Cluck and Purr: A No-Go in a hunting situation?

[Master Gobbie]

Curious on what your opinions are with the cluck and purr sequence used in a hunting situation.

Do you believe this sequence is what a hen makes while she's content or is it a warning sign?

I can't figure out why someone would say "never do a cluck followed by a purr, EVER!"

Unless that person can't replicate it and has to make that excuse.

[g8rvet]

To me:  purrrrrr, putt, purrrrrr, putt putt purrrrrrrr putt putt putt is not a relaxed bird.  I have used that sequence to induce a gobble - especially when I don't intend to set up where I am.  I would then move and call more contently.  If that makes sense. 

Purrs and soft clucks in a soft, slow manner is something I have used quite often.

It is like saying WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!?! vs. hmmmm, wonder what that could be?

[Yoder409]

I use the cluck-purr a LOT. 

I use it with hens.  I use it with gobblers.  I use it as that "take two more steps" call to a gobbler who's about to get a headache.

There's THAT cluck-purr.  Then there's the irritated/alarmed/suspicious cluck/purr............  Know the difference.   

[Zobo]

There are different approaches to this but mine's really simple. I cluck a lot because hens where I hunt cluck a lot. I hear occasional purrs so I purr occasionally. Maybe 20:1 or so. It's a "match the hatch" approach. Fighting purrs are a totally different story however and can be useful in some stubborn gobbler situations.

[MK M GOBL]

I purr, purr, purr cluck.... purr, purr, cluck and is a calming type call I finish birds with it, not alarming at all.

The "inquisitive" cluck/soft putt with a purr (not fight or aggravated) is when a hen is trying to figure out something not right.

2 different things to me, and the inflection you are putting into it.



MK M GOBL

[Yoder409]

I purr, purr, purr cluck.... purr, purr, cluck and is a calming type call I finish birds with it, not alarming at all.

The "inquisitive" cluck/soft putt with a purr (not fight or aggravated) is when a hen is trying to figure out something not right.

2 different things to me, and the inflection you are putting into it.



MK M GOBL

BINGO !!!!!!!!!!   

[g8rvet]

Same words, different cadence and level mean very different things.  All good points. 

[GobbleNut]

Curious on what your opinions are with the cluck and purr sequence used in a hunting situation.
Do you believe this sequence is what a hen makes while she's content or is it a warning sign?
I can't figure out why someone would say "never do a cluck followed by a purr, EVER!"

The basic problem hunters have with the cluck and purr is not understanding that it is not a "one size fits all" call. It can be either a contentment call or one that turkeys can become alarmed by. There are a lot of variations that turkeys use in different situations and they have entirely different meanings to the turkeys depending on those variations, mostly in the form of volume and intensity.  I don't think a concrete statement can be made as to whether the various versions of the cluck and purr are good or bad calls to use unless the context in which they are used is first defined.

Use the right volume, inflection, and intensity in replicating the cluck and purr, and do it under the right circumstances, and it can be a valuable addition to someone's calling repertoire.  Conversely, use the wrong cluck and purr at the wrong time, and under the wrong circumstances, and it may well have a negative effect in a calling situation.  Really, though, that is true with just about every turkey sound made by hunters.   

[EZ]

Curious on what your opinions are with the cluck and purr sequence used in a hunting situation.

Do you believe this sequence is what a hen makes while she's content or is it a warning sign?

I can't figure out why someone would say "never do a cluck followed by a purr, EVER!"

Unless that person can't replicate it and has to make that excuse.

You must have just watched that video with the Mossberg guy. Dumbest video ever.

[EZ]

Even as a hen comes in with the "questioning" cluck-purr, purr-cluck.....there's nothing alarming about it.

"NEVER USE IT" ?? Pure baloney.

[eggshell]

Before I get into any discussion, I can't purr worth a dang on a mouth call and I very rarely use any other call. I keep one slate in my vest and I can purr on it fairly well. with those thoughts in mind, I don't use purring much in my spring calling.

Now for discussion on the call sequence. Since I live in the woods and I fall hunt a lot I have listened to a ton of turkey flock talk. Purring is not a primary mating call in the spring. It is flock chatter. If a bird is purring in a breeding scenario it's for one of two reasons, in my opinion. First it is more often a form of alarm or discomfort call. They are saying something doesn't seem right, watch out. Next it's a form of establishing the pecking order, it's the stink eye of turkey hens. It's a hen saying, I see you eyeing my man, you b!tch, or move over sexy momma is here. When used real low and slow it can be a comfort call, but I just don't hear them us it much that way in the spring. Now in the fall purring is everyday chatter. It's like a family get together for a Holiday dinner. They keep track of each other by purring and clucking and there are a 100 variations of a purr that all mean something different. It's like the English language. A lot of foreigners struggle with understanding it because so many words sound the same to them, but mean different things. Like Fire and Far, the way most of us say those words make them sound almost the same, to non English speakers, but mean drastically different things.

You will not find me using the sequence in spring hunting much. Mostly because I can't do it well, but also because it's not turkey sweet talk or turkey sexy. It's a bunch of girl chatter in most cases. Think back to your horny young man days. Attracting a girl away from a group of girls engaged in girl chatter was not  very successful. But if one kept giving you"the look" and even introduces herself with a coy look, your hormones went wild and you were all over her. That's the hen you want to be, not the purrr cluck that says, "don't bug me fat boy" me and the girls are busy. Sometimes it can be used as a coy, "Hi there", but why bother. In the end, it's not in my spring arsenal. Sure it can work but on any given day almost any call can work. Some days that old gobbler is like Howard Walowitz on The Big Bang Theory, she's breathing and got a pulse, I'm sleeping with her.

[ferocious calls]

Purr cluck has its merits. Hard clucking starts many a Tom my way. Spring or fall.

Hens will seemingly make sounds for no apparent reason. Like I hear my wife talk to herself. Girls tend to be chatty. 

[EZ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htsEZa3iLgA

I think this is the video that starts this conversation.
This guy is talking specifically about the purr and cluck you hear at turkey calling contest. The soft contentment type calling often called "the feeding call" is a call turkeys do a lot. It's soft flock talk, never, ever meaning anything other than a content turkey. Can be used in a hunting situation for a hung up or slightly nervous gobbler.

I've shot a pile of gobblers using the purr and cluck.

[eggshell]

Ok EZ, That explains a lot. That is not what I thought the discussion was about. I always called that the feeding call as well or flock talk. Yeah, that call works ok in the spring. when someone says purr to me I always relate that to the more aggressive sounds run faster and sharper.

[Master Gobbie]

Ok EZ, That explains a lot. That is not what I thought the discussion was about. I always called that the feeding call as well or flock talk. Yeah, that call works ok in the spring. when someone says purr to me I always relate that to the more aggressive sounds run faster and sharper.

For the record, No, I was not referring to the Mossberg Video.

If you wanna watch, I was referring to the following video, start at 5:30, maybe turn up a bit

https://youtu.be/w_Oc2cBqGfg?t=330