Ok im new to the forums and new to turkey huntin to i have heard a lot of you talk about locator calls but when i get out of the truck i hear atleast one or two toms gobble without calling and i was wondering if this were normal or i have good huntin land?
Some areas don't have as many or less talkative toms like you have so hunters have to find ways to get the tom to gobble. My place is just like yours. I go in and at first light I have 3-5 toms telling me where they are at so I never need a locator call. They're good to have in your vest just in case.
Yes, that is totally normal and yes, you have good huntin land.
Gobblers will sound off for many reasons. They'll gobble at the local hen population that they are with, they will gobble to let hens know where they are and you can shock gobble them with locater calls. A gobbler may sound off before leaving a tree for several days in a row and on the next day, never say a word....it's these gobblers you can sometimes shock gobble. As long as they are gobblin on their own, there is no need to use a locater unless you might want to see if you have one closer.
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Sometimes the shutting of a door works as a shock gobble... When I was in MI, this guy banged on a big ol' metal wash tub and used it as a shock call... many times in VA, when looking for some roosted birds, they would gobble when we slammed the door. Sounds definately like a promising spot!
GareBear18, another welcome aboard!! I assume when you hear those gobblers sounding off, it's early in the morning? Man, what a better place to be!! Yep, I'd say your knee deep in turkey country for sure!! You don't have to use any locator calls in this situation at all!! Let them gobble on their own and try to close the distance on them, then set-up and call!!<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>
GB18,another welcome your way!Locators such as a crow,owl,or coyote call, are used primarily for what the name indicates and thats to locate a gobbler by his response(gobbling)to one of these calls!A response obviously gives the hunter an opportunity to close the distance in setting up on a bird.Often times even if I have birds gobbling at first daylight, they may be a ways off,and i will use a locator to a certain extent as i close the distance but in many cases will switch from a coyote to a crow depending on the circumstance,as to how close I am.Later in the morning,when alot of the roost and early morning gobbling is over a locator can help in finding an active bird,and alot of fellas put gobblers to bed (or whats called roosting)by using a locator call!One of my favorite ways to utilize a locator is hit the woods early before all the action starts and use it then!On many occasions I've had a bird sound of to a shock call well before daylight to give me an opportunity to use the cover of darkness to get into a good close set-up on a bird!Hope it helps!Bob <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>
Monarch isn't a butterfly it's the King of the Spring!
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Monarch isn' t a butterfly it' s the King of the Spring!
I' m in agreement with the others, Garebear! You' ve got a " hotspot" . I had a gobbler sound off in the darkness one year because I let out an uncontrolled sneeze, but that was when I hunted private ground!
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