Told myself I would never...

[SpokaneSlayer]

use a gobble call on state land for safety reasons, although as far as I know I'm the only one that regularly hunts this peice of property.  But the way my season is going, it's the only thing I can think of that I haven't tried.  So I bought one yesterday.  This is a synopsis of what's been happening.  I get set up in the afternoon after work, and usually after a few yelps, I get at least 2, somtimes 3 or 4 toms to answer.  They are all hanging out together.  Last night was no different.  So I decided to move from one blind to another that is much closer to where I know these birds are.  I slip in and give some purrs and clucks.  They gobble.  I wait a bit then yelp.  They gobble, only this time they had moved down the fenceline and seem to be coming back uphill toward me.  That's the last I heard from them.  Never showed up. 

Now for my question, what are some good situations to use a gobble call?  The way I figure, theses toms are always in a group so they may feel safe coming in to check out the "intruder".  Am I wrong?  Also, I'm thinking that I could yelp some with a mouth call, then cut myself off with the gobble call.  Is this a reasonable technique?  Any advise is appreciated. 

[Machias]

It could be they are all jakes and will run when you gobble for fear of getting their butts kicked. 

[fishunt247]

I've used it all by itself and with yelps. They get yelped at by hundreds of guys, so they may think that when they hear another hen & gobbler together, its the real deal. On real "hen shy" birds I've used just the gobble call by itself with success. Just gobble to your hearts content is my advice.

[tlbradford]

It could be they are all jakes and will run when you gobble for fear of getting their butts kicked. 

That is what I was thinking when I read this.  You probably have a group of jakes.  The big boys should be breeding hens and not running together right now.

Of course, I have seen a group of jakes run off a big tom before, but only once in my short turkey hunting lifetime.

To answer your question on the gobble call.  I use it to get them to shock gobble when nothing else is working, when I am hunting on weekdays.  On weekends I try not to use it for fear of runners and gunners.  In my opinion 1 or two gobbles max is all you need if you get a response from a tom.  If they are going to come check out an "intruder" one or two will be all it takes.  The more you shake that thing, the more they may figure out it really isn't a turkey. 

[SpokaneSlayer]

Thanks for the words of wisdom.  I would agree with it being a group of jakes except I've seen them before.  Not monster boss toms, but nothing I would pass on either.  Tell you the truth, I've seen very few jakes.  Most of the birds I see while walking in are 2 year old birds.  There are some 3 year olds in there as well.  The spot I'm hearing them gobble from I'm almost certain is a strut zone.  They are there everyday.  I could almost tell you withing a certain degree of error what time they show up.  I'm kinda at the end of my rope here and the clock is ticking.  I almost regret trying it with a bow.

[Machias]

I think it's a little like elk hunting as well.  He gobbles, you gobble back at him, why would he leave his hens to come mess with you?  Now if you work in close and get a response, then he will probably have to walk over and attempt to kick your butt.  Generally if they are gobbling at you when you are hen calling and they DON'T come in, they are with hens and expect you to come over there.  However if you get him to gobble and he is waiting on the hen to come over and he hears another bird gobbling with her, then he just might saunter on over and try to open a can of whop@$$.  With as many folks in this state that think it's all good to sneak in, I'm even more reluctant to gobble call.  Gobble call until he shows up or you hear someone's safety being clicked off.  

[Machias]

Are you using one call?  Try several, make it sound like a whole group of hens.  Heck boys the partys over here!!

[fishunt247]

Sounds to me like the birds don't have hens, right? My advice stands. On May 4th this year, trying to strike a gobbler, nothing was working. As I often do later in the year, I gobbled. A bird answered, and proceeded to triple gobble for like thirty minutes. As we were moving in on him, I'd gobble to check him, and he would freak out. I'd fire back, one or two or three times. This went on for, like I said, thirty minutes or more, just a gobbling fiesta. I stopped hen calling cuz he didn't care about that. Long story short, he flew the canyon to where I was gobbling from. He didn't have hens. If it were me, I wouldn't even take a hen call out of my vest and solely gobble, since hen calls don't seem to be doing it, but to each his own. I get the safety issue, but if you're sure nobody else is around, go for it. Good luck.

[SpokaneSlayer]

I hope I don't hear a safety click off.  I'm in a no firearm zone so archery is the only option.

Are you using one call?  Try several, make it sound like a whole group of hens.  Heck boys the partys over here!!

I have done that.  Work a box or pot call with my hands and throw in some with a mouth call.  My dad is coming out this weekend.  Not a hunter, but I could show him how to use a box call easy enough.

Like I said before, I'm pretty much the only hunter on this property.  I've seen one other group of 3 guys earlier in the saeson but that's it.  That's the only reason I'm considering the gobble call in this area.

[strutnrut1984]

becareful slayer i got shot at back east doing that. and it was on private land 2 took 2 pellets in the face and a bunch in my knees and shins. if your gonna do that consider tying up a orange ribbon near you call location. i use it all the time anyway when i dont have too setup quickly.

[SpokaneSlayer]

I have orange flagging tape on my blinds.  Mostly to help me find them in the dark.

[Machias]

"I get the safety issue"

I'm not trying to start a pissing match with you but obviously you don't get it.    You can NEVER, EVER be sure your the only one there, even on private property.  Also I would imagine someone who is tresspassing would also probably disregard other laws such as firearm restrictions.   Just my thoughts, take it for what it's worth.

[Intruder]

Do you have access to hunt the area they are gobbling from?  I'd ditch your blind and sneak into their strut zone and setup there if possible.  They're always way more comfortable coming to an area where they like to hang out.  It will sound very natural to have a hen callin from there too.   

[SpokaneSlayer]

Do you have access to hunt the area they are gobbling from?  I'd ditch your blind and sneak into their strut zone and setup there if possible.  They're always way more comfortable coming to an area where they like to hang out.  It will sound very natural to have a hen callin from there too.   

You know, I've thought about asking, but but I'm a wuss.  About dithcing the blind, I'm bowhunting.  Isn't pretty difficult to draw on a turkey that isn't strutting and facing away from you?

[MuleyontheWall]

Do you have access to hunt the area they are gobbling from?  I'd ditch your blind and sneak into their strut zone and setup there if possible.  They're always way more comfortable coming to an area where they like to hang out.  It will sound very natural to have a hen callin from there too.   

You know, I've thought about asking, but but I'm a wuss.  About dithcing the blind, I'm bowhunting.  Isn't pretty difficult to draw on a turkey that isn't strutting and facing away from you?

They do it on TV all the time... 

[turkeydancer]

   Yep they show the guy drawing the bow ... it's called "re-enactment"  ... then they spice it in like it really happened that way.   

[fishunt247]

I really do get it, I promise. I know "private land" doesn't mean there won't be other hunters. I just know for me, I'd gobble. I'm not going to ignore a successful method simply in fear that some idiot would mistake my camo clad 160 pound frame for a 20 pound bearded turkey. Most of the stuff I hunt you can't see 40 yards, and it would be pretty tough for somebody to sneak in that close without me knowing (noise). I don't use decoys for people to shoot at either. But hey, we all can do as we please, right? Just don't cut me down; I'm not 8 years old. Aside from that, point taken.

[turkeydancer]

FH -

Hope you didn't think I was cutting you down - I don't have a problem with using different calls or methods,but believe that everyone should know any and all risks that may be involved, so they can make an informed decision. These birds don't have a set rule book that they play by and that is what makes it so much fun ... there is a need to be versatile and inventive at times.  I don't strictly sit in one place and hen call (note: if I do sit, I throw my voice instead of having it sound like I'm sitting in one spot motionless for 2 hours ... not natural). I use quite a different variety of calls, change up volume and frequency, try to add realism, use jake and tom calls as well hen and immature bird calls, do bird fights, or whatever else will make the turks play my game (versus their hide and seek).     

I always have and use my tube call (to gobble) as needed and find it's also been quite effective ... I do use it sparingly especially early and late day if on public land (usuallly wait until everyone else leaves the woods and goes for breakfast or back to camp). When on public land I would call in at least a dozen "stalkers" a day.  Still seemed to get a fair amount coming off public to the private land in search of the gobblers they were hearing. They would cross a posted fence line and come walking up plowed and planted field edges while stalking my dekes ... then would try telling me they didn't know they were on private property. Better than that were the ones that would come thru the posted gates, leaving them open/down to let the cows out, pull their trucks into the midde of the plowed and planted fields, and sit in their running trucks drinking coffee until it would become daylight and warm enough for them to get out and go hunting (huh???). Then they act like you are the criminal when you would ask them calmly and fairly politely to leave before you had to call the sheriff. 

Definitely encourage anyone to be more versatile ... it will make them better hunters especially with these turkey birds. 

[fishunt247]

Dancer, no it wasn't you, it was the "obviously I don't get it" comment. Like most people, I'm just trying to post things that have worked for me in the past. And I always sit in my truck until at least 6 am drinking Budweisers, by then its warm enough to hunt. 

[turkeydancer]

I think he was just trying to express and stress concern and safety ...  and it may just be me, but I never disagree with anyone stressing safety and concern. Since I'm not always the best at carefully choosing my words or seeing if my comments can be taken other than what I actually intended, I usually try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt ... so I just take everyones comments and use what I want to and ignore the other ... LOL.

Myself, I like to get out and setup before the birds stop "snoring" and stay out until dark, so I usually pack my vest with tons of snacks and drinks. But Bud and Corn Flakes, aka the Breakfast of Champions, does sound mighty yummy.    Then again I still prefer Crown and Whatever, but that's usually one (and only one) just before bed to calm me down enough so I can sleep (not that I'm very excitable when it comes to being out turkey hunting).     

Anyway, I thought yours was a good idea ... 

[EastWaViking]

I heard they were not coming in to calls at all right now.  A turkey guide from up near Colville told my Dad that
they will come in to frog calls!!??  I guess turkeys like to eat frogs... or maybe he was pulling my Dad's leg.

Anybody else hear of this before?

[tlbradford]

Turkeys love frogs, but I have seen them really chow down on crickets and grasshoppers.  No idea if a frog call would work. 

[turkeydancer]

Turkeys are notorious scavengers and will eat almost anything edible to survive ... grains, nuts, berries, insects, small amphibians, small reptiles, or what have you ... but a frog call ... measure dads legs, they may have been pulled on hard.

Of course I take all the responding/ not responding talk with a grain of salt.  Depends on the bird, the caller, the moment, etc ... funny how if you're successful the birds were responding well, and if not successful they were henned up, etc.  I have always found that the birds moods will change daily and we just need to figure out what will make him respond. Most of us call too loud and too often ... call from the wrong place ... move at the wrong time ... or one way or another mess up a perfectly great hunt.  The trick is to be versatile with more than one call, one style of calling, one type of hunting, etc ... add realism (flap hat, scrap leaves, etc) ... be patient and listen to the birds on how to call to him or watch his body language ... he will tell you everything you need to know and do to give him a piggyback ride back to your cooler and truck.

[SpokaneSlayer]

Well I gave it a shot this past weekend.  After fly down and me battling wits with a hen, which I lost, I decided to pick up the gobble shaker.  Gave it a whirl and just behind me no less than 4 gobblers all fire off.  I had my mouth call in so I yelped...hit the gobbler...and the toms went nuts.  After a few minutes of this, I hear some clucking behind me.  So I pick up the bow and get ready.  Out of the side window, I see a bright red, white, and blue head.  Sweet!  I see him move behind a brush pile, then out in front of me.  One thing is wrong, barely a beard.  More like a soul patch than a beard.  Just a small jake.  I cluck at him to make him stop at about 10 yards away.  I think I see spurs, but not positive.  I let him walk.  He ended up doing a complete circle around me.  Fun morning.

[fishunt247]

Sweet deal. I've had it work on jakes too. But I've also had it work on some big ol' longbeards that wouldn't answer or come to anything else.

[turkeydancer]

Sweet ... file that away for future use ... I prefer the tube call, but a shaker ain't bad ... big thank you to FishHunt, he did not steer you wrong ....

[Machias]

No one ever said it wasn't effective, but is a gobbler really worth your sight or your hearing???     You guys do what you want, don't be bitchin and moanin when your laying there bleeding from your own silliness.

[SpokaneSlayer]

OK, just so we are clear.  I'm sitting in a ground blind, not full camo against a tree.  I really don't think someone is going to mistake a 5 foot tall glorified tent for a turkey.

[Machias]

I want to be clear as well, I'm not saying DON'T use the gobbler call.  It can be an effective call, I have used it in the past as well.  What I'm saying is what the young man from CWU posted is just asking to get shot.  Constantly moving and gobbling, gobbling multiple times, escpecially in thick cover like he was describing is just asking to get shot.     Particularly in this state since alot of folks think it's just fine to sneak in and jump shoot a bird.  Imagine a guy sneaking in, your gobbling, he peeks out of cover and you THINK he should see the blind, but what he's fixated on is the live bird, a gobbler, standing outside of your blind.  He should see it, but will he    Would he be in the wrong, sure, but your the one picking shot out of your body.

[SpokaneSlayer]

Ok, I'm trackin'.  And the only reason I even considered using one is that I am virtually the only person that hunts this area.  I haven't seen or heard anyone for at least a month.

[fishunt247]

I'm not saying I run around gobbling every 8 seconds every day I hunt. I might gobble one or two occasions the whole season. And with discression. It's a judgement call. If I know other guys are in the area or if I'm in a spot that I've seen guys in/hunted frequently, I won't do it. And it's always later in the season. I often hunt 6-10 miles from the nearest road, pretty remote by most standards. In the past three seasons I've seen 3 hunters in the field, two of those being this year, and I've maybe heard 5 gives that I haven't seen. I'm not hunting areas of the state that recieve as much pressure as NE. So like I said, it's all a judgement call. Don't take my advice if you don't want to. That's what this forum is about, exchanging ideas. 

[Machias]

Sounds to me like the birds don't have hens, right? My advice stands. On May 4th this year, trying to strike a gobbler, nothing was working. As I often do later in the year, I gobbled. A bird answered, and proceeded to triple gobble for like thirty minutes. As we were moving in on him, I'd gobble to check him, and he would freak out. I'd fire back, one or two or three times. This went on for, like I said, thirty minutes or more, just a gobbling fiesta. I stopped hen calling cuz he didn't care about that. Long story short, he flew the canyon to where I was gobbling from. He didn't have hens. If it were me, I wouldn't even take a hen call out of my vest and solely gobble, since hen calls don't seem to be doing it, but to each his own. I get the safety issue, but if you're sure nobody else is around, go for it. Good luck.

I'm just trying to make sure which version is correct, this one or the one you just mentioned.  I have no issues with what you just typed.  The version in quotes is what I don't want new turkey hunters to key in on and think that's a smart way to hunt.  That is the only reason I am beating the dead horse here.  Lots of new turkey hunters are reading everything we type here.  I would hate for one of them to not realize some of the extra dangers they can put themselves into using some of our methods and tatics.

[turkeydancer]

I can guarantee you that I've had a dozen hunters a day come in to my hen calling on public land, and broke up many hunt.  I was glad to get some private land to hunt, but many hunters ignore fences just like they ignore safe and ethical hunting.  I myself use gobbler and jake calls from time to time as the situation warrentd, but only on the private land.  But I am also aware of my surroundings at all time ... because as stated, some people don't care about you or property lines in their quest for an easy gobbler.

That said, we have beat the safety issue here to death ... any newbie reading this will get the picture ... proceed at your own risk.    

[fishunt247]

Both, but my wording was a little off. Sorry. I meant I might gobble at 1 or 2 birds a year. The bird on May 4th was the most I've gobbled at a bird, and 90% of it was done while I was moving in on him, trying to pinpoint him. I struck him from 3/4 of a mile away, and didn't have a straight shot to him. I had to loop way around, and the way the country was I couldn't see the ridge he was on, so I had to keep checking him until I got there. I was set up and gobbled from there for maybe 5 mins. As dancer said, how many guys come sneaking in to hen calls, expecting for a gobbler to be with "her?" Moral of the story for new and seasoned hunters alike, as you and I both stated in the Traditions thread, don't sneak up on birds or bird sounds, right? Everything we do is a judgement call, and there's a safety issue with everything. I think everybody gets that.

[Machias]

Understood and agreed, I'll climb down off this high horse.

[fishunt247]

I didn't wholly take it as a high horse, you are just warning others about the some of the dangers of turkey hunting. It's all good now.

[turkeydancer]

Like my dad always said, 99% of all humans are caused by accident ... or was it the other way around? 

[Machias]

Like my dad always said, 99% of all humans are caused by accident ... or was it the other way around?