By Duane Adams
This article is part of a new series for W2, a series that follows and recalls the adventures of a man devoted to a quest to harvest a turkey in all 49 states that have them. A number of hunters have attempted this feat and an elite few have accomplished it. We hope to bring you the story of another Virginian to do so. It is our hope that you enjoy these articles, and they inspire you take up your own passion whether it be turkey hunting or achieving Master Angler status, upland hunting or even hiking the Appalachian Trail. Please meet Duane Adams and enjoy his turkey hunting story.
In this month’s edition of Gobbler Quest: A Turkey Hunting Story we continue our conversation with noted Virginia turkey hunter Duane Adams, this time asking him to explain his views on turkey calling.
What are the turkeys saying? Why are they saying that? What should I say? What should I do?
When I began turkey hunting this was one of the most confusing parts of learning the game. Even today, every hunt I learn something new. Over the many years I’ve been turkey hunting I’ve learned the time, skill and the effort it takes to decipher the language of the turkey is key to a hunter’s success.
Most turkey hunters will tell you the most heart pounding aspect of turkey hunting is engaging in a conversation with a cooperative Tom as he thunders toward your setup. After all turkey hunting is a conversational sport. Therefore, it’s vital to know the language.
While turkeys have a wild vocabulary there are six very important calls that all hunters should know and try to master: the yelp, a tree yelp, clucks, putts, cutting and the gobble.
The Yelp
The two-note yelp might be the most basic turkey sound. Yelps can mean about anything depending on a variety of factors such as number, cadence, volume and more. To keep it simple, just remember they’re primarily used by hens as locator or brood-assembly calls, and they’re also used as an indicator that a female is ready to breed.
Tree Yelp
The yelping you hear early in the morning from turkeys still on the roost is called a tree yelp. The first yelps are brief, soft, and muffled. Turkeys use tree yelps to communicate with other birds in a flock, and as the flock awakens, they become louder and louder until they evolve into full-fledged yelping as birds prepare to fly down. Hearing tree yelps is a good indicator that you’re close to the roosting area and that things could get interesting very quickly.
Clucks
The cluck is a short, one-note call often used by turkeys to get the attention and/or locate another turkey. In addition to yelping, a cluck is one of the most common calls heard and used by hunters in the woods.
Think of clucks as soft sounds of contentment, where a turkey is simply trying to locate other birds.
Putts
The putt is a short single, sharp note that turkeys use as an alarm. Turkeys usually putt when they see or sense danger.
The single sharp notes from a bird standing at attention, or as it scurries away, are likely alarm putts. This is definitely the one sound no turkey hunter wants to hear.
Cutting
Cutting is an intense series of loud, erratic clucks often used by hens that are agitated or seeking companionship. The volume of cutting makes it easy for a bird to reveal its location, and the excited nature of the call is often used to reel in a Tom that’s fired up. This is a call that ultimately means, “Get over here,” which is completely opposite of how the Spring ritual of turkey mating works, where the Tom does the talking and the hens do the walking.
Gobble
The gobble is the only true mating call of the turkey, and it’s the main vocalization of a Tom in the Spring.
When gobbling is at its peak, the first gobble is usually about 30 minutes before sunrise, often in response to the first call of a crow or other loud sound. Gobbling gradually increases with the morning light and just before sunrise is typically the height of gobbling activity. Male turkeys gobble to attract hens and establish the flocks pecking order.
By understanding these basic turkey calls and the activity that is represented by these vocalizations a hunter can greatly increase their odds of success. Additionally, by understanding the interactions of the flock, it increases the enjoyment of time spent in the woods.
One of the key things to keep in mind is when and how much to call, this only comes with experience. One of the mistakes I see new turkey hunters make is over calling, especially when they have a gobbler responding.
As turkey hunters, we have many tools at our disposal to imitate the sounds of a hen. Whether we go with a box call, a diaphragm, a slate call or even something as simple as a push button call, all of these tools can play a part in harvesting a spring Tom.
Sometimes it takes a combination of these calls to entice a wart old Tom. One mid spring morning I had seemingly been in the woods completely by myself from 5 am. I never heard a gobble , a tree yelp or any sign of a wild turkey Yet I knew this farm held a good number of birds.
Around 10 am I went to the highest point of the ridge and decided to use a box call to cutt loudly and hard to try to entice a gobble from a lonely Tom. Almost immediately he answered me about 300 yards down the ridge.
At this point knowing his hens had left him for the morning I made a beeline toward his location.
After covering about 200 yards I stopped to listen and switch to a mouth call and softly yelp. Sure enough he gobbled with 75 yards!
Quickly sitting beside an ancient oak tree I once again yelped softly which immediately drew a response.
At this point I got my gun in position and waited. The wait wasn’t long as he strutted into view looking for the hen that had peaked his interest and more importantly moved towards him.
At 35 yards a soft cluck stopped him in his tracks and the morning hunt ended successfully.
While we all like to hear the thunderous roar of a fired up Tom, we also need to mimic and play the role of a hard to get hen.
Calling is as much about emotion as it is about realism, and in the woods it’s better to call with purpose and passion instead of just making noise.
Take the time to study and interact with wild turkeys outside of hunting season. I’ve found this to be some of my most enjoyable times in the woods.
