DO YOU PRACTICE CALLING EARLY

[crooketarrow]

  Our spring gobbler dos'nt come in untill the 20 th.
  I was taught from my granddad to do the unthinkable. I practice calling and set ups on gobblers I hunt. I know you've all been told by TV hunters DO NOT CALL UP GOBBLERS EARLY WHERE YOUR GOING TO HUNT. Granddady did it for 92 springs. His dad did it as well as his grandfather. He had friends he hunted with in VA.NC AND SC. that did it also.
  I've called up 9 gobbler so far and hope to call up a few more next week. My way of getting ready.  NOTHING MORE EXCITING THAN LETTING A GOBBLER WALK BY A 10 OR 15 YARDS. Except arrowing them.
  There are a couple things that are a must do that insures that ,that gobbler will do the same thing again. I'd tell you but my granddad would come and kill you or me. But I will say this as long as you call him up and let him walk away with out spooking him NO HARM DONE. How many times to you thing a gobbler heres a hen and by the time he finding go's to her. She's no where to be found. Do you think gobblers QUIT GOING TO HENS CALLING. So if he comes to your calls and you leave him walk away with out him knowing your there. WHATS THE DIFFERENCE. I'LL TELL YOU NONE.
  So why not get in the practice.
  I've called in 100's and many of them have died to me my brother,granddad or my friends or hunters I've guided.
  YOU JUST PROVED TWO THINGS BY CALLING HIM UP.
  HE'S CALLABLE AT THAT SPOT AND YOUR SET UP JUST WORKED AND WITH OUT HIM SEEING YOU
  YOU'LL HAVE TO FIGGER THE REST OUT. BUT IF YOUR SO GOOD AND DON'T NEED THE PRACTICE THEN BY ALL MEANS STAY HOME AND GET YOUR SLEEP.
  The first bird I called up was a bow white I heard across the field.  A couple hen calls (bob white hen calls) in a few min's. he was setting on a log 5 yards from me. The next 9 were gobblers I hope to arrow. Plus it gets you out in the spring woods who dosn't like to heard and watch the woods and fields come to life.
  I love to watch that pink sky waiting for gobbleing time. I've watched 1000's waiting on that warmer sun.
   Get out you might learn something or enjoy yourself.

[JW_Halverson]

I learned a boatload about calling gobblers by feeding a flock thru the winter seasons.  Didn't take but a couple days of throwing sweet chop horse treats to a flock before they decided I wasn't any danger and they would let down their guard.  I'd sit on a bench in the backyard with a coffee can of treats and toss a handful at a time. 

The hens come closest, but gobblers would mix in, too.  There are dozens of small little noises they make while feeding, conforting happy little sounds that relaxes the alert birds and says all is well.  I can't make most of those sounds on a box call, wingbone call, slate, or diaphragm...BUT I can do with with my voice. 

Best of all, since those calls are so low and quiet that you don't need to really throw them hard and fast.  Just whine, wheedle, twitter, pop, and click in whisper tones.  When a gobbler is 50-60 yds away he can hear these just fine.  It says to him that the hot chick is into a nice patch of fresh greens, crunchy bugs, and gushy grubs.  It says she is fattening up and is happy as a coon in a corn crib.  And he knows she wouldn't be chit-chatting like this if there were any danger in the area.  Haven't we all wanted to convince that suspicious tom that all is well?

Oh man, I love talking turkey with the turkeys.  Spend that time talking back and forth with the hens, learning their rhythms and intonation.  You never know when that last little bit of dirty pillow talk will seal the deal!

[crooketarrow]

  JW your right on all acounts.
  I never fead a flock thought the winter but I have followed flocks for hours on end. And there's lots of little wines ,purrs, clucks that all mean something what only turkeys know most of them.
  I've did the run and gun thing for years when younger. I'd get back to the truck haveing covered miles my legs be like jelly,granddad already be there asleep with his gobbler in the back. He's just snicker and say BOY.
    This happened so many times I had to look at what he was doing. It was perty simple he was old school and did what turkeys did natural. In stead of getting caught up in the TV way of calling. That only useing the loud fast yelping that sound exciting on film.
   There's dozzens of gobblers you pass up trying to find that one hot gobbler. That will come to you if you just do one thing.
   DO WHATS NATURAL AND HAVE THE PATAINCE TO WAIT AND LET THINGS UNFOLD.
 After 20 or so years when I was younger I started to see the light. And for people that only have a small parcel of land or a couple 100 acers. You'd best learn pataince. And like JW said learn the small talk. About 99% of my gobblers come to a single cluck,purr, or a low yelp or two. I gartee you for every hot gobbler you here, theres a dozzen standing around being quiet. Thats been wiped on or lesser birds (KNOW THEIR PLACE IN THE PECKING ORDER) that do'nt gobble there heads off all morning.
  LOTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
   I'm up to 13 gobblers our season starts MONDAY.

[JW_Halverson]

   I've did the run and gun thing for years when younger. I'd get back to the truck haveing covered miles my legs be like jelly,granddad already be there asleep with his gobbler in the back. He's just snicker and say BOY.
   

I still like to run-and-gun in areas where I have never hunted before.  I can just imagine your Grandad looking at me, all of 50 yrs old, shaking his head and saying "Boy!"

Hot gobblers are exciting, loads of fun, even.  I guess the only thing I like more than that is getting into a cuttin' fight with a mad, old, sour as vinegar boss hen!  I was in a pi$$ing match with one last spring at less than 5 yards when my 16 yr old hunting partner dumped his first ever gobbler.  He nailed down that gorgeous hook spurred 4-5 yr old Tom while I was getting a face full of hen spit!  She was getting all ghetto up in my grille!

Any hunt where there is a chance of action is plenty good enough for me. 

Then there was the morning I sat on this one logging trail because I had patterned the dominant gobbler on that ridge until I knew where he would be at any given moment.  I sat there in the pouring rain on the last day of the season listening to him half a mile away where he had NEVER EVER BEEN BEFORE.  I know at least half of what was running down my face was rain cuz it was cold.  Eventually, I gave up calling to him and just sat there whimpeing softly to myself.  Several hours of sitting there, I realized the dark lumps in the tree right above me were some jakes.  I gave a couple soft yelps and one pitched outa the tree and landed below me on the hill.  I gave him a little yelp and whine so here he came.  I had to kill him, he saw me crying.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[crooketarrow]

    Those old gobblers are just like rutting bucks once the ladys are all gone. They move on looking, sounds like thats what happen to you that last days. I normally don't kill jakes but if he's saw me crying I just might had to also.
   I let 7 jakes pass so far all under 15 yards. Since the 20 th. I've had 8 long beards in shot gun range. Seen 11 jakes. I did have a long beard 10 yards behind me. He gobbled felt like he was on my shoulder.  I think he knew I was there I just gobbled to make me have a heart attack. I thing the finger prints are still in the leasther handle.
   Now I've had lots of gobblers gobble behind me. I set up (bow)with my back to the on comeing gobbler. I've had dozzens gobble 20,30 yards behind me. Thats the second closest gobbler gobble behind me like that. I once had one standing right behind my tree dobble and tribble gobbleing. Blowing out my ear drums.
   If you'll never had a gobbler gobble next to you. I'll tell you one thing it your not a gobbler hunter before you are now.
     I've moulder my gobbler hunting into 2 or 3 set ups a morning. This suits my bow hunting I set up my sites,know their routeens and can move around between them with out spooking them. Plus I hunt farm land mainly and just do'nt have the land to run and gun. I'm 51 also and have naturely slowed down. Learned to enjoy the things around me. Love to let the morning come alive naturally. And join right in.
   My granddad once told me. Once you've learned to become a natural part or your suroundings and not a intruder. You see the natural ways unfold around you it's so true.  And the best way to do this is be there before first light.
   But 2 or 3 times a year I hit a mountain top ridge where I can cover some miles. I do this our last week went the gobblers are looking for those last hens. There looking alot of time there on strange ground and may not know your not surpose to be their. Turkeys arn't like deer,a deer see's a stump and gobbler see's a hunter in camo.