wetside turkey hunting question

[runamuk]

OK if I do not ask this question I am going to be pestered for the rest of my life....My 13 yr old son wants to know if any types of calls work for these invisible wetside turkeys?   

I told him what I've been told is they don't really work to calls over here like in the eastern part of the state.  He is on year 3 of trying to get a turkey and he is stuck with the wetside this season because we cannot do a trip over to the eastside any time soon.  We have a couple areas we have scouted and found turkey sign, I actually saw turkeys and was gobbled at during deer season, so we know he is in the right area just not sure how to hunt the darned things in the thick.

I have no interest in hunting turkies but I do occasionally take him out, he is the turkey crazy one....he went out yesterday with his dad and found nada.

[Wacenturion]

Want to kill one of the Easterns....................hunt the sign (droppings), which you have already found.  Sit patiently, make it comfortable for extended periods 2- 5 hours even, call softly, not too low, but softly......like a hen with a series of yelps every 12-15 minutes, not like a calling contest. 

Pretend you are a hen...try thinking like one, and call as she would....natural as if to say "I'm over here scratching away, content, doing my thing".  Don't over do it.  After awhile if you do so, hopefully you will have convinced turkeys in hearing distance that you are a real bird.  Now the game begins....now be patient and hope one will come and check you out.  They know to the square foot where that sound is coming from. 

If you move, do it quietly, such as repositioning yourself to another location, repositioning your butt where you're sitting, or to relieve oneself.  If moving your head to observe, also do it slowly especially if you hear something coming in on you.

What you generally will experience with Easterns is either a bird gobbling (count your lucky stars), or like most encounters, coming in silent.  Look for two dark sticks moving...i.e. feet walking through understory, as sometimes that is all you see until they get there.  Depends on amount of cover.

Close range shorts are the norm...sometimes very close.  I've shot them at 8 feet.

[Wacenturion]

As far as calls....mouth call if he can run one efficiently.  Allows one to call without much movement.  If not, a good friction call, like glass will work fine.  Box calls also although you tend to move more with one.

[runamuk]

thank you I printed off your advice for him to read .... he is beginning to realize just how tough they are over here and wishes he could go east where at least he hears and sees them. 

[Wacenturion]

No problem....glad to help.  The important thing is to stress patience, it's a real learning experience with these Easterns.  You have half the battle won with locating sign.  Every trip out will eventually pay dividends.

[dawei]

Want to kill one of the Easterns....................hunt the sign (droppings), which you have already found.  Sit patiently, make it comfortable for extended periods 2- 5 hours even, call softly, not too low, but softly......like a hen with a series of yelps every 12-15 minutes, not like a calling contest. 

Pretend you are a hen...try thinking like one, and call as she would....natural as if to say "I'm over here scratching away, content, doing my thing".  Don't over do it.  After awhile if you do so, hopefully you will have convinced turkeys in hearing distance that you are a real bird.  Now the game begins....now be patient and hope one will come and check you out.  They know to the square foot where that sound is coming from. 

If you move, do it quietly, such as repositioning yourself to another location, repositioning your butt where you're sitting, or to relieve oneself.  If moving your head to observe, also do it slowly especially if you hear something coming in on you.

What you generally will experience with Easterns is either a bird gobbling (count your lucky stars), or like most encounters, coming in silent.  Look for two dark sticks moving...i.e. feet walking through understory, as sometimes that is all you see until they get there.  Depends on amount of cover.

Close range shorts are the norm...sometimes very close.  I've shot them at 8 feet.

Was that an Eastern, Merriam, or Rio?

[Wacenturion]

Eastern.....and all the ones I've shot have been under 15 yards.  As far as the other subspecies....all have been 30 yards or well under.

[alan]

for locating purposes ive heard a crow or raven call everyonce in a while works for finding them sometimes. i guess it pisses them off and turkeys gobble to scare off the crow, never seenit or tried it but heard its works more than a couple times for a buddy