HeviShot Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 How many of you call a few up and look at them before season?What are the pro and con's.I have not done this but I know people that do.If a turkey has such a short memory how can it bother them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrow32 Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I always here the uncles and people talking that theyd never do that because theyd smartin up the birds. So i never have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllinoisArcher Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. Its illeagle in illinois to call birds before season but u can use locater calls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntn4bucks Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I NEVER call to turkeys prior to season! I really don't see any pros to doing it. I know we all want to hear that thunderous gobble but wait until it's season when it counts! I don't know how short a turkey's memory is but I'm not willing to take that chance. I've called in many turkeys during season that got real nervous before they were within shooting range. I figure the less they're exposed to it the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanH Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I will if they are birds im not gonna hunt. Just for fun! But if they are birds that im gonna hunt! Then I would let them hear a single call from me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nut Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. [ QUOTE ] I will if they are birds im not gonna hunt. Just for fun! [/ QUOTE ] I will not even do such a thing especially if I do not hunt the area. I always play in the fact that someone else might be hunting there and I try to do unto others the way I would like them to do to me. BUt I also do not believe in calling before season anyways....it just feels so wrong to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex30808 Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. There are no pros to this subject....one you are going to call in a bird to a location and he's not going to find a hen...If you went to the fridge and there was nothing to drink...are you going to go back in an hour to see if something appeared??? no..you know there's not...so why go...that bird thinks the same way...I do like to go and sit for a while and lesten and see if I hear birds...but you will NEVER hear me or anyone with me call to a bird unless we are huntin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Huntin_Cop Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. To much callin (IMO) before season will make the Toms call shy. I don't do it. If you're wanting to scout them to get an idea of their size, you could set up on an open field, preferrably a high point, the Toms will come out into the open where hens can get a good look at them and strut their stuff. I've done this season after season. It's fun and you can time them like clockwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrud Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. It will educate the birds and make them a bit call shy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbeard Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. Never do it and I'm not sure if a gobbler will remember it or not, just ain't much sense in doing it especially in Georgia where we can hunt 'em 50 or more days. I often wonder if sometimes gobbler do get wise to calling even in the season. I mean there are many many times when a tom takes his time getting to the hen and I'm sure more often than not, the hunter has already ventured off for a more cooperative bird. Do you think he ever wises up? Sorta like, hey I been chasin' you there and here and you ain't never there. If you want me, you come to me. Don't know if they have that much brain capacity or not. Studies have been done that prove they have memories. Joe Hutto was raised by turkeys for a year and once they birds were scared by a snake pit. They never ventured near that pit again, always making an effort to avoid it. That spells memory to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vagobbln Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I agree with no calling before the season. No advantage to it at all. Unless you like hunting call-shy birds. Fix you a cup of coffee and ride out to a good, high listening spot. Lean up against the truck, drink your coffee and do just that ... listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drkillemquick Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. Never called to turkeys before season. Only callin' I've done is with a locater call the night before the hunt. The rest I just use a good top quality bino and stay as far away as possible. My goal is for them not to know I am watchin' them. I would like to purchase a spotting scope this season, so I can identify the Tom's a little better from farther off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDNKHNTR77 Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. ill just go out in the mornings and listen to them gobble from the roost and out them to bed at night. sometimes i use an owl hooter or a crow call to find where they r moving during the day but thats about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA_Spike_King Posted January 21, 2006 Report Share Posted January 21, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. We never call to them before season,we just scout and use locater calls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born2Hunt Posted January 21, 2006 Report Share Posted January 21, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. The only calling I do before the season is in my truck on the way to work.(and for pizza)!LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted January 21, 2006 Report Share Posted January 21, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I've done it before on a very rare occasion. Not something I have a whole lot of time to do, even if I wanted to. I do think it's great that the other guys get out and call to the birds before season. If it educates the gobblers a little, that just weeds out the other guys a bit faster when season comes in. The quicker everyone else gets frustrated and gives up....the quicker I get the woods all to myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA_Spike_King Posted January 21, 2006 Report Share Posted January 21, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. [ QUOTE ] I do think it's great that the other guys get out and call to the birds before season. If it educates the gobblers a little, that just weeds out the other guys a bit faster when season comes in. The quicker everyone else gets frustrated and gives up....the quicker I get the woods all to myself. [/ QUOTE ] Strut I never realy thought of it that way LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterfowler_gal Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I don't call before the season... I do scout and look for signs and possible groups as they are easy to follow where I am from because there is so much farmland and small woods they travel from woods to woods in a particular vacinity... I wouldn't smart them up... Sometimes during the season no calling is the way to go (don't laugh I am serious)... just my opinion though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TBryan Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I have in a piece of woods where there is no hunting but not anywhere that i can hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I never call to birds before I can hunt them because I'm convinced they do wise up to hunting pressure and that's what you are doing if you start trying to call them in prior to the season. When you call a bird into a location, he expects to see a hen when he gets there. If he doesn't, he'll go to where he has successfully got with hens. I'm not sure if they can tell the difference in real hen talk or calls but they do learn to look more for and wait on the real thing to show themselves rather than walk in to what they think is an anxious hen. There have been several times when I could tell the difference with birds hanging up. Both here at home and on out of state hunts. Here's a couple of instances that stick in my mind about this. Most of the time when I choose to go on an out of state hunt I book them to start on the opening day of that state's season. Several years ago a friend of mine decided to be choosy about trying to bag a big Rio with long spurs. On opening day he called in 9 gobblers during but they were all 2 year old birds so he didn't shoot. The next day every bird he tried to call in hung up. Fortunately on the 3rd day he managed to bag a 2 year old bird before we went home. On another out of state trip we started hunting on opening day and the birds just wouldn't close the distance. The birds either hung up or made their mark, waited for a short time and then moved off in search of other hens. Later that afternoon the guy that was running us around said "I don't understand what's going on. I called up a half a dozen birds last weekend." I did manage to kill a bird on that hunt but it wasn't anywhere close to where the guy had been calling the birds before the season. Several years ago here at home I was hunting a couple of gobblers that were traveling together. I called them in on opening morning but they circled around to where they were behind me off my right shoulder so I didn't have a shot. When they moved off they shut down so I left them alone for another day and went hunting for some other birds. For the next 2 weeks they made a fool of me. They would make their mark, wait and then move off. Frustrating to say the least. Anyway, on one of those birds fatefull day I was working them and having them do the same thing to me. I made 3 moves to try to outflank them where they were going changing calls each time. At the 3rd location I could see them coming toward me and hang up about 60+ yards out. They moved off and crossed a shallow creek going to another ridge. I relocated again on the ridge they moved to but instead of using hen calls like I had been using, I switched to a gobble call. They did the trick. Within 5 minutes from the time I started gobbling to them, both birds were inside the 25 yard line. The big one didn't survive the encounter. It just doesn't make any sense to risk educating the birds before you can hunt them. Turkey hunting is hard enough as it is. Every experienced turkey hunter I know shares the same attitude about not calling to the birds before the season starts. Birds will gobble enough on their own before the season starts to allow you to pattern them anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossyhorn Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I dont think it is allowed here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 257Roberts Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. Call if you wish but them wise old longbeards can only be fooled so many times. i don't even hoot at em till i'm ready to engage. I will admit to a little fall fun with gobblers. if i happen to bust up a group of gobblers i have on occation called them back in with the diaphram call i normmaly carry durring bow season. (FYI, MS has no fall seaon to speak of but i sometimes cluck, and purr when walking through the woods to cover my noise when walking to the stand.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockefeller66 Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I agree 100%! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWiggely Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. I don't call to the birds at all before season. Years back I used too and then wondered why I couldn't get that big tom I call in last week to talk to me. I love going out in the evening the week before season with the kids and listening for them too roost. Then we go out every morning for the week prior also and listen to where they are at in the am. This sure does help me decide where to hunt. Wigs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rod Posted January 29, 2006 Report Share Posted January 29, 2006 Re: Calling birds before season. It's a bad idea to call any other time unless you're actually hunting, in my opinion, legal or not.Out-of-season calling is NOT illegal all the time in Illinois though, only for a few weeks prior to opening day. It's legal at other times. This is the administrative rule on that from the DNR website.Section 710.30 Turkey Hunting Regulations It is unlawful: ........................... k) for any person to use a turkey call that imitates sounds made by a turkey or to attempt to call a turkey by making these sounds while in the field in the Southern Zone from March 15 through the day before the 1st turkey season and in the Northern Zone from March 22 through the day before the 1st turkey season. This prohibition only applies in counties open to spring turkey hunting. This prohibition does not apply to participants in the Youth Turkey Hunt with a valid permit, or their accompanying adult, during that season as prescribed by Section 710.70. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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