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Calling to birds in the tree?

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Layne

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Another post got me interested in how many call to birds in the tree and how many wait until they are on the ground?

I personally like to give a few soft yelps while he is in the tree once I have setup, just to let the bird know a hen is sitting beside me waiting for him. Usually that's all the calling I do while he is in the tree, unless I'm just in the mood to hear birds gobble and fly the other way.

I've killed several birds this way but then I've also seen many fly the other way... fact is we are still competing against any real hens in the area and I usually lose that contest.
 
Layne said:
I personally like to give a few soft yelps while he is in the tree once I have setup, just to let the bird know a hen is sitting beside me waiting for him. Usually that's all the calling I do while he is in the tree, unless I'm just in the mood to hear birds gobble and fly the other way.

I've killed several birds this way but then I've also seen many fly the other way... fact is we are still competing against any real hens in the area and I usually lose that contest.
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If I get to where I "know" there is a turkey before daylight, as it gets daylight, I usually give him a little limb music to take his temp.... I typically throw 2-3 fly-down series of wingbeats, spacing them out a minute or two apart.... works better in low light so he can't actually see the hens flying down... just hears them.

If it is good light and depending on the foliage level, I will just try to close the distance as quick & quiet as possible... then set up.... followed by some yelps and scratching to simulate a hen is walking towards him.... but I'm playing hard to get.

It is hard to play against real hens.... but that's where you have to learn to call the hens.... dragging the tom along too.
 
yes but just enough to know im there.. and I found the best way to get a long beard away from hens or to get the hens to come to you, is to copy the hens it seems to piss them off. and have killed some and seen a lot of bird kill off roost and from hens coming to you.
 
the one time I pissed a hen off, was when I killed my first turkey. just a couple clucks and purrs and this one hen broke away from the group and came to 5 yards looking for a fight... 2 jakes followed, 1 of them died. Another time I was calling 1 hen, 2 jakes and 2 toms off private land onto public land. the hen came in first, looked around for me, then went to feeding.. the jakes came in next, looking around, then the toms came in, full strut, I hesitated and lost my chance at a tom, and ended up killing one of the jakes.

but not to hijack your thread. I don't know if calling them on the limb helps or not. I don't have enough experience yet. But I might call a couple times just to hear him gobble...
 
Yes, but very softly, usually with a wingbone -- not really sure why i just think a wingbone sounds softer and ive had good luck with it. Sometimes ill do a louder cadence and a flydown cackle before he flys down as well but that, like everything else, depends on the setup.
 
Just maybe once series of yelps. Most gobblers wherever I hunt are pressured and will sit in tree all day if you keep calling loudly to them.

If I think he is by himself I will wait until he flies down then start calling. Try to see which way he goes then get in front. If there are several turkeys or hens with him I may call in tree some to see if I can call up hens.
Hens compete for mating too, and they usually bring "thier" gobblers the other way.
 
More often than not I'll at least let a bird talking from the roost know I'm just a little ways from his location then wait until he's on the ground before deciding what to do next.
 
Depends. I try to stay sparse until i hear him get down but if the hens are talking too i get louder and longer than them and it has worked alot. They pitch out and come right to it early in the season.
 
Have I ever mentioned I despise dealing with roosted birds?

The past few years I have gotten to where I am more likely to get close to a roosted bird, and not make a peep. All I am doing is listening for hens, how many longbeards there are, whether there are jakes, etc etc. I am gathering intel on what I am dealing with in other words.

I generally wait for them to fly down, that way I know where they are likely headed, and based on the intel I then know how to deal with them once their feet are on the ground.

In my younger days I battled it out a million times with roosted birds and finally figured out that 90% of the birds I was killing, I killed an hour after fly down, and were generally birds I did not set up on while they were still on the limb.

So take it for what it's worth, but for me I lay back and stay patient until I have the facts and have an idea of what his plan may or may not be.
 
Roost 1 said:
50/50 chance they will fly down in your direction....
One day if they hunt long enough a lot of these guys will realize ol Setterman and roost 1 knew a thing or two about turkey hunting.....
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We're the crazy ones who do everything different than the rest. It seems to work okay ;)
 
Turkey are alot like deer in respect to memory. If you call softly once or twice a gobbling bird will take note from the roost and remember your precise location. It's a gobbler's nature to get the hens to come to him. If you carry on a lengthy conversation while he's on the roost he (the older, smarter, experienced bird) will become suspicious because you haven't shown up and be more inclined to pitch away from you rather than toward you.
 
Setterman said:
Have I ever mentioned I despise dealing with roosted birds?

The past few years I have gotten to where I am more likely to get close to a roosted bird, and not make a peep. All I am doing is listening for hens, how many longbeards there are, whether there are jakes, etc etc. I am gathering intel on what I am dealing with in other words.

I generally wait for them to fly down, that way I know where they are likely headed, and based on the intel I then know how to deal with them once their feet are on the ground.

In my younger days I battled it out a million times with roosted birds and finally figured out that 90% of the birds I was killing, I killed an hour after fly down, and were generally birds I did not set up on while they were still on the limb.

So take it for what it's worth, but for me I lay back and stay patient until I have the facts and have an idea of what his plan may or may not be.
Click to expand...

Same here. I rarely ever get one to pitch out to me and kill him. Its usually he pitches down, then I make my move accordingly. Sometimes you make two or three manuevers on a gobbler and it will take two hours or so to kill him.
 
I agree about calling the hens, it works good in early season but later in the season I find that they usually head the opposite direction... with the gobbler.
 
If he gobbles on the roost and I don't hear hens I'll call softly a time or two so he knows I'm there and then shut up. If hens are there and get vocal I'll normally mimic them in an attempt to tick them off and get them to fly down my way looking for that new hen trying to take over as boss. More than once mr tom has come right with them. Doesn't always work but then again when it comes to turkeys nothing works all the time.
 
Unless hes out over water, I dont call while hes on the limb. If anything, I take a wing and scrape a few limbs or the side of a tree. As it gets lighter, I'll do a fly down, using the wing, then A little scratching, then shut up. As for flying down, only one things for sure. He will pitch out ever which way hes facing. You really want to kill Him? As soon as he hits the ground, and walks off, run to the tree, sit down, call. Hes been there all nite, knows it safe, and thinks he left to early. As they fly up to roost, most know whats around them.Next morning, All of a sudden he hears calling, he knows they wasnt there that evening. I'll killed several, believe me, call to em on the roost, most will pitch away from you unless, as stated, out over water and they have no choice. Good luck
 
The year before last I was trying to get one on the ground before work. I set up on a bird that was about 200 yards away. When I started some pillow talk on him a bird hammered about 30 yards away. Like usuall he gobbled hard. He stayed on the limb until well after day light until he flew down and over a little rise from me about 100 yards away. When he hit the ground I got up and ran toward the knoll and sat up just this side of it. I curt at him and he climbed all over it and eventually came over the rise to meet the nitros. It seems like calling too hard or setting up too close to a bird on roost always results in him flying the other way. But, he can still die even if he does!
 
Very very soft tree yeps. Then wait till he flys down. If I see him fly away from me I will fly down cackle as he is landing. If flys straight down or at me, I do nothing. Maybe some purrs when he is behind trees or something. If I cant see him on roost this all changes.
 
My turkeys tend to talk alot on the limb. So ive always tried to do the same... I dont usually do much cutting or to excited stuff.. but I will do soft yelps, purrs, and clucks... but like Roost1 said its 50/50... Ive screwed up more hunts by trying to get in front of birds after fly down...I really enjoyed the haint gobble call last yr. It got gobbles when nothing else would. Instead of getting in front of them I just try to close to distance..
 

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