Putts

[tnanh]

I have always worried about something I do on a trumpet, wingbone, cane or mouth call sounding like a putt to a turkey. Guess really on any call. How much different is their really to a turkeys ear if I start out with a cluck and it accidentally sounds like a putt?

[aclawrence]

I'm not the most qualified to answer but if your mixing in your clucks with other normal turkey sounds like yelps, purrs, etc. I think you'll be ok. Think of the context of all your calls.


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[tnanh]

That's what I was hoping as I always yelp with them but I am not a great caller, maybe just barely ok. I was never able to play a musical instrument either. I have other people cluck and do a wake up call early in the morning with no accompanying yelp and I have not tried it. He always says it sounds like a hen on the limb waking up. I have seen it work but I am leery of doing it myself.

[EZ]

When you give that little staccato note, you generally have your hands cupped around the end. That should keep it from sounding too alarming.
I really would tell you to just keep practicing your control and your soft calling and not worry about it. Making clucks in your calling sequence will not be taken as an alarm putt.

[Gobbler428]

 I am by no means an expert on turkey calling, far from it, but every year one of the things I do to get ready for spring turkey season in listen to Lovett Williams Real Turkey tapes. I believe its on Real Turkey IV that Mr. Williams talks about this subject. He plays real turkeys plain clucking and real turkeys alarm putting and there is a difference, although slight.  According to Mr. Williams, if you plain cluck and it sounds like an alarm putt, don't panic because when turkeys hear an alarm putt, they normally just instantly look for danger and if they don't see anything, go about their normal business. If this happens, he recommends being quite and letting things settle down and then resume calling. I have never had an occasion to test this but it is what I would do if ever presented with this situation.

[MK M GOBL]

I would think it would be hard for you to give a warning putt, in my experience they are at an intensity and rythym that does not fall in the same calling sequence/sound as clucks. Putts seem to be in a very "spaced" timing. Of course that birds walking away is your best teacher.

MK M GOBL

[Sir-diealot]

I am by no means an expert on turkey calling, far from it, but every year one of the things I do to get ready for spring turkey season in listen to Lovett Williams Real Turkey tapes. I believe its on Real Turkey IV that Mr. Williams talks about this subject. He plays real turkeys plain clucking and real turkeys alarm putting and there is a difference, although slight.  According to Mr. Williams, if you plain cluck and it sounds like an alarm putt, don't panic because when turkeys hear an alarm putt, they normally just instantly look for danger and if they don't see anything, go about their normal business. If this happens, he recommends being quite and letting things settle down and then resume calling. I have never had an occasion to test this but it is what I would do if ever presented with this situation.

Great Tapes/CD's I have 3 on CD and intend on getting the other 2 before the season starts.

[Bowguy]

I'm not the most qualified to answer but if your mixing in your clucks with other normal turkey sounds like yelps, purrs, etc. I think you'll be ok. Think of the context of all your calls.


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Correct

[Spitten and drummen]

Turkeys putt all the time. They also make sounds thats almost too difficult to imitate. Now a alarm putt is another story. Soft subtle putts are not detrimental in your calling. Turkeys even make mistakes when calling. If you do this , continue through it and you will be ok. Cadence is key.

[tnanh]

I really do appreciate all the responses. I practice pretty regular. Leave an air call sitting out all the time so I can just pick it up and play it and continue what I was doing. While I have gotten better, my first sequence does not usually sound as good as my second and it concerns me sometimes. I have been hesitant to ask this question for quite some time so thank y 'all.

[Pluffmud]

Like others said, you shouldn't alarm the birds by throwing in an accidental putt here and there. It's the same with calling other game, like ducks. Cadence is the most important thing. Myself, I've heard turkeys throw in putts here and there. It's completely different from an alarm putting sequence. I know because I have busted plenty of birds lol.

[Greg Massey]

Turkeys putt all the time. They also make sounds thats almost too difficult to imitate. Now a alarm putt is another story. Soft subtle putts are not detrimental in your calling. Turkeys even make mistakes when calling. If you do this , continue through it and you will be ok. Cadence is key.

X2

[bbcoach]

I'm not the most qualified to answer but if your mixing in your clucks with other normal turkey sounds like yelps, purrs, etc. I think you'll be ok. Think of the context of all your calls.


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IMO clucks are to be used as a soft, low decibel call.  Hens use soft clucks to transmit their location when they are around other hens.  They can also be used by us on hung up gobblers that are just out of range, in conjunction with purring, to give the gobbler reassurance and contentment.  A putt, to me, is a high decibel, more excited, one or two note call that conveys ALERTNESS to get out of Dodge.  As others have said, Context is the key.  Soft calling breeds reassurance and contentment IMO.  All of us practice that loud yelping, cutting and clucking because it excites us but in the woods most turkeys utilize the softer yelps, clucking and purring.  So as hunters, it is imperative for us to PRACTICE our soft calling more than the excited stuff.  My 2 cents.

[GobbleNut]

I agree that it is best to mix clucking sounds in with yelping.  After 50+ years of this obsession, I admit that I am not certain when an excited cluck becomes a putt for a wild turkey.  I do know for sure that turkeys can tell the difference,...and here's why I think that:

Years ago, I was filming a group of sixteen gobblers that I had called in before the season (I have since come to realize that doing that is not a good idea).  Those birds were grouped up in front of me at about thirty yards, oblivious to anything except for trying to impress each other.

I had quit calling and they had no idea I was around, and after a while (I filmed them for over half an hour), they were just strutting, feeding, and in general, just talking amongst themselves.  They were gobbling, clucking, purring, yelping,...the whole turkey talk gambit.

While I filmed, one of those birds made a clucking noise that, to me, was just like the clucking those turkeys had been doing for thirty minutes. But, when that gobbler made that sound, every single one of those gobblers came to full alert in half a second.  They looked around as if looking for the danger, saw there was none, and immediately went back to doing what they had been doing all along. 

It was a real eye opener for me then,  and I witnessed that same scenario again a few years later with another group of turkeys.  To this day, I still do not know what the difference in the sound was that brought those turkeys to alert,...but I do know that it taught me to never just do single clucking noises without throwing in other turkey sounds. 

Even though us humans might not be able to tell the difference between some clucking sounds and putting, turkeys can certainly tell what that difference is!

[tnanh]

Thanks for all the responses. Very informative responses and I appreciate it.