When to start locating in the morning?
 

When do you guys start using your owl hooters or crow calls in the morning? You're supposed to get there real early so the turkeys don't see you setting up, but if you don't put some birds to bed so you're not exactly sure where they roost, how early do you locate them before the sun comes up?

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

within 30 min of legal shooting time i will use an owl call. owl are nosturnal anyway

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

I have mine patterned so I don't use a locater call in the am unless I think another hunter is coming in, then I use an owl callto tell him I am there with out spooking the birds.
I prefer locating them the night before if I need to so I can make a plan for the next mornings hunt.

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

I usually will use a locator call in the morning, if the turkeys aren't gobbling themselves. Usually it is about 20 minutes before shooting hours that I will use it.

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

The turkeys will gobble themselves, but if you havent located one the night before or you need to find out exactly where he's at, or if you want him to hurry up and gobble, then by all means owl hoot. Sometimes he'll answer, other times he will wait and gobble when he's ready.

Wait to use crow calls until after daylight.. but they can be used all day.. A close bird might just shock gobble to it..

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

I will hoot earlier than most people. I will hoot as soon as the sky starting changing colors. My philosophy is that the earlier I can get him to gobble, then the faster I can get to where I need to be. If there's alot of hunting pressure on that peice of land, then I will hoot later or not at all. Wait for them to gobble on their own & try to figure out where they are wanting to be.

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

Not to hijack a post but what would you do on public land with a lot of pressure?

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

This is what i do. Here in Pa I have been going out every morning since March 5 about 40min before daylight which the this morning was 5:45 am. I either owl hoot or crow call. The season doesn't start here until April 25 and I will keep going out each morning and listening until the season begins and the only thing different will be that I will have my 870. My point is since march 5 up to now I have gotten a pretty good idea were the birds are roosting. They may move 200 to 400yds at times but they stay in the same area. So even if I don't here one gobble during the season know were to go. I get out early enough to go to more than one spot. Even if you cant go every day you can go on the weekends and listen before your season starts and begin patterning the birds. No one said it would be easy but you just have to be dedicated.

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

I usually try to let them gobble on thier own. If they dont I will owl hoot sometimes before fly down. I have had better luck with owl hooting during the day over crow calls. We have alot of crows where I hunt so that may be why crow calling dont work much. Try an owl call during the day. You might be suprised.

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

Let them gobble on their own.

Every time that bird gobbles, it increases the chances that someone else will hear it too and y'all will mess each other up.




As to the originial question: I let them gobble on their own. Seldom if ever will I use a locator early in the morning. When I do, I don't think you can ever really use one too early. As long as their is color in the east you'll be fine. Best thing that can happen is you'll get a whole parliment of owls fired up and they'll carry on their own. You don't want to be too close to a bird when you crank up the owl call either.... be back away from where you think they are at.

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

i try to let them gobble on their own that also tells me how hot the birds are.

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

Where I live deep in the ozarks we have lots of crows, but rarely do you hear them before good daylight. So I dont try the crow call, early. Have had luck later in the day. You might try a owl call, have had a lot of luck early with them. You might also gobble. Last year their was a group of about 10 long beards roosting on the same ridge. One of them, The same one, every morning would gobble at 4:45. The first time I heard it I thought you have got to be joking. But after that Gobblr the woods would just echo from all the other gobblers. It just goes to show that any number of things might work. But I do not recommend trying more than one locater call from the same location as it seams to give your position away and you might not hear a thing.

RE: When to start locating in the morning?
 

I used to use an owl call 30 minutes prior to legal shooting when I first get to a property. I stopped worrying about how dark it is anymore and now primarily use a crow call at any point I need to located them. I use to think it didn't make sense to use a crow call so early, but now I think that was over-thinking what goes through their little brains. I've never had them stop responding due to over use, but I usually only use it to initially locate them and then again sometimes to see if they've flown down.

Mike