Bowsite.com

New to turkey hunting

I thought some of you guys could appreciate this short video. I was out walking and practicing my wet box calling. I am absolutely horrible at this point but working it and trying to get better. So I`m stopping every 50 yds or so and I started to hear a gobbler answering me . If you turn your volume up you can clearly hear it. I almost fell over. It worked. A turkey was answering me and coming my way. I didn`t have my bow with me so I sat down in front of a tree until the birds (3) came to within 15yds. Not wanting to blow my spot up I stood up and kept moving tree to tree until I got about 30 yds and 30 minutes from one that was running back and forth looking for me. What a rush. Going back tomorrow with my bow and vest. I still can`t believe those birds answered me . My calling is horrible.

Yeah calling can be tough when your just starting out. Listen to the hens when they call and try to imitate them best you can. Sometimes less calling the better as long as the Toms know your location. One more thing, some of the WORST calling I have ever heard were real birds!

Good luck.

Give the slate call a try. With a little practice you will sound good.

I was out yesterday for awhile practicing. I have a glass/slate pot and you are right . I can make realistic calls easier. I feel like the wet box is a bit louder but the slate pot is more likely to produce more consistent calls for me. Thanks everyone.

I got some advice years ago from a grand old lady of turkey hunting, and she told me that you don't have to sound perfect. She said if a turkey's interested, he'll come in even to the sketchiest of calls. Not a turkey hunter myself so I don't know personally, but this lady's credentials made me think she should be listened to.

Ditto what muzzy said "One more thing, some of the WORST calling I have ever heard were real birds!".....

My buddy's first year turkey hunting he sounded horrible with the mouth call and brought a Tom in so no you don't have to sound perfect.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I am planning to be out tomorrow . Hopefully I`ll get a bird .I`m hoping to find this one again

He's a beauty... Wish they would jump up and stand on a log like that for me :) Hope he does it while you are hunting tomorrow!

RE: bad calling... the other day I had an immediate response that sounded exactly like my call. I thought it was another hunter but it turned out to be a pretty lonely hen who obviously had a crappy voice of her own

Birds are like people in that everyone has there own sound in there voice. I find that it is more important to have a good rythm especially when yelping. Great pic SloMo.

Twice during the opening week I heard toms that must've been jakes... when they gobbled, they sounded like they were being strangled.

Can anyone clear up the differences in the pot materials . I see slate, glass, crystal, copper , etc. prices go from 9.99 to ? Is there a pot material I should be using the majority of the time. How about strikers . I hear the striker is more important than the pot . is that true?

SloMo you should try to use slate when using a pot style call. The sound from the slate is just most realistic. However, when it is raining (or when wet) the slate call won't work so try aluminum or glass. They should do better when wet. In the mean time you should be practicing with a mouth call and box call to perfect them also. Its always better to have options. Every hunt will be different and so you should be equal to the task and adjust to which call they are responding to better. Don't limit yourself to just one type of call.

Now, I'm going to give you some advice and I don't want you to take this the wrong way or think that I am preaching to you, but the last thing you should be doing is practicing your calls on the turkeys you, or anybody for that matter, intends to hunt. Turkeys are not stupid and they will figure it out sooner or later, that the hen over there(you) isn't really a hen. We are very similar to hens in that we all have a distinctive sound when we call. Just ask two different guys to run the same box call and even you, as a human, can hear the difference. Turkeys can hear way better than we can so they will figure it out quickly. To practice, try playing a turkey hunting DVD and mimic what they are doing in the movie.

Good Luck!!

try everything... you never know what they will respond to. I have heard hens that made me laugh.. I thought they were a hunter and next thing you know, some hen comes in making a racket that you would never guess is a real bird. Try different calls and practice them in the off season.. practice calling... listen to tapes... learn the mouth calls, box, pot, etc.. I always find that the most productive. I have killed 99% of my birds with a mouth call. I get a couple and have a raspy one and a "normal" sounding one... you never know... that way you don't need to carry a ton of gear. I don't use a vest or anything. I put my mouth calls in my pocket... grab my shells and license and make sure I have a face mask and gloves... and my thermacell for when it's normal spring weather (not like this crap weather). I used to use a vest and everything, but found I, personally, was less organized with it. I do have a little case that hooks on my belt loop that will carry a slate / pot call and striker if need be. I will put a few calls (box, slate, mouth) in a small pack on the rare occasion that I hunt a blind (normally with my kids) and will bring a decoy because it is normally a field hunt. Otherwise, I "run and gun" and carry as little as possible.

Ungie you ain't kidding about the vest. I got the tactical one from Cabelas and no joke it took ten minutes to find my owl call as it has a ton of pockets. Then later on when I went to take license out same thing going through every pocket 5 times. I said from now on I'm going to just throw a few things in my pants and go.

keep it simple.. that's my motto... I've left so much gear in the woods over the years that the less I bring, the less I forget! Shoot a bird and run after it... leaving a call or striker by the tree... then realizing it later on... sometimes I would find things when i'd take another walk... and other times I couldn't find the exact spot if my life depended on it.

Thanks everyone. I`m a pretty organized guy and had to laugh when I saw the Cabelas Tactical . I have the same vest and it holds a ton of stuff. Very comfortable too. I was out yesterday and after a week or two of practice in my back yard I have started to gain some confidence . I have several pots, slate, and combo slate glass. A push pull box , and wet box. I have a few mouth calls also . I think I like using the slate glass combo pot best. More realistic and easier for me. You tube had some great videos and I have been concentrating my efforts on pot calls right now . I`ll be ready in the fall .

Quick note for the fall hunt. The clucking or "Pock-Pock" sounding call that people like to make is actually their "Alert" call. It basically says "DANGER! DANGER HERE! GO AWAY FROM HERE!!" Also, they're creatures of huge habit. Find an area they traverse, draw a line between a water source and the highest hill in the area, and then determine a good spot for a blind (natural or other). Then just watch when they come through, you can almost set your watch by when they'll pass on a daily basis (usually twice a day, coming and going, morning and late afternoon).

GL

Thanks GL . I have learned so much from guys on this site. A great group always willing to help out. Thanks

Register here to reply to this topic