which is more important ? calling ability or turkey knowledge

[Tom007]

IMO, I think calling ability is realistically around 10%. I put 80% into Woodsman-ship (ie: Set-up, terrain knowledge, knowing where the birds are in their comfort zones, equipment readiness and patience). The last 10% I believe is his willingness to make that "fatal mistake" and commit. We all have the calling ability, it's the 80% Woodsman-ship that I concentrate on that brings me my success. The last 10% I mentioned is not totally under our control, thus a bit of timing and luck helps here....be well

[guesswho]

IMO, I think calling ability is realistically around 10%. I put 80% into Woodsman-ship (ie: Set-up, terrain knowledge.

I tend to agree with this.   But I think the issue is that calling is about 90% of the fun.   I honestly think I could kill just as many turkeys without a call, but it wouldn't be near as much fun, at least for me   And some people, well they like to have fun all the time which can make killing turkeys a little harder to do at times.   

[GobbleNut]

IMO, I think calling ability is realistically around 10%. I put 80% into Woodsman-ship (ie: Set-up, terrain knowledge.

I tend to agree with this.   But I think the issue is that calling is about 90% of the fun.   I honestly think I could kill just as many turkeys without a call, but it wouldn't be near as much fun, at least for me   And some people, well they like to have fun all the time which can make killing turkeys a little harder to do at times.   

  As usual, succinctly stated and right on target.  As blasphemous as it is to admit it here on the premier turkey hunting forum, take away the calling part and turkey hunting would lose a lot of its appeal to this particular fellow.     
...Now, let the backlash and bashing begin....   

[guesswho]

I'm going to have to look up the meaning of a couple words before I decide wether to agree with you or bash you.   But I'm good either way

[Tom007]

IMO, I think calling ability is realistically around 10%. I put 80% into Woodsman-ship (ie: Set-up, terrain knowledge.

I tend to agree with this.   But I think the issue is that calling is about 90% of the fun.   I honestly think I could kill just as many turkeys without a call, but it wouldn't be near as much fun, at least for me   And some people, well they like to have fun all the time which can make killing turkeys a little harder to do at times.   

Amen, without calling, I don't think I would have the Wild Turkey "obsession". Tricking them with the right call is really what it's all about for me.....

[Kygobblergetter]

Knowledge of turkey behavior is definitely more important. Not necessarily on that particular piece of property but more in a sense of what that turkey is likely doing or about to do. I believe I could kill most of my turkeys without a call but I wouldn't have much fun doing it. I pride my self on being an above average caller and I have lots of fun trying to call turkeys in. Being a good caller isn't necessarily all that important but it sure doesn't hurt and it's a lot of fun


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[Turkeyman]

On a scale of 1 to 5 if your woodsmanship is a 5 and your calling ability a 3 you'll be more successful than the other way around.

[EZ]

On a scale of 1 to 5 if your woodsmanship is a 5 and your calling ability a 3 you'll be more successful than the other way around.

100% agree!!!

I'll also state the closer you are to a 5 in both areas, the more efficient turkey killer one will become.

Good calling: meaning sound, inflection and feeling, knowing when and what.....can often change the whole mood.

[callmakerman]

IMO, I think calling ability is realistically around 10%. I put 80% into Woodsman-ship (ie: Set-up, terrain knowledge.

I tend to agree with this.   But I think the issue is that calling is about 90% of the fun.   I honestly think I could kill just as many turkeys without a call, but it wouldn't be near as much fun, at least for me   And some people, well they like to have fun all the time which can make killing turkeys a little harder to do at times.   

I agree with the fun of calling birds in and it gets even better when you made the call. Love hunting others calls as well. Love a fine crafted custom call. That being said I also love the chess match I get to play with mature or hardheaded gobblers. So, knowledge of your areas and your ability to move through those areas to slide in closer to work birds is the key to success. IMO In the end calling is great but we all know of birds that sounded like crap in the woods so you can get away with average calling. Pick a bad set up or go barging through the woods and you will most likely fail in the end. One more point. I've killed a good number of birds. As I get older, I find that I have more fun in how I get to play the game and killing the bird comes somewhere after that if it happens at all. Kill or not I will be happy in the end being able to do it my way.

[Turkeyman]

Along this same line, to me the fun part about turkey hunting isn't killing them...it's carrying on a conversation and fooling them. If turkey hunting were like deer hunting whereas...for the most part...you're just a bushwhacker, the fun portion would be lacking. Granted, you can grunt and snort wheeze a deer but, again, for the most part you're a bushwhacker. I absolutely love being a "conversationalist" with turkeys! And being consistently successful with turkeys requires calling ability, granted, but you have to know what he wants, what he'll tolerate, what to do dependant upon his reaction, etc. That's woodsmanship which comes generally from experience. When you've played this game long enough you don't THINK what to do dependant upon what he does...you just automatically respond. That response can be a particular call, with a particular volume, from a particular location after re-positioning or just plain shutting up.

[Paulmyr]

Listened to a podcast recently, I forget who the guest was. During the podcast the guest relayed a story about how him and a bunch of industry big shots were on a turkey hunt. The night before the hunt these big shots got into this same argument with the guest getting lambasted, I believe by an outdoor writer, because the guest thought calling played a bigger role in killing turkeys.

Any who, the next morn the guest was set up on a roost to hunt with this writer. The Tom gobbled on the roost and the writer asked the guest if was going to call. "Nope" was the guests reply.

The gobbler flew down and gobbled on the ground. The writer asked the guest again if he was going to start calling. The guest said "nope" and replied "you better put some of your woodsmanship on that gobbler as he's fixing to leave on out of here."

[GobbleNut]

Listened to a podcast recently, I forget who the guest was. During the podcast the guest relayed a story about how him and a bunch of industry big shots were on a turkey hunt. The night before the hunt these big shots got into this same argument with the guest getting lambasted, I believe by an outdoor writer, because the guest thought calling played a bigger role in killing turkeys.

Any who, the next morn the guest was set up on a roost to hunt with this writer. The Tom gobbled on the roost and the writer asked the guest if was going to call. "Nope" was the guests reply.

The gobbler flew down and gobbled on the ground. The writer asked the guest again if he was going to start calling. The guest said "nope" and replied "you better put some of your woodsmanship on that gobbler as he's fixing to leave on out of here."

    ...Point made.   

In defense of the "woodsmanship proponents" however, if someone had enough experience with that gobbler to know what he was likely to do when he flew down, they could likely kill him without ever making a peep on a call.  The question then becomes: "Is that what turkey hunting is really about"?  Speaking only for myself here,... NO, it is not... 

[NCL]

I agree with Gobblenut on that calls is a very interregnal important part of hunts. Though this may sound backwards the mistakes are a very important part of the hunt, I seem to remember my mistake while I was hunting better than the kills.

[EZ]

Listened to a podcast recently, I forget who the guest was. During the podcast the guest relayed a story about how him and a bunch of industry big shots were on a turkey hunt. The night before the hunt these big shots got into this same argument with the guest getting lambasted, I believe by an outdoor writer, because the guest thought calling played a bigger role in killing turkeys.

Any who, the next morn the guest was set up on a roost to hunt with this writer. The Tom gobbled on the roost and the writer asked the guest if was going to call. "Nope" was the guests reply.

The gobbler flew down and gobbled on the ground. The writer asked the guest again if he was going to start calling. The guest said "nope" and replied "you better put some of your woodsmanship on that gobbler as he's fixing to leave on out of here."

Ray Eye

[Paulmyr]

Listened to a podcast recently, I forget who the guest was. During the podcast the guest relayed a story about how him and a bunch of industry big shots were on a turkey hunt. The night before the hunt these big shots got into this same argument with the guest getting lambasted, I believe by an outdoor writer, because the guest thought calling played a bigger role in killing turkeys.

Any who, the next morn the guest was set up on a roost to hunt with this writer. The Tom gobbled on the roost and the writer asked the guest if was going to call. "Nope" was the guests reply.

The gobbler flew down and gobbled on the ground. The writer asked the guest again if he was going to start calling. The guest said "nope" and replied "you better put some of your woodsmanship on that gobbler as he's fixing to leave on out of here."

Ray Eye

That's sounds right. Listened to it about a month and half ago.