How to Call in a Turkeys Using Their Vocalizations

Calling in Turkeys by Learning Their VocalizationsPhoto by Bill Kinney Photography
Turkey hunting isn't for every hunter.  You seem to either love it, or you could care less.  For you, hunting for turkeys may be a transition period, giving you something to do so you don't go crazy waiting for deer hunting season to start again.  However, for those of you turkey nuts, you know how exciting it is to call in a big gobbler!

Unfortunately, many hunters are unsuccessful on the turkey hunt.  This is because they try and wait it out like a deer hunt thinking, eventually, the turkeys will just show up.  Well, some times they do, but knowing how to call them in will shed a whole new light on turkey hunting, reduce the wait time, and maybe even bag you a turkey!

Part of the thrill of turkey hunting is not only scouting for birds, but calling them in.  It takes stealth and hard work to fool a turkey, and when you are successful, it makes the hunt even more rewarding!   For those of you already turkey fanatics, you know what I'm talking about, and for those of you thinking you might want to give it a try, here is how to properly call in a turkey.

Turkeys actually have a wide variety of vocalizations.  When calling in a turkey you can either use a diaphragm, slate and glass, or box call.  With these you can make pucks, purrs and clucks.  Many hunters get used to one call and try to only use that one call, but the best way is to use them in a combination.  Turkeys are very social animals and flock to other turkeys.  Using a multitude of calls will make it sound like there is more than one turkey in the area and encourage other birds to come join them.   If you are hunting with a buddy, have them call at the same time using different sounds.  This will fool turkeys into thinking there is a flock of turkeys in the area.

Bill Kinney Photography





Another good thing to know is that turkeys will often talk among themselves using soft purrs and putts while they are scratching and eating.  These noises are very soft, unlike an alert call, which will be much louder.  Because they are very social a turkey separated from the group will make a call almost like a distress call to tell the other birds it is alone and looking for them.  This call is a louder puckpuckyelpyelpyelp and can be made using the turkey calls.  This will alert other turkeys in the area of its whereabouts and they will start gravitating towards the lone bird.  When a smaller, immature bird is alone it will make a much louder high pitched yelp alerting the other birds that its alone.  If a group hears this they will flock to the young one as assistance, and because of their social behaviors, this can be a very effective call especially in fall.  This type of call will bring in all the birds.  However, be careful not to make this call too loud and harsh, because this can also be a form of a warning and will send the other birds flying away from the area believing they are in danger.  For those of you who hate calling in hens, you may want to change your perspective.  Calling in hens is not a bad thing, because if one turkey comes then the rest are most likely soon to follow.  A live decoy is the best bait.

Do you hunt in the middle of season, but continuously luck out?  During the hunting season, if a turkey is already with a hen they are almost impossible to call in, they have no reason to leave that hen for another one.  The trick is finding one that is alone or hunt during times when they are not yet paired up.  Afternoons are the best time to try and get a turkey, because turkeys usually pair off in the morning.  The hen will go off to lay eggs by herself in the afternoon, so the male will be looking for another mate.   The turkeys are so vulnerable because of this that in many states you are not allowed to hunt afternoons.

The key thing to remember when trying to call in turkeys is to listen to their calls and try and get a better understanding of what they mean, use multiple calls, and have patience.  Calling in turkeys can almost be considered an art form that takes time and skill.  We actually once won a turkey calling contest.  The catch?  We did it with just our voice!  We call ourselves "the turkey whisperers,"  (not really) but we encourage you to try doing the same!  Every call made with a box can be mimicked with your own voice!  Can you call in a turkey without turkey calls?



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