Calling practice rut

[RLAG]

I think we've all been there. You spend 2 months getting better and better. You hit a point where when you pick up your calls you feel like you're just making the same sounds over and over instead of making some aspect of your calling improve(tone, volume control, cadence etc). It feels like that is your sound and what you can do.

What do you do to break out of this rut? Listen to the grand nationals and attempt to mimic what they can do? Practice with new types of calls?

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[ol bob]

 The grand nationals are about pleasing judges not killing turkeys. There's a big difference.

[Greg Massey]

What i enjoy is playing a variety of calls. It's amazing playing these calls and realizing that each builder has his own turkey sound. In my opinion that's the beauty and history of the call builder. In playing a variety of calls, i don't necessarily feel i get in a rut of practicing with my calls. Agree practice to learn the different sounds of your calls, but regardless out in the fields or woods just be your own caller. No hen's are the same.

[Yoder409]

Don't get too hung up on the Grand Nationals.

I was pretty decent at baseball and football.  But I never made a MLB or NFL team.  Those guys are .1 percenters.  So are the Grand National level callers.   It's not just that they run better calls.  They have a gift.

If you're making turkey sounds,  just do what you can to up your game.

I'm no competition caller.  But I still manage to kill a turkey from time to time.   

[guesswho]

GN's is the last thing I'd listen to.  Random hens calling is where I'd be.  You tube has some great audio/video of wold hens calling. 

[RLAG]

Those guys definitely have a gift. For clarification, I was meaning the tone/types of sounds they're making and not exactly the whole run of sounds they make on a stage.

Listening to how some of those guys call in the woods vs on stage definitely has its similarities but shouldn't be copied in it's entirety obviously. If you take a 3 or 4 second snip of sounds they're making to try to replicate is more what I was referring to

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[ChesterCopperpot]

Something I've always enjoyed doing was listening to Lovett Williams recordings and trying to match every sound call for call. The hens usually win, but it's fun practice and it breaks you out of your normal calling sequences.


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[Yoder409]

Something I've always enjoyed doing was listening to Lovett Williams recordings and trying to match every sound call for call. The hens usually win, but it's fun practice and it breaks you out of your normal calling sequences.

What I have noticed in listening to other hunters call in the woods is that, apparently, none of them have ever heard a real, living, breathing wild turkey hen.  They say things no hen EVER said.  Not so much the tone............but the cadences and sequences. 

What you said is SPOT ON. 

Listen to REAL hen sequences..........and practice accordingly.  Practice for cadence and sequence.  The tone will come.

[RLAG]

Are the Lovett Williams recordings available anywhere for download? I can only find the CD offerings online

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[Terry]

I practice hard on a trumpet and plateau for months at a time it seems like. I also have periods where it seems I'm almost going backwards. I combat it by keeping on with what I'm doing and have faith that eventually I'll get better. I can't control how much natural talent I have, but I can control the amount of effort I put in. Keep on hammering is my advice.


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[RLAG]

I practice hard on a trumpet and plateau for months at a time it seems like. I also have periods where it seems I'm almost going backwards. I combat it by keeping on with what I'm doing and have faith that eventually I'll get better. I can't control how much natural talent I have, but I can control the amount of effort I put in. Keep on hammering is my advice.


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Man I'm glad I'm not the only one. Pick up the trumpet one day and sound mediocre and the next is 2 steps back. You pick it up to play and just think man I sound the exact same as I did last week. What have I gotten better with?

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[Master Gobbie]

I've kept recordings of hens in my area and listen to it over and over, taking note of their cadence and tone.

I'll write it down like a sheet of music and focus on making clean sequences.

Otherwise I've found myself in a rut just making noise without really paying attention to what I'm doing.

Also, don't stop practicing but maybe try shortening your sessions if you feel you're stuck.

[Dtrkyman]

I don't practice much at all.  Usually get my calls out just prior to the opener and play around a bit.  I don't like calling, I like calling turkeys!

Surely I would benefit from a little more practice but, most of it will be in the car traveling on my way to hunt!

It is like riding a bike for me I guess.

[ChesterCopperpot]

Are the Lovett Williams recordings available anywhere for download? I can only find the CD offerings online

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I've never seen them as downloads, but I just converted the CDs. I've even got the spring one on my phone I might have a problem.


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[Happy]

I don't practice a lot anymore. A couple times a year I will fiddle with calls and then start warming up about a month before season. I used to practice constantly but after hearing the calling abilities of most hunters in the woodsl I feel pretty confident.