With turkey season nearing in Alabama, I am brushing-up on my language of talking turkey. I’m no professional, but have called in a few. Still, sometimes I leave the woods wondering, “What did I do wrong this time.” I would like to leave turkey hunters with some tips I have learned in the past. Some you may know, some you may not.
SCOUTING: Scouting is a must in order to be successful. Knowing where the birds are going when they hit the ground puts the odds in your favor. Arrive early and set yourself on high points on your property and listen. Turkeys like to roost on ridges over looking creeks. I have noticed that they love to roost over loud running water. After locating, move closer. Never call while scouting. By calling you’re doing nothing but educating them. Notice where they travel when they fly down, by doing this it will give you an idea where to setup. Walk logging roads and check for tracks, droppings and feeding signs.
CALLING: Book writer Tom Kelly once said, “Some people like to call every 5 minutes. I like to call every other week.” It took me a while to realize what Kelly meant, but after returning home several times without a bird, I finally limited my calling. Hunters can call too much. In competitions you put on a show for the judges, calling loud, excited and often. Many take this calling frenzy into the woods. Daddy once said, “Don’t speak unless you are spoken to.” I do most of my calling before the gobbler flies down. The rest of my calling consists of clucks, purrs and the occasional yelp. I would recommend purchasing a cd of recorded wild turkeys then learn to mimic their sounds to perfection.
There are several calls a hunter can use, but really it is what you are comfortable with. The box call is a friction call. You can mimic most all turkey sounds such as yelps, cuts and cackles. The disadvantage is that is requires the use of both hands. Another friction call is the pot call. The pot call is a round call that requires a striker to create friction and sound. Pot calls come with slate, glass, aluminum, copper and other striking surfaces. Pot calls also require both hands. Push pin calls are another type of friction call. Push pins are probably the easiest to learn and require only one hand. Trumpets and wing-bones are suction type calls and are the most difficult to learn. Last is the diaphragm call. To use these, place the call in the roof of your mouth. Blow out letting the air vibrate the latex against your tongue. Mouth diaphragms give you advantages because there no need of hands. Practice!
Setup and Strategies: To locate a bird, most of the time an owl hoot will work. Get about 70 yards away and do some soft tree yelps. When he knows where you are and when it is light enough, before he flies down, do your fly-down cackle. This tells the gobbler a hen has hit the ground. Now move back away from him to a setup about 80 yards. This tells the gobbler that you may be moving in the opposite direction and it just might convince him to head toward you. Find a tree big enough to conceal your body’s silhouette. Wait and listen for him to fly down. If you’re calling for someone else, drop them off at this tree and you drop back an additional 20 yards. This is called a “call-through”. Rake leaves to mimic a hen feeding, mixed with soft clucks and purrs. I have called in turkeys with just raking leaves alone.
Many times gobblers have a harem of hens. Often, the hens will lead the gobbler in another direction. If this happens it’s time to get aggressive! Call back to the hen’s with the same calls they are making. Often hens will come in looking for a fight. Calling a gobbler from hens is difficult. He has spent the day before and slept with them. He knows the grass isn’t greener on your side.
Mid-morning locating is done by giving loud calls of different types. Gobblers seem to want to be the loudest thing around. I have heard slamming the door on a truck will cause a gobbler react. Some locating calls you can use are crows, coyotes and hawks. After you locate, move to him. Avoid traveling in open areas or you will get busted. Setup and give some soft yelps, slow it down to clucks and purrs and raking leaves. He may come on in after he looses his patience waiting on this mystery hen.
Where to Hunt: As land becomes divided, public land may be the trend in years to come. Wildlife Management Areas (WMA’s) are available to hunters in various areas of the state. Little River, and the Black Warrior are good places to hunt. You will be on public land so always practice safe firearm control and identify what you’re shooting at. First and foremost always respect the landowner and their wishes and use good hunter’s ethics.
It is estimated that Alabama has a population of 500,000. We have organizations like the NWTF, and the Nature Conservancy to thank. These groups work with the Forever Wild program and buy land for our children to enjoy in future generations. We should support these organizations, to not only protect our right to hunt and have game to hunt, but to protect our right to bear arms which is our 2nd Amendment right. The NWTF’s Sand Mountain Longbeards chapter would love for you to join us!
Take a friend or a child and teach them so that this heritage can be carried on. Aim straight and don’t cut those longbeards any slack!
Alabama Turkey Season March 15th through April; Gobblers only: 1 per day; 5 per year
