owl hooters
05-04-2003, 09:51 AM
#11
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 500
RE: owl hooters
The rule is that not all turkeys will shock gobble all the time to a particular locator call. Remember this rule. Just because you use a locator call and get no response does not mean there are no turkeys around. I have actually used a hoot owl locator call, got no response, and walked in and set up UNDER a roosted gobbler (I forgot my own rule!!) because I felt I was in the right location, even though I got no response. His morning roost gobble nearly gave me a heart attack!!!
While in the woods before dawn I have been set up on roosted toms that did not shock gobble respond to other hunters using hoot owls as locators.
I have sat in the woods under roosted toms after fly up time, waiting until dark to leave and heard " real" coyotes sing for half an hour at dark, and the tom in the trees was silent.
I have blown crow calls with no response the first and second time, and a shock gobble the third, all from the same spot.
My point is that locator calls--hoot owl, crow, peacock, pileated woodpecker, duck, goose, air horn, car door, coyote, hen yelp/cutt, jake gobbling, even thunder (for you gods amongst us)--is not a certainty to produce a shock gobble response every time, and so you must not decide there are no turkeys around if you get no response as you could simply be dealing with an unresponsive turkey. There is no locator call that works every time.
While in the woods before dawn I have been set up on roosted toms that did not shock gobble respond to other hunters using hoot owls as locators.
I have sat in the woods under roosted toms after fly up time, waiting until dark to leave and heard " real" coyotes sing for half an hour at dark, and the tom in the trees was silent.
I have blown crow calls with no response the first and second time, and a shock gobble the third, all from the same spot.
My point is that locator calls--hoot owl, crow, peacock, pileated woodpecker, duck, goose, air horn, car door, coyote, hen yelp/cutt, jake gobbling, even thunder (for you gods amongst us)--is not a certainty to produce a shock gobble response every time, and so you must not decide there are no turkeys around if you get no response as you could simply be dealing with an unresponsive turkey. There is no locator call that works every time.
05-05-2003, 07:41 AM
#12
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: crawfordville florida USA
Posts: 1,251
RE: owl hooters
I have had pretty good luck with the owl call on the private land I hunt but they dont seem to respond well on the public areas. Could be that everyone is using them. Buy several calls, woodpecker, crow, coyote, peacock etc. and try em all.
In one area I hunt the turkeys shock to the peacock or nothing at all. Another area 30 miles down the road they seem to respond to the crow call best. I dont know why. Sometimes you cant shock them with anything.
In one area I hunt the turkeys shock to the peacock or nothing at all. Another area 30 miles down the road they seem to respond to the crow call best. I dont know why. Sometimes you cant shock them with anything.
05-05-2003, 11:16 AM
#14
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: masontown pa USA
Posts: 851
RE: owl hooters
I used one saturday on my buddy Rich' s property while hunting with him and we got a real surprise. 10 seconds after my " who cooks for you" sentence, I heard a short hoot hoot behind us 50 yards in the woods. Rich looked at me and said " we may have to throw a trespasser off" . A minute or 2 later, another hoot, and then all of a sudden the whole woods came alive with hoots and hollers for about 2 minutes from what sounded like to be about 3 or 4 different owls strung out through the small chunk of woods. Never heard that before! I must of made them mad about something. It was pretty entertaining. Even THEY couldn' t get those henned up gobblers to talk. I looked at Rich at said " if that' s one hunter, I' ll eat this hoot tube." Well, we stood there for about 5 more minutes, then decided to walk a little further, flushing about 6 birds out the trees 30 yards from us.............they never made a peep. [&:]
05-05-2003, 02:13 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: RI
Posts: 3,073
RE: owl hooters
S4bill- a shock gobble is a male turkey gobbling in response to a noise, natural or otherwise. I have had turkeys gobble their heads to the sound of my truck door closing. Turkey hunters use locator calls like owl calls or crow calls, or even coyote howlers to make a Tom gobble and give away his position. If you use an owl hooter just at sundown a Tom may gobble and give away his position so you know where to set up the next morning. Owl hooters are good just before first light too, or they are to most hunters anyway. I have had better success after first light using a crow call. Locators don' t always work, and it doesn' t necessarily mean there are no turkeys around. I have called in several toms that did not respond to locators, but gobbled and came in when I set up and started calling on my slate.
