Turkey Hearing Frequencies

[CrankyTom]

You are right I am looking at the numbers not the chart.  I'm going to have to find the whole study in my tablet and read exactly how the numbers/chart were made or calculated. 

[CrankyTom]

 Data for the audiogram figure in Appendix B give the lowest intensity heard (best intensity),
the frequency at which hearing is best (best frequency),
the bandwidth of the audiogram 30 dB above the best frequency/lowest intensity,
the low and high frequency limits of hearing,
and the midfrequency of the audiogram (the midpoint between the low and high frequency limits of hearing on a log scale).

[GobbleNut]

Very interesting discussion going on here for the "hi-tech" guys.  Here's a question for all of the "low-tech" turkey hunters like me out there that are reading this thread.  How many of you are going to change your calls or calling habits based on the information presented?  More directly, how many of you have now concluded that the reason you may not be calling in a certain gobbler is because they cannot hear your calls? 

Here's my low-tech thoughts on the matter.  I use calls every spring that, to my ears, sound like turkeys.  Every spring, I use those calls to communicate with an assortment of gobblers.  Some of them respond enthusiastically to my calling,...and some of them don't.  At no time in the past have I assumed that the reason any of those non-responsive gobblers have not responded to my calling because they could not hear it.  I have always assumed that, if one gobbler could hear it and gobble to the call, that there was a pretty high probability that any other gobbler I tried that call on could hear it. 

Now, I could understand the "out of their hearing range" theory if I used a call that I judged to be questionable in terms of it making "turkey sounds", and especially if I never ever got a response from a turkey when using that call.  However, I have never had that experience,...mostly because I don't use calls like that because I have no confidence in their sound. 

Here I will qualify this post with this statement:  I most certainly believe that there are certain tonal/pitch qualities that will bring more responses from gobblers overall.  But in my experience, even that can vary from gobbler to gobbler.  The trick is to determine what sound a particular gobbler wants to hear.  In my opinion, whether or not a gobbler can even hear the sound I am using is not, and never has been, a factor.

...The End,...from a "low-tech" turkey hunter   

[CrankyTom]

Very interesting discussion going on here for the "hi-tech" guys.  Here's a question for all of the "low-tech" turkey hunters like me out there that are reading this thread.  How many of you are going to change your calls or calling habits based on the information presented?  More directly, how many of you have now concluded that the reason you may not be calling in a certain gobbler is because they cannot hear your calls? 

Here's my low-tech thoughts on the matter.  I use calls every spring that, to my ears, sound like turkeys.  Every spring, I use those calls to communicate with an assortment of gobblers.  Some of them respond enthusiastically to my calling,...and some of them don't.  At no time in the past have I assumed that the reason any of those non-responsive gobblers have not responded to my calling because they could not hear it.  I have always assumed that, if one gobbler could hear it and gobble to the call, that there was a pretty high probability that any other gobbler I tried that call on could hear it. 

Now, I could understand the "out of their hearing range" theory if I used a call that I judged to be questionable in terms of it making "turkey sounds", and especially if I never ever got a response from a turkey when using that call.  However, I have never had that experience,...mostly because I don't use calls like that because I have no confidence in their sound. 

Here I will qualify this post with this statement:  I most certainly believe that there are certain tonal/pitch qualities that will bring more responses from gobblers overall.  But in my experience, even that can vary from gobbler to gobbler.  The trick is to determine what sound a particular gobbler wants to hear.  In my opinion, whether or not a gobbler can even hear the sound I am using is not, and never has been, a factor.

...The End,...from a "low-tech" turkey hunter 

Even a high 15,000 Hz screaming aluminum will have some sounds below the hearing threshold that the birds will hear.  It's not like they hear nothing but what you hear and what they hear is different.  You think it sounds like a turkey because that's what you hear. What they hear is below the threshold and sounds a whole lot different.

Just because your call makes a Tom gobble/respond doesn't mean it's a call worth using.  It might only be as good as a owl, crow, coyote, peacock, duck or goose call or as good as beating a stick against a tree or slamming a door.  They all make toms gobble too but you aren't going to use any of them to call in a gobbler. 

Get the free audio program called Audacity.  Record your high frequency call.  Put the recording into Audacity and remove all frequencies below 290 hz and above 5250 hz and play the sound file.  Its not going to sound the same.  It certainly isn't going to sound like a hen to a Tom.  He may "Respond" to the sound.    I doubt that you would ever use that call again.

I'm trying to find a way to call hens.  I searched for the studies for that reason.  If a gobbler is with a hen he more than likely isn't going to come to calls that do sound like hens to them.  Trying to intimidate the hen into coming in is hard to do and a waste of time on a non dominate hen. 

If/when I find something legal that brings in hens I will have a call that brings in toms that are with hens.

[CrankyTom]

I removed the YouTube video/audio.  I don't have time to convince others of what the studies show.  You all can do what you want and do your own research.  Sorry but I just don't have the time for that.

This is not a turkey call!  This is a real live turkey hen calling with the frequencies below 290 removed and the frequencies above 5250 removed.  My buddy uploaded it to a YouTube account.  I tried to post a mp3 here but the file was over 6mb and it wouldn't upload.

https://youtu.be/NqFPVfbmj-s

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

This is not a turkey call!  This is a real live turkey hen calling with the frequencies below 290 removed and the frequencies above 5250 removed.  My buddy uploaded it to a YouTube account.  I tried to post a mp3 here but the file was over 6mb and it wouldn't upload.

https://youtu.be/NqFPVfbmj-s

I just did a spectrogram on that video.  You didn't cut the hen off below 290 Hz, you rolled it off pretty sharply below 2900 Hz.  Given that most yelps are dominant in the 1000 to 2000 Hz range, of course it sounds bizarre. 

[CrankyTom]

This is not a turkey call!  This is a real live turkey hen calling with the frequencies below 290 removed and the frequencies above 5250 removed.  My buddy uploaded it to a YouTube account.  I tried to post a mp3 here but the file was over 6mb and it wouldn't upload.

https://youtu.be/NqFPVfbmj-s

I just did a spectrogram on that video.  You didn't cut the hen off below 290 Hz, you rolled it off pretty sharply below 2900 Hz.  Given that most yelps are dominant in the 1000 to 2000 Hz range, of course it sounds bizarre.

Maybe you should scalp an audio file of a hen calling and edit the frequencies and and listen it and/or post it. 

I really didn't think that I would be spending so much time here on something so simple.  I'm going to keep making and trying non electronic calls until I get one that works as well or as close to the electronic calls at bringing in all the turkeys. Hens, toms and Jake's.   

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

Unfiltered hen yelp sequence from a very high quality recording

https://soundcloud.com/rapscallion_vermilion/yelpsequence-unfiltered

Spectrogram  (vertical scale is kHz - lighter color is great amplitude)



Same sequence cut off below 290 Hz and above 5250 Hz. (These cutoffs are arbitrary, but for the sake of discussion.)

https://soundcloud.com/rapscallion_vermilion/yelpsequence-filtered

Corresponding Spectrogram, note the absence of sound (black) below 290 Hz or above 5250 Hz.

[CrankyTom]

Unfiltered hen yelp sequence from a very high quality recording

https://soundcloud.com/rapscallion_vermilion/yelpsequence-unfiltered

Spectrogram  (vertical scale is kHz - lighter color is great amplitude)



Same sequence cut off below 290 Hz and above 5250 Hz. (These cutoffs are arbitrary, but for the sake of discussion.)

https://soundcloud.com/rapscallion_vermilion/yelpsequence-filtered

Corresponding Spectrogram, note the absence of sound (black) below 290 Hz or above 5250 Hz.

Can you do the same with a high frequency call?  Record the call and then remove the ranges below 290 and above 5250?

[Spitten and drummen]

This is not a turkey call!  This is a real live turkey hen calling with the frequencies below 290 removed and the frequencies above 5250 removed.  My buddy uploaded it to a YouTube account.  I tried to post a mp3 here but the file was over 6mb and it wouldn't upload.

https://youtu.be/NqFPVfbmj-s

I just did a spectrogram on that video.  You didn't cut the hen off below 290 Hz, you rolled it off pretty sharply below 2900 Hz.  Given that most yelps are dominant in the 1000 to 2000 Hz range, of course it sounds bizarre.

Maybe you should scalp an audio file of a hen calling and edit the frequencies and and listen it and/or post it. 

I really didn't think that I would be spending so much time here on something so simple.  I'm going to keep making and trying non electronic calls until I get one that works as well or as close to the electronic calls at bringing in all the turkeys. Hens, toms and Jake's.   

I dont know about anyone else but if I had a call that called birds in everytime , then I probably would quit turkey hunting. I dont see how the enjoyment would be there anymore. Kind of like shooting deer in high fenced area.

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

Unfiltered hen yelp sequence from a very high quality recording

https://soundcloud.com/rapscallion_vermilion/yelpsequence-unfiltered

Spectrogram  (vertical scale is kHz - lighter color is great amplitude)



Same sequence cut off below 290 Hz and above 5250 Hz. (These cutoffs are arbitrary, but for the sake of discussion.)

https://soundcloud.com/rapscallion_vermilion/yelpsequence-filtered

Corresponding Spectrogram, note the absence of sound (black) below 290 Hz or above 5250 Hz.

Can you do the same with a high frequency call?  Record the call and then remove the ranges below 290 and above 5250?

Lol - I think I'm done.  Did you even bother to listen to and compare the two sound clips?

[CrankyTom]

This is not a turkey call!  This is a real live turkey hen calling with the frequencies below 290 removed and the frequencies above 5250 removed.  My buddy uploaded it to a YouTube account.  I tried to post a mp3 here but the file was over 6mb and it wouldn't upload.

https://youtu.be/NqFPVfbmj-s

I just did a spectrogram on that video.  You didn't cut the hen off below 290 Hz, you rolled it off pretty sharply below 2900 Hz.  Given that most yelps are dominant in the 1000 to 2000 Hz range, of course it sounds bizarre.

Maybe you should scalp an audio file of a hen calling and edit the frequencies and and listen it and/or post it. 

I really didn't think that I would be spending so much time here on something so simple.  I'm going to keep making and trying non electronic calls until I get one that works as well or as close to the electronic calls at bringing in all the turkeys. Hens, toms and Jake's.   

I dont know about anyone else but if I had a call that called birds in everytime , then I probably would quit turkey hunting. I dont see how the enjoyment would be there anymore. Kind of like shooting deer in high fenced area.

Most will shoot the first tom that they can shoot.  Others will shoot the first legal bird Tom or Jake that they can shoot.  Many bait but won't ever tell.  Many legally and illegally bait deer. 

I probably let more toms walk than some shoot.  I want all or a combination of a things.  Multi beards, extra long beard and/or spurs, nice coloring, ect. 

Its really not much different than deer, the older they get the nicer they get!  What I pass on one year I will shoot in following years.   

It's not a matter of how many get called in.

[CrankyTom]

Unfiltered hen yelp sequence from a very high quality recording

https://soundcloud.com/rapscallion_vermilion/yelpsequence-unfiltered

Spectrogram  (vertical scale is kHz - lighter color is great amplitude)



Same sequence cut off below 290 Hz and above 5250 Hz. (These cutoffs are arbitrary, but for the sake of discussion.)

https://soundcloud.com/rapscallion_vermilion/yelpsequence-filtered

Corresponding Spectrogram, note the absence of sound (black) below 290 Hz or above 5250 Hz.

Can you do the same with a high frequency call?  Record the call and then remove the ranges below 290 and above 5250?

Lol - I think I'm done.  Did you even bother to listen to and compare the two sound clips?

I listened to them.  They are slightly different.  I must have screwed up and put 2900 instead of 290 or did something wrong.  I'm not any kind of sound expert.  I've never used any sound program before. 

[g8rvet]

I read this thread.  I really don't feel I learned anything.  Of course a call will sound different to a turkey that has a different range of hearing than a human.  Just like camo, calls are designed to sell.  But if a call has worked in the past, who cares what that call sounds like inside the turkey's brain. 

In order to determine hearing frequency in animals, the only way that I am aware of is an EEG.  Lack of response means outside the hearing range (same as only way to accurately gauge sight in an animal). 

This whole discussion reminds me of what my physics teacher said to our class in college.  "Define the color red". 

[GobbleNut]

CrankyTom, you seem to be convinced that there is some turkey call or sound that will call in any and every turkey if you just find the right "frequency".  Perhaps you are right, but I would not bet on it,...and in fact, if I had to bet my own life on it one way or the other, I would bet against it.

The fact is there are umpteen other factors that affect whether or not a turkey (or turkeys) are going to come to anybody's calling.  No disrespect intended, but I am pretty confident you are searching for a "holy grail" that does not exist.  Regardless, good luck with your search. 

Having said that, I will again state that I find this whole "frequency" theory to be interesting. I just personally believe that in the practical world of turkey hunting, it is pretty far down the list in its significance relative to those "umpteen other factors" mentioned above.