Calling sequence

[JALA Strut]

I know that your not supposed to over call in an area throughout the morning but was wondering what is your general calling sequence when your blind calling in an area.  When does calling become over calling in an area?  I generally start with some clucks and purrs with a couple yelps mixed in.  Then, if nothing shows or gobbles after awhile I'll do that again.  Then if nothing still after awhile, I'll mix some cutting into the sequence.
How long of a calling sequence do you make and with what turkey talk?  When yelping how many yelps do you use in a sequence?

[Terry]

I tend not to over think it. I just go by how I am feeling and what's going on around me.

[Spitten and drummen]

The truth is that hens are very vocal. We dont always here all the sounds they are making. They make little feeding calls, clicks, whines and other soft sounds. I personally just tone it way down. I think calling to loud is more of a issue to me. I call more often than a lot of people but also at a volume that you would be hard pressed to hear over 50 yards. Most times i let the time of day , time of season , hunting pressure and just the birds dictate the pace.

[tomstopper]

I tend not to over think it. I just go by how I am feeling and what's going on around me.

^^^This. I use clucks, yelps, purrs (sometimes they are squeaky, whinny, etc), cackles, etc. and just throw them together in whatever sequence that works for me at that time. IMO once you get the bird to gobble and he doesn't have hens with him, he will more than likely come to anything usually (just speaking from my experiences).

[wisconsinteacher]

Great question.  One thing I learned this spring was to sit tight and don't move right away.  I also make it a point to not get up and move for at least 30 minutes after my last calls unless I need to reposition on a gobbling bird. 

[eddie234]

I think it depends on your hunting area, what do the turkey in your area do. Thats learned from spending alot of time in the woods prior to an during hunting season. I also let the day dictate what i do, if the woods are extra quite a particular morning I'll do less calling than on a day when everything i the woods is making noise. When i set up somewhere i give it an hour, if I havent heard anything within that hour I move on. Early on i would set up call and when i decided to move is when i got busted by a turkey.

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[THattaway]

Your calling sequence sounds fine to me. I call at least once every five to ten minutes because a turkey can walk into and out of hearing distance in that time frame. I also wait a while after calling as already mentioned. I wait at least ten minutes and wear a wrist watch when hunting for this very purpose. Had birds show up silent like this several times this season, plenty in past seasons. Over calling to me is constant calling but sometimes that kills turkeys too.

[Snoodsniper]

Great question.  One thing I learned this spring was to sit tight and don't move right away.  I also make it a point to not get up and move for at least 30 minutes after my last calls unless I need to reposition on a gobbling bird.

I've been busted twice this season by getting up too soon. Had to go to work so I really didn't have a choice.

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[Marc]

One of the biggest determining factors for my calling is listening to the hens in the area...  If the hens are vocal (or have recently been vocal), I try and emmulate those birds...

I do not tend to kill most of my birds right off in the morning, but I do get a good idea of where they are going and what they are doing...  It is a great time to listen to hens as well.  Toms are going to gobble, but I am much more interested in hearing those hens...  Are they flying down or already on ground?  How vocal are they and what type of vocalizations are they doing?

If I hear the hens doing more clucking and cutting, that is what I tend to do.  If I hear hens doing more yelping that is what I do.  I also listen to the tone, pitch, and intensity of the vocal hens.

But as Terry mentioned, I tend to call based on my gut feelings a lot...

[jblackburn]

I start withe soft clucks and yelps in case one is close. Then I might give excited yelps or cutts, depending on the situation


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[Tail Feathers]

Too much maybe...but I called quite a few birds throughout the season so maybe not.

I tend to do a lot of soft clucks and purring to satisfy my urge to call while keeping it realistic.  Struck up a few toms and called in quite a few hens doing it that way.  Like someone said...I kind of go by the feel of the woods on any given day.

[JALA Strut]

Thanks for the input guys. It's been a tough year for me so far with less activity than normal it seems and it's making me doubt myself out there, but seems like I'm pretty consistent with everyone else so we'll see how the rest of the season goes. Still love being out there!

[Terry]

It's been a tough couple of years in NY, I wouldn't take it personal.

[GobbleNut]

One of the biggest determining factors for my calling is listening to the hens in the area...  If the hens are vocal (or have recently been vocal), I try and emmulate those birds...

I do not tend to kill most of my birds right off in the morning, but I do get a good idea of where they are going and what they are doing...  It is a great time to listen to hens as well.  Toms are going to gobble, but I am much more interested in hearing those hens...  Are they flying down or already on ground?  How vocal are they and what type of vocalizations are they doing?

If I hear the hens doing more clucking and cutting, that is what I tend to do.  If I hear hens doing more yelping that is what I do.  I also listen to the tone, pitch, and intensity of the vocal hens.

But as Terry mentioned, I tend to call based on my gut feelings a lot...

Well stated!  This is a good summary of what hunters should be doing when evaluating how to call to a group of turkeys.   One thing I would add is that regardless of all else, the fact is that there is not a one of us that hunts turkeys that knows exactly what is going on in the minds of those birds at any given time. 

The best we can do is to try to stay undetected and make sounds (and/or use visual aids if you are into that) that make those turkeys think we are real turkeys.  Convincing them to come close enough for us to shoot one of them is often completely dependent upon their state of mind at any particular time!

[SCGobbler]

Will Primos has stated this very well.  He says, "take the turkeys temperature."

I believe that he uses this for the amount of calling to a tom, but I use it all around.  The best thing to do is listen to the turkeys.  If they are vocal, you have a little more leeway to be vocal.  If they are quiet, then keep to the soft stuff.

If I get into a lull situation, say the afternoon; I call it the afternoon "sit and wait," I tend to call a bit, put the call down, and get my gun up and ready.  I can't tell you the number of times in the afternoons when a gobbler has slipped in on me without a peep.  Maintain good cover in the afternoons, wear plenty of repellant or bring a Thermacell to keep the ticks off and call a bit and then wait.

I tend to start out with a few loud yelps, maybe 2-3-4 at the most every 2 to 3 minutes, for a series of about 2-3, then I wait about fifteen minutes, 20 minutes, then start over.  Now please keep in mind that I don't do this with a watch.  I typically do this as I doze off unexpectedly and "fall down the stairs" jerking awake, then start my sequence over again.

I say this with utter confidence that I am not the only person on this forum that this happens too on a somewhat regular basis!  Getting up at 0400 for a week or nearly 2 weeks straight takes a toll on a man.

If after an hour or so of nothing, I will typically start walking the roads.  I use the bends of the road to cover my approach and call softly near the bends with a Buice Trumpet with a #3 mouthpiece; soft and sweet.  Nothing that blows their socks off.

I typically like to get nearer their roost areas during this time or where they are dusting, etc... anywhere there tends to be a lot of turkey sign.  Just don't get caught in the middle of their roost area and have them fly up around you.  One of two things is going to happen; you are going to know exactly where they are for the morning and will either spend the night or get home really really late, or you will bust them out of their roost site getting up!

Hope this helps!

P.S. Keep in mind this entire diatribe is subject to change at my whim and the situation ultimately determines the actions!

Hope this helps.