i was wondering my dad and i went turkey scouting last friday and well we were walking trying to find a place to sit and make some conversations with turkeys lol but as we were walking i took my friction call and made a yelp so i heard a gobble..hmmm i was shocked!!! my first time to heara gobble but then he gobbledlike 2 times after the first gobble.i probably yelped like 3 or 2 times and every time i did he answered, so where im trying to get here is that he gobbled so should i answer him instantly? or wait or what do i do? turkey season starts april 8th so we are scouting. but what should i do? this is my first time to hunt turkey, my dad's tooso some advices would help to. thank you

Good questions. It sounds to me like you found a hot bird. Here is the deal though. I wouldn't call to him before season. Very often turkeys get called at by scouters before season starts, and it makes em go "call shy" quicker. Also, don't over call...many times when toms hear "hens" calling that often...they expect the hen to come find them...instead of going to the hen themselves.

So...don't call til season, and when the season starts, call sparingly. Make the turkey come look for you.

I'm from Arkansas also. I hunt pretty much every speck of land from Rsvl to Pelsor in Pope County. Where are you from? Glad to see you made it into the turkey forum!

Im no expert.
But you need to make as little noise as you can while scouting.
The turkeys will wisen up and
put 2 + 2 together = you are a person and not a hen
and will avoid you when you call while hunting.
So be as guiet as possible when scouting.

From what I have heard just use a crow call
Or a Owl call to locate them when scouting and
Not a lot just to see if they are there.

Mostly just look and listion.

I hope this helps
Good Luck

Im from Fort Smith thanks for the info everyone it helps alot

Fro-man has a very good point and i wouldnt call to him right after he gobbles during season. Id wait a couple minutes then answer back it keeps them interested iv found out.

ok i have a question know another one lol ok lets say you have 2 hen decoys and a jake what sounds would you make for the jake? and the hens?

I wouldn't worry about making sounds for the jake. Just try to sound like a hen. Yelps, clucks, purrs. Those are the three most important vocalizations you need to know. If you really want to sound like a jake, you can buy jake gobble calls, but I just use my box call and shake it to imitate a gobble. Any other questions I can help you with? I'm more than willing.

thank you jepcho well i have a question what type of cloth would you wear to go hunting for turkey? like if your not moving can they see you? or just lets say something comfortable?

This is what I normally do during spring gobbler season.

I use my owl hoot to locate the gobbler(s). This can be done in the dark, first light, and throughout the morning. I usually get a response w/ the owl hoot. They tend to shut up to an owl hoot as the day progresses. Where I hunt, they shut up all together around 10 or 11 with an occasional gobble throughout the day. They are the hottest in the morning though. You will find that they will gobble to just about anything. Owl hoots, crows, trains, gunshots, woodpeckers, car doors slamming, etc.

I close in on the gobbler's location once I locate him. If it is still dark and I am fairly close, I will tree yelp. This is just a few very soft yelps w/ some soft clucks thrown in. This lets him know that a "hen" is roosting close by. You don't want to do this too much though. On a good day he will try to find you when he flies down. Thats a really good day. Usually you have to coax him in. If he is "henned up" then it takes some coaxing on your part. It can work but not always.

You don't want to overcall. I call just enough to keep him interested. Sometimes I let him gobble a couple times and then let him know I am still in the vicinity. I rustle leaves when he is close. Sometimes they gobble just to that. Purring is also good b/c that makes him HOT.

If you get him in range of those decoys you should be set. However, I can't tell you how many times I was "set" and walked out of the woods birdless.

Another thing. Some people put them to sleep the night before so they know where the gobbler will be in the morning.

These have been my experiences and I hope I have helped.

You'll want go be camo'd head to toe. Camo gloves, camo facemask, camo pants, long-sleeve camo shirt...camo gun if possible.

Turkeys are dumb, but they have the best set of eyes in the woods. If they see any type of color or movement, they're outta there.

Be camouflaged and be still. Those are two MUST'S.