Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Okay, I admit it. I can't use a mouth call worth a...

True.

He may be a knowledgeable, but people hate a know-it-all. Especially one without reading comprehensions skills.


Good thread 10Glocks and I'll dust off my mouth calls and try them again.

I'm actually heading to a state forest today to start some early scouting. I'll take a couple of calls to see it anything responds. Probably too early to get much in the way of responses. But I've gotten them in the dead winter if February before. So one never knows.

I sure am glad I don't hunt where you do... there is nothing worse than having people "practicing" on birds and educating them.

Yeah, because none of them has ever been hunted or called to before.

All he's doing is hurting himself.

I'm a "troll" and you're the guy with no real answers for anything.

While I'm always looking for an excuse to hit the woods, it's pretty much a waste of time to be scouting in January. Gobblers are flocked up and on their winter range right now.........which could be a couple miles from where they'll be when it comes time you wanna kill one. So go wander around now. But do your scouting every morning the week before you are gonna hunt.

As far as calling before season goes...... Have at it. I generally don't. But it's just because I usually don't have the time for it. Turkeys are dumb as a rock. Their "memory" is less than a day long. They don't put 2 and 2 together and get 4. If you call well enough to kill a gobbler then you call well enough to not make them "call shy". And for the guys who go out and call them pre-season that suck at calling.........all the better. They're just making it harder for themselves and easier for me. Biggest thing, though, that affects how gobblers may respond, as far as human influence goes, is just your presence in the woods. Be stealthy. Don't just go crashing around.

Some day I hope to have killed enough gobblers to be able to self-proclaim as an expert. I'm not sure what that number is, though. But I have been at his sport long enough to know "usually" is in the vocabulary of EVERYONE who's being honest. Aside from being dumb as rocks, turkeys can be ignorantly random. There are things that work some of the time..........most of the time........but not all of the time. Hence "usually". The day I can walk outta my house and come back with a dead bird EVERY TIME...........that's the day I quit.

Are there any woods in Arizona ?

I would suspect. But I can't confirm. Never been to Arizona.

Seen pictures, though.

I get it now.....you're from up my azz.

If I were, you'd know it.


But, yeah............. You caught on.

I've been to Arizona several times, last time in 2018, and can assure you, they have forests there.

As far as winter range, I'm not sure where you hunt, but in the areas I hunt, the birds are on the same areas year around. They are flocked up, by and large, but they are in the areas they'll be in the spring. Where there is food, water, safe roosting areas and cover. I've been seeing turkeys all deer season long. They're still here.

As far as scounting now. There is no good reason not to be in the woods whenever you can be. I hunt on on state forest land. Right now, winter logging is occurring. It will be pretty much over when spring season rolls around. Yesterday I got to see what is being clear cut and what isn't. I don't want to be surprised by what might be no longer there a week before season. Clear cutting will move flocks. Luckily, the tracts I hunt aren't going to be affected this year. If they were, I'd be able to refamiliarize myself with tracts I haven't hunted in years. The state forests, particularly this one, is a patch work of state forest tracts and private land, almost all of that cultivated fields. I know many of these tracts like the back of my hand because I spend a lot of time in them in season and off.

Quail season here is wrapping up and I ran into two quail hunters yesterday and their 5 dogs and heard from them that, as usual, they saw turkeys on the tract earlier in the morning. They also told me they encountered a large amount of turkeys while quail hunting on a local Army post not too much further away, one I've not hunted myself. Turkey hunting is allowed there but almost non-existent. That sort of intel is always welcome information.

Yesterday, I flushed a covey of quail myself walking through a clear cut area to some bottom land. I flushed a woodcock. I kicked up a few rabbits, too. I also encountered some sparrows with bright orange stripes on their heads I've yet to identify. I didn't see or hear any turkeys, but the scratchings are evident near the beech trees where there are still plenty of beech nuts on the ground, and all among the hardwood stands. And lots of droppings.

I spend a lot of time in the woods. If not with my gun, then with my camera (check the photograph forum). I see no reason not to be there as much as I can be. Too many hunters only go during season or a week or two before. A lot of turkey hunters I've talked to think spring season coincides with mating season. It doesn't. Mating is mostly over when spring season starts. Here, mating starts in late February and is in fuill swing by mid March. By the time spring season rolls around, most of the hens have been mated and the still willing Toms are still looking for straglers. Those are the hens you're imitating. You learn this stuff by being there.

woodsmenship is more important than perfect calling in my book.
Lot easier to get turkey to come to where they already want to go.

Been working with my mouth calls for awhile now. I definitely have a preference for Quaker Boy over Primos. Sound quality is nearly identical as far as I can tell. But the frames in the Quaker Boys are thicker, and the body material is significantly more flexible than the Primos. The Quaker Boys seal much easier on the palate than the Primos and don't rotate on me. This is the first year I've tried Quaker Boy mouth calls and so far I can use them better than any other brand I've tried.

I have not tried QB in years, may try one sometime.
Which one are you using

Tried and coughed and gagged for a couple days and said screw it.

Bought a slate and got a 21# tom that yr.

Next yr tried the HS DD diaphragm calls again.

Gag and cough, and then a yelp.

YGBKM.

Within 2 days I could yelp, purr and cut. I have a high roof mouth and my first call I trimmed too much.

I don't trim any now.

Like double reeds and nothing with a nasty tail to buzz my tongue.

Its kinda like taking a Ruger MK .22 pistol apart.

Frustrating if not aware of whats what, but once you do it right you go "is that all there is to it?".

I still hunt w a slate, but slobber all over a dual reed as well.

Its easy, kinda weird to explain. The old DVD "so you want to be a turkey hunter" explains it but it (for me) didn't translate to what was going on in my mouth.

Now I just chuck a call in and practice a day or two before season and am good to go.

Like riding a bike.


Just relax and mess with it off and on and it'll click.

I like the HS Double D or the MAD double reed.
Kill birds with either.

Problem is.............HS stuff used to be everywhere and now has dang near disappeared.

I bought a 3-pack somewhere. Either from Natchez or Mack's Prairie Wings. They're the easiest for me to use of any mouth call I've tried.

https://www.quakerboy.com/product/sr-3-pack/

I always liked HS Strut calls in general. I've got quite a few older HS Strut box and slate calls that have worked well for me over the years. I have some older World Champion triple glass and slate over double glass pot calls that are fantastic. The glass was a little less raspy than the slate, but you could get loud and very subtle calls out of either. Haven't tried any of HS's newer calls. I'm sure I've tried some of their mouth calls but don't have any now.

After hearing this you think you should be recommending calls to people ?