How do you guys handle calling to birds while still on the roost?. I have read where guys swear not to do it, says" it keeps the birds in the tree to long". Personally, I have had luck giving them just a little and letting them know there is a hen in the area. Just curious what you guys do.
Soft tree helps to tell him in there maybe some clucks and purrs then if it's getting late and he has not flew down I do a fly down cackle.
I have had luck with this as well. I thought this would be an interesting topic to see what all the pro's on here do.
I yelp. If he answers, i shut up, regardless of how many times he gobbles after that. That usually gets him down and looking. The exception is if i hear other hens. in that case, i'll keep it up. I think it's easier to call him away from other hens while he's in the tree, as opposed to on the ground.
What I tell myself to do if I don't hear any hens, is make him gobble at me once then stop. It's always harder to do than it should be. If im set up so he can't see right to the spot I'm at I'll call a little more. If hens are with him and noisy I call more. That's my general idea but have to expect one day is different from the last and adjust to what's going on while I'm there
Quote from: Gobble! on February 24, 2015, 09:20:11 AM
Soft tree helps to tell him in there maybe some clucks and purrs then if it's getting late and he has not flew down I do a fly down cackle.
+1
Couple tree yelps to let him know I'm there and that is it. With that being said one of my good hunting buddies calls an awful a lot in my opinion while the gobbler is on the roost and takes birds all the time. I had a bad experience with calling too much and the gobbler wouldn't fly down. From that point forward, I play it "safe" and just some tree yelps. Once I know he pitched down off the limb let the calling begin.
I'm like the guys above, if it is quiet and no hens around I want to get a response to some tree yelps and do nothing until I know he is on the ground. If hens are nearby I mock them and try to get them to investigate the new mouthy hen in town.
Depends a little where I am hunting too. I will call to the hens more on public land, but where I hunt on private, I treat them like I do the gobbler, just let them know where I am and keep the calls soft. If I have a kid with me, I may overcall just a bit to let them hear the gobbles, but only on private. Too much gobbling on public brings hunters too. I know I tend to want to overcall, so whatever feels right, I do even less. I called a hen up to me with my mouth on the last day of duck season this year.
I was in a gobbler's pocket last year and he flew away from me. I circled him and got in front of where I thought he was headed and sure enough he started coming in. Behind me, I hear foot steps on the downside of the little ridge I was sitting on. Three hens passed by me at about 10 yards and went straight to him. Once they reached him (about 75-100 yards away), he never said another word. An accomplished hunter told me once I knew they were there I might could have scattered them. Never even occurred to me. I won't get another chance with him though. My brother killed him a couple weeks later. he made us mad several days, but his luck ran out.
Quote from: dejake on February 24, 2015, 09:34:51 AM
I yelp. If he answers, i shut up, regardless of how many times he gobbles after that. That usually gets him down and looking. The exception is if i hear other hens. in that case, i'll keep it up. I think it's easier to call him away from other hens while he's in the tree, as opposed to on the ground.
I am pretty similar.. Maybe a tree yelp and shut up...
If I hear a hen, or hens, I might do some aggressive calling... I have had some luck calling in angry territorial hens with toms in tow... Never had any luck calling a tom off of hens though; I think they generally know right where those hens will hit the ground on a daily basis.
check his temp
I get disappointed in myself if I call before flydown. I will often try to will a bird to shut up if he's burning it up on the roost. Why would I want him to call up hens or other hunters? I like a bird to gobble three times. Once to let me know where his tree is, once to let me know he's about to fly down and one to count as his last before he comes in. I could do without the last one.
tree yelps, fly down with wing (x2 sometimes) and scratch in leaves. Maybe pur, but if he answers, shut up, uness he has hens with him after flydown
I know I've hardly had that text book hunt were u sit down to him, give him a few calls and pitches down and comes straight to me. Ive had them make circles behind me, etc but i do believe i will get as close as i can to the roost sit down and not make a move till he does
Quote from: Gobble! on February 24, 2015, 09:20:11 AM
Soft tree helps to tell him in there maybe some clucks and purrs then if it's getting late and he has not flew down I do a fly down cackle.
:agreed: Pretty good advice that I use as well
Couple soft tree yelps just to let him know where I am..that's it. I don't care if he gobbles or not after that...in fact, I do not want a bird to gobble much before fly down if I can help it...once I know he's on the ground, I'll do some soft clucks and purrs and some scratching in leaves..from there my calling depends on his response..I rarely go aggressive unless I have a hen/hens fired up, if she's fired up ,then I hammer her.
I'm one who feels like calling to a bird on the limb is counterproductive..of course there are no " always" , or " never" in hunting turkey..but for the most part I have found calling to a bird on the roost is a bad thing, more times than not.
Quote from: Gobble! on February 24, 2015, 09:20:11 AM
Soft tree helps to tell him in there maybe some clucks and purrs then if it's getting late and he has not flew down I do a fly down cackle.
:gobble: Agree with you on this one, although I will adjust depending on conditions. :anim_25:
:newmascot: Soft and not much, maybe a fly down cackle and some scratching.
I try to get as close as I can confidently get without bumping him. Terrain plays a big role for me here. I let him know I'm there with a few soft calls: tree yelps, clucks, and purrs. Once I'm confident he's heard me, and I didn't shut him up with my approach, I shut up. Next, I try to make sure I am the first "bird" on the ground. I use either a wing or my hat for this. After I'm on the ground I mix in some clucks and purrs with a little leaf scratching. Kinda like I'm not worried about him, I'm just happy up here eating breakfast. It doesn't work all the time obviously, but when it does it makes for one heck of an exciting hunt! I love talking back and forth with them, and those close range gobbles is what hooked me in the first place. Last year on opening day I had three gobblers basically run to me with this approach at first light. However you get it done, it feels great when a plan comes together! Good luck out there!
How soon after you yelp would you consider a gobble a response and not just one of his routine gobbles on the roost?