PA bill would ban pre season calling of turkeys

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
how do you find out if he is willing before you put a gun in your hand?

This is my take turkey season is a short hunting season so I do plenty scouting like to have at least double digit birds located since I mostly hunt public land I figure some will be shot and others spoked by time I get to them so what I do is couple days before season I go in to where I know one is hang back wait for him to gobble give him nothing till hits the ground then I'll give him little taste if he starts toward me I know he will work and I get out of area as quick as I can with grin on my face pretty much knowing unless I screw up he is getting a ride home. If he hangs up or just sits in spot I go check another he is probably subordinate or henned up not saying he can't be killed but I just go find easier one. To me the secret to this is only do it once if you go in and do it day after day you will educate birds they will not become call shy of the turkey sounds but they will after coming in and finding no hen time after time start sitting in a spot and gobbling and not come in. lso many will answer you then come in quiet and see you then become spooked once againg not just off one encounter but when it happens time after time. The one thing that can make it tough is being public you an't control other hunters spooking birds before season so I like to be 1-2 miles from truck especially early season
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
,,,,,,,To me the secret to this is only do it once if you go in and do it day after day you will educate birds they will not become call shy of the turkey sounds but they will after coming in and finding no hen time after time start sitting in a spot and gobbling and not come in. ,,,,,,,,

so you do it today,,,I do it tomorrow,,,,and tom, dick and harry do it the next three days,,,,,,,

once you hear him you know where he is at,,,,no need to call to him,,,,as his "attitude" each day will vary,,,,,,,

but heck,,,it's public so do as you wish,,,,,,,just makes it more fun when it's killing time!
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
This is my take turkey season is a short hunting season so I do plenty scouting like to have at least double digit birds located since I mostly hunt public land I figure some will be shot and others spoked by time I get to them so what I do is couple days before season I go in to where I know one is hang back wait for him to gobble give him nothing till hits the ground then I'll give him little taste if he starts toward me I know he will work and I get out of area as quick as I can with grin on my face pretty much knowing unless I screw up he is getting a ride home. If he hangs up or just sits in spot I go check another he is probably subordinate or henned up not saying he can't be killed but I just go find easier one. To me the secret to this is only do it once if you go in and do it day after day you will educate birds they will not become call shy of the turkey sounds but they will after coming in and finding no hen time after time start sitting in a spot and gobbling and not come in. lso many will answer you then come in quiet and see you then become spooked once againg not just off one encounter but when it happens time after time. The one thing that can make it tough is being public you an't control other hunters spooking birds before season so I like to be 1-2 miles from truck especially early season

so you are calling to them in the pre season?

shame on you. you be edumucated them gobblers. :)

that's exactly what i do turkeyfoot, get them to answer or use a turkey sound to locate them.

i hope we dont legislate that fun out of the scouting process here in NC.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
so you do it today,,,I do it tomorrow,,,,and tom, dick and harry do it the next three days,,,,,,,

once you hear him you know where he is at,,,,no need to call to him,,,,as his "attitude" each day will vary,,,,,,,

but heck,,,it's public so do as you wish,,,,,,,just makes it more fun when it's killing time!

I was just answering a question oldest school asked no judging being placed
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
so you are calling to them in the pre season?

shame on you. you be edumucated them gobblers. :)

that's exactly what i do turkeyfoot, get them to answer or use a turkey sound to locate them.

i hope we dont legislate that fun out of the scouting process here in NC.

I agree I have way more fun scouting than hunting anymore I know for sure I spend more time scouting than hunting in NC, It's something I just do couple days proir to find bird to hunt that will work. No one will ever convince me that turkeys get scared of calls I am firm beiever that they get scared of people but not turkey sounds. Like anything else its all situational I hunt really big tracts of land never hunted small tract might do it different then if there wa schance of spooking them off by invading their space to much.
 

shadycove

Twelve Pointer
so you do it today,,,I do it tomorrow,,,,and tom, dick and harry do it the next three days,,,,,,,

once you hear him you know where he is at,,,,no need to call to him,,,,as his "attitude" each day will vary,,,,,,,

but heck,,,it's public so do as you wish,,,,,,,just makes it more fun when it's killing time!

As I was learning about "WILD" wild turkeys many years ago, those pressured birds were a problem for me [and most others in SC]. Now, it just makes it so much sweeter when you wrap your fist around the neck of a smart old public land bird.
Scout without calling [to be sucessful in SC today, you better have a bunch, 50+, of birds located] and then call your best as soon as you get a gun in your hand.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Do you still hunt SC public I used to hunt Sumter pretty regular but started going to midwest and haven't been in years is the pressure stillas bad as late 90's early 2000's? I was hearing the bird nubers are on the decline. I remember used to be able to stand on a bridge along certain river and when daylight broke could hear 10-15 pretty easy. One these days gonna get back down that way for the early start if nothing else
 

shadycove

Twelve Pointer
I agree I have way more fun scouting than hunting anymore I know for sure I spend more time scouting than hunting in NC, It's something I just do couple days proir to find bird to hunt that will work. No one will ever convince me that turkeys get scared of calls I am firm beiever that they get scared of people but not turkey sounds. Like anything else its all situational I hunt really big tracts of land never hunted small tract might do it different then if there wa schance of spooking them off by invading their space to much.

I have seen birds take off running from calls from the road and from folks the bird could not see walking around calling like some folks grunt call a deer [call, walk 50yds, call and repeat].:eek:
And if anyone thinks that birds don't get call-shy, they need to spend more time in the woods IMO.
Those same folks could also read some of the mounds of print written about call-shy birds by professional turkey hunters who, together, have thousands of years spent in the turkey woods.
 
Last edited:

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
yeap,,,,taught myself to turkey hunt on public,,,,still prefer to hunt there and do every season, even though I have some private to hunt as well now.

Turkeyfoot - no judging,,,,I was just expanding on your item that you only do it once (words to that affect) and I just brought up that lots of folks might be doing it "only once",,,,,,,,

see I don't worry on what others do, I hunt my way and have fun,,,,,I've learned to deal with all kinds of public (and private) land issues,,,,makes it more fun

and agree with the idea that the scouting is as much fun as the hunting,,,,but that goes for most game to me
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
As I was learning about "WILD" wild turkeys many years ago, those pressured birds were a problem for me [and most others in SC]. Now, it just makes it so much sweeter when you wrap your fist around the neck of a smart old public land bird.
Scout without calling [to be sucessful in SC today, you better have a bunch, 50+, of birds located] and then call your best as soon as you get a gun in your hand.

I don't know how one can't be successful with 50+ birds located.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I like to know he's there. Anything beyond that is wishful thinking, IMO. Thinking that a turkey will come to you on opening day because two weeks prior he took a few steps your way when you called to him is a pretty big stretch.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
I agree I have way more fun scouting than hunting anymore I know for sure I spend more time scouting than hunting in NC, It's something I just do couple days proir to find bird to hunt that will work. No one will ever convince me that turkeys get scared of calls I am firm beiever that they get scared of people but not turkey sounds. Like anything else its all situational I hunt really big tracts of land never hunted small tract might do it different then if there wa schance of spooking them off by invading their space to much.

i never screw up a scouting trip so i definitely like scouting, especially new spots.
 

shadycove

Twelve Pointer
I don't know how one can't be successful with 50+ birds located.

Way back, I got to hunt alot one year and had 96 gobblers that I had seen and/or heard in the 10 days before opening day. No calls other than an owl hooter and a crow call.
Along with 999+ miles driven between listening spots and many a mile walked into the woods looking and listening. 99% on Sumter NF and other WMA lands in the upstate of SC.
Still go there some and although there are not near the number of birds we had back in the day, they are still some waiting to die under my gun barrel. Yours too if you put in some effort and get a little bit lucky.
 
Last edited:

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Sumter sure used to be fun to hunt I used to camp near the Tyger. I always wanted to hunt in Pickens but nver did maybe one day I'll get back down that way
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
I like to know he's there. Anything beyond that is wishful thinking, IMO. Thinking that a turkey will come to you on opening day because two weeks prior he took a few steps your way when you called to him is a pretty big stretch.

Not 2 weeks 2 days
 

shadycove

Twelve Pointer
Sumter sure used to be fun to hunt I used to camp near the Tyger. I always wanted to hunt in Pickens but nver did maybe one day I'll get back down that way

I hunted one Tyger River dirt road [paved now] so much back then that it got named after me.
The birds are still there but they are less vocal and much less in numbers than 20 years ago.
You can still them but it somewhat more difficult now.
 
Last edited:
Top