I bought a mouth call, cant use it to save my life, and Im sure not going to ace it in a month until the season starts. What would be the best basic thing for me to do being new? I was thinking buying a box call, they seem relatively easy, and maybe a slate call. I guess no one takes just one call with them.
A HS Strut championship box call is a good choice and easy to use. You cold practice to Real Turkey voices and Lovett Williams has a few Cds out which are a good tool. I play them in my truck every year to get toned up and my ear in tune. Lovett takes the time to explain each call of why it is used and when. But mastering a simple Yelp or a series of 3 to 4 Yelps is all you need. Those calling contests and represent outdoor videos we see is mostly hype.
Also go up to the Tips and Tricks forum here and read or re-read all the info there as it will help with pot or slate calls and how to use them.
just set up trail cams a few days ago, I want to start scouting them right up until the season starts in hopes to find where they tend to travel. I will be hunting out of a ground blind. Here in NY, Spring Turkey season goes until noon. Im thinking I should be in my blind by around 5am? When should I start calling?
At times if I am using a blind I am in that blind a lot early than 5 am. Where the birds are roosted makes a big difference for me. Now in your scouting do look for East Facing field/woodlot edges using cut cornfields as a starting place.
Why? Hens that fly down start to feed almost immediately. An east facing field edge warms up quicker with the sun, and I have found is a good strut zone.
Find the hens and follow them and you will find the Tom. There are field edges I know with the above requirements that hens visit frequently and Toms will show up.
When to start calling
I won't say a thing if I am in a blind until I start to hear tree top gobbles. On real quiet days this is frustrating as I stay silent.
If the tom gobbles I let him go for quite some time upwards to a half hr or more depending on what time the tom gobbles. I will call to him and do listen if he gobbles right back to me. I may call once or twice more but that is it. Now each tom is different and you will learn when to call and when not to. That is a live experience lesson no one can teach you as you need to be there live to do it and learn yourself. Don't fret about mistakes , as by mistakes that is how we learn but then again don't over call. Long periods of silence at times is far better.
It is after all, a cat and mouse game. we play out there in nature The tom gobbles to call his hens to him. in the morning The hen answers to the Toms gobbles by yelping and clucking back. That is the trick - how much calling do you do? And no one can tell you how much to call. Each bird is different. It all depends on that toms mood.
There are times I call softly once or twice and I am done and the tom comes in and others I need to be aggressive to get him my way.
And then there are others the tom only comes so far and stops or hangs up.
But it is good you are scouting. I like to set a blind up if I use one in a high traffic area and will spend the day waiting.
If no gobbles I will not call a bit until I figure fly-down is done. Well after day light. Then I call every 15 minutes or so using a variety of calls - a box or two, a slate or two, a diaphragm or two. I go though each call starting as soft as I can then I get loud. Then I put the calls down and just listen. But once I hear a gobble I will immediately call back using the call that elicited that gobble. If he doesn't answer back and a pause of silence I just go back to my 15 minute mark sometimes longer as I am napping
! But if I get a gobble within my deaf hearing range I just stay put and make a day of it.
I have taken a lot of toms between 9 and noon! Just be patient.
JW