ORIGINAL: wholelottagobble

There is no 'for sure" rules in turkey hunting but 99% of the time, if you get a vocal respose from a springtime mature gobbler it will be a gobble. I've had jakes yelp back before but never a a mature bird. Gobblers will cluck and purr also, butif you hear a turkey clucking and purring you should be able to see it as well. The only other frequent gobbler vocalization would be spitting and drumming, if you hear this, likely a mature bird is 100 yards or less and you better be ready. He will be strutting when he isspitting and drumming.

Many timesyou will hunt and hear birds gobble on the roost and then after they fly down they will shut up. Likely, this meansthey have hens with them. You may call and only the hens respond. In this situation youralmost better off calling to the hens because not many gobblers will leave hens to come to calling. Although ifyoucall to the hens and get them to come investigate, they bring the gobbler(s) with them.

Another hint is that if you are calling to a bird and have him gobbling good but then he stops, itmeans usually 1 of 2 things:A) Hens have come to his gobbling so he has stopped B) You better be ready because he is headed your way...

It took me several years to learn that to kill turkeys,there is no need to be the loudest, most aggresive caller in the woods. You will start killing turkeys when you become a hen. Call just like you hear the hens calling. Different situations call for different modes of calling butif you sound like a hen, you will kill plenty of turkeys.

Good luck---