The art of calling a wild turkey....

[Flydown]

Just curious here....but how many of you feel that the "art" of calling a gobbler to gun or bow range has been lost somewhere between decoys and pop up blinds? I never use a pop up , but will deploy a deke once in a great while if I feel the situation requires it.  I'm sure this will get numerous opinions, but I feel as a whole the turkey hunting masses have just lost sight of what it takes to call a gobbler in.....

se

You are probably correct Scott, But most of these situations that you are referring to are TV hunts! I still hunt turkeys with a pot call that I made and a mouth call that I got from Scoot Hook or a "special call" I got from my good friend Sadler McGraw. And I am always leaned against a tree or laid back in my gobbler lounger waiting on a long beard to mess up and show his face, so to answer your question about the art of calling.......... Not in my neck of the woods, and thats All I give a crap about!

[chatterbox]

If you hunt in my neck of the woods, you would swear calling was a dying art!
I think it is. Too many people have no idea how to engage the wild turkey vocally. They think sitting there and hammering one while he is in his roost tree is perfectly acceptable, and seemed to be surprised when he flies off in the other direction. I was lucky to learn under the direction of a fine turkey hunter.
The one thing I do is practice, practice, practice. You only get out of something what you are willing to put into it.
Calling is no different.

[scott ellis]

Speak your peace folks. 166 views and 14 replies? No one right or wrong but it's GREAT to get folks opinion.  

[Crutch]

In respect to TV, yes. In the real woods no. Most guys on this board aren,t making TV shows. So we don't have to over dramatize the calling and blast an excited hen call when he is already standing 30 yards away just to get the camera angle right.

Last year I screwed up calling a bunch of times and learned a lot. To me, that is the art of calling and it gets repeated everyday all across America. I am a lot smarter than last year but will learn just as much this year.

I know that tv turkey hunting is over commercialized. Maybe the traditional art of turkey hunting is changing because of that. Going a few weeks or a season could make a man dip into his savings and buy a new gadget. Like calls, cammo, blind, bigger gun, chokes, sights, faster bow, and on and on.

[redowl]

never used a store bought blind or decoy.i guess im just old scool.i never shot a deer over bait either.its legal in my state.im not saying its wrong just that i have certain limits i wont cross.if you call in a bird and he sees you that can be a good thing.you both live another day.just  thank the Lord  for the experience.

[CMBOSTC]

I don't think that the art of calling a bird into the gun has been lost at all. Whether I'm sitting in a ground blind with decoys out or sitting against a tree with no decoys out one fact remains the same. It's up to me the hunter to get that birds attention by calling to him the way that he wants to be called to and by being where he wants to be. Most of the time the bird can't see my decoys until it's to late for him. Bottom line is I don't care what kind of set up you use if you can't convince that gobbler to come to you then you will be going home empty handed.

Chris

Gobble, Gobble... "BOOM"!

[Ferguson]

I don't own a blind and have never used one. I bought a decoy to keep attention off my oldest son when he was 8. That was years ago and never worked This year my youngest son missed a bird at 20 steps. That was more fun than setting in a blind watching decoys. In our country we don't have any open ground. It's all timber. We run and gun. No place for decoys or blinds in our type of hunting. What made the hunt ,,,,,,,,,, my son and I, together, made the call we used the week before season opened. It is retired and on the shelf. It is priceless as was the hunt. Old style hunting is still alive and well in Shannon County Missouri 

[woodchip]

I never use a blind when shotgun hunting especially during the Spring, and very rarely set out a decoy.  Now Fall bowhunting I will use a blind and decoy.

[scott ellis]

 I will agree it is rampant on many of the shows and filmed hunts, but I am not referring specifically to them. The encounters I am talking about are the TONS of unsuccessful hunts that I have talked with hunters about where they simply have not learned when to call and when not to call or when to become aggresive or become shy and coy etc.....They set up and call, he gobbles,they call some he gobbles some more....no rhyme or reason to it, just turkey sounds.  

SE

[chatterbox]

I will agree it is rampant on many of the shows and filmed hunts, but I am not referring specifically to them. The encounters I am talking about are the TONS of unsuccessful hunts that I have talked with hunters about where they simply have not learned when to call and when not to call or when to become aggresive or become shy and coy etc.....They set up and call, he gobbles,they call some he gobbles some more....no rhyme or reason to it, just turkey sounds.  

SE

I agree with this Scott. This is just the senario I run across time and time again on public land hunts.

[WildTigerTrout]

I have never used a blind and don't intend too in the future. I very rarely use a decoy. When I do use a decoy it's a single hen. I like to run and gun to much to be weighted down. IMO using a blind is cheating anyway!

[drenalinld]

Off topic but IMHO using a blind is no different than wearing camo or a face mask or hiding in a tree top or behind a cedar bush. These hunting shows so many are putting down are generating a ton of interest in our sport and in turn selling tags to help keep it going.

To the topic at hand, I don't think the art of conversing with a gobbler is dying. I know a LOT of guys who are very educated in knowing what to say and when as well as gauging when to lay back and when to be more aggressive and even making a distinction of conversing with a gobbler as opposed to calling to a hen with a gobbler to get her to lead him in. Some of this can be passed along from a mentor, but much of it has to be learned from personal experience. I have killed several gobblers from a blind with a bow but I don't like hunting out of them because my hearing is diminished. Hearing is the part of the conversation that many overlook. What does it take to get a response? Does he gobble at clucks and purrs or yelps or excited sequences or any call?  Does he cut it off or is his response delayed?

For pressured birds I sometimes try to turn the tables. Most hunters yelp and cutt until they get a response. I will wait for a gobble and respond with the most uninterested yelps I can produce and wait for him to call again. In my mind I get him looking for me. It has worked on several occasions.

[savduck]

I work gobblers while hunting. Different style calls, different candences depending on their temperature and situation. I dont think the art of calling is dying, I just think there are more and more guys who dont know what they are doing picking up the sport. Their only education is watching the crap they put on the TV. A bunch of guys cant call and due to the bad TV shows with TV show host who cant call, they think it sounds good. What are you gonna do.

Now the QUALITY if turkey hunting shows is diminishing for sure. They show a bunch of garbage on TV these days. Bad shots on game, goofy TV hosts, horrible calling, etc.

[CASH]

I think the art of calling is still there, but the popularity of turkey hunting has exploded.  I think the commercial part of turkey hunting has latched onto this and is more concerned with the profit of it.  

I think they capitalize on the newer hunters and younger generation.  They come up with these fancy videos using dekes and blinds, and all these new fangled tools to hunt with and the younger folks or those new to turkey hunting thinks that what it takes to kill a turkey and they buy into it.

[kenturkey89]

I work gobblers while hunting. Different style calls, different candences depending on their temperature and situation. I dont think the art of calling is dying, I just think there are more and more guys who dont know what they are doing picking up the sport. Their only education is watching the crap they put on the TV. A bunch of guys cant call and due to the bad TV shows with TV show host who cant call, they think it sounds good. What are you gonna do.

Now the QUALITY if turkey hunting shows is diminishing for sure. They show a bunch of garbage on TV these days. Bad shots on game, goofy TV hosts, horrible calling, etc.

I couldn't agree more!!!