# when to call and when not to call



## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

My friend and I each drew a tag, his hunt being this week and mine next week, yesterday was the first day we were able to hit the woods. Im doing the calling and im not very expierienced. Anyways we get out to were we wanna be and I did some yelps, 10 minutes later I hear a gobble way off in the distance after that I call then 5 minutes later he gobbles still far out but closing the distance. I sent my friend out 15 yards in front of me towards the tom, long story short he comes to 80 yards stops and gobbles (I think this is were i screwed up) I call back. Then for the next 30 minutes he struts and gobbles repeatedly at the same distance I called twice, only when he started to walk away but just couldnt get him to commit. Today was a bust didnt even hear a gobble.

What do you guys think did I over call? I didnt have a decoy setup but I do have some. Also any and all advice on calling is appreciated.


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

Try setting up 50 yards behind your buddy. When he hangs up 80 yards from you, he'll be in face smashing range for your pal.

Hard to say, but he probably hung up because he could see too far, not because of your calling. Try setting up in an area where he can't see you. Of course you won't be able to see him until he's in range, but just be ready.

There's been numerous hunts when I've been the caller and I literally kept moving back and calling further and further until the bird couldn't stand it and came running towards me. Unfortunately for those birds, they usually don't get past my shooter.


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## flockshot (Feb 23, 2007)

Firefighter said:


> Try setting up 50 yards behind your buddy. When he hangs up 80 yards from you, he'll be in face smashing range for your pal.
> 
> Hard to say, but he probably hung up because he could see too far, not because of your calling. Try setting up in an area where he can't see you. Of course you won't be able to see him until he's in range, but just be ready.
> 
> There's been numerous hunts when I've been the caller and I literally kept moving back and calling further and further until the bird couldn't stand it and came running towards me. Unfortunately for those birds, they usually don't get past my shooter.


This. And calling can be a double edge sword. Ff and I used to hunt a lot together. And he's of the school that it can be too loud and too often. I'm of the school that it can never be too loud or often enough lmao. We've both killed birds. Regularly. Do I think that some birds he killed I wouldn't have? Yup. And I'm sure the opposite is true as well. Ultimately these birds aren't smart. And hanging up is something the light and slow, and the loud and often crowd both gal victim too. . But having two people does open a world of possibilities.


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## Fabner1 (Jan 24, 2009)

_*Dam Turkeys!*_


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## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

Thanks for the advice I was thinking of staying farther back but by the time I did it was to late, hopefully tommorow well get another tom to come in with better results.


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## srconnell22 (Aug 27, 2007)

He shouldn't be able to see the caller's position until it's too late. 

If you've ever heard a hen in the wild you'll know that calling too much is ultimately not possible. With that said, if they are walking toward you, I find its best to just let them keep walking and stay quiet while they are advancing. I don't want them stopping to gobble 4 times for every two steps forward. Ain't nobody got time for that. 

If I can't see them and have to guess what they are doing, I'm making them gobble every 30 seconds to a minute so I know where they are and what they are doing.


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## ratherboutside (Mar 19, 2010)

srconnell22 said:


> He shouldn't be able to see the caller's position until it's too late.
> 
> If you've ever heard a hen in the wild you'll know that calling too much is ultimately not possible. With that said, if they are walking toward you, I find its best to just let them keep walking and stay quiet while they are advancing. I don't want them stopping to gobble 4 times for every two steps forward. Ain't nobody got time for that.
> 
> If I can't see them and have to guess what they are doing, I'm making them gobble every 30 seconds to a minute so I know where they are and what they are doing.


Solid sweet Georgia brown reference.


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## cwalker5586 (Nov 6, 2010)

The flock I had been watching the last couple weeks flew into roost around 840


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## Fabner1 (Jan 24, 2009)

_*
Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the Bug!*_


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## EMPIRE (Jan 31, 2008)

I like to hear em gobble, I probably call to much. I do like to get the gunner set up out there a ways, and if the terrain allows the caller to move around behind the gunner that can move a lot of hung up birds. some birds just plain aren't going to go some places, but rarely do turkeys stay in one place very long, changing calling locations can be key. When I call for myself, once that bird is commuted and is coming in , I shut up and let him find me. He knows exactly where your at, let him hunt you up, I think over calling at this point can lead to s hung up bird.


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## jem44357 (Jan 27, 2011)

You can sit shoulder to shoulder with the shooter. Use your hands and decaying volume to make it seem as though you are a hen walking away. Cup your hands and call directly at him. Slowly turn your calling to directly behind you as you reduce the volume with each call. I use this with less experienced hunters so I can watch the bird and communicate with the shooter or if I am in my pop up by myself. If I am with a someone who knows my techniques I will set up a short distance behind them and move further back as the gobbling gets closer. A good knowledge of the lay of the land and the travel preferences of the birds in that area helps as you can steer them directly down the path of your choice. BTW I do not use decoys with this technique as it can make them hang up expecting she will come to him. GL and be safe!

Jim


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## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

Thanks again everyone appreciate all the tips, gunna go see if we cant get one this morning.


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

srconnell22 said:


> He shouldn't be able to see the caller's position until it's too late.
> 
> If you've ever heard a hen in the wild you'll know that calling too much is ultimately not possible. With that said, if they are walking toward you, I find its best to just let them keep walking and stay quiet while they are advancing. I don't want them stopping to gobble 4 times for every two steps forward. Ain't nobody got time for that.
> 
> If I can't see them and have to guess what they are doing, I'm making them gobble every 30 seconds to a minute so I know where they are and what they are doing.


Obviously u don't hunt where I do. Anything more than a cluck and purr and some leaf scratching, they run the other way.

That fancy crap never work round here


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

I think some people watch too many primos shows

Turkey sounds mean certain things. Tree yelps, lost hen yelps, lonesome hen yelps, alarm puts, content puts, fighting purrs, breeding purrs and puts. Keekees, kee kee runs etc.
Could be you sounded like a lost hen, and he did his part waiting on the hen to do hers.
Sometimes just stop yelping and do a few soft purrs with some content putts, might drive him nuts enough to come in and check you out closer. Setting up so he has to hunt for you really helps. You set up on a field edge or opening he expects to see you.


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## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

I try not to get to crazy with my calling and all my hunting has been done in the woods no crop or open fields.

Anyways this morning he got away again. :lol: I setup about 60 yards behind the shooter and he was coming right in and getting close from what I could tell, then I hear some hens off to the left which was the beginning of the end. I couldnt see the action but was told the tom was coming right in until he physically saw the group of hens at about 50 yards from the shooter. I guess were getting closer. :lol:


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## srconnell22 (Aug 27, 2007)

DEDGOOSE said:


> Obviously u don't hunt where I do. Anything more than a cluck and purr and some leaf scratching, they run the other way.
> 
> That fancy crap never work round here


You only call once every hour, right? 

Leaves lots of time for making bologna sandwiches.


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## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

That's a good question, and there's not necessarily any good answer.

I have heard schools of thought claiming less is more, and also that constant calling is effective. I have seen both work well, and both not work at all. 

One general rule I usually go by is that I will keep up my hen calls so long as I am getting responses from toms. If a few of my hen calls go unanswered, I will begin spacing out my calls by about 20-30 minutes, and if those calls go unanswered for an hour or more, I will often relocate... But what to do when toms just continue responding to your calls but don't come any closer to you? I find this happens pretty often--you have toms responding to hen calls for hours, but they don't move. They are likely with hens. One tactic I've found that works is to move in closer to them and rip off calls for some time, then slowly start heading back away from the the toms--I've found this lures them in and likely convinces them that hens were once moving towards him (what he wants, because he doesn't want to abandon his hens), but then he notices that the hens (you) are moving away from him, and he just can't resist the idea that once interested hens are now turning him down. You can also sort of combined this tactic with what Firefighter mentioned above, suggesting to sit 50 yards or so behind your gunner (a solid tactic), you can move around while behind your gunner to give the tom(s) the impression that the hens are slipping away, and the toms move in closer, and hopefully close enough to your gunner where he can pick one off on his way to trying to chase down those hens "slipping away". 

One of my favorite turkey kills was done this way (me calling, my brother shooting), where I was able to draw in two toms from over 200 yards from where we were posted up.


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## R.J.M. (Jun 10, 2007)

In my bag of tricks after reading about hung up toms is to stop calling with yelps and start to purr and softly putt once in a while and while doing this take a decent stick and scratch the leaves its like the hen has lost interest and is feeding I've done this after 30+ mins of talking back and forth to my biggest Tom to date (20yrs at it) could not believe full out run over a small ridge and in my face 15 yds boom figured the distance was close to 100 yards


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Subscribing to this thread, learned a ton


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## Fabner1 (Jan 24, 2009)

_*The most calling I do are soft hen yelps when they are still in the tree!*_

_*Once I know, he knows where I am, I don't call very much or very often.

It's, Come on down and lets see who is walking out of here today!*_


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