Calling Interaction?

[StruttinGobbler3]

I'm always curious as to how others hunt and the methods they employ, and how they differ from mine. When calling turkeys there are many ways to skin the same cat. So the scenario I lay out for you is this; you strike a gobbler that is on the ground, whether it be mid morning or right after flydown. Let's assume no hens are present and he is alone, and responsive to you. We will also assume we are within 200 yards of this bird. Now after that initial strike, and after another call he answers you again, how will you proceed in talking to this gobbler? Do you answer his every gobble with a yelp or cutt? Play it more conservative, only call to him softly every few minutes? Fire him up with hard cutting and helping to start then shut up on him? I'm curious to see how others would act in this scene. As always, there are many variables in turkey hunting that only experience will tell you, but in this basic scenario what would you do? This should be interesting.


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[fallhnt]

Keep calling

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[Greg Massey]

Keep calling , to let him know I'm the prettiest hen in the woods.  Depends on the type birds you have in the area and how he is responding. Loud , aggressive or soft calling.

[Happy]

If he is 200 yards out, more than likely after his first gobble. I ain't calling and am busy getting closer and finding a good spot to kill him before I crank things back up. That's if terrain and foliage allow it.

[StruttinGobbler3]

I agree with the moving in part. If the foliage and terrain will allow me I'll try to get about a hundred yards from him, maybe even closer in the right situation. I also never go straight toward a bird that has answered me, as we may meet in the middle and scare the crap out of each other. I usually strike an angle to the bird when closing distance. My particular method most of the time, if I strike a bird with my calling; I'll wait a minute or two and call again. If he answers me fairly quickly, I know he's interested. At that point, I will probably give him a short and fast cutt, maybe 3 or 4 notes, maybe a short yelp behind it. If he hammers back I know I'm in business. I'll fire him up red hot with or two sequences of fast cutting and excited yelps. At that point I go silent on him and gauge his response. If he's getting closer, great. I let him come. I may occasionally give a couple clucks, maybe a very soft 3 or 4 note yelp, almost like a tree yelp. I do this very sparingly. When he's crossed that 100 yard line, all calling stops unless I need to cluck and purr to draw him the final few steps. Works for me.


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[LaLongbeard]

Like any question about turkey hunting tactics, a single question might require 10 more to give an answer. Depends on the terrain are your above him on the same level? I'd try to  get closer before a second call, and depends on the Gobbler if he answered right back or was there a delay in his response.
Unless your in a wide open creek bottom you should be able to close the distance at least a hundred.  200 yards is asking a lot of a Gobbler, a lot can happen in 200 yards not all of it good. As stated experience is the best tool you can have. Every single Gobbler is different every single situation is different, your ability to quickly make a plan usually depends on experience level.

[Tom007]

New Jersey pressured birds, He answers twice, I am done. Limited to leaf scratch, cluck on mouth and 90 % time he shows up. Curiosity kills these birds. I do not call much, works for me.. great thread.....

[hotspur]

I'm hunting flatwoods , large oak bottoms , or pine plantation, I won't move, I will take his temperature. I.e. if he'shot , iI probably won't call. If he's cold I will probably fire him up. Except on public land .

[guesswho]

I rarely answer a gobble.   If I answer him I feel like he's waiting on me.  If he answers me I feel he's at least thinking about coming.  I try my best to play it to where he is answering me.  In the scenario you described I'd probably have one aggressive series and then go subtle.  If he's not moving I'll move and try to find a place I think he'll feel save coming to, but yet be in gun range when I finally see him.   

A lot of times I won't even engage the turkey at 200 yards if I'm not where I think he will come to.  In hat case I'm Bobcat'n to to find the killing spot before calling.   But I'll try and use the noise I make waking to my advantage.

[Spitten and drummen]

Fire him up and then a strong case of silence. If he steadily gobbling headed my way , I pour it on him. This is generally speaking though. I have to listen to the bird and let him tell me what he wants.

[randy6471]

 Like others, that's farther than I like to try to call a gobbler, so if possible I would try move up 50-75 yards before I call again. As soon as I've found a good set up I would hit him with a few cutts and a couple yelps. If he gobbles back and has moved toward me, I'll stay at that set up. If he gobbles back, but he hasn't moved in my direction, I'll try to move up another 50 yards or so, then try to work him from that spot.

  One habit that I developed from mistakes made many years ago is to always make sure that I have a good tree picked out for a set up, BEFOE I ever run a call. Doesn't matter if I'm closing the distance on a gobbling bird or just walking/prospecting, I don't want to be scrambling around for a set up when one cuts me off with a gobble and he's just out of sight.

[GobbleNut]

Every single Gobbler is different every single situation is different, your ability to quickly make a plan usually depends on experience level.

Yep,...that pretty much sums it up right there. 

To elaborate a bit,....experienced hunters generally have had enough run-ins with gobblers to interpret their response to calling, evaluate the terrain features, and intuitively alter the calling and movement strategy as needed,...and often do it quickly and decisively. ...Sometimes that includes lots of calling,...and sometimes just a little. 

Having said that, a good deal of the odds of success in any encounter with a gobbler depends on HIS attitude, often based on HIS experience, as well.  There are gobblers that just about anybody can kill doing just about anything,...and there are gobblers that more than likely nobody is going to kill regardless of the strategy used.     

As Forrest said, it's like a box of chocolates.... 

[MK M GOBL]

Do you answer his every gobble with a yelp or cutt?

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Here's one maybe you're not thinking of...

Don't answer him.


So here's been my game after my first couple of years, and yup learned this from turkeys. In essence I have a Gobbler answer me, I do not answer him, in doing this he is/becomes responsive to my calling, if he gobbles and I answer I am (the hen) showing the interest in him and he expects me to come to him (natural/biologically). If he answers me he is showing the interest and comes my way.

So in hunt and I am calling and strike a bird, I hear the gobble and wait (can be a few minutes) and call again, he gobbles again (he is now honoring my calling) I wait again, maybe to see if he gobbles and of course to let him work to me, the more he gobbles he could be attracting a live hen to him. If he again gobbles on his own and is closer I let him work, he's already on the way. I am still calling to him and can get him "worked up" all about taking his "temperature". I was told it is best to play the game and not let the game play you.

Lot's of scenarios that can happen here, ways that this can go but the thing for me is not to answer him. Now a hen is another thing, I'll cut off her calling, overcall her and try to get her p'd at me, hopefully dragging a gobbler along or get one worked up with these hens going all out.


MK M GOBL

[Bearcat1997]

If he has answered me twice, then at the most all I'm going to do is some soft purrs and leaf scratching.

[Marc]

200 yards out and strike up a gobble?

Depends on the terrain, and how fired up the bird is....

If that bird is fired up, I might look for good set-up close by...  Wait 5 minutes and call again...  If the bird cut the distance in half, I stay put, if he is still fired up and not moving, than I am...  If I do not get an answer, then I move as well.

I will say, that if the bird does not answer, and I am looking to make a substantial move, that I do one series of gobbles before moving (I have found that gobbling birds tend to make other birds more apt to gobble), and then one last series of hen yelps...  Very often, I have been surprised by a much closer bird I did not know about, or at least I can make that further bird fire up again.

Yesterday, I was hunting an area in which the terrain prevented me from going to them in any direct manner (steep downhill terrain absolutely covered in poison oak).   They were a bit further than 200 though.

I ended up walking around (and down) towards them...  As I got close to where I wanted to set up, I "walked and talked."  Clucked and quietly yelped, and set up...  Birds came in quick.