When use owl call

[jlewis4390]

  tomorrow morning is the Ohio opening I am going to hunting my father in law property which Is about 27 acres I haven't had much chance to scout it but I do know he has killed a couple really nice birds on it when he use to hunt ....my question is I also 3 other spots about 40 acres apiece so I am gonna start at his and am wondering how early to hit owl call and how long would u stick around before hitting other spots ?

[hobbes]

I like to let them gobble on their own if I already know they are there.  If I'm not certain and may need to move a considerable distance to set up before flydown, I'll owl hoot once I can see a slight amount of color change on the horizon.  The areas I hunt Easterns have a lot of owls so I don't feel it hurts to start well before light.

I would hang out at the first place to well after flydown to listen before moving on.  I would do some yelping also to see if I could get a response.  No response doesn't necessarily mean no tom but I like gobbling turkeys so I'd be down the road checking the other spots then return later in the morning. 

Limited areas like that will at some point require sitting and being patient when there are no gobbles.

[Greg Massey]

 I agree let nature wake the woods up. I don't use any of those calls owl or crow.  Just let nature take care of getting the turkeys to gobble.

[trackerbucky]

I almost always try owl hooting.  As soon as I can see light on the horizon I'll start to owl hoot.  Depends on the mood of the gobblers whether or not they'll answer.  Sometimes it works and sometimes they'll ignore me.  I've had times when they would answer to every owl hoot and you can slide right in and set up as close as you dare.  Other times they never answer, but then start to gobble (usually way on the other side of the property from where I decide to set up) on their own once the sun comes up.  And sometime they never gobble, but show up once it gets light. So you know they heard you hooting, but are being especially tight lipped for some reason that morning. 

If the properties are close together I'd try owl hooting as soon as it is getting light and if I don't get a response then try the same on as many of the other properties as you can get to before starting time.  If you don't get an answer then set up on the property that you have the most faith in and wait 'em out.  This can make it pretty hectic when setting up in the morning, but I love being close when they fly down. 

Just my 

[kjnengr]

One place I hunt has a good amount of owls and hooting definitely gets them gobbling.  I get to a spot where a bird should be (within hearing distance) well before the sky starts to light up.  I usually let the birds start chirping and give the owls a chance to start making noise.  It should still be dark, but just light enough that you don't need a flashlight.  If I don't hear any gobbles by this point, I let out a hoot sequence.  This will either get a turkey to gobble or get the owls going which will also get the turkeys gobbling.  Once I hear a gobble, I head in that direction and hoot one more time verify position once I close about half the distance if it is far enough to make it necessary. Like yelping, I try to hoot as little as possible to get the job done. 

If nothing happens, I wait until about 30 minutes after typical fly down before moving to another spot.

[RutnNStrutn]

When it's gobbling time, if they haven't fired up yet, I hit my owl hooter. A lot of times it elicits gobbles. In a lot of the areas I hunt, the real owls come in and take over. Works like a charm. Sometimes.

[hobbes]

In addition to my first response, I seldom go without using the owl call.  Even when a bird starts on his own I like to wait a moment or two for a closer bird to gobble then use the owl call to check them again.  I can think of multiple times that had I charged off after a distant tom I'd have blasted past/through a tom that didn't gobble until I owl hooted.

[turkey_slayer]

I like owlers. They let me know where they are. One thing that has always puzzled me is they could be at the base of the tree the bird is roosted in and will keep owling even after he's answered 20 times. Why?