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Do you feel realism is important in calling gobblers / hens?  Do you practice cadence and realism with your calls?

Do you feel calling isn't that important at all or do you feel realism isn't needed ...

Does realism in your calling give you a better chance in bagging your gobbler

Soft Calling ?   
Loud Calling ?

Sounding realistic - cadence etc is very important. Every turkey is different and you've got to adjust your calling accordingly. Also the set up is more crucial than the calling. I've hunted turkeys all over and though they are all different they have the same tendencies which you learn to exploit through experience.

Each year, I call in some lone hens. I love engaging with them, trying to imitate their every sound. This is where I learned to mimic sounds on the mouth diaphragms you just don't experience very often. I believe that a hot gobbler will come to mediocre, non-realistic calling when he's lonely and ready. I do think that realistic calling will help in harvesting the mature 3-4 year olds. This is just my opinion from my experiences in the turkey woods....

Different personalities are a huge variable. The same unhuntable turkey can change his tune at any given time depending on his mood. My 2 cents is that realism is important, calling and set up. My priorities are:
1) location
2) set up ( including decoys )
3) calling

Realism is what each turkey hunter should strive for with any call, they use...

Part of your realism should include, volume, cadence, number of notes, how you start & finish your calling, & learning where to call from.

Understanding what your calling is saying to the turkeys is paramount to being real.

JMHO...

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Quote from: boatpaddle on March 08, 2025, 10:34:45 AMRealism is what each turkey hunter should strive for with any call, they use...

Part of your realism should include, volume, cadence, number of notes, how you start & finish your calling, & learning where to call from.

Understanding what your calling is saying to the turkeys is paramount to being real.

JMHO...

Good advice here.

Volume, probably the most overlooked aspect IMO. Hunting public land, hear far too many people calling far too loudly, too long, and too often.

Spot on!  Soft calling kills more birds, especially on pressured public ground.

Quote from: boatpaddle on March 08, 2025, 10:34:45 AMRealism is what each turkey hunter should strive for with any call, they use...

This.

#1 in my book is set-up.  It's way easier to make a gobbler come somewhere he WANTS to come to.

But, all things set-up being equal,  realism in calling will kill more birds than "OK calling".

It's really pretty amazing some of the noises I've heard guys make in the woods with turkey calls.   :goofball:   And, this, coming from a guy who is in NO WAY a competition level caller.  But, SHEESH !!!   ::)

Sometimes realism is important and sometimes it ain't. You don't know until it's over, and sometimes not even then. I'd rather be realistic so then I've got it covered.

Calling turmeys is so much than how one sounds though. You sound just like a real turkey with different types of calls?..... congratulations you just graduated Junior High. Lots to learn yet.

I pride myself on being obsessive with having the correct cadence, rhythm, and being as realistic as possible with my calls. If I haven't spent hundreds of hours with a call inside, outside, and in different conditions, with recordings of how it sounds in all of the different places and weather conditions, it doesn't go in my vest or in the woods when it's for real. But it's for my enjoyment and my driving factor of turkey hunting has always been to sound as close to a hen as I can and have a conversation with the turkeys, not just make noise.

With that being said your question was do I think it matters and my opinion is no. I have called in a lot of turkeys when I was in my beginning stages and I see a lot of you tube videos and know a few folks that when they hit a call, it sounds like a chicken being raped by a duck and they kill turkeys. I think the most important thing is to have any ample amount of turkeys to hunt and set up where they want to go to begin with. Anything after that is just for fun for us.


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Great topic Greg!
I think being mindful of ones possible frustration& if a person is hunting all day and not hearing or seeing anything possibly boredom and that affecting cadence, realism,& even over calling...
Just something especially for newer guys starting to think about...

Quote from: ScottTaulbee on March 08, 2025, 11:24:50 AMI pride myself on being obsessive with having the correct cadence, rhythm, and being as realistic as possible with my calls. If I haven't spent hundreds of hours with a call inside, outside, and in different conditions, with recordings of how it sounds in all of the different places and weather conditions, it doesn't go in my vest or in the woods when it's for real. But it's for my enjoyment and my driving factor of turkey hunting has always been to sound as close to a hen as I can and have a conversation with the turkeys, not just make noise.

With that being said your question was do I think it matters and my opinion is no. I have called in a lot of turkeys when I was in my beginning stages and I see a lot of you tube videos and know a few folks that when they hit a call, it sounds like a chicken being raped by a duck and they kill turkeys. I think the most important thing is to have any ample amount of turkeys to hunt and set up where they want to go to begin with. Anything after that is just for fun for us.


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Just curious....Do you really think all of that practice doesn't help kill more turkeys? I think you are cutting😁 yourself short!
I politely disagree unless I misunderstood something...
I think half azz calling and cadence will still kill turkeys,but not nearly as many...
Knowing when to call and when not to, softer or louder all of that comes into play of how successful one might be...
I do agree set up is very important and of course being where turkeys frequent adds a whole bunch to success...

Another rule I use on most turkey's is "Silence is Golden". The few that friends that have hunted with me are shocked as to how quiet and infrequent I call to a responding Tom. Yes, there have been times when I hammered him cause he was super hot. Most times, I get him so curious in his search for me when I'm quiet, he can't take it and finally commits. This seems to work on the real Old Guys that have experienced hunters over-calling to them. Just my experiences over the years....

Few added thoughts. 

I do not think a realistic cadence, sound or volume ever hurt a turkey hunt, so why not strive for it?

Being quiet is best, unless it is not, and only the gobbler you encounter that day will tell you which is right. Don't be scared to listen to the gobbler. Some of the ugliest calls I have ever  heard were live hens, but they still had the cadence.

The absolute best way to hear every turkey sound made is to hunt (or be around) turkeys in the fall.  Sitting close to a flock on the limb and hearing them interact when they hit the ground is a crash course in turkey talk.

Quote from: g8rvet on March 08, 2025, 12:41:57 PMThe absolute best way to hear every turkey sound made is to hunt (or be around) turkeys in the fall.  Sitting close to a flock on the limb and hearing them interact when they hit the ground is a crash course in turkey talk.

:agreed: 100%

Quote from: g8rvet on March 08, 2025, 12:41:57 PMFew added thoughts. 

I do not think a realistic cadence, sound or volume ever hurt a turkey hunt, so why not strive for it?

Being quiet is best, unless it is not, and only the gobbler you encounter that day will tell you which is right. Don't be scared to listen to the gobbler. Some of the ugliest calls I have ever  heard were live hens, but they still had the cadence.

The absolute best way to hear every turkey sound made is to hunt (or be around) turkeys in the fall.  Sitting close to a flock on the limb and hearing them interact when they hit the ground is a crash course in turkey talk.

Agreed, was sitting about 70 yards from a roost listening to 10 or 15 hens at daylight this morning just enjoying the chorus.


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Understanding the language is the most important part of realism. A yelp is not just a yelp, it can mean a lot of different things. Got to know what you are saying and how they respond back. A gobble is not just a gobble, each one means something.

"A turkey hen speaks when she needs to speak, and says what she needs to say, when she needs to say it. So every word a turkey speaks is for a reason." - Rev Zach Farmer from "The Reverend" NWTF Film

 

Yes, as 1iagobblergetter stated half azz calling and cadence will still kill turkeys but not near as many. So why not increase your chances by trying to be the best you can at sounding like a real turkey.

Would we all like to be professional turkey callers and sound like a real turkey 100% of the time? Most certainly, but I have heard a few turkeys in my life that sounded gawd awful. Like they smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day and drank whiskey all their life. Somewhat like Selma Simpson with the cough and hack. What I'm getting at is practice and do the best you can with the call or calls you have. If you make a mistake (and we all do) play through it.
I practice every day 3 or 4 times a day for maybe 5 minutes at a time. I watch videos from people I know and trust and talk to friends to pick up tips of what I'm doing right or wrong.

[quote author=g8rvet
I do not think a realistic cadence, sound or volume ever hurt a turkey hunt, so why not strive for it?
Being quiet is best, unless it is not, and only the gobbler you encounter that day will tell you which is right. Don't be scared to listen to the gobbler. Some of the ugliest calls I have ever heard were live hens, but they still had the cadence. .

[quote author=Tom007
Another rule I use on most turkey's is "Silence is Golden". The few that friends that have hunted with me are shocked as to how quiet and infrequent I call to a responding Tom. Yes, there have been times when I hammered him cause he was super hot. Most times, I get him so curious in his search for me when I'm quiet, he can't take it and finally commits. This seems to work on the real Old Guys that have experienced hunters over-calling to them.

Soft what I call "Talking Sexy to him" or very little or no calling at all is the best option once he gobbles and you know he coming. He knows exactly where you are so why over call and or aggravate him by what I call YELLING AT HIM. Sounding like a turkey is more than just calling, move some leaves around with a stick or your hand and sound like a turkey feeding just to keep him interested.

I feel that the goal is to be as realistic as you possibly can, which includes knowing what to say and when to say it. Knowing the volume at which to say it for the given situation and knowing when to say nothing at all. The closer to perfection I achieve may or may not matter to the turkey, but it does to me. Woodsmanship is of utmost importance, more so that perfect calling.

Quote from: Tom007 on March 08, 2025, 12:36:56 PMAnother rule I use on most turkey's is "Silence is Golden". The few that friends that have hunted with me are shocked as to how quiet and infrequent I call to a responding Tom. Yes, there have been times when I hammered him cause he was super hot. Most times, I get him so curious in his search for me when I'm quiet, he can't take it and finally commits. This seems to work on the real Old Guys that have experienced hunters over-calling to them. Just my experiences over the years....

No doubt but that the silent treatment can work great!  Most of us over-call more than we under-call for sure!

But most of us (including myself) do not have the patience to stay quiet on a bird that has gobbled, and then goes silent...  Where is he?  Is he still interested?  Is he coming or hung up or with another hen?  WHERE IS HE?

I will tend to use silence more on smaller properties, and tend to (attempt) to search up a more vocal bird on larger properties...

Generally, once I get a bird worked up, I will go silent for minutes...  If he is gobbling and coming to me, I can stay quiet.  If he stops gobbling, it is like having an unbearable itch that I choose not to scratch... I MUST CALL. :help:

If I know I am going to have a long sit, finding a good spot is absolutely of key importance...  Needs to be comfortable, and somewhere that keeps me well-hidden, with good shooting lanes if a bird does appear.  Large tree that is comfortable to lean against, with a rock or fall in front to lay my gun across and hide movement from friction calls.

I have had a number of times, that a bird that I did not know was there, suddenly gobbles feet behind the tree I am sitting in front of!!!  Best jump-scare ever, and one of the reasons I prefer brown camo pants for turkey hunting. :goofball:

It's like flounder fishing using bait vs lures. You will usually catch more fish and more stubborn fish with bait. But lures work too sometimes.

Quote from: 1iagobblergetter on March 08, 2025, 11:33:21 AM

Quote from: ScottTaulbee on March 08, 2025, 11:24:50 AMI pride myself on being obsessive with having the correct cadence, rhythm, and being as realistic as possible with my calls. If I haven't spent hundreds of hours with a call inside, outside, and in different conditions, with recordings of how it sounds in all of the different places and weather conditions, it doesn't go in my vest or in the woods when it's for real. But it's for my enjoyment and my driving factor of turkey hunting has always been to sound as close to a hen as I can and have a conversation with the turkeys, not just make noise.

With that being said your question was do I think it matters and my opinion is no. I have called in a lot of turkeys when I was in my beginning stages and I see a lot of you tube videos and know a few folks that when they hit a call, it sounds like a chicken being raped by a duck and they kill turkeys. I think the most important thing is to have any ample amount of turkeys to hunt and set up where they want to go to begin with. Anything after that is just for fun for us.


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Just curious....Do you really think all of that practice doesn't help kill more turkeys? I think you are cutting yourself short!
I politely disagree unless I misunderstood something...
I think half azz calling and cadence will still kill turkeys,but not nearly as many...
Knowing when to call and when not to, softer or louder all of that comes into play of how successful one might be...
I do agree set up is very important and of course being where turkeys frequent adds a whole bunch to success...

I do think the practice and realism, and cadence helps on occasion. But if all things are equal, I'm on public ground with another guy, and I have my "custom" mouth calls or trumpet that I practice with daily, year round, 2 or 3 times a day, 5 or 10 minutes at a time and the other guy has a cheap box or pot from Walmart, and maybe hasn't used the call 5 times total and himself and the calls sound less than ideal. For the example, we both go after the same gobbler off the roost and the neophyte sets up in spot the gobbler encounters hens regularly and I set up wrong, he will most likely make 2 or 3 god awful yelps and pull the trigger on that bird whereas I can be in the wrong spot and sound like a whole passel of real hens and say everything just right and it won't amount to a hill of beans.

I don't remember where I read it but when I was a kid, maybe 10 years old, It read something along the lines of " Every gobbler is killable one day a season, it's up to you to figure out the day". And it's stuck with me ever since, for me, spending the maximum amount time my marriage can handle in the woods has been what consistently puts turkeys in the truck for me. I'm a pretty good woodsman, and I'm an above average caller, but none of that amounts to anything in my opinion if you're not in the place the gobbler wants to die at on that given day of the season when he's hot.


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Quote from: davisd9 on March 08, 2025, 03:02:46 PMUnderstanding the language is the most important part of realism. A yelp is not just a yelp, it can mean a lot of different things. Got to know what you are saying and how they respond back. A gobble is not just a gobble, each one means something.

"A turkey hen speaks when she needs to speak, and says what she needs to say, when she needs to say it. So every word a turkey speaks is for a reason." - Rev Zach Farmer from "The Reverend" NWTF Film

Couldn't agree more...

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Here is the question I  ask turkey hunters , especially new ones ..

Do you think gobblers "hang up " on all real hen ?

Probably not ...a real hen has several advantages over a turkey hunter ..for one they have legs and wings and move all around and that is very convincing,  they can also go directly to the gobbler ..something that is for the most part near impossible for a hunter ...

The one thing that a hunter and a hen might possibly have in common is (sound) a hen ...sounds like a hen , in fact she sounds EXACTLY like a hen and there is nothing she can do about it

  I listen to recordings of REAL hens , cause they are the best teacher, hopefully I can learn a thing or two

Good calling is a bonus. Using the appropriate call at the appropriate time is a bonus. Being where a turkey wants to go before he gets there is a big bonus.

When a bird has exhausted his breeding stock he will roam. Any one that can squak can kill a turkey at this point of the cycle.

Just watch you tube a little. Lots of proud guys on there that can't call but find THE turkey for the day.

Point is, enjoy yourself no matter your level and go hunting.

Leaf scratches, tone, deflection in your calling. Listen to what they have to say and how they say it. It's nice when the hens are vocal. I just give it back to em +1. Or the old adage... When in Rome.

We all love to hear that GOBBLE, I will work a Tom till I know hes interested, then go quiet, where I hunt public, a Tom gobbling will bring 5 guys creeping on him and me. All great posts, they all work sometimes, sometimes they dont, I had luck moving 10yds or so and letting him hear me again, like Shannon said Hens will move, if you sound like a hen, move, scratch, soft talk and wait. Have had birds get to 50 and hang up, let them walk off, crawl 20yds, call and they run right back.

Great post Gregg,


Do you feel realism is important in calling gobblers / hens?  Do you practice cadence and realism with your calls?

-Absolutely I do. I remember years ago before such platforms as Old Gobbler and other social media sites I would listen to tape cassettes on the various calls that turkey would make. It took me awhile to figure out that turkeys don't just run around yelping loudly all the time. I started to focus on more subtle yelps and purrs, and I became more successful. This may sound weird, but I try to think what a content hen walking in the woods sounds like. My years of archery hunting and having flocks of turkeys feed below me really added to this insight. Shane Simpson (calling all turkeys) has also posted some great YouTube videos of turkeys captured on cell cameras with their subtle talk. The fall woods also let you hear the vocalization of gobblers and jakes. The cadence between them and hens is different in my opinion and makes a difference when you are trying to mimic those birds. When I started using a trumpet about 5 years ago, I liked the subtle yelps and whines I could get and when scratching in the leaves, I find this to be a deadly tactic. I even use cadence in scratching. If you watch a turkey or even a chicken, they scratch with a "cadence" as well.           

Do you feel calling isn't that important at all or do you feel realism isn't needed ...


-Calling and realism is very important. That is why I have been buying custom calls for some time now. When I can call a gobbler past other hunters who are calling to the same bird, I whole heartedly believe it is the realism and cadence to which the call sounds.

   
Does realism in your calling give you a better chance in bagging your gobbler

-I do believe so because as I stated before, I learned years ago the hens don't just run around yelping loudly through the woods. 

Soft Calling ?   
Loud Calling

- I believe both play an important role and this depends on your hunting scenario as well as the dynamic of the flock. In other words, I think a flock can change dynamic throughout the course of a day and season. Is the boss hen courting a gobbler with other hens? If this is the case I soft call with a high-pitched call to sound like a young hen, whereas an older hen sound that is loud may cause that mature hen to walk in the opposite direction. If birds are flocked like in the early season, I will use a higher pitched call with some kee kees mixed in with soft talk and purrs. If I am hunting later in the season, I am running the mature call and a bit louder. I try to sound like an old boss hen considering most of them are probably nesting. The later season is when I really amp up the gobbler talk and when I do, I call loudly.               

Quote from: WV Flopper on March 08, 2025, 07:42:20 PMJust watch you tube a little. Lots of proud guys on there that can't call but find THE turkey for the day.

Yep,...do a little turkey-hunting channel-surfing on YouTube and you will come to understand the above statement.  I think we can assume that the guys that have YouTube channels are dedicated enough to this  pastime to become proficient at turkey calling. Yet, their calling is all over the map in terms of realism, the amount of calling, the volume, and every other factor in calling turkeys.  And yet again, they kill gobblers.

No doubt, some of that success is a function of where they are hunting. ...Or could it be that there are always a few gobblers in the woods that are just not that choosy about the turkey calling they hear?

To the point, however, with the vast array of turkey-calling instruments available nowadays, there is absolutely no reason why anybody that hunts turkeys should not be able to call with an adequate level of realism. Knowing when to apply that realism is another matter altogether...and there are no doubt times when having that knowledge is going to be the difference between success and failure.

The fact, though, is that there are just an awful lot of folks hunting turkeys that really just don't care enough about it to try to get there. When it comes down to it, those of us participating in these discussions are the exceptions and not the rule.

first and foremost every situation/bird is different....ive killed birds calling soft/loud..calling a lot or calling a little...my expierence is woodsmanship will kill more than calling...so setup to me is a huge part of that...knowing/reading that particular bird or flock as well 1 hunt a few years back i never made a call until I cut loudly and sharp twice to get a gobbler to stop and peekaboo for the shot...was an incredible 30 minutes of tree talk between the flock...but I knew where they landed and loafed the previous day and I got in tight in the dark

Turkey calling and fly casting are commonly over-rated.

You don't want to squawk or flail but competent is quite adequate for the overwhelming number of cases of success.

Quote from: tlewis81 on March 09, 2025, 08:42:40 AMfirst and foremost every situation/bird is different....ive killed birds calling soft/loud..calling a lot or calling a little...my expierence is woodsmanship will kill more than calling...so setup to me is a huge part of that...knowing/reading that particular bird or flock as well 1 hunt a few years back i never made a call until I cut loudly and sharp twice to get a gobbler to stop and peekaboo for the shot...was an incredible 30 minutes of tree talk between the flock...but I knew where they landed and loafed the previous day and I got in tight in the dark

Agree, while I was scouting a new farm that I've never been on before yesterday, I listened to the hens roosted around the river until they flew down but never heard a gobble at all. I walked around and found 2 piles of gobbler poop, there was a creek in a bottom, half way up this hill was oaks, then went to pines, and at the top of the ridge was another oak flat. As I was standing there, without ever seeing any sign of a gobbler on that side of the farm, I said to myself, "I'll kill a gobbler here". I went about 1/3 of the way back down and started side hilling it around, I didn't go 60 yards when I thought I heard a gobble and pretty close at that. I owl hooted and he gobbled at maybe 50 or 60 yards up on top of the hill. Without a doubt, had it been season, I could have killed that turkey with a cluck or scratching in the leaves. Realistic calling wouldn't have mattered in that situation


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A couple of things: 
Set-up:  Yes, set-up is important...and knowing where to set up by patterning turkeys can kill you a gobbler...whether you know squat about turkey calling or not.  If that is your bag, that will work. On the other hand (and in my opinion only), skillful calling in terms of realism and applying all the various elements to that will also get you gobblers that will come to you even if you are not in the ideal location.  That is one time when (genuine) realism and knowing what to say and when will make a difference.

Cadence: We speak of cadence in turkey calling a lot. Some folks seem to think that cadence means calling like you are marching to a steady drum beat...couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, there is a "rhythm" to turkey calling, but it ain't to a drum beat...that is, same note spacing, same volume, same tonal quality, etc.  Real live turkeys rarely do that...so don't...   ;D

Sure setup, woodsmanship, scouting and patterning turkeys are a big plus in helping you kill turkeys. The reason for adding realism in your calling is not just to sound like other hunters in the woods, the purpose of the realism is to sound like a real turkey. All turkeys have a vocalization of notes and sounds like a beginning, middle and end note alone with high and low volumes. Reading and understanding Turkey's vocabulary will give you more of an advantage in you being more successful. DO YOU not want to practice with your realism and cadence in your calling, IF NOT then just continue sounding like a hunter, because if a another hunter is adding realism to his calling in my opinion he is sounding more like a REAL HEN.

As others have said in the long run being more REALISTIC will in turn kill you more gobblers, why go into the woods with half of your arsenal of tricks, for myself I want every advantage I can take alone with me in my bag of tricks in other words why limited yourself. AS A LOT US have said we have less turkey to hunt. So I want to AGAIN utilize my arsenal of tricks in / with not sounding like other hunters in the woods and sounding more like a real turkey... SO think about it, do I want to just SOUND LIKE A HUNTER OR DO I WANT TO SOUND LIKE A REAL TURKEY. It's the same using your locator calls you can sound really bad using them or you can sound more realistic in using them. So again I want to take advantage of my arsenal of tricks along with realism, vocalization and cadence while competing with real turkeys and other hunters WHO just don't really care and want to sound like other hunters. MY overall plan is to go into the woods wanting to sound like real turkeys and hopefully be more successful.    Great Post everyone .....

For my 2 cents, the more realistic you sound, the better. That includes knowing when and when not to call. Being a good woodsman is also key. Being able to consistently be on turkeys is just as important. If all three of these skills are upper tier, then the hunter will be more successful than most.

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Never heard a real hen sound fake. They all sound real. 

Loud/soft. The answer is Yes.  Hens call loud. Hens call soft. 

Quote from: NEhomer on March 09, 2025, 09:00:57 AMTurkey calling and fly casting are commonly over-rated.

You don't want to squawk or flail but competent is quite adequate for the overwhelming number of cases of success.

Good post...  I do not completely disagree, but...

I fly fish as well...  There are certainly days when fish will take almost any presentation that even vaguely resembles whatever is coming off...  I have also fished spring creeks in which a perfect cast and perfect drift with specific size/color of flies makes a huge difference.  Fishing pressure and water clarity come to play here.

As I mentioned earlier, I have seen turkeys that probably would have come in to someone rubbing two garbage can lids together...  That period of time when the hens first stop using the roosts to sit on the nests, those toms can be particularly vulnerable to just about any sound that possibly resembles a hen....

But...  There are situations with henned up or cautious birds in which good calling and a strategic setup are required to be (more) successful.  There have been times that I felt that my calling has pulled in birds, and there have been times I felt that my mistakes or lack of realism have prevented me from killing killable birds.

I know I have a ways to go on my calling (especially with a diaphragm).  Wish I had more time and access to more productive areas to hunt.  Some/many people enjoy the time in the field, and if they can kill an occasional bird, all the better.  For me, I need some degree of success to enjoy turkey hunting.  Neither approach is right or wrong.

I have a limited amount of time, so I am limited to the knowledge of experience that time in the field allows...  But, I can practice calling to my heart's content.  It is the one aspect of becoming a better hunter that we all have some command of.  I am certainly not as good a caller as I want to be, but I am better than I was even a year ago.

I have limited time in the field (and on the water), so...  I do what I can to be as successful as my own situation allows for...  If I am going on a fishing excursion, I will practice casting for distance and accuracy before a "big trip," and I practice and record my turkey calling (replacing mouth calls that need replacing) before the season...  I have kids, and serve the public, so my patience is continuously being testing. :goofball:

Quote from: GobbleNut on March 09, 2025, 09:28:35 AMA couple of things: 
Set-up:  Yes, set-up is important...and knowing where to set up by patterning turkeys can kill you a gobbler...whether you know squat about turkey calling or not.  If that is your bag, that will work. On the other hand (and in my opinion only), skillful calling in terms of realism and applying all the various elements to that will also get you gobblers that will come to you even if you are not in the ideal location.  That is one time when (genuine) realism and knowing what to say and when will make a difference.

Cadence: We speak of cadence in turkey calling a lot. Some folks seem to think that cadence means calling like you are marching to a steady drum beat...couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, there is a "rhythm" to turkey calling, but it ain't to a drum beat...that is, same note spacing, same volume, same tonal quality, etc.  Real live turkeys rarely do that...so don't...   ;D

Well said!

I will only add that while you can set up on turkeys and often more successful kill them without calling at all...  That is not for me.  If I am taking a kid or inexperienced hunter, in which harvesting a bird is a larger consideration, I have and will continue to employ such tactics...  Set up and quietly wait for the birds to show...

But... I do not think I would personally harvest a bird I did not (feel) I call in at this point...  Last season, I was setting up for a longer sit, and without making a call, a bird showed up (while I was getting set up).  He got a pass...  I love shooting a bird that comes in gobbling to my call...  I will not pass a bird that quietly comes in looking for the hen (that is me).  But I will not kill a bird that I did not have a part in fooling (and that is ONLY my personal preference).

I will also add that I love hearing a gobble while turkey hunting, but it is the hens I actually LISTEN to.  The sounds they make, and when and how they make them...  I will admit that new hearing enhancement allowed me to hear turkey sounds I had only heard about last season, and I will attempt to emulate some of these sounds this season.

Quote from: Marc on March 09, 2025, 02:47:29 PM

Quote from: NEhomer on March 09, 2025, 09:00:57 AMTurkey calling and fly casting are commonly over-rated.

You don't want to squawk or flail but competent is quite adequate for the overwhelming number of cases of success.

Good post...  I do not completely disagree, but...

I fly fish as well...  There are certainly days when fish will take almost any presentation that even vaguely resembles whatever is coming off...  I have also fished spring creeks in which a perfect cast and perfect drift with specific size/color of flies makes a huge difference.  Fishing pressure and water clarity come to play here.

As I mentioned earlier, I have seen turkeys that probably would have come in to someone rubbing two garbage can lids together...  That period of time when the hens first stop using the roosts to sit on the nests, those toms can be particularly vulnerable to just about any sound that possibly resembles a hen....

But...  There are situations with henned up or cautious birds in which good calling and a strategic setup are required to be (more) successful.  There have been times that I felt that my calling has pulled in birds, and there have been times I felt that my mistakes or lack of realism have prevented me from killing killable birds.

I know I have a ways to go on my calling (especially with a diaphragm).  Wish I had more time and access to more productive areas to hunt.  Some/many people enjoy the time in the field, and if they can kill an occasional bird, all the better.  For me, I need some degree of success to enjoy turkey hunting.  Neither approach is right or wrong.

I have a limited amount of time, so I am limited to the knowledge of experience that time in the field allows...  But, I can practice calling to my heart's content.  It is the one aspect of becoming a better hunter that we all have some command of.  I am certainly not as good a caller as I want to be, but I am better than I was even a year ago.

I have limited time in the field (and on the water), so...  I do what I can to be as successful as my own situation allows for...  If I am going on a fishing excursion, I will practice casting for distance and accuracy before a "big trip," and I practice and record my turkey calling (replacing mouth calls that need replacing) before the season...  I have kids, and serve the public, so my patience is continuously being testing. :goofball:

Quote from: GobbleNut on March 09, 2025, 09:28:35 AMA couple of things: 
Set-up:  Yes, set-up is important...and knowing where to set up by patterning turkeys can kill you a gobbler...whether you know squat about turkey calling or not.  If that is your bag, that will work. On the other hand (and in my opinion only), skillful calling in terms of realism and applying all the various elements to that will also get you gobblers that will come to you even if you are not in the ideal location.  That is one time when (genuine) realism and knowing what to say and when will make a difference.

Cadence: We speak of cadence in turkey calling a lot. Some folks seem to think that cadence means calling like you are marching to a steady drum beat...couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, there is a "rhythm" to turkey calling, but it ain't to a drum beat...that is, same note spacing, same volume, same tonal quality, etc.  Real live turkeys rarely do that...so don't...   ;D

Well said!

I will only add that while you can set up on turkeys and often more successful kill them without calling at all...  That is not for me.  If I am taking a kid or inexperienced hunter, in which harvesting a bird is a larger consideration, I have and will continue to employ such tactics...  Set up and quietly wait for the birds to show...

But... I do not think I would personally harvest a bird I did not (feel) I call in at this point...  Last season, I was setting up for a longer sit, and without making a call, a bird showed up (while I was getting set up).  He got a pass...  I love shooting a bird that comes in gobbling to my call...  I will not pass a bird that quietly comes in looking for the hen (that is me).  But I will not kill a bird that I did not have a part in fooling (and that is ONLY my personal preference).

I will also add that I love hearing a gobble while turkey hunting, but it is the hens I actually LISTEN to.  The sounds they make, and when and how they make them...  I will admit that new hearing enhancement allowed me to hear turkey sounds I had only heard about last season, and I will attempt to emulate some of these sounds this season.

what enhancement did you acquire

Quote from: NEhomer on March 09, 2025, 09:00:57 AMTurkey calling and fly casting are commonly over-rated.

I have seen people look like Frankenstein while casting and catch fish. :TooFunny:

Quote from: tlewis81 on March 09, 2025, 03:30:58 PMwhat enhancement did you acquire?

Tetra's...  Started a separate thread on that a week or so ago, that is probably still drifting around the forums.

Quote from: Ihuntoldschool on March 09, 2025, 01:01:55 PMNever heard a real hen sound fake. They all sound real. 

Loud/soft. The answer is Yes.  Hens call loud. Hens call soft. 

They don't all sound pretty, but they all sound real. 

I think realness is less important when trying to trigger a gobbler with loud noses for location.

Quote from: Penguin907 on March 09, 2025, 06:10:08 PMI think realness is less important when trying to trigger a gobbler with loud noses for location.

Agree. (although we are getting off track a bit here)
When locating gobblers on the roost in particular, the goal is to try to trigger a shock response...a response that is instinctive in gobblers. Simply stated, that shock response is involuntarily triggered in that instance where a loud, abrupt sound reaches the gobblers ears. In my experience, loudness (and abruptness) of whatever sound is used in the locator call of choice is what triggers that response more than anything else. Some folks swear by realism in locator sound...I personally don't give a hoot (pardon the pun) about realism. For me, it is all about loudness and abruptness. 

A prime example of this phenomenon is the occurrence of thunder at just about any time of day. I can't tell you how many times I have been in a silent woods with no gobbling occurring and suddenly a loud clap of thunder rolls and one or more Toms instantaneously gobbles.  I would be willing to bet there are quite a few folks here on OG that would attest to having that same experience. 

Cadence and realism are very important in my book! Best teacher is some real turkeys uou call in and get yiu pinned down for an hour while scratching and plodding along doing their thing being turkeys - pay attention to them and repeat as close yo what you  heard as possible!!