I somewhat disagree on the calling too much is a bad thing....

If ya know you are fooling with an old bad bird then way less is better, sometimes a single cluck. I killed an old gobbler near Leeds several years ago. He would gobble off the roost and if you yelped to him he shut up and move away. I caught him one morning just right, he was gobbling every minute er so. I waited till a plane came over and clucked once. He shut up. Started gobbling again in ten minutes. I shut the hell up. An hour later he walked up to 25 yards and I killed him with a very old Stevens 12 ga double.

Now for the disagree part...IF you are good with a call and IF the bird is a two year old then one ALMOST cannot screw it up by calling too much. And I like to call and two year olds like a lot of calling....

troy

I'm with ya Troy, I like to call when the bird likes it. I will blow one up and if he is eating it up I will let him eat it all the way to the gun. Two year olds are fun and I sure do like to hear them gobble as much as they will.

I think knowing how to "read" a turkey is probably the single most important thing in calling one up. It's kind of synonymous with woodsmanship. And, unfortunately, very little of it can be taught on the internet. It just comes with experience. Their are exceptions to almost every "rule" or piece of advice that I've ever given, and most of them revolve around reading the turkey.

one thing I think a lot of hunters miss is making too much noise in approaching a bird in a tree. The bird hears ya but is unsure of what you are, answers yer calls...but nowayinhell he's going to fly down to you.....

troy

Very true, getting excited and in a hurry can make for some noise.

When I talk about rookies calling too much, I'm talking about people who can't call very well who still call a whole lot. I believe that anyone just starting out should be taught to call sparingly. And as Longspur said, when you get a little experience and can learn to take the temp of the gobbler, you can increase your calling.

I've found the only time I can get away with a lot of loud and aggressive calling is the first week of the season. After that, all the stupid ones are dead. I love to call aggressively, but it usually doesn't work very deep into the season where I hunt. One reason I enjoy trips to the midwest is that those turkeys seem to like aggressive calling.

But wherever and whenever I hunt, I try to never forget Rule No. 1 - Don't scare the turkey. Don't scare him by calling too much, getting too close to his tree, making too much noise, bumping him walking out, or any other way. Avoid scaring him and you can probably kill him.

My old mentor, who was hunting turkeys way before I was born (1969) said, "you can't talk a turkey in to coming to you, but you can talk him in to leaving". Not suggesting that we don't call them to us, but that the bird either wants to come to you or he doesn't right off the bat. If he does, it will be on his terms and in his time. If he doesn't, good luck to you if you think you can change his mind.

I feel this is true, probably, maybe, most of the time as with about anything else in turkey hunting.

When all else fails its time to fall back, circle around and get in front of them.

A friend of my son's kills a lot of turkeys and when hunting with them I studied everything he did. After a few times we realized his strategy was to locate birds, figure out where they were going, and get there first.

I think it was Cuz Stricklin said "The turkeys will teach you how to hunt em."

If I keep reading all this good info I might be able to kill one this year! Lol!

Very good info! PCP has it nailed on RULE #1! Don't scare him today because you get frustrated and tomorrow the tables might just turn!

If you're working a bird and know he's got the ladys around him try sleeping late and going to his strut zones mid-morning or mid-day! This has also worked well for me on public lands where pressure is high at daylight then the road hunters pull out.

Some good info in here....Great thread....Thanks guys!

Never hunted turkey, I'm gonna try my luck this spring though. I've seen more turkeys on this new club than deer...a LOT more.
If nothing else, I'll scare the hell outta them...lol

Wife got me a new Benelli Vinci. What choke ya'll had the best luck out of?

Ive been reading this forum for about 3 years now and have just now joined. Ilike to deer hunt but once I got bit by the turkey bug it stuck to me and I absoolutely love it. Im 17 and have been turkey hunting for awhile with my grnadfather and uncle and they have killed many. I shot my first jake 3 years ago and killed a double bearded one with 1 1/8 spurs two yeard ago. I love reading yalls posts, especially Yekrut and N2deer. Ive been hunting with a buddy of mine that goes to auburn and he is by far one of the most smartest turkey hunters ive ever been with and I credit him with most of my knowledge. I cant wait until this season, but I definetely believe hunting with someone is one of the best ways to learn. I honestly feel like Im hunting with some of yall when I read yalls stories. I hope to talk with yall during the season and just appreciate all yalls stories and stuff.

Welcome to the roost Parker. There are some good birds both young and old on here and then there is JUGHEAD the troubled one eyed jake who will dry hump your decoy while you are napping. Hang on to the limb when it gets windy and try not to get spurred by one of the old gobblers running around here.

I can't hear drumming that well either. And if a cricket is right beside me, I can't hear him with my left ear, at all. Zero. High range is totally gone in that ear.

I have tinnitus in my ears and it gets bad sometimes. I can hear sound but cant figure out the direction its comming from. I thought about a Walkers Game ear.

You have heard it before but calling is a small part of turkey huntin.I have always carried two calls a mouth call and a tube for loud cutting.You have to be able to feel the turkey out knowing the lay of the land is huge.If not spooked the bird will do about the same thing each day if roosted in the same spot.Know your gun and distances and be able to make the shot.Don't underestimate his ego.Yes breeding is first but a good fight works on those old birds.Field birds a real turkey fan by itself is murder on turkeys.Turkeys seek shade in the heat of the day.Shoot for base of neck not the head.Good Luck

Have a few good locator calls, a crow and an owl hoot. My Harrison hooting stick has helped me to kill as many turkeys as any call I have. But be careful to not over use them and don't try to locate turkeys from any type of vehicle!

Pattern your gun! With several different loads and chokes to find the best combination for your set up. This will make sure your gun shoots the best pattern possible and POA and POI are the same. This also will give you the knowledge to know How make the needed adjustments if they are not the same. Know how distance affects your patterns and your lethal range and how small or large your pattern is at closest and longest of that range.

If you use decoys, once you get set up, go ahead and get your barrel up and pointed at those decoys. If you do get a bird to commit, he is eventually coming to those decoys, if you don't booger him up, If you try to make a move to get the gun on him, most likely he will bust you. be patient and he will come into your line of fire.

Get a comfortable seat coushion, be prepared to sit and be patient, a comfortable hunter is a still hunter!

Listen more than you call, often times less is more!

I can't wait to get deer season done with. Only problem I have is there are a series of ridges and my 80 acres is on the last one that they run. Last year I never heard a gobble. I know we have coyotes, but most places do nowadays. I think I am going to put some wheat out on an old logging road on my ridge Feb. 1st and try to bring them in to stay. Any ideas?

Great information! Thanks!

That's great advice. If he's coming, shut the heck up.
I think some folks just like to hear themselves call. I've fooled with them before, had them gobbling only to have some goober come in behind me and start calling and cutting, ect.. The gobbler shut up, finally the idiot left. I just stayed, and after 45 minutes or so, called lightly. The old gobbler sounded off and flew down to my right. I moved up to his roost area and hit it again. He almost ran back up there.