Turkey question
04-07-2010, 06:45 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Ohio
Posts: 69
Turkey question
We are just getting into turkey hunting and don't really know a whole lot about it. I was wondering if you are able to time turkey's mating seasons like you can the rut with deer? I'll be hunting southeast ohio and didn't know if there are specific dates that it's best to be in the woods. Also I was curious if the birds are done with the mating routine will calling still be effective. Any info would be appreciated.
Also, can anyone reccomend a quality call that is easy to use for a beginner?
Also, can anyone reccomend a quality call that is easy to use for a beginner?
Last edited by DCFD3512; 04-07-2010 at 06:47 AM.
04-07-2010, 07:00 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 159
In most states, most...the season begins about when the hens start to sit..the 19th in Ohio might be just a little early by about 10 days or so..slate and peg will do just fine, CODY calls are nice..just make little circles or j-hooks.
04-07-2010, 09:16 AM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location:
Posts: 5,130
Note from: Brian Warner LM NAHC
CALLS...whatever kind you like. I prefer HEIRLOOM but I MIGHT be biased. Whichever you choose, PRACTICE. Get good at it. Nothing will turn a bird AWAY from you faster than a bad set on a call. That being said though, ALOT of the time, the toms are justr so dang horny they seem to act like Quailman at a goat farm. If it squeaks, squawks, clucks, purrs, yelps, belches or even farts they will come to it. I once had a young tom so love lorn he came to the sweet sounds of my truck horn on the run. He was stupid, but tasty.
BOXCALLS by far are the easiest to use that STILL offer some versatility in the range of pitch and calls you can make. By moving your thumb along the side boards you can make subtle changes in the pitch and tone and vary the length and pressure of the stroke on the paddle as well.
The POT CALL is another critter of the same sort. It works with friction just as the boxcall does but because of the way it is made, you can easily change the pitch and tone just by dragging the striker across a different place on the surface. Pot calls come in different types. Most folks think of the slate call but there is also the glass, ceramic, metal and other surfaces available. Each surface has it's sound and it's own place in the woods. My preference is between the slate and glass surfaces. That's why I make the Over and Under Call with both. I don't care for the sound of metal usually. It's kind of "tinny" sounding to me. No pun intended. I can call turkey with a beer can or beer bottle, I do prefer to empty them first though since they work best when you use the bottom of them for calling.
Then there are all kinds of others...tube, that are no more than a tuned up duck call in there most basic forms.
DIAPHRAMS are the next most popular call. OH the sounds you can make with a diaphram. I used to could play Dixie with one pretty fair. But here is where the most problems come with a diaphram call. It's right there, in your mouth, all you need to do is set it up the roof of your mouth, resist gagging, and blow some air across it to sound like a turkey in lust. It's SO EASY that it's TOO easy. Folks tend to do one of 2 things with a diaphram that costs them birds. They either call too much or too loud or both. It also happens with the other calls but the act of using them and trying not to have too much movement helps tone it down some.
Since we're talking about it, lets talk about it how loud and how often to call. As a GENERAL rule, I trynot to call much louder than a NORMAL speaking voice. Turkeys are a critter who is on EVERYONE's menu. They don't last too long by telling evryone in the 100 acre woods where they are. A turkey can hear as well as or BETTER than a deer can. Calling real loud would be something akin to sneaking into my bedroom at 2 am and screaming "HI THERE!!!!". Tweo things , well, 3 things are gonna happen. First, I'm gonna come unglued from a sound sleep. Your gOING to skeer me. Second, your PROBABLY gonna get shot at and 3rd, one of us is gonna need CPR if not both. Putting the Scare into a flock of turkeys is not going to help your chances. Letting everyone ELSE scare them though might. When your out there and the woods is full of hunters calling wildly and loud, sit back, pick up your pot or boxcall and softly, gently start clucking and purring. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT. I see more birds playing the "Sweet Quiet Type" than at any other time. Oh yeah, by the way, I have had toms come from over 200 yards out to the soft clucks and purrs.
OK, we got the birds coming what do we do next?
"SHOOT 'EM IN DA FACE!!!"
Easier said than done, but true. Trust me, IF you have a bird that is JUST OUT OF RANGE and you can see him, it is best NOT TO CALL him anymore. If you do, he's going to know you are not a hen turkey. I PROMISE you that. He has come as far as he has looking for the hen he heard over here. He'll look around a bit and come further IF you give him the time. BE PATIENT, he doesn't know where you are, he has an idea of the area and just as you would do, he's gonna start looking. He'll come closer. YOU are your own worst enemy right now. HOLD STILL and wait for the shot. IF YOU MOVE HE WILL SEE YOU. If you have decoys, let him find them, he might not have noticed them yet.
OK, there are the basics, the other guys will go further into this as well.
Real quick about locator calls. There are all kinds of them out there. For my money though....An OWL call right AFTER dark and right BEFORE daylight. The rest of the time I use a crow call. I try to avoid setting up where I was using these calls from as well. I will usually cut across from where I was to another location. Remember, it's tough to call a buird to a preditor. If you sound like an owl, and he answers, then try to call him to that same spot he heard the owl it makes no sense. First, it's against his natural instinc, second if there WAS an owl there, chances are any turkeys in that area would have left anyways. I'm not sure if a tom turkey would be able to figure that out, but why take the chance if I don't have to.
Runnin' and Gunnin'
I like to watch them shows where the guy goes out, sqwawks a few times, gets a gobble, runs like hell to another pasture and sets up JUST in time for the birds to pitch down right into his set-up, come strutting in and display for the decoys and the camera for 15 minutes then get his face shot off. IT"S GREAT isn't it? Now, let's be honest, these shows take days, weeks and even months to shoot. The places they hunt are USUALLY well, not the same places normal folks like you and I get to hunt. Runnin' and Gunnin' is great fun but you have to be careful. Remember, there are other guys out there and ain't all of them smart as you and me. I'm not putting this down by any means but BE CAREFUL. I'm to old and stove up to run after ANYTHING (yes, even that) anymore. My prefered metheod of turkey hunting is to put them to bed them be there for breakfast. Remember what I said about an Owl Call after dark????
.
BRIKATW Brian Warner Heirloom Turkey Calls/Heirloom Game Calls http://heirloomturkeycalls.com/ http://heirloomgamecalls.com/ http://heirloomcalls.com Disabled Veteren/Cancer Survivor/Addison's Bumpa/ God Speed to ALL the men and women who freely pay the price everyday for OUR freedoms
CALLS...whatever kind you like. I prefer HEIRLOOM but I MIGHT be biased. Whichever you choose, PRACTICE. Get good at it. Nothing will turn a bird AWAY from you faster than a bad set on a call. That being said though, ALOT of the time, the toms are justr so dang horny they seem to act like Quailman at a goat farm. If it squeaks, squawks, clucks, purrs, yelps, belches or even farts they will come to it. I once had a young tom so love lorn he came to the sweet sounds of my truck horn on the run. He was stupid, but tasty.
BOXCALLS by far are the easiest to use that STILL offer some versatility in the range of pitch and calls you can make. By moving your thumb along the side boards you can make subtle changes in the pitch and tone and vary the length and pressure of the stroke on the paddle as well.
The POT CALL is another critter of the same sort. It works with friction just as the boxcall does but because of the way it is made, you can easily change the pitch and tone just by dragging the striker across a different place on the surface. Pot calls come in different types. Most folks think of the slate call but there is also the glass, ceramic, metal and other surfaces available. Each surface has it's sound and it's own place in the woods. My preference is between the slate and glass surfaces. That's why I make the Over and Under Call with both. I don't care for the sound of metal usually. It's kind of "tinny" sounding to me. No pun intended. I can call turkey with a beer can or beer bottle, I do prefer to empty them first though since they work best when you use the bottom of them for calling.
Then there are all kinds of others...tube, that are no more than a tuned up duck call in there most basic forms.
DIAPHRAMS are the next most popular call. OH the sounds you can make with a diaphram. I used to could play Dixie with one pretty fair. But here is where the most problems come with a diaphram call. It's right there, in your mouth, all you need to do is set it up the roof of your mouth, resist gagging, and blow some air across it to sound like a turkey in lust. It's SO EASY that it's TOO easy. Folks tend to do one of 2 things with a diaphram that costs them birds. They either call too much or too loud or both. It also happens with the other calls but the act of using them and trying not to have too much movement helps tone it down some.
Since we're talking about it, lets talk about it how loud and how often to call. As a GENERAL rule, I trynot to call much louder than a NORMAL speaking voice. Turkeys are a critter who is on EVERYONE's menu. They don't last too long by telling evryone in the 100 acre woods where they are. A turkey can hear as well as or BETTER than a deer can. Calling real loud would be something akin to sneaking into my bedroom at 2 am and screaming "HI THERE!!!!". Tweo things , well, 3 things are gonna happen. First, I'm gonna come unglued from a sound sleep. Your gOING to skeer me. Second, your PROBABLY gonna get shot at and 3rd, one of us is gonna need CPR if not both. Putting the Scare into a flock of turkeys is not going to help your chances. Letting everyone ELSE scare them though might. When your out there and the woods is full of hunters calling wildly and loud, sit back, pick up your pot or boxcall and softly, gently start clucking and purring. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT. I see more birds playing the "Sweet Quiet Type" than at any other time. Oh yeah, by the way, I have had toms come from over 200 yards out to the soft clucks and purrs.
OK, we got the birds coming what do we do next?
"SHOOT 'EM IN DA FACE!!!"
Easier said than done, but true. Trust me, IF you have a bird that is JUST OUT OF RANGE and you can see him, it is best NOT TO CALL him anymore. If you do, he's going to know you are not a hen turkey. I PROMISE you that. He has come as far as he has looking for the hen he heard over here. He'll look around a bit and come further IF you give him the time. BE PATIENT, he doesn't know where you are, he has an idea of the area and just as you would do, he's gonna start looking. He'll come closer. YOU are your own worst enemy right now. HOLD STILL and wait for the shot. IF YOU MOVE HE WILL SEE YOU. If you have decoys, let him find them, he might not have noticed them yet.
OK, there are the basics, the other guys will go further into this as well.
Real quick about locator calls. There are all kinds of them out there. For my money though....An OWL call right AFTER dark and right BEFORE daylight. The rest of the time I use a crow call. I try to avoid setting up where I was using these calls from as well. I will usually cut across from where I was to another location. Remember, it's tough to call a buird to a preditor. If you sound like an owl, and he answers, then try to call him to that same spot he heard the owl it makes no sense. First, it's against his natural instinc, second if there WAS an owl there, chances are any turkeys in that area would have left anyways. I'm not sure if a tom turkey would be able to figure that out, but why take the chance if I don't have to.
Runnin' and Gunnin'
I like to watch them shows where the guy goes out, sqwawks a few times, gets a gobble, runs like hell to another pasture and sets up JUST in time for the birds to pitch down right into his set-up, come strutting in and display for the decoys and the camera for 15 minutes then get his face shot off. IT"S GREAT isn't it? Now, let's be honest, these shows take days, weeks and even months to shoot. The places they hunt are USUALLY well, not the same places normal folks like you and I get to hunt. Runnin' and Gunnin' is great fun but you have to be careful. Remember, there are other guys out there and ain't all of them smart as you and me. I'm not putting this down by any means but BE CAREFUL. I'm to old and stove up to run after ANYTHING (yes, even that) anymore. My prefered metheod of turkey hunting is to put them to bed them be there for breakfast. Remember what I said about an Owl Call after dark????
.
BRIKATW Brian Warner Heirloom Turkey Calls/Heirloom Game Calls http://heirloomturkeycalls.com/ http://heirloomgamecalls.com/ http://heirloomcalls.com Disabled Veteren/Cancer Survivor/Addison's Bumpa/ God Speed to ALL the men and women who freely pay the price everyday for OUR freedoms
04-07-2010, 09:45 AM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Surry County, Va
Posts: 334
Note from: Brian Warner LM NAHC
CALLS...whatever kind you like. I prefer HEIRLOOM but I MIGHT be biased. Whichever you choose, PRACTICE. Get good at it. Nothing will turn a bird AWAY from you faster than a bad set on a call. That being said though, ALOT of the time, the toms are justr so dang horny they seem to act like Quailman at a goat farm. If it squeaks, squawks, clucks, purrs, yelps, belches or even farts they will come to it. I once had a young tom so love lorn he came to the sweet sounds of my truck horn on the run. He was stupid, but tasty.
BOXCALLS by far are the easiest to use that STILL offer some versatility in the range of pitch and calls you can make. By moving your thumb along the side boards you can make subtle changes in the pitch and tone and vary the length and pressure of the stroke on the paddle as well.
The POT CALL is another critter of the same sort. It works with friction just as the boxcall does but because of the way it is made, you can easily change the pitch and tone just by dragging the striker across a different place on the surface. Pot calls come in different types. Most folks think of the slate call but there is also the glass, ceramic, metal and other surfaces available. Each surface has it's sound and it's own place in the woods. My preference is between the slate and glass surfaces. That's why I make the Over and Under Call with both. I don't care for the sound of metal usually. It's kind of "tinny" sounding to me. No pun intended. I can call turkey with a beer can or beer bottle, I do prefer to empty them first though since they work best when you use the bottom of them for calling.
Then there are all kinds of others...tube, that are no more than a tuned up duck call in there most basic forms.
DIAPHRAMS are the next most popular call. OH the sounds you can make with a diaphram. I used to could play Dixie with one pretty fair. But here is where the most problems come with a diaphram call. It's right there, in your mouth, all you need to do is set it up the roof of your mouth, resist gagging, and blow some air across it to sound like a turkey in lust. It's SO EASY that it's TOO easy. Folks tend to do one of 2 things with a diaphram that costs them birds. They either call too much or too loud or both. It also happens with the other calls but the act of using them and trying not to have too much movement helps tone it down some.
Since we're talking about it, lets talk about it how loud and how often to call. As a GENERAL rule, I trynot to call much louder than a NORMAL speaking voice. Turkeys are a critter who is on EVERYONE's menu. They don't last too long by telling evryone in the 100 acre woods where they are. A turkey can hear as well as or BETTER than a deer can. Calling real loud would be something akin to sneaking into my bedroom at 2 am and screaming "HI THERE!!!!". Tweo things , well, 3 things are gonna happen. First, I'm gonna come unglued from a sound sleep. Your gOING to skeer me. Second, your PROBABLY gonna get shot at and 3rd, one of us is gonna need CPR if not both. Putting the Scare into a flock of turkeys is not going to help your chances. Letting everyone ELSE scare them though might. When your out there and the woods is full of hunters calling wildly and loud, sit back, pick up your pot or boxcall and softly, gently start clucking and purring. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT. I see more birds playing the "Sweet Quiet Type" than at any other time. Oh yeah, by the way, I have had toms come from over 200 yards out to the soft clucks and purrs.
OK, we got the birds coming what do we do next?
"SHOOT 'EM IN DA FACE!!!"
Easier said than done, but true. Trust me, IF you have a bird that is JUST OUT OF RANGE and you can see him, it is best NOT TO CALL him anymore. If you do, he's going to know you are not a hen turkey. I PROMISE you that. He has come as far as he has looking for the hen he heard over here. He'll look around a bit and come further IF you give him the time. BE PATIENT, he doesn't know where you are, he has an idea of the area and just as you would do, he's gonna start looking. He'll come closer. YOU are your own worst enemy right now. HOLD STILL and wait for the shot. IF YOU MOVE HE WILL SEE YOU. If you have decoys, let him find them, he might not have noticed them yet.
OK, there are the basics, the other guys will go further into this as well.
Real quick about locator calls. There are all kinds of them out there. For my money though....An OWL call right AFTER dark and right BEFORE daylight. The rest of the time I use a crow call. I try to avoid setting up where I was using these calls from as well. I will usually cut across from where I was to another location. Remember, it's tough to call a buird to a preditor. If you sound like an owl, and he answers, then try to call him to that same spot he heard the owl it makes no sense. First, it's against his natural instinc, second if there WAS an owl there, chances are any turkeys in that area would have left anyways. I'm not sure if a tom turkey would be able to figure that out, but why take the chance if I don't have to.
Runnin' and Gunnin'
I like to watch them shows where the guy goes out, sqwawks a few times, gets a gobble, runs like hell to another pasture and sets up JUST in time for the birds to pitch down right into his set-up, come strutting in and display for the decoys and the camera for 15 minutes then get his face shot off. IT"S GREAT isn't it? Now, let's be honest, these shows take days, weeks and even months to shoot. The places they hunt are USUALLY well, not the same places normal folks like you and I get to hunt. Runnin' and Gunnin' is great fun but you have to be careful. Remember, there are other guys out there and ain't all of them smart as you and me. I'm not putting this down by any means but BE CAREFUL. I'm to old and stove up to run after ANYTHING (yes, even that) anymore. My prefered metheod of turkey hunting is to put them to bed them be there for breakfast. Remember what I said about an Owl Call after dark????
.
BRIKATW Brian Warner Heirloom Turkey Calls/Heirloom Game Calls http://heirloomturkeycalls.com/ http://heirloomgamecalls.com/ http://heirloomcalls.com Disabled Veteren/Cancer Survivor/Addison's Bumpa/ God Speed to ALL the men and women who freely pay the price everyday for OUR freedoms
CALLS...whatever kind you like. I prefer HEIRLOOM but I MIGHT be biased. Whichever you choose, PRACTICE. Get good at it. Nothing will turn a bird AWAY from you faster than a bad set on a call. That being said though, ALOT of the time, the toms are justr so dang horny they seem to act like Quailman at a goat farm. If it squeaks, squawks, clucks, purrs, yelps, belches or even farts they will come to it. I once had a young tom so love lorn he came to the sweet sounds of my truck horn on the run. He was stupid, but tasty.
BOXCALLS by far are the easiest to use that STILL offer some versatility in the range of pitch and calls you can make. By moving your thumb along the side boards you can make subtle changes in the pitch and tone and vary the length and pressure of the stroke on the paddle as well.
The POT CALL is another critter of the same sort. It works with friction just as the boxcall does but because of the way it is made, you can easily change the pitch and tone just by dragging the striker across a different place on the surface. Pot calls come in different types. Most folks think of the slate call but there is also the glass, ceramic, metal and other surfaces available. Each surface has it's sound and it's own place in the woods. My preference is between the slate and glass surfaces. That's why I make the Over and Under Call with both. I don't care for the sound of metal usually. It's kind of "tinny" sounding to me. No pun intended. I can call turkey with a beer can or beer bottle, I do prefer to empty them first though since they work best when you use the bottom of them for calling.
Then there are all kinds of others...tube, that are no more than a tuned up duck call in there most basic forms.
DIAPHRAMS are the next most popular call. OH the sounds you can make with a diaphram. I used to could play Dixie with one pretty fair. But here is where the most problems come with a diaphram call. It's right there, in your mouth, all you need to do is set it up the roof of your mouth, resist gagging, and blow some air across it to sound like a turkey in lust. It's SO EASY that it's TOO easy. Folks tend to do one of 2 things with a diaphram that costs them birds. They either call too much or too loud or both. It also happens with the other calls but the act of using them and trying not to have too much movement helps tone it down some.
Since we're talking about it, lets talk about it how loud and how often to call. As a GENERAL rule, I trynot to call much louder than a NORMAL speaking voice. Turkeys are a critter who is on EVERYONE's menu. They don't last too long by telling evryone in the 100 acre woods where they are. A turkey can hear as well as or BETTER than a deer can. Calling real loud would be something akin to sneaking into my bedroom at 2 am and screaming "HI THERE!!!!". Tweo things , well, 3 things are gonna happen. First, I'm gonna come unglued from a sound sleep. Your gOING to skeer me. Second, your PROBABLY gonna get shot at and 3rd, one of us is gonna need CPR if not both. Putting the Scare into a flock of turkeys is not going to help your chances. Letting everyone ELSE scare them though might. When your out there and the woods is full of hunters calling wildly and loud, sit back, pick up your pot or boxcall and softly, gently start clucking and purring. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT. I see more birds playing the "Sweet Quiet Type" than at any other time. Oh yeah, by the way, I have had toms come from over 200 yards out to the soft clucks and purrs.
OK, we got the birds coming what do we do next?
"SHOOT 'EM IN DA FACE!!!"
Easier said than done, but true. Trust me, IF you have a bird that is JUST OUT OF RANGE and you can see him, it is best NOT TO CALL him anymore. If you do, he's going to know you are not a hen turkey. I PROMISE you that. He has come as far as he has looking for the hen he heard over here. He'll look around a bit and come further IF you give him the time. BE PATIENT, he doesn't know where you are, he has an idea of the area and just as you would do, he's gonna start looking. He'll come closer. YOU are your own worst enemy right now. HOLD STILL and wait for the shot. IF YOU MOVE HE WILL SEE YOU. If you have decoys, let him find them, he might not have noticed them yet.
OK, there are the basics, the other guys will go further into this as well.
Real quick about locator calls. There are all kinds of them out there. For my money though....An OWL call right AFTER dark and right BEFORE daylight. The rest of the time I use a crow call. I try to avoid setting up where I was using these calls from as well. I will usually cut across from where I was to another location. Remember, it's tough to call a buird to a preditor. If you sound like an owl, and he answers, then try to call him to that same spot he heard the owl it makes no sense. First, it's against his natural instinc, second if there WAS an owl there, chances are any turkeys in that area would have left anyways. I'm not sure if a tom turkey would be able to figure that out, but why take the chance if I don't have to.
Runnin' and Gunnin'
I like to watch them shows where the guy goes out, sqwawks a few times, gets a gobble, runs like hell to another pasture and sets up JUST in time for the birds to pitch down right into his set-up, come strutting in and display for the decoys and the camera for 15 minutes then get his face shot off. IT"S GREAT isn't it? Now, let's be honest, these shows take days, weeks and even months to shoot. The places they hunt are USUALLY well, not the same places normal folks like you and I get to hunt. Runnin' and Gunnin' is great fun but you have to be careful. Remember, there are other guys out there and ain't all of them smart as you and me. I'm not putting this down by any means but BE CAREFUL. I'm to old and stove up to run after ANYTHING (yes, even that) anymore. My prefered metheod of turkey hunting is to put them to bed them be there for breakfast. Remember what I said about an Owl Call after dark????
.
BRIKATW Brian Warner Heirloom Turkey Calls/Heirloom Game Calls http://heirloomturkeycalls.com/ http://heirloomgamecalls.com/ http://heirloomcalls.com Disabled Veteren/Cancer Survivor/Addison's Bumpa/ God Speed to ALL the men and women who freely pay the price everyday for OUR freedoms
If you don't kill a bird after all that good information....dere somting surously wong
04-07-2010, 10:13 AM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Everett WA USA
Posts: 322
Andy Kaiser makes a very nice call at http://www.kaiserkalls.com
Maybe a little pricey at $60, but his calls are sweet.
Maybe a little pricey at $60, but his calls are sweet.
04-07-2010, 10:22 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,558
We are just getting into turkey hunting and don't really know a whole lot about it. I was wondering if you are able to time turkey's mating seasons like you can the rut with deer? I'll be hunting southeast ohio and didn't know if there are specific dates that it's best to be in the woods. Also I was curious if the birds are done with the mating routine will calling still be effective. Any info would be appreciated.
Also, can anyone reccomend a quality call that is easy to use for a beginner?
Also, can anyone reccomend a quality call that is easy to use for a beginner?
As far as a beginner call goes, any good sounding box call or slate call is easy to master.
04-08-2010, 03:50 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Indiana
Posts: 655
Great post Sheridan!!! 
Enjoyed reading it!
LOL @ BvrHunter!!!
DC - I have a post in the main turkey forum on slate calls my buddy makes - best calls I've ever put a striker to - if you want to check them out!
13 days til Indiana opener - going stir crazy here!!!
Kim
Enjoyed reading it!LOL @ BvrHunter!!!
DC - I have a post in the main turkey forum on slate calls my buddy makes - best calls I've ever put a striker to - if you want to check them out!
13 days til Indiana opener - going stir crazy here!!!
Kim
