Athens Co kill(s)

[aholdren]

What would you guys suggest to use? Now I am beginning to wonder. It is not like I have but two days experience in the field hunting turkeys. Educate me. Lord knows I could use it. haha

The kitchen sink my friend. Every seasoned turkey hunter carries an array of calls. With locator calls you'll find peacock, wood pecker, coyote, crow and owl calls will make them shock gobble. Not a one is a bad locator call. Ive heard guys call for their cattle and the birds would go nuts. You have to remember that a gobbler thinks that he is the KING of the woods and he wants to be heard so every loud noise from a car door shutting to an owl hooting will get them to shock gooble.

 

[Big H]

What would you guys suggest to use? Now I am beginning to wonder. It is not like I have but two days experience in the field hunting turkeys. Educate me. Lord knows I could use it. haha

Try a goose call......

 

[xbowguy]

When I saw Mrex's post I sent him a text to find out what they have been doing. They are just cutting real loud to get 'em to respond. Mason and I just got back from putting one to bed. He gobbled on his own, but we did make him gobble a couple more times to dial in his location. He was the only bird we heard, and I think I've been trying to kill this one for a couple of years.

I sure hope your right Brock.... That would be awesome if Mason got a DANDY Bird tomorrow.

 

[hickslawns]

Excellent information. Thank you Brock and Aaron! Thanks to Big H as well. I don't have any goose calls, so i guess I will have to go with coyote, cutting, or crow calls. Hope this helps some others. It has already helped me and I appreciate it!

Best of luck to Brock and Mason in the morning! Make the skip day count fellas!

 

[brock ratcliff]

Phil, when they are fired up, anything will make them gobble. This time of year, they lose some of their excitement it seems to me. Tonight, while listening from a ridgetop, there were crows flying all around making a heck of a racket squaking at each other...no gobbles. A little later when the owls started sounding off, no gobbles. They hear a lot of things in their world. Something a little out of the norm is the way to go if you aren't going to sound like an excited turkey...imo. I haven't tried a coyote howl, but I bet it would work. The other morning, that young turkey I shot gobbled every time thunder crashed - if you could make the sound of thunder you'd have it made! Try it all...you just never know what they will like.

 

[hickslawns]

I was coyote hunting about 3 weeks before the season. I had my foxpro running and would shut it off periodically to listen. Every time I turned it back on this gobbler would light up. I was using locator calls, rabbit in distress, male challenge barks, and a couple others. Never heard so many gobbles in my life other than TV or the net. What is so freaking frustrating is they were right by my blind. This was about the same time I had been seeing a gobbler strutting for a couple weeks in the open field around late afternoon/evening. Haven't seen them since. Not on camera, not hunting, not road scouting. It is like they disappeared. I am not so sure the toms haven't run off to other properties in search of more hens. Two years ago I saw as many as 12 on this property. Last year I only saw 6-7. During turkey season? One.

 

[mrex]

I agree that just about any loud noise can produce a shock gobble, however, be careful with predator sounds like a coyote howl as that will sometimes shut a turkey up, especially if your close. By far the most effective roosting sounds are loud cuts, yelps or a cackle. Turkeys often cackle when they fly up in the evening, just as they do when they fly down in the morning. I've made turkeys gobble from my porch at midnight with a barred owl hooter.

 

[Jackalope]

I agree that just about any loud noise can produce a shock gobble, however, be careful with predator sounds like a coyote howl as that will sometimes shut a turkey up, especially if your close. By far the most effective roosting sounds are loud cuts, yelps or a cackle. Turkeys often cackle when they fly up in the evening, just as they do when they fly down in the morning. I've made turkeys gobble from my porch at midnight with a barred owl hooter.

The bird I shot didn't roost to gobble on his own. I'm not a big fan of putting them to bed with a shock gobble so we were really just sitting there to see if he would gobble Thursday evening. Knowing there was two birds in there Alex wanted to gobble and see if one of them would fire back. Nada. Right at dark two coons started fighting. He gobbled immediately. The coons started in again and he gobbled again. Looks like I may take may coon squaller with me from now on. I don't think it's that uncommon of a sound to hear right at dark. And it's way more common than a raped crow or owl.

The next morning we had geese galore and crows not one shock gobble. Cut at him and he would fire back. And he was very vocal gobbling 126 times from first roost gobble till the gun went off 17 min later.

 

[Archertl]

The coon squaller call might be a good idea. I've never been a fan of the coyote, crow and woodpecker/ peacock shock callers. The owl call is alright.

 

[xbowguy]

I agree that just about any loud noise can produce a shock gobble, however, be careful with predator sounds like a coyote howl as that will sometimes shut a turkey up, especially if your close. By far the most effective roosting sounds are loud cuts, yelps or a cackle. Turkeys often cackle when they fly up in the evening, just as they do when they fly down in the morning. I've made turkeys gobble from my porch at midnight with a barred owl hooter.

Thanks Mike (and Aholdren, Big H, Joe, Brock and Archertl) I see I've got a lot to learn about Turkeys. Knowing where a bird will come out and shooting him definately is just the beginning. Ain't gonna kill one in this chair.........I'm outta here!

 

[Gern186]

Thanks for that information on roosting them guys. I have always used a gobble shaker, it works some times. I am going to try the cutting and cackle next.

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

The bird I shot didn't roost to gobble on his own. I'm not a big fan of putting them to bed with a shock gobble so we were really just sitting there to see if he would gobble Thursday evening.

I agree, Joe. I've always been wary of getting them fired up before/during roost by trying to get gobbles out of them. Listening and slipping out quietly is more of what I've had luck with, just sit and wait til you hear a god awful helicopter take off in the woods, that's them flying up. All those locators are options to getting a shock gobble at any time of the day, but remember, you're putting him to bed, not sending in a candy ass stripper to get him fired up and jumping roost trees.

 

[Darron]

I hunt in three different counties and my success roosting birds vary from county to county. Seems like one area we hunt they gobble great on their own. While the other areas we could not buy a gobble in the evening. You might say there's none there, well, trail cams say differently. We have tried owl calls, crow calls, goose calls, and turkey calls and in a couple areas we hunt we cannot buy a gobble. You go there the next morning and they are hammering........ I think some birds are more responsive in the evening than others. Our farms in SW Ohio it's nothing to roost birds. They gobble on their own. Now, take a 90 min trip east to our spots in SE Ohio and forget it. Can't buy a gobble.

 

[mrex]

Roosting birds is an integral part of our success. If the weather is decent, we try to have birds roosted in at least 1 or 2 spots most evenings if we're hunting the next day. I will slip in and mark the trees, (with toilet paper), where the hunter needs to sit the next morning. That way I can get him in position early and things sometimes look different in the dark.

This is our first bird off of the Governors land this year. Made him gobble from the road at about 10:30...sealed the deal just as the fat lady was warming up. There was at least one vehicle parked at this pull off everyday of the first week.

 

[xbowguy]

You are definately good at it Mike.

 

[hickslawns]

Great Gobbler Mike! I will not be out for the next couple days. My wife works tonight and tomorrow night. I will try some different things and see if I can't get something to work. I know you cannot use e-callers when hunting. Wonder if that "rabbit in distress" while roosting is illegal? Anyone know? If so, I could use a mouth call.

 

[mrex]

Piece!

This mornings hunt was a perfect example of why roosting is so important. Big storms rolled through here last night and they didn't say much on the branch. Knew what tree he was in and had a good idea where he wanted to go.

 

[hickslawns]

Heck yeah! Way to get it done Mike! Deja vu here. Seems like I just saw a picture of that guy yesterday holding a turkey. hahahah

 

[bowhunter1023]

I will say this about turkeys after this weekend. I'm 100% convinced if I got my ass out of bed every morning for two-three weeks straight, I could kill two birds pretty routinely after a few more go 'rounds. With the amount of birds we saw this weekend and the knowledge I gained about how they use the ground around me, a few things clicked. I have a long ways to go yet, but I don't think pole-axing a couple birds a year is all that far out of reach. The biggest hurdle is getting out of bed!!!

 

[finelyshedded]

Congrats to the hunter in the picture! He must have one heck of a guide! Congrats to you TOO Mike, way to go!

Getting outta bed was my nemesis this morning. Humping it at work and going to sleep after 4am didn't help. Had my alarm set for 10:15 and musta slept thru it. Can't wait till all day hunting next week!