Turkey Call

I liked to have several different calls with me; sometimes they ignore one and then immediately respond to another, sometimes just switching calls makes it sound like you are more than one turkey. I enjoyed box calls, and find that the ones that have the friction surfaces waterproofed, so that they don't require chalk, work just as well and are more convenient. Slates are great and even better if you have a couple of different strikers, again just to change things up. Diaphragms require practice, but I always found them the most satisfying to use...plus, they give you an excuse to practice in fun places such as on the jobsite or in the car, allowing you to maximize the number of people that you are driving insane with your yelping. :)

Make one or two wingbone calls from your killed birds; effective, satisfying, and wonderful "trophies" of successful hunts.

hunter148, there are a couple of brands of diaphragm calls that are manufactured with a high, rounded top portion that fits some people's mouths more comfortably. They're worth looking for.
 
I only use a pot call now. Have a slate and glass pot call that I use. Have got gobblers 500 yards away to gobble back. Not much movement when using the call and can make many different sounds from real raspy to high pitch.

I have knight n hale calls at the moment, but many good call companies out there
 
Practice makes perfect.

Good luck this spring...I am green with envy! :) Turkey hunting is the one thing about Ontario that I truly miss. :)
 
I like the slate calls & different surfaces & strikers will produce different sounding calls. I'd like to think sounding like more than one different hen. Don't know what the tom thinks. The downside is in rain & wet ground conditions these are tough to keep dry & keep working. The one thing I've learned over the years is don't overcall. If you get a good response within 50 yards get the shotgun up pointed in the most likely direction the tom will come in. The more you call the more the tom will locate you. I've had a tom circle and stand behind me because I was too busy calling and didn't set up in the most likely path of travel. Check out the NWTF site for sound clips of different turkey sounds.
 
I agree with not overcalling...at 50 yards, almost any calling is overcalling...but when you are still in the process of locating a bird, I think that you should call frequently so as not to miss any potential takers. If you are lucky enough to have access to enough land to "run'n'gun", consider yourself lucky. Many Ontario turkey hunters are forced to hunt turkeys on small plots of land, similar to deer hunting, and the hunt needs to be conducted in a similar way. You get yourself into a good position and attempt to call/decoy the birds onto the land and into range. If your hunt consists of remaining stationary all morning and calling birds, you need to call often enough so that a gobbler who is moving cross-country in search of hens does not pass you by without hearing you.

Once you get a response, then you need to exercise experience and judgment in deciding how much to "converse" with the incomer. You need to keep him interested, but not spook him by overdoing it. Similarly, if you have set up within calling distance of a known roosted bird in the pre-dawn darkness, a few calls to let him know where you are located is all that's needed. Once he's on the ground, the conversation you carry on with him needs to entice him in without spooking him.

Whatever you do, don't emulate the WildTV morons, who always love to shoot a strutting bird. You probably want that tail as a trophy, so don't blow it to bits with a load of #5's. When he's in range, and you're on the gun and ready to go...give him a single yelp, or cluck, or even (my favourite!)..."yoo hoo!" Down goes the tail, up comes the head...bang! Dead bird, undamaged fan, smiles all around. :)
 
jjohnwm said:
I agree with not overcalling...at 50 yards, almost any calling is overcalling...

You're correct 50 is very close since I've killed then at 35. Should be more like 100 as they can close the gap quickly without any noise and in a forest you may only see them just before taking a shot.
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Yes, they also tend to clam up when they get close, no matter how vocal they may have been at a distance. It's important not to lose focus or hope when the gobbler that you have heard coming from 300yards suddenly shuts up when he is at 50. More than once I have lost track of one this way, only to have a crow fly over and caw, resulting in a shock-gobble from the tom who had snuck in and was practically in my lap. :)
 
Thanks! I added a wet box to my toolbox. Still hadn't figure out how to properly use the diaphragm but I'm working at it! I will remember not to overcall... I can totally understand how a Tom could be turned off by too much female talks lol
 
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