How Much Calling is Too Much?

When it comes to turkey calling, I think just the sheer amount of vocalization you do can dramatically impact the hunt. How much calling do you do? When do you know it was too much?

Joel

I know that I called to much when 3 hunters sneak up on my decoys

I try to call as little as possible and I still call way to much.

Good question. I’ve had it where calling aggressively brings them running in and also the opposite (gets them running away). It also depends if decoys are involved. I call more without decoys and less with decoys. I’m no expert when it comes to turkeys. But I would think that Buck Wacker hit the nail on the head. I try to call as little as possible but can’t help it when a Tom is responding and want to call more. It’s just cool to see and hear.

I know if you put them into strut, thats too much. Light clucking and purring is a good start atleast for the limited amount of hunting I’ve done on turkeys. Getting them to strut is easy, getting them to come close enough for a shot is another.

Quote:

---

When do you know it was too much?

---

when he high-tails (or low-tails) it the other direction

the problem is you never know when it’s too much until it’s too late.

i guess thats what separates the men from the boys (or toms from the jakes?) in the turkey woods – knowing when to pour it on and when to back off, call soft and let him take his time, ’cause every tom is different.

i know i probably call too much but i think you can get away with more calling if the majority of it is soft calls.

hens are almost constantly making soft talk. i’ll always start a series with soft clucks, purrs and yelps, wait awhile, then go with louder yelps and/or cutts. even when cuttin and runnin, i’ll do a few soft calls first before kickin it up.

even though it seems every year i vow to call less, most of the time i end up hunting and calling aggressively from mid-morning on. i turkey hunt for the interaction you get taking the fight to the toms instead of sitting and waiting.

you’ll bump birds and push them away with too much calling, but it’s just worked too many times for me to change my ways

As a rookie turkey hunter, I probably call too much. But man is it fun to interact with the birds.

You are asking a great question that IMHO doesn’t have a stock answer… I like to start soft, in case I have a tom close… It gives me a chance to determine what moods are of the birds… If its windy, I may start louder, but it really depends on if I get any response… No response, I am kind of the every 20 minutes guy.

If I have a bird coming, it depends on how close and what direction he’s coming from… If I feel he’s still between me and the hen decoy, I’m ok with still calling, but then may soften up again to very quiet purrs…

If I am getting competition from another hen, I may try to match inflections and intensity… I have been known to have them go by or hangup and left the blind, if I feel its a last ditch effort to try to get them to come back…

and they will come down hill and cross a river or fence to a call…

Mark