobbling in the morning so you know there is a gobbler around,....or you should otherwise have a firm idea that there are gobblers around.  If I do not hear a gobbler or know one is there somehow, I am never going to stay in a spot and "blind call",...that is, unless the property is so small that I would be able to hear gobbling anywhere on it from where I was. 

On any property of significant size, you should be moving along rather quickly from first daylight until full sunrise actively searching for a gobbling turkey.  The best way to do that, if there is a good road system in the area, is to drive the roads and stop every half mile or so and blow a locator call and listen for a response,...then, if you don't hear a gobbler, move on to the next spot.  The other option is, if there are no roads in an area, is to walk quickly through the area listening and using the locator call.

Of course, if this is public land and there are other hunters about, you want to be cognizant of where others are hunting and not interfere with them.  But you do, however, want to try to find a gobbling bird, see one (make sure you have binoculars to look for long-distance birds in fields and such), or find a spot with enough sign to indicate that turkeys are there somewhere.

Early morning turkey hunting, in particular, is fundamentally about finding a gobbling bird first.  Spend that first hour or so between when it is first beginning to get light until sun-up trying to find one.  It is all about hearing a gobbler first.

[mgm1955]

The great advice given here should help you get your bird to the gun. Good luck!!