Do you call while scouting?

[EZ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJDWhyJZ6B8

Ray Eye hunts private locked down turkeys. If you read his books he goes on and on about the private land he hunts how no one is allowed to go to a downed Gobbler if other turkeys are around no driving roads etc etc.
The perfect example of public vs private difference. Look at all the Florida Gobblers being posted compares to how long it took the Penhoti guys to kill a few. There is no comparison public to private. No reason to call to a turkey if you cant kill him I don't scout when the season is open I hunt.

I realize that. I only posted that to show somewhat a situation that I was talking about. As long as you're not walking through the middle of your hunting area calling and bumping birds and don't see why so many are deathly afraid to use a call to locate turkeys. The turkeys don't know weather you're not a turkey. I listen at daybreak and let the turkeys do their thing, but later in the morning in a new area, when the gobbling stops, I will use a call to try and make turkeys gobble... from a strategic point of course. Not every place I go.

I hunt mostly Pennsylvania Public land so believe me, I know how to hunt heavily pressured turkeys. Been doing so for 35 years and you are correct, it takes woodsmanship.

[Twowithone]

Plain and simple NO. Youll educate the bird by calling and he either comes in and you cant shoot or you move on and he comes in to see nothing and the gobbler knows where the calls came from.     

[Plush]

No reason. There called Gobblers because they gobble do your scouting with your ears. Turkeys also have feet... that leave tracks. If you need a call to scout for turkeys your lacking woodsmanship or an alarm clock.

Pretty accurate honestly. If you need to call you aren't doing enough scouting (which I guess maybe ones busy life might unfortunately cause) or you are really desperate.

If you have the time to get out there really early or really late in a day or even walk the woods for sign there is no reason you should be messing with an actual turkey call. It really just isn't a necessary tactic. If you have exhausted all options and still don't know if turkeys are there...sure, whip out a call if you want. I would book it the opposite direction after doing so though and wouldn't call after getting a response

[EZ]

No reason. There called Gobblers because they gobble do your scouting with your ears. Turkeys also have feet... that leave tracks. If you need a call to scout for turkeys your lacking woodsmanship or an alarm clock.

Pretty accurate honestly. If you need to call you aren't doing enough scouting (which I guess maybe ones busy life might unfortunately cause) or you are really desperate.

If you have the time to get out there really early or really late in a day or even walk the woods for sign there is no reason you should be messing with an actual turkey call. It really just isn't a necessary tactic. If you have exhausted all options and still don't know if turkeys are there...sure, whip out a call if you want. I would book it the opposite direction after doing so though and wouldn't call after getting a response

Not sure if this is directed at me or not, but the question was "do you call while scouting?" I do at times and in the right circumstances, which I tried to describe. That might not be the right thing to do for some hunters and that's great. Everyone has their own ways and methods.

Believe me when I tell you, I would NEVER do anything to make my turkeys harder to hunt. Please don't take the fact that someone may use calling as a locating tool as someone who is not woodswise or a good woodsman.

[Happy]

Quite frankly I would rather go to a high point in a new area and get a gobble out of one that go walking through the woods flushing them right before season but to each their own. I scout new areas yearly. Doesn't mean I am planning on hunting it right away but it never hurts to make sure there is a least some turkeys around. Different people have different methods. I know in the two days of scouting I did this weekend I was within 200 yards of gobblers on the limb. Never called,owl hooted or made a peep in any way. I left before they flew down and went and checked out new areas. I called in exactly 3 locations overlooking some large areas. I  never mad a peep after I got a response and left the area. The point is be smart and plan ahead. No reason to go blundering through the woods getting everything worked up.

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[Plush]

No reason. There called Gobblers because they gobble do your scouting with your ears. Turkeys also have feet... that leave tracks. If you need a call to scout for turkeys your lacking woodsmanship or an alarm clock.

Pretty accurate honestly. If you need to call you aren't doing enough scouting (which I guess maybe ones busy life might unfortunately cause) or you are really desperate.

If you have the time to get out there really early or really late in a day or even walk the woods for sign there is no reason you should be messing with an actual turkey call. It really just isn't a necessary tactic. If you have exhausted all options and still don't know if turkeys are there...sure, whip out a call if you want. I would book it the opposite direction after doing so though and wouldn't call after getting a response

Not sure if this is directed at me or not, but the question was "do you call while scouting?" I do at times and in the right circumstances, which I tried to describe. That might not be the right thing to do for some hunters and that's great. Everyone has their own ways and methods.

Believe me when I tell you, I would NEVER do anything to make my turkeys harder to hunt. Please don't take the fact that someone may use calling as a locating tool as someone who is not woodswise or a good woodsman.

I think there are a lot of stipulations before considering this tactic one would have to take into consideration. I certainly wouldn't do it in a spot I know well and know turkeys are there. I probably would only do it if I had a vast amount of land to cover and going out to each different spot a different morning would just be unreasonable. I could see myself trying this in the area I hunt...but then again it is 150,000 acres.

The thing is if I was going to scout this way, why not just do it when the season is going? Though part of me just wants to try this at a spot I don't have already eye balled just to see if I can find even more potential birds to take down. Did I just talk myself into tryin this?

Let me rephrase:

-If you know of turkeys already - NO
-Small piece of hunting land - NO
-If you are completely lost and can't find any turkeys - Probably Yes...in desperation
-Hunting thousands upon thousands of acres - Maybe a decent idea.

Though I personally do not think it is hard to locate turkeys. Their habitat and favorite spots to be are quite predictable and they scream before coming down every morning(at least the easterns by me). Mine are even nice enough to gobble for a solid 30 minutes after coming down to let you know their routes.

To me this is a last resort tactic or if you are trying to cover A LOT of ground. Though I think one would be better off focusing on a few areas if they can help it. The original poster doesn't really give a situation so really one has no option, but to say absolutely not because in most situation it is not really a good deal.

[eggshell]

I answered no no no and hell no, but I will conceded there are scenarios where I would. On land I know and have had time to walk and scout the answer is no. I think when the OP said "scouting" it was assumed pre-season scouting your hunting area. If it was a blind hunt in a new area and was not hearing anything or did not have a lot of time to walk an area I would do some calling. It may not be the best scenario, but it beats just rolling dice.

[GobbleNut]

My question to the guys that oppose scouting for birds by just walking around looking for turkeys and sign because it will scare them off is this:  Who gets to hunt anymore where there are not folks regularly walking around in their hunting spots?  I suspect there are darn few places in turkey country anymore where the birds don't regularly see or hear people. 

Honestly, I find it hard to imagine that a turkey seeing someone in the woods is going to be negatively impacted by that experience and in any way associate it with hunters.  Personally, every place I have ever hunted there has been plenty of evidence of people being there pretty regularly.

[tomstopper]

My question to the guys that oppose scouting for birds by just walking around looking for turkeys and sign because it will scare them off is this:  Who gets to hunt anymore where there are not folks regularly walking around in their hunting spots?  I suspect there are darn few places in turkey country anymore where the birds don't regularly see or hear people. 

Honestly, I find it hard to imagine that a turkey seeing someone in the woods is going to be negatively impacted by that experience and in any way associate it with hunters.  Personally, every place I have ever hunted there has been plenty of evidence of people being there pretty regularly.

Agree. Where I live, if you hunt public land, they have heard and seen people many times. My experience is that they just adapt and are cautious until things calm down. Now if they have been shot at or injured, that's a different story.

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[eggshell]

I agree on the people thing. I live in the woods and they hear us and our dogs on a daily basis. I have killed three birds within site of the house. It is not uncommon for them to be close to the house gobbling, feeding or whatever. I have a spot out of state that is on a mountain side overlooking a lake and campground. Almost every morning I can hear people talking laughing, people in boats fishing and often I can see them hiking. I have killed multiple birds on this spot. They don't even act like they hear or see the people. yet if you make a wrong move or sound they are gone quick. It is what they perceive as danger not what we think might scare them. Heck i had three gobblers coming out in the field by the house a few years ago and as long as you stayed in the yard close to the house they ignored you even though they were only 200 yards away. If you took one step down the driveway or into the woods heads went up like parascopes.

[g8rvet]

I agree on the people thing. I live in the woods and they hear us and our dogs on a daily basis. I have killed three birds within site of the house. It is not uncommon for them to be close to the house gobbling, feeding or whatever. I have a spot out of state that is on a mountain side overlooking a lake and campground. Almost every morning I can hear people talking laughing, people in boats fishing and often I can see them hiking. I have killed multiple birds on this spot. They don't even act like they hear or see the people. yet if you make a wrong move or sound they are gone quick. It is what they perceive as danger not what we think might scare them. Heck i had three gobblers coming out in the field by the house a few years ago and as long as you stayed in the yard close to the house they ignored you even though they were only 200 yards away. If you took one step down the driveway or into the woods heads went up like parascopes.

Had a bird gobbling his head off not 100 yards from a river with a 60HP 2 stroke on an aluminum boat screaming down the river.  Never bothered the bird in the least.  He hears that on a daily basis. 

[dejake]

Yes, Yes, Yes.  I already know where the birds are, I want to SEE what they are.  If he/they aren't what I'm after, I'll go elsewhere.  I hunt particular birds.

[Marc]

Why not? If you're careful and don't bump birds. I call often when scouting new areas, usually from a vantage point where my calls roll down through an area where I suspect (hope) turkeys to be. It's a great way to locate numbers of bird on larger tracts of land. If it's a small piece of property and you know birds are there, then there's not much use.

I agree with this.

Most of my scouting is done with my young children...  Maybe go fishing or something after.  Early morning scouting trips are tough due to time constraints.

I hunt one property where the birds seem to have different preferences every year, and it is a decent size piece of land.  I take the kids out (about 9 am) and let them call until we get a gobble, then drive off as soon as we do.  Birds are used to vehicles (it is a cattle property that is driven several times per week), and I doubt it hurts anything.

If I am looking at a new property, I certainly want confirmation that there are birds on the property during huntable hours.  I get an answer and immediately stop calling and move on.

If I see birds, I certainly am not going to call at them...  And I definitely would not attempt to call birds in before the season...  But getting birds to respond mid-morning to a locator call has not proven fruitful to me, and getting an answer to a call gives me confidence, and some idea as locations to hunt....

[Manoflaw]

locator calls only for me

[tha bugman]

this brings up a funny memory with my dad.  We were just riding around on a preseason afternoon and I wanted to show him a particular spot. I had a mouthcall that I had recently purchased and I was playing around with it....I look down the ridge and here comes a gobbler and hens coming right to us we crouched down behind a large tree (in street clothes) and let them pass by us. We then drove to another spot and parked to rest a bit, he picked a box call up from the dash and gobbled on it, and a turkey gobbles back just off the road.  His hearing was going down by this point and he said "D@#M son was that a gobble?"