Bowhunting North America's Weekly Tip, Week 3 

I’d like to continue this week’s tip in keeping with the previous week’s subject of spring turkey hunting. This week I want to talk about calling for spring turkey season.

Calling in a big Tom when he’s hot for hens isn’t as mysterious or difficult as most people believe. You can do it!  Just get out there and try it.

The calling doesn’t have to be perfect. Professional turkey callers can make much sweeter sounds than your average turkey hen! In fact, if you’ve spent much time in the woods during the spring, you’ve probably heard turkey hens making some terrible sounds! 

The first order of business is to decide which type call you want to use. For the beginner, a standard box call or push button call is probably the easiest to master. Many calls even come with an instructional video or cassette tape. Slate calls are also a good choice.

I prefer the mouth call or diaphragm call for the simple matter that it frees up my hands and reduces movement that can give you away to the keen eyes of a turkey gobbler. Even after coming to full draw on a bird, if he turns before I am able to aim and release, I can give a couple of clucks or purrs and usually get him to turn back into shooting position.

A common mistake made by beginners and even seasoned turkey hunters is calling too much. Listen to what the real hens are doing and try to imitate the cadence and frequency of their calls. Remember, the natural sequence of events is for the hen to go to the gobbler. You’re trying to get him to come to the hen.

Don’t over do it.

Once you get a tom coming your way just cool it and let him come in.  If you hear him gobbling and it sounds like he’s moving away or hung up out of bow range – call a little more, but softly. I even like to turn my back to him and call softly so that it sounds like the hen is moving away and will entice him to follow.

So, find a call you like now and practice with it a little before season opens and get out there and give it a try. You just might surprise yourself at how effective you can be.

And this is your Bowhunting North America Tip of the Week!

John Shelley

Pro Staff

Bowhunting North America, LLC