Take cues from toms themselves. If a bird readily responds to calls, ramp things up. For less-vocal birds, go softer and call less. (Shutterstock photo)
April 30, 2025
By Thomas Allen
I’ve spent a lot of time, in many different states, chasing spring turkeys. I have been fortunate enough to tag a tom in most of them, and I’ve become pretty confident in my calling abilities. Still, every time I think I’ve got turkeys figured out, they manage to lob a curveball that leaves me humbled and scratching my head.
Experts claim that the wild turkey makes up to 28 distinguishable sounds, but I’m not sure I could list more than the standard calls we all use in the woods. These include the yelp, tree call, cluck, purr, cutt, cackle, assembly call and maybe the kee-kee run (mostly used during fall). We all recognize the putt, which usually means we screwed up and got too close. And, of course, our favorites are the gobble and spit-and-drum.
Every sound turkeys make conveys something important. The more you experience those calls and the scenarios with which they are associated, the better you’ll become at responding in a manner that encourages a visit. Instead of translating what each turkey call means, I’ll illustrate a few scenarios you’re likely to encounter and provide some tips that should help elicit an appearance.
DIALOGUE IN THE DARK When roosting birds in the evening, I keep a hoot tube or coyote howler handy. However, depending on what phase of twilight I’m facing, I’ll often start with a fly-up cackle (turkeys make the same sound whether flying up or down). That excited calling sequence typically elicits a response if a bird is within hearing distance, but in my experience, a gobbler on the evening limb usually only gives you a single courtesy gobble.
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If you can wake one up in the morning with an owl call, move closer and try him again to zero in on his tree. I arrive early and sneak in as close as possible, though not every situation allows this. You may need to call him through a fence or across an ag field. Also, it’s worth noting that I won’t typically use turkey calls unless I’m either standing next to my tree or already set up. Until that point, I rely only on locator calls.
SUNRISE SPEECH Once you’ve made a bird gobble, closed the distance and gotten set up, start quietly with tree calls. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve set up on a gobbling bird only to discover there’s another one a little bit closer. It’s a common practice to let the birds wake up on their own before putting the calls to work. However, in a situation where I know a gobbler, or a group of gobblers, is without hens, I’ll often try to crank him (or them) up and force maximum gobbling before fly-down. I especially like this strategy if I’ve successfully set up between the gobbler(s) and roosted hens. Grab their attention and give them no choice but to investigate the calls.
Use periodic yelps and cutts when waiting in an area where you’ve seen turkey activity firsthand or on trail cameras. (Photo courtesy of Arterburn Outdoors) I’ve found turkeys respond particularly well to aggressive calling when it’s clear, cool and not windy, so I’ll frequently go all out as the sun comes up and fly-down time arrives. It’s natural for turkeys to be vocal during the morning’s first two hours. Even if they’re generally being quiet, you can often fire up a flock by setting the scene of a group of talkative birds.
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RUN-AND-GUN GAB As the day continues, most hunters transition to chasing down birds. If you can find and see a bird first and then use terrain and foliage to your advantage, your chances go way up. As you near a bird’s presumed location, keep him gobbling with a crow call if possible, but keep it to a minimum. I’ve often had birds provide only a couple gobbles as I close the distance, if not go completely silent.
If the gobbling ceases, but you feel like you’re in a position to turn him and bring him in, then try and shock him into gobbling with some excited cutting and yelping. If he’s answering you, continue responding to heighten his interest while trying to keep up with his movements. If he’s close and gobbling hard, shut up and let him close the distance.
PATIENT PARLEY Whether you sit in the dirt or a blind, the waiting game can certainly work, but its success hinges on two things. The first is having good intel from trail cameras, first-hand scouting or historical encounters. The second is being a capable caller. Because the goal is to bring a tom to your stationary position, which largely goes against his natural tendencies, you must be convincing.
Utilize hen assembly yelps, intermittent, excited cutting and yelping combos every 10 minutes or so. Keep talking and one will eventually hear it. Jake yelps will often turn a stalling longbeard in a hurry. I leave the gobbling to the toms, but when creating the impression of a group of excited and lonely hens, an occasional series of three slow, deep jake yelps frequently creates jealousy. We all know gobblers suffer from FOMO.
CLOSE CALLS When you can feel the rattle of a tom’s gobble deep in your chest and his spit-and-drum raises the hair on your neck, rest assured that the bird is close. When a tom is nearby but hasn’t shown himself, keep things subtle with light purring mixed with an occasional cluck. When you hear the leaves rustling and twigs cracking, click off your safety and be ready.
Speaking of rustling leaves, a very powerful move to finish off an approaching gobbler is to gently rake the leaves with your hands in short, 10-inch strokes back and forth. The sound mimics a scratching hen as she kicks aside the leaves to expose bare dirt while searching for grubs and small greens. Every turkey in the woods does this, and gobblers know this sound means the lady they’re seeking is nearby.
While nothing beats a thunderous gobble up close, it’s also common for a gobbler to shut up completely once he’s fully committed to investigating the calling he’s heard. I’ve messed up a bunch of hunts thinking the bird quit on me, only to stand up and see him running away and putting like crazy. My advice: After you’ve given a turkey an hour to show up, wait another 15 minutes. Then wait another 10. Patience kills more turkeys than any sort of call or decoy.
Toms can respond aggressively to jake yelps amidst hen calls. They work great with a decoy when hunting from a fixed position. (Shutterstock photo) BARRIER BABBLE If you hunt long enough, you’ll encounter turkeys that hang up. It usually happens when an approaching gobbler hits some sort of obstruction, such as a creek, fence, deadfall, tall grass or anything that makes him feel uncomfortable or impedes his travel. Typically, you can’t do much here. But I’ve found short bursts of aggressive calling followed by silence will often encourage him to find a way beyond whatever has him hung up.
If you hear him gobble while walking off, it’s most likely game over. But, if you don’t hear him, there’s a good chance he’s working through the obstacle and headed your way. Just like all the aforementioned tactics, this one isn’t a guarantee, but it certainly can work.
FRESH VOICES Here’s an unpopular opinion: There is no such thing as a call-shy turkey. They can be conditioned and even educated if lots of hunters continually scare them. Birds might gobble or call less, but they can’t logically distinguish between calls from a hunter or a live turkey. They’ll still do their thing. I believe they become more wary of specific locations where they were spooked rather than simply refusing to call.
Turkeys have a short memory. In fact, I’ve seen many recently spooked turkeys begin gobbling again in as little as 15 minutes. If you happen to bump one, but you’re confident about where he may be headed, race to get in front of him, get set up and do some calling. Employing a different call than you were using before is usually enough to convince him to show up.
LISTEN AND LEARN The best advice I can offer rests squarely on your shoulders: Time in the woods trumps all. Calling to turkeys and hearing them talk back is the best education you can get. Plan to lose on a regular basis. Embrace that failure and learn from it. Then, when you’ve put his beak in the dirt, celebrate. You’ll have earned every strand in his beard.
CALL CARRIERS A turkey vest and call pouch designed to keep calls handy and protected.
When toting a collection of calls, among other gear, everything should be easily accessible and well protected. I’ve tried many turkey vests, and while I’ve liked some, they all seem to be discontinued after a couple of years.
Photo courtesy of Tethered Last year I found Tethrd’s M2 Turkey Hunting Vest ($299.99; tethrd.com) , and it may be the last one I’ll ever buy. Its modular design lets users customize storage to suit their personal packing preferences. Tethrd thought of everything with the M2, including a front pocket system that completely silences a box call while in transit. I prefer the M2 Bird Bag version, which features an expandable section for toting decoys or a bird, but there’s also a backpack variant with a pouch that holds a hydration bladder. On mine, I run the M2 Vertical Pouches, which work nicely for hauling a Thermacell or extra strikers. The pack is built on the MOLLE strap system that Tethrd uses in its tree saddles and allows full customization. To me, it’s worth every penny.
Photo courtesy of Houndstooth Call Company Also, if you’re like me and rely frequently on mouth calls, you probably don’t love the little plastic cases they come in that always end up breaking. The Houndstooth Mouth Call Pouch ($20; houndstooth-game-calls-2.myshopify.com) is an excellent carrying case that keeps mouth calls organized and easily accessible but also lets them dry quickly as air passes through the case. It opens at the fold and is held shut with a powerful, quiet magnet.
LETHAL LONGBEARD LOADS Five killer tungsten loads to drop birds at a distance.
The goal with any turkey hunt is to bring gobblers in close with competent calling or by setting up somewhere they’re already frequenting. However, this doesn’t always happen. Thankfully, modern tungsten turkey loads extend your range a bit while making you even more lethal across typical ranges than standard lead loads. Consider upgrading to one of these loads this spring.
Winchester Long Beard TSS Photo courtesy of Winchester) For years, hunters have hoped Winchester would introduce a TSS version of its beloved Long Beard XR. That wait is now over. This new load, featuring 18 g/cc tungsten super shot (TSS), produces eight times the number of pellets inside a 10-inch circle at 60 yards when compared to standard lead turkey loads, and it’s buffered for more consistent patterns. Standard and sub-gauge loads are available. ($35-$75/5 shells; winchester.com)
Hevi-Shot Hevi-18 TSS Turkey Photo courtesy of HEVI-Shot Brimming with 18 g/cc TSS and a friction-reducing spherical buffer material, these loads extend effective range and carry more energy in the process. Hunters can drop three shot sizes from their preferred lead loads and still get higher pellet counts and denser patterns. Loads are offered in .410 bore and 12-, 20- and—new this year—28-gauge. ($46.99-$106.99/5 shells; hevishot.com)
Apex Ammunition Mossy Oak Greenleaf Turkey TSS Photo courtesy of Apex Ammunition This duplex load uses No. 9 and No. 10 TSS shot and delivers an incredible payload of 1,096 pellets in the 12-gauge load (774, 665 and 364 in the 20- and 28-gauge and new .410-bore loads, respectively). The loads utilize clean-burning powder and a one-piece tungsten-grade wad system to deliver tight patterns and protect the barrel. ($59.99-$72.99/5 shells; $84.99/10 shells for .410 bore; apexmunition.com)
Browning TSS Tungsten Turkey Photo courtesy of Browning Offered in standard and duplex loads, Browning TSS Tungsten Turkey is packed with high-density pellets. The duplex loads, especially, offer a nice mix of pellet count and pellet energy, but all will significantly stretch your range and increase terminal performance. ($54.99-$77.99/5 shells; browningammo.com)
Federal Premium Heavyweight TSS Photo courtesy of Federal Premium These loads pair high-density 18 g/cc TSS with Federal’s rear-braking FliteControl Flex wad for a lethal combo up close and at longer ranges. The wad delivers tight, consistent patterns through ported and standard turkey chokes while protecting the barrel. ($63.99-$111.99/5 shells; federalpremium.com)—Drew Warden
This article was featured in the April 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
