Turkey gear

[Matagi]

So to just touch off all the great info by ilovesprig, here's a few things I keep in my vest. Now you don't need all this stuff to kill a gobbler but its always have to nice have some options when working tough birds.

Mouth calls:

from left to right: woodhaven black venom, woodhaven toxic orange, Southland game calls rio grande special, Hook's game changer, Hook's executioner, Hook's persuader, Primos Will Primos special.

Each call has its own tone and rasp to it. These calls are my all time favorite bunch and usually sit in my front favorite call pouch. I generally carry about 15 or so mouth calls but these are the best sounding calls IMHO. I started using mouth calls at age 12 and started with HS Strut calls. Over the years I started to see that hand stretched calls had a much better tone and easier to produce authentic hen sounds. For the beginner, I highly recommend the Will Primos, black venom, or the rio grande special.

For those who want to learn to make realistic hen sounds, I recommend getting the tree top turkeys CD and listen to real life hen sounds. When I'm out hunting, I try to pay attention to hen sounds more than tom gobbles. Hen sounds can really tell you the mood of the flock and allows you to mimic the lead hen to draw the flock to you.

Next post will be on box calls, stay tuned.

 

[Matagi]

Pot style friction calls:

I usually carry three or four of these calls. The surface material differs on each one ranging from crystal, glass, slate, and aluminum. For higher pitch calls, I tend to use a harder surface like the crystal or glass. Its great in windy conditions and when I'm running and gunning over open country. If I want to switch to a softer tone, I use the slate and aluminum with a striker used with softer material. The softer surface is excellent for making soft clucks and purrs and when soft calling is the way to go. The soft calling work really well on late season, high pressure birds. For example, last year I had two longbeards roosted in a area that's been pounded by a number of hunters including myself. The prior days, the gobbler would immediately fly down and run the other way when I made excited hen sounds. So on the last day of the general season, I waited for sun rise and just made two soft clucks with a three note soft yelp. The gobbler hammered that call as if it was opening day. Unfortunately as the gobbler came within shooting range, I completely missed the shot and watched the gobbler fly across to another property. Now with the calls, I also carry about a dozen or so strikers. Each striker is made of a different wood material ranging from a soft cedar material for soft calls to a hard diamond wood for higher pitch/high frequency calls. Now for the beginner, its probably best to use a slate with three or four different strikers. That way you have the ability to sound like four different hens on one call.

 

[Matagi]

Box Calls:

Box calls are probably the most widely used call and the one call that has killed more turkeys than any of the other modern day calls. Its ease of use and the ability to easily produce all turkey talk makes it a favorite among turkey hunters. There's a lot of different designs and styles out there and prices range from $10 to over $10k for a Neil Cost original box call. What you want to look for in a good box call is the two tone yelp, high front end that drops down to medium rasp on the bottom end. Some of the good brands to look for is Lynch, Primos, HS Strut, and Quaker Boy to name a few affordable calls. I usually carry three box calls. I carry a Quaker boy boat paddle which makes a high pitch yelp that can be heard from long distances. Works great for windy days and wide open areas. For a med range call, I use a Woodhaven real hen box call. Its generally on the higher end of calls as it costs around $100 or so. It has a great two tone yelp that rivals many other brands and has good range. I really like using it when I'm blind calling and running and gunning. I also carry a small box call that I usually carry for another hunter so that we can sound like multiple birds. The one down side to box calls is that it can make a lot of unwanted sound when traveling. I usually keep the paddle down to the box using my daughters hair bands.

 

[ilovesprig]

Great stuff Gen........Much more detailed on what I posted...... I might had, like duck calling, find birds where you can't hunt and mimic and practice their sounds....The rhythm and cadence is the key......El Monte Park would be a good place to hear them.....Practice, Practice, Practice.......Lots of stuff on You Tube as well.


ps.........Gen is one of the best callers I know.......

 

[Snake Charmer]

Gen, Sprig, you guys are incurably infected with the disease, good on ya.

 

[Matagi]

Thanks Steve I definitely learned a lot from you. I'm just a Life long student of the art.... lol....There's so much more we haven't touched on but through out the next few months we should definitely put up our experiences so some of the new guys can have an idea of what it's really like.

Fred, thanks to you my son is also addicted to turkey hunting. The kid is all fired up for this year and luckily I was able to get the time off of work to take him out.

 

[Bonejour]

Great stuff guys. Thanks for all the insights. So much great info that it's impossible to digest all at once. This and Sprig's threads will be great to refer back to.

 

[Bonejour]

Here is a link to a great thread from last year:
http://southerncaliforniahunting.com/huntersforum/index.php?topic=5347

 

[ilovesprig]

Don,

That's a great link......AKA Lumpy (Shawn Hawkins) will be the guest speaker/caller at the STTU this year.

This is me calling in the background for this kids 1st turkey......I heard the shot, but couldn't see the bird.....When I saw 7 birds move off, I assumed he had missed. Hence, me continuing to call.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7V-_gb-wjc

 

[Matagi]

Thanks for putting that link up Don, Shawn is definitely the expert on turkey calling and he's in Nashville right now at the NWTF convention. Hopefully he will win the calling competiton and put Cali on the map in the Nationals.

I'll be adding a post of locators and vests also.

 

[ilovesprig]

For the guys that can't find a location to copy the real deal......Mimic these.......

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWdrRDt_ljE

 

[Matagi]

So to continue on with my go to turkey gear, next up is locators. I usually carry several different locators to use in different situations. My favorite locators are the tried and proven crow call, coyote howler, hawk scream, and gobble tube. I tend to use the coyote howler early in the morning to locate roost trees. The only catch to using the coyote howler is to use it facing away from the general direction of the roost. I have seen that if I blow on the howler too much too close to the roost, gobblers tend to fly the opposite way and stop gobbling. One or two quick yips and short howls will usually do the trick.

My next go to call is the crow call. The crow call works great through out the hunt day. My favorite thing to do is to get near where a gobbler might be hanging out and use the crow call to locate a bird. Once I locate where the gobbler is hanging out, I can sneak in and make some hen calls to bring him in. For the beginner, I highly recommend a crow call as a first locator.

Another one of my all time favorite is the D&D outdoors Haint gobble tube. Its difficult to master but after a little practice, you can make some realistic gobbles. I used to carry shaking gobble tubes but the Haint call eliminates the unwanted sounds a rubber gobble tube makes when traveling. Now for the big disclaimer, don't use gobble sounds on public areas. It will attract other hunters and can be really dangerous.

 

[Matagi]

Here's another great piece of turkey hunting gear. I carry a turkey wing to mimic a fly down and also use it to brush leaves around me. On one hunt few years ago, I had a turkey that would not gobble to hen calls but would go nuts as soon as I brushed the wing on the tree bark and in the leaves. Its a great thing to have to add realism to your presentation.

There's a lot more trick and gadgets for hunting turkeys but all these things I listed are basic stuff that will help you get that long beard.

 

[ilovesprig]

Great stuff Gen..........I might add one more locator call that I mentioned earlier......The peacock call......Believe it or not they're quite common in our back country. So, it's somewhat natural and that high pitch screech really makes them gobble.

.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Gen , Sprig, Good stuff you two getting new to the sport hunters a start on how to get 'er done !

 

[Matagi]

I was out in the garage doing a "inventory" of my turkey gear. I figure this would be good post and will help the new guys with choosing a comfortable seat. I started my turkey hunting career with a really uncomfortable air cushioned seat that never held air. I then moved up and picked up a thicker cushion and a HS strut turkey chair. About 6 years ago I picked up a Cabelas gobbler lounger and it completely made turkey hunting for hours, bearable. I HIGHLY recommend the foldable chair. It is great for dozing off in, comfortable, and keeps your butt of the cold wet ground. I believe Cabelas had it for sale at one point for $20. Worth every penny and the best investment ever out of all my turkey gear. It can be a pain to carry with 3 DSD decoys humping it up and down hills. The HS strut seat is great for running and gunning on public land but I have done it with the foldable chair. If you decided to purchase the foldable seat, do your self a favor and take off the cheap strap and put on a nice cushioned strap to make it easier to carry.

 

[ilovesprig]

Gen, is the person who turned me on to the Turkey Lounger a couple years back.....I will forever be thankful....... .......I now own 3 and I did change the strap......I can also carry it in my turkey vest backpack on the long walks.

One other note, all these chairs are not equal....Some are heavy, some are flimsy, and some don't have the 4 independent legs (very important on uneven ground)......The Mossy Oak Turkey Thug chairs are very nice and held up well.......I bought 2 while I was in New Mexico turkey hunting last year.....Less than 20 bucks each......Here's the link and can be shipped free to your local Wal-Mart.

.http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FMossy-Oak-Turkey-Thug-Gobbler-Chair%2F22281732&ei=Za_mVJiNH_DGsQTI-4LADg&usg=AFQjCNHnmQCe2-Miy_A6i0iy8MpW7ZTzfw&sig2=Aru63MlIfyEreD9mOEX2CA&bvm=bv.86475890,d.cWc

 

[Matagi]

I'm sure you know all about it Steve, but a good seat is paramount when trying to work a stubborn old tom. I shot this long beard after several hours of back and fourth of calling and gobbling. I even snoozed a bit waiting for him to come in. I usually take the cushion from my Ol Tom vest and put that down to make the gobbler lounger even more comfortable.

 

[ilovesprig]

Gen,

It really is one of the most important things.......Most the better vests, the cushion comes off..... Added comfort......One other thing that it's good for is kids......It gets them a little higher off the ground. When you've got high grass or obstacles, it can become difficult to see over.

.

 

[Moe Terboat]

This is great stuff. Thanks for all the advice. I have question regarding turkey decoys. The last two years I have found myself always moving to get in position without the ability to set out a decoy. I would say the decoys were not needed and ended up leaving them at home last year with great success. However, this year I am leaving my shotgun at home and taking the bow. I believe a good decoy would be key to allow me to draw my bow without being spotted. If you had to buy just one decoy what would it be? Besides dsd since they are a little pricey for my budget.