What makes a good turkey caller?
 

I recently posted a topic asking "whats your thoughts"and got some great responses from you all and thought I'd get some conversation going on your idea of whats involved in being a good turkey caller!Obviously being able to produce all kinds of turkey talk and knowing when to use it afield can help in fooling ole tom turkey,but I truly believe theres way to much emphasis placed on calling in the sense that I believe with our modern day turkeys to much of it is being done!Nothing is worse when a guys on a ridge next to ya and wont shut-up!Overcalling extends beyond "just in the roost" and with todays birds compared to the turkeys of 20 years ago i find myself being much more passive than aggressive especially with birds that get pressure whether it be on public or private ground!I love to cut-n-run and aggresively jump on a bird if the situation presents itself,but we dont have near the crazy gobblin birds we did way back when,and if i do find one I can almost garruntee its a 2 year old or a jake!Anymore to me the essence of being a good turkey caller isn't all about how sweet your yelp may sound but being able to read the bird,adjust your calling to that situation and knowing when and WHEN NOT TO CALL!!Just my thoughts,how about yours??Bob :)

Monarch isn't a butterfly it's the King of the Spring!

RE: What makes a good turkey caller?
 

I can't reply to this one because Bob we hunt the same , but you just did all the typing ! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> Thanks lol ...BT

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RE: What makes a good turkey caller?
 

Experience

RE: What makes a good turkey caller?
 

I agree with ya 100% Bob,To get a turkey you gotta think like a turkey.You just gotta get a feel for the bird and follow your instincts.One mistake I see alot of people make is when they do call they put no feeling into it.Doin the same notes every time just isn't realistic.Good post Bob

RE: What makes a good turkey caller?
 

You hit the nail on the head. Its very omportant to know when not to call. people fall in love with the gobble, and keep hammering them. While alot of times it will make them gobble, it also hangs the up alot as well.

www.runandgungamecalls.com

RE: What makes a good turkey caller?
 

I'm slightly confused here...are you asking what makes a good caller or a good hunter???

From the replies, the implication is hunter.

A good caller, to me, is a person who can (1) use all the various types of calls, (2) make all the vocalizations, and (3) know how the birds communicate with the various vocalizations.

Being a good hunter dictates where to setup and how much to call. &quot;Taking the bird's temperature&quot; comes only with experience, which will dictate both calling and hunting.

I'm probably in the minority here, but I actually get more aggressive as the season moves on. Most late season hunters are both experienced and dedicated, and seem to prefer the passive techniques. I've learned that if you find a tom that will still answer in the late season, they're starting to lose some of the harem and are seeking replacements. Let it rip and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Also, I usually only have until around 8 am in the woods, so if it's gonna happen I can't have a 7 hour affair lasting until noon.

S&R

RE: What makes a good turkey caller?
 

S&R,in my mind the two go hand in hand(hunter,caller)I've known and still know quite a few fellas that have actually won a callin contest or two and then get to the turkey woods an have no idea how to read a bird or dont really understand turkey talk to be an effective caller!Its great to be able to produce all kinds of turkey talk,but knowin when to use it is what makes it effective,and in my mind thats part of being an effective turkey caller.Obviously gettin aggressive with late season birds works effectively for you,but for myself I've found most of these late season birds have been yacked to death by pressure,and if you get aggresive with them they have a tendency to develope a case of dreaded lock-jaw! Pressure,hens,terrain,private property,# of active birds,etc in my mind all play into how we approach a bird in calling to him,and I do agree with all here that experience is the key to becoming a good turkey caller not just how sweet a music we can make on our turkey call.Simply because experience tells us how to communicate with him.:)Bob

Monarch isn't a butterfly it's the King of the Spring!

RE: What makes a good turkey caller?
 

BG2,

That was my 3rd point of calling, know how the birds use the vocalizations.

Yes, I'll agree the two go hand-in-hand when hunting.

BUT...now let me ask a few questions...

(1) How many guys do you know (personally) that have won calling contests with superior calling that have never hunted?

I know only one, and he's still too young to hunt. I know they're out there, but that leads to the next question.

(2) How many contest winners do you know that get a little cocky and think their superior calling will bring in that hung-up tom?

I know quite a few that try this sooner or later, most sooner, and revert back to &quot;good hunting&quot;. I believe that most of the ones you have encountered probably fall into this latter category, that get a little too enthused with their success. It happens in every competitive sport---when you get to the top, many times fundamentals are forgotten, bad habits develop and the success stories &quot;plummet from the summit&quot;.

(3) How many old timers do you know that can hunt turkeys effectively and never pick up a call??

I can name a handful located in my home county of NY. They never learned to call, and had/have no need. They simply sit close (I guess most on here would consider 25 yards VERY close) to roost trees, on pasture edges, at food plots or dusting bowls.

Knowing how to hunt this way often produces in the late season. It's what you have already eluded too, soft calls and alot of leaf raking. They simply skip the soft calls and just rake the ground.

But in all honesty, how many on here can say that (1) they have been successful by just their calling or (2) that they tag birds by outcompeting or outwitting the tom's boss hen??

I know for me, scouting and woodmanship fill 9/10 tags. If I'm in the right place at the right time, I think I could sound like a bluejay and get the old boy to wander over, especially in the early season.

However, I'll agree that the 1 tag per 10 that gets filled by the triple-bellowing hairy-eyeballed longneck---commandeering 4 hens and 3 jakes---that I sweet-talked my way IS usually the one that sticks in my longterm memory and IS the story that gets recanted around the fire...

S&R

RE: What makes a good turkey caller?
 

<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>Gotta agree S&R!Those early season birds can build overconfidence in many!TOOO MANY!!!No question calling is but just a part of the sport and to be consistent at being successful at the sport one must combine his/her woodsmanship with his/her own calling abilities and plan strategy from there.Bottomline is,theres alot more that goes into being a good turkey caller than going down to your local Walmart buying a turkey call and being able to produce a few yelps with it. I wish I could pull out that one no fail call or make some sound that old gobbler finds irresistable everytime but thats all part of the hunt and every gobbler and situations not the same. Some rely more on a call and a decoy to do the work others lean more towards gettin in close.The real key to me is combining the two and has already been said that comes from many days spent in pursuit of N.Americas greatest gamebird the mighty Wild Turkey!! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Monarch isn't a butterfly it's the King of the Spring!

Edited by - bobgobble2 on 01/08/2003 07:11:22