twowetdogz Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 OK. Here's a question for everybody. I know everybody on here asks a lot which kind of call to use (box, slate, etc). Even though I know this this is extremely situational, and many are combined on every bird, I'm just curious. There are so many different call sounds (yelps, clucks, purrs, cuts, gobbles, etc), in your opinion, what's the ideal situation to use these different calls when out hunting. Please feel free to add any others to the list as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bachflock Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 That is an difficult question to answer since a combination of each will generally prove far more sucessful than one call used repeatedly, over and over. I am no expert but love just sitting and listening to turkey talk also. The easiest and most accurate answer - Listen to the woods and speak the language you hear. Far and away the #1 turkey call a hunter needs to get a handle on is the yelp. Slow yelp, fast yelp, excited yelp, gobbler yelp, tree yelp, etc. I start most calling off with a relaxed, almost a calm soft tree yelp following about 20 minutes of silence after getting into the woods (assuming this not a morning/daybreak hunt). Daybreak hunts the tree yelp is the way to go. The different yelps can mean so many different things. Clucks generally signal calmness, contentment, and general turkey to turkey "Hey, I'm over here." Not so much a way to say "Hey, come here..." as "...touching base with ya...". Good call to just put it out and maybe a lonely gobbler will tune in and want to see who's clucking away. If you've got a gobbler in the area and want him to feel safe, clucking in combo with yelps and purrs are a good way to add variety and realism. Purrs - fighting and contented. I've been sucessful with fighting purrs in the fall - had the herd of turkey literally run in. Sounded like a herd of deer coming in. If you've got a dominant gobbler in the area a fighting purr can make him come in running to stick up for his territory. Contented purr will make a gobbler think all is well and will want to come in feeling safe. You've got a gobbler coming in contented purrs will likely excite him and make him feel safer. Cuts - basicly a hen saying "I'm here and ready for action!" This is where I was convinced, "Listen to the woods and speak the language," is the absolute truth. I had been throwing out yelping and clucking with no audible response from any gobblers. Then a hen started cutting less than 75 yards from me and a gobbler sounded off. I matched her pace, tone, and excitement. I shot my bird about 30 min later. The following year I heard some cutting preseason so I knew there were some hot hens in the area. However, during season I was hearing gobblers but no cutting so I didn't throw it out there. The last day of my hunt and I was empty handed - I pulled out all stops and started yelping and cutting agressively. About an hour and a half later I bagged my bird. Gobbles - I'd only use this if your trying to challenge a dominant bird. I don't have any experience with this personally. Cackles - another call to use when trying to add realism. Use it in the mornings during flydown to let the gobbler know where you're at. If you're hunting in a hollow or bottom of a ridge you could use the cackle if you know a gobbler is up top. I'd invest in CDs by Ray Eye or Lovett Williams. There are others as well but I like these the best personally. Hope it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Not only are these calls situational, their importance and degree of usage changes from one subspecies to another. For example; I've hunted Merriams in New Mexico that responded best to yelps from a box call along with some clucking & purring mixed in. Yelping at Eastern birds here in Mississippi takes a back seat to cutting, clucking & purring. Generally the most common call hens make here is soft clucking & purring. It's a call you can use essentially any time. Mix in some leaf scratching with it and you basically imitate a content hen that is just feeding around. This is probably the call I use most often when I'm set up. Both hens and gobblers will come to it. Like Bachflock said it gives them the feeling it's safe. I'll use louder, more aggressive clucks with cutting. Cutting is probably the next call I use most often in my arsenal of calls here. It's just what an excited hen does. It also can be a challenge to other hens so at times it can be used to agitate a hen into coming in with a gobbler in tow. Bachflock has the rest of this covered. Gobbling for me has a number of uses. I've found it can make a hung up bird come on in probably so he won't loose that hen he heard to an upstart bird that slipped in. This has made the difference for me a number of times. On one occasion I was double teaming with a buddy that was doing the shooting. The gobble made him break loose and come right in after having him hung up with hen talk for over an hour. That was my buddy's first lesson on the value of a gobble call. He used one this past Sunday to break another bird away from his hang up point. When dealing with birds older than 2 year old birds a gobble call can appeal to their sense of dominance. I've also had success gobbling in birds when gobblers were traveling together. Some gobblers just like to join up from time to time, especially 2 year old birds. A couple of years ago a friend of mine killed a bird that was traveling with a group of gobblers. They all split up when they hit the air from his shot. I came in behind him about 30 minutes later and using nothing but a gobble call killed one of the other gobblers appealing to his sense of wanting to re-group with his buddies. There are times too when gobbling is my "when all else fails" call too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Nothing i could add to what those old pros said except that it's also about physical abilities as well. I mean to me, the easiest "out of the box" call is a box call. A good box call, and someone that's never used a call in their life can make absolutley perfect yelps....BUT, now you're no longer hands-free. This means when your yelping and old big boy steps out magically behind a tree at 30 steps looking at you, your going to have to be good to put the box down, get the gun up, and put the bead on him before he vanishes. Diaphragms solved this issue for most of us so you can make a wide variety of calls under the cover of your face mask, both hands on the gun. But as you hunt more and more, you'll discover the beauty of the soft calling you can do with a slate. Those soft purrs, clucks, and an occasional scratch in the leaves are needed sometimes to seal the deal. And then there's just the old fashioned joy of playing with different calls, maybe one or two homemade ones from a local guy that just adds to the flavor of turkey hunting. just some thoughts john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layin on the smackdown Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Diaphragms solved this issue for most of us so you can make a wide variety of calls under the cover of your face mask, both hands on the gun. john I have tried and tried to figure out how to use one of those darn things...and every time, i come out looking like a 3 year old after dinner....druel all over myself...bout swallowed the darn thing once too... I'm still a rook though, so i guess it doenst matter...i'll stick to the slate call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 lol.... come on dan, my girls can blow on them ok :p Well, seriously, everyone has a different shaped pallate, so aintcha glad there's some variety out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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