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Locator calls

catman529

catman529

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Honestly I have not seen a need for them yet. I have a crow call but it's for crow season. I don't have an owl call.

Every morning the crows fly down before the turkeys, make a lot of noise, and the turkeys seem to gobble on their own regardless of crows.

Last wednesday I heard 2 or 3 hoot owls talking back and forth in the woods with no gobbles whatsoever. Turns out there were jakes nearby.

I know it works sometimes, and have seen it in videos, but for me I don't see the point in blowing locator calls. It only might give you the location of a bird, but it always gives the bird your location. I'd rather the bird not know anything was there than think an owl or crow was there. It could just give them a reason to look in your direction IMHO.
 
Several drawbacks IMO. First on some public ground they have heard so many that it will shut them up. Second, some of the responses it gets are from birds that are totally henned up, and offer a hunter little chance of calling in.

I do not use them, if a bird is in the mood to gobble, they will usually do it on there own. That said, a crow call can be a good tool when repositioning on a bird if you are in a hurry. Otherwise a dose of patience will usually allow for the bird to gobble again on his own so you can pinpoint him.

To each their own, but it is one less thing I worry with in the turkey woods. There always seems to be enough natural noise to get on to fire off if he is in the mood.
 
Setterman said:
Several drawbacks IMO. First on some public ground they have heard so many that it will shut them up. Second, some of the responses it gets are from birds that are totally henned up, and offer a hunter little chance of calling in.

I do not use them, if a bird is in the mood to gobble, they will usually do it on there own. That said, a crow call can be a good tool when repositioning on a bird if you are in a hurry. Otherwise a dose of patience will usually allow for the bird to gobble again on his own so you can pinpoint him.

To each their own, but it is one less thing I worry with in the turkey woods. There always seems to be enough natural noise to get on to fire off if he is in the mood.
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Actually I have no further answers. Exact words from Ole Spit I don't use em unless I'm getting ready to leave or havent heard one on the roost that I know should be there and its getting close to flydown, just so I won't leave a tight lipped bird.
 
Yeah, what Setterman said. I hunted a place in Mid. Tn where there were a bunch of turkeys. I blew the crow call & owl call at daylight with no response. These birds had been hunted heavily. There was a thick fog across the valley on this particular morning. I knew there were birds there but they wouldn't gobble at the locator calls. I had made up my mind to set up & hunt when through the fog I began to hear some geese honkin. All of a sudden, that whole valley erupted with gobbles, probably 12-15 birds. Sometimes tryin a different locator call than what everyone else is using may provoke one. I've also heard em gobble at a Pileated woodpecker call as well.
 
I'm not saying they always work but I have had birds gobble at my crow or hoot call when they wouldn't gobble at live crows and owls
 
crow call has let me get several gobblers i wouldn't have.
 
I always have two different crow calls and a pileated woodpecker call in my vest.

I think as far as public land goes, I believe the location you use the call is the determining factor. If you are blowing a call on a road that every hunter in the area uses, generally they won't respond. However, if you use the call in a remote area, I believe the birds are more likely to respond.

Also, I don't use commercial locater calls. I use handmade calls that I buy from Midwest Turkey Call Supply. The key here, much like turkey calls, is to sound different than everybody else.
 

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