jmac33

i recently have purchased a gobbler call with the dominat gobbler call and the challeging jake call. the problem is i dont really know when the best time to use the call is. if anybody has any tips they would be helpful.




good hunting

springgobbler

I am anxious to read some of the responses to this, but in fear of stating the obvious:

I wouldn' t use a gobble unless:
1. I had a big tree at my back, completely covering myself from the blindside.
2. I was absolutely sure of where, and how many other hunters may be sharing my woods.
3. I was absolutely sure that there was a " boss" tom in the area.

My reasons for stating this are first and foremost, safety. I know when I hear a gobble that I tune into it and lock on....while the vast majority of hunters identify their target before shooting, you must stay on the defense at all times.

Secondly, if you use the dominant gobble and there are any subordinants in your vicinity, they will often get away from you quickly. By subordinant, I am not refering to jakes alone. If a subordinant has had its tail feathers handed to it once before, it will shy away, or at best clam up...and strut out of sight.

I am by no means intending to discourage you; If you have a large tract of private land and are blessed to not have tresspassers, this maybe a viable tactic. I think there may indeed be very specific situations where a gobble call would work. I also look forward to reading other posts from hunters whom may have used a gobble. However, I feel with any type of hunting, safety of self is the primary concern. Good luck and I look forward to reading some other thoughts.

slee

First, I have to agree with Springgobbler. Safety is the primary concern in the turkey woods. That being said, I' d have used one Sunday morning on a boss tom I had leave me courtesy of his hen that was roosted to his north some 20 yards. My partner usually brings his along, but he left it at home this year because we typically hunt public land that gets a fair amount of pressure. I think it can turn a dominant bird on a dime if he feels his turf is being threatened, but it can scare the crap out of every other subordinant bird in the area. This bird was definitely the dominant bird because Bldhound and his girlfriend had already roosted a very vocal tom when this guy fires off only about 150 yards away. The woods went completely silent after he spoke. Same story at first light, this guy was the only one talking. When they pitched out at daylight, the hen took him straight away into a large field below. I pulled out my box call to try a gobble on it, but I hate the way it sounds so I decided to put it back in my pack for fear of ruining the rest of the morning. Should have tried it because I came home with my tag Sunday afternoon as a momento of the hunt. We saw 3 more jakes and a tom as the morning progressed, but not a peep out of them. I' ll keep asking myself why I didn' t shake that box call from now until next spring. We were the only ones on this stretch of private land too.

Pro-Line

I killed my biggest bird because I gobbled. He became irate, and almost ran to the decoys.

That said, I own 400+ acres in secluded WV....and I was pretty sure there weren' t any other hunters on the mountain.

And like SpringGobbler said, it' ll scare the bejeezus out of any subordinate birds.

Sq2Hunter

Make sure your the only hunter around. I know i wouldent want to make any sounds that sound like what people are trying to hunt. You never know for sure who is in the woods with you. Even if it is private property.

Strut&Rut

I' ve found it has really two practical benefits.

(1) Gobbles work great for locating birds early in the morning on the roost.

(2) When everything has flown down off the roost, after about 30 minutes of " quiet time" , I like to throw out a series of yelps or cutt and then hammer the jake gobble.

The jake gobble is the best call, because any adult gobbler in the area will enter into the fray. You can also call in some jakes too.

Unfortunately for me, I' m in the middle of a move (during turkey season for Christ' s sake!!) and therefore took 2 jakes the other morning. They' ve been the only bearded birds that would play this Spring, as my season didn' t start until 5/7 and the birds are henned up well.

The jake gobble brought the jakes right in (all 5 of ' em---this area will not suffer in terms of gobbler numbers---it' s a core breeding/wintering area), and fired up the dominant bird. I waited on the jakes for 45 minutes before deciding to take a few for the freezer.

As stated previously however, know your territory, the hunting pressure, and always keep safety first.

ONE thing I strongly recommend against, DO NOT jake gobble with a jake/hen decoy pair setup in your area. That' s just too much in terms of safety..

MOTurkeyTamer

I would never use a gobble call during the season. I can' t always be certain that I am the only one hunting the properties where I hunt for one reason. Obviously, if you are making a gobble call, you are going to lure in any hunters within earshot range. If you are positive there aren' t any other hunters close by then you might be OK, but I would still stay on my toes and be very careful. No turkey is worth getting yourself stalked by another hunter who thinks you are a gobbler!

Tree climber

I like to use mine to locate a gobbler at first dark,for the next day.

that is the only thing that the gobbler I took the first day would respond to.he came stright in 15 sec. after I hit it.

most of all be careful when you do use it.

I use it oonly when all else fails.