How many turkey calls?

[HUNTINGMAN]

I seen a comment in the (your turkey guns) thread that made me think of a question.I have a lot of calls in my vest and sometimes get carried away with them.When I am at a setup and dont here much I keep switching calls trying to get a response,does switching calls so often spook or educate the gobblers or does it make them think that there is just more hens around?Last year was a dry year and I was wondering if my calling had anything to do with it,dont want a repeat this year.

[Outdoorzman]

It's been my experience that trying different calls when nothing else is working is a good idea. We call it "taking a birds temperature" because toms can be so fickle from day to day that it ain't funny. I'll start out soft with a call then maybe get a bit more aggressive with the same call if nothings happening before switching. Alot of times, at least in my area, birds clam up hard after 8:30am but a good box call with steady hen yelps often will get a response even from another hen. THAT sometimes triggers the gobbler to sound off if he hears more than one hen.

Bottom line is that switching up often sounds like 2-3 different hens are available so don't be shy. Just remember that as the season progresses, a gobblers attitude can change and oftentimes you may have toms approaching silently because they're satellite birds that have been whipped too many times, so be patient....and ready.

[Outdoorzman]

One thing I'd add is that if switching your calling suddenly produces a response from a hen somewhere, pay attention... do your best to mimic her as closely as you can but add more volume and aggression to your calls. If she keeps responding, you keep it up, too. That means you located a boss hen and she will soon come to you to teach you a lesson. That can be tricky but good, because, (like a doe deer), she'll be looking for you and might pick you off, but she might just have a tom or toms with her, too.

[Guest turkeynutz64]

I only carry 4 mouth calls, a lil duece slate, a h.s. box and a crow call! Havent ever needed more than that! Used to carry every call that was on the shelf, but in the long haul I wound up just using these calls!

[AdvantageTimberLou]

I carry a bunch as you can tell in that gun thread and that is because you never know what that old tom will answer too. Had one that was henned up, could hear him gobble back to us but would never come closer. I tried about 5 different calls, mouth, box, slates, and he finally came into a push button call I had.

So you never know what tickles their fancy but too many calls can't be a bad thing. I see it as he knows there is a group of hens over there and if the ladies aren't coming his way he has to go to the ladies!

Note: Just using different strikers helps as well. Always a good idea to have different types in your vest!

[Guest spurcollector]

Sometimes it takes that one tone or pitch to set a gobbler off. I can think of more than a few times where I went through a few calls with no response and then all of a sudden I hit a certain pitch and the woods come alive. I try not to overdo it but I think a few different calls is good. I also remember the ones that are successful and go to those. My vest is loaded with calls too.

[oldreloader]

outdoorzman and AdvantageTimberLou covered it pretty well.And yeppers I tote a bunch of calls,2 boxes,3 slates with several strikers,1 push and 3 mouth calls.

[HuntnMa]

i bring a few select calls and just about every striker i own......

[Strut10]

I hunt light.

1 boxcall

1 slate call

2 strikers

3 diapragms

That's it.

[turkaholic]

I'm always battling with myself about all the stuff I carry into the turkey woods. I start the season heavy and slowly get lighter as the temps get higher. I can remember several times sitting with a friend and not having any action untill that one call changed everything. There was a time I recall, we were ready to call it a day with no action and as we started to walk out my friend grabbed his fighting purr call and hit it and 5 gobblers gobbled all together. We had just got up from sitting and calling, throwing almost everything we had at them. The birds were all in sight strutting, moments later the clock struck 12 and we had to stop hunting. Till this day I still carry a push button box call like the fighting purr in my vest, along with 2 hi frequency friction calls a box call and 4 or so mouth calls. I have also had action with my Red Wolf gobble tube when everything else failed me. Its hard to leave behind an old friend that made the day for you last year or, 5 years ago. The best call I have is provided by nature, dry leaves and my hand. Scratching the leaves when a gobbler is coming in is one reliable call. There comes a time when you just can't carry it all, and then there is the next favorite call, just waiting to be tested. Instead of a vest maybe a wheel barrow would work?

[oldreloader]

AdvantageTimberLou is the top box call in your picture an old Lynch Foolproof 101?

[Nut]

1 box

2 slate

4 strikers

[Guest bowhunter56]

Just 2, one slate and one glass..

[ksbowhntr77]

1 Box

1 Slate

6 Mouth calls (For variety):D:D

Mostly use the mouth calls so I can paruse the timber and feel out where the boys are. Easy to call with your hands full too.

[Bowtech_archer07]

I carry 3 slates, 6 strikers, 3 mouth calls, 1 box calls, an owl hooter, a crow call, and a gobble call. It may be too much, but when the birds aren't gobbling, sometimes switching calls is the best thing to do. If i've got birds working, then I stick with the call that is working. My buddy and I were working a bird last year and we had him moving toward us with both of us calling, using different calls, and both of us hitting our gobble calls. The bird got hung up about 100 yards away. We were in a bottom, and it was late season and the vegetation had grown up and he was a little wary of coming down in there. But we brought him closer using the array of calls.

[Rhino]

I will sometimes try to sound like more than 1 hen. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't. There are times when going quiet helps too. Other times you can just leave that bird alone, look for another one, and come back later and work that bird.

Sometimes I go lighter than other times. Here's my usual mix of calls.

1 box

2 to 4 slate calls

3 to 6 strikers

3 to 5 diaphram calls

1 gobble call

2 crow calls (I'm bad about loosing them)

When you throw in other items like, chalk, sandpaper or whatever you use to prep your slate calls, water, thermocell, tick spray, binocs, ammo, shotgun, TP, decoys (I don't care to use them), clippers, knife, and an exta face mask & gloves...we're never really going light.

[Guest Horton4life]

This is some good information!

[Guest bowhunter_24]

I carry 1 box call, 5 mouth calls, 5 slates, 8 different strikers, hoot flute, crow call, and a wingbone call

[HUNTINGMAN]

Went through my vest and narrowed it down to just a few calls,

2 box calls

4 diaframs

3 crystal pots

4 strikers

crow call

hawk call

push pull call

gobble shaker

going to buy a slate call

then I have all other stuff,clippers,saw,chalk,tape measure,water bottle,sand paper,whatever else I am forgetting.Man this thing is getting heavy.

[Guest longspur69]

To answer your question. . . both. Trying several calls increases your chances at that moment. But, it definitely decreases your chances of killing that bird (and the gobblers that are with it) on future hunts. If the bird isn't answering and/or isn't moving, he most likely has hens or some other reason for not coming. Throwing everything at him could trigger something to change his mind, but usually doesn't. On the otherhand, if you throw everything at him and he comes in from behind and gets spooked, or God forbid he gets shot at and missed. What call will you use on him the next time you hunt him. I spent too many of my first few seasons chasing turkeys that I'd educated. . . . with all the calls I could think of. Now, I almost always save a call for tomorrow.

[The Kid]

different calls make different sounds, hence they sound like different turkeys, I carry two slates, 1 box, crow, owl, a wing to do my fly down cackle,a gobble, several mouth calls,and a tube call,, i don't think theres such a thing as to having to many calls in the woods..

[WHISKEYSWAMP]

I carry a couple slate calls, three strikers, and 3 mouth calls...