After turkey hunting for many years, I have come to the conclusion that every single turkey has a different temperament and has to be treated differently. I will often times go into each hunt with the same strategy but will change my tactics throughout the hunt as I determine the birds’ temperament. The best place to start calling to a turkey is as close as you can possibly get to him without getting busted. How close you can get is all going to be determined by the terrain and the foliage in the woods at the time the hunt takes place. If I can get on a hot bird that is gobbling good in the morning, I feel that I have a 50/50 shot a killing him. I will attempt to call to him with plain hen yelps and cut to him every so often. If he responds I will keep him worked up with some excited yelps and cuts. If the bird doesn’t seem to be feeling what I’m feeding him I will often times go silent. By silent I mean not make a peep on a call for at least an hour. Many times a bird will lose its life due to curiosity. Keep your eyes peeled as a bird that you have to go silent on is probably not going to make a peep himself and could pop up at any time.

While turkey hunting in rainy weather I like to set up in a field that is used by turkeys on a daily basis as they like to head to ground that they can feel visibly safe. During a day like this, I will make a long assembly yelp about once an hour. I like to use a mouth call during the early morning hunts as I know that I will typically be calling to a bird a lot. Sometimes you may even have a bird that hangs up just out of shooting range and need a little sweet talk with a purr to get him to come those last few yards. High pitched glass calls with a Purple Heart or Zebra Wood striker just cannot be beat for an afternoon hunt. The glass call will send yelps ringing into the next county. I only call these two calls as it is more important to me to stay light and mobile with my gear. Calls are very important however mastering the calls you are carrying is more important than carrying several calls that you have yet to perfect.

By Dakota Russell