First Time Hunting Turkey

[Cliff37148]

This spring will be the first time I have ever hunted Turkey. See them ALOT during deer season and have wanted to take one. Need some good advice on calls to use..what works vs what doesn't.

[wholelottagobble]

Cliff I have hunted turkeys for 5 years now, and this past season i was able to call in 3 longbeards 1 for me and two for friends. They were the first 3 mature gobblers i'd ever called in. I can help you out because i finally learned this- The best piece of advice I can give you is you will kill more turkeys when you try to sound like the turkeys in your woods, rather than the guys on tv. A gobbler wants to breed a REAL hen rather than the loudest, sweetest sounding caller in the woods. Sometimes calling loud and often will work, but more times than not, immitate what the other hens are doing. If you will put in the time and practice, you cannot go wrong with mouth/diaphram calls. They will sound awesome if you work on them. Basically boxes slates or any other turkey call you can make sound like a real hen will work great too. Get you a good owl call for hunting mornings or locating at night. Try to be uphill or even from turkeys and that will improve your chances. I guess most guys use decoys but i have never killed a turkey using a decoy so they are useful but not necessary. Good luck turkey hunting because its the greatest sport in the world.

[huntnma]

dont leave home without your power crystal and your purple heart striker

[mauser06]

welcome to one of the most exciting hunting there is.....nothing like a gobbler going absolutely nuts right infront of you......its the best....as for hunting tips....scout long and hard...look for sign like feathers...droppings...tracks...scratchings ect...when you find them sneak in a few weeks before the season atleast 30mins before light...stand there an wait....listen for them to gobble off the roost....then listen to them gobbling and calling to eachother and try to figure out which direction they went..then when it comes time to hunt setup somewhere along the way they went..itll make calling them in easier because they like to go that way anyway..then they hear you and say oh a hen...lets pick her up and take her along..DO NOT CALL BEFORE THE SEASON......i dont care what anyone says..they will learn your calls and even if they never see you...they get smart and know theres no hen there because they will check it out at some point and when you try to call them in they wont bother coming...and if you get busted they know whats up and wont come....they are very smart birds....but love usually gets the best of them if you hunt right....as for calls....box calls and slate glass ect are my favorites....im not much of a mouth caller...i like the looks of wood and the way slate and glass sound...they arent hard to learn and you can make dang near every turkey sound on them....and i agree calling on TV stinks 90% of the time....they call too much and too aggressivly...not all birds like that....some will just come to soft clucks..others that are really hot(fired up..ready to mate) like agressive calling....its all upto the bird....learn it all and learn when to use what and youll be alright...and huntma suggested a good call...it was that or the ol yeller by knight and hale for me....i bought the old yeller just because i make my own glass calls and the ol yeller had a little diffrent sound i liked...box calls....i wouldnt buy at a store like walmart or dicks....find a shop that sells customs not mass produced ones...they sound so much sweeter....ive never heard a good mass produced box call....if they do sound good it usually doesnt last long....i think its because they are mass produced and wood isnt great and measuerments and geometry arent perfect like on customs box calls....they do cost a bit more though...mine isnt a REAL custom made by one person...they have a company but its small and each call is made better..it was only 20 or so....but it sings..for 5 years now....dad never believed me and spent more money on diffrent mass produced ones....enough money to buy a really nice custom....he ended up throwing them out...or chucking them into the woods where they belong...they sounded pretty sweet for a few times....then it all went to crap...chaulk sanding ect couldnt help them...i just dont like them....good luck...post your questions dont be afraid....weve all been new...theres alot to learn and alot of good guys here to help you out......good luck!!!

[Cliff37148]

Showing my ignorance here...what are these items? Meaning the powercrystal and heart striker? I have seen the calls used..am sure I will need to practise.

[Adrian J Hare]

Cliff , The names dropped are from Primo's a call company that makes that product. There are a number of different companies out there that seel these calls and others. You could do a surch on the company names and see the product that they have. The heart striker is just a kind of wood used in a striker that one uses on a pot style call. here is a pic of strikers to give you an idea

[Cliff37148]

Thanks for the info..am sure I will be here ALOT between now and next April !!! If Primo's turkey calls work as good as the deer calls I have..should be some good ones. Thanks again.

[Deleted User]

[Deleted by Admins]

[wholelottagobble]

I agree with Mauser that mass produced calls don't compare with ones by small companies. However, like he said, the Knight & Hale 'ol yeller is an excellent and inexpensive call. I got mine for like 12 bucks at wal-mart. At the 2001 NWTF convention in Charlotte, I met a guy named William Terry, a competition caller, who makes calls. I couldn't mouth call worth a dang till I bought a couple off of him. Now I can make them sing. His company is called Legacy. I actually saw them in last years Bass Pro catalogue so look for them and order you a couple. They sound great and made all the difference in mouth calling for me.