2005,2006,2007 Florida State Turkey Calling Champion

2004, 2007 Florida State Gobbling Champion

Quaker Boy Game Calls Pro Staff

One of the most asked questions about hunting the wild turkey is “when do I call and how often?” I feel that there is an art to calling turkeys. It’s all based on feeling him out and knowing what he wants to hear. How do you know this? Well I think it will come to you the more you work gobblers in different scenarios. Right off the roost, mid morning with hens, with out hens, public land bird, private land bird. In my opinion, whether calling a hot to trot two year old or a four year old hard hunted public bird, it’s a matter of getting his attention and keeping his interest just enough to get him to investigate. If you over call him, he will stand his ground and wait for this hot hen to meet him for their rendezvous. If you under call him, he will move off to the next hot item.

Take into consideration what part of the season it is and the possibility the bird your working has been called to before. Early season, less pressured birds are generally going to be more workable than birds later in the season that have heard every call in the book. I feel the toms come to the realization that every hen sound they hear is not an actual hen, making them much more difficult to call. That’s not to say that a late season gobbler can’t be called, especially when all of his harem has been bred and is nesting, leaving him all alone most of the day.

My first advice in the process of learning when to call and how often is to practice, practice, practice and become proficient in more than one type of call – box, pot style and air(mouth and tube calls). Learn every vocalization a turkey makes and be able to reproduce these calls. The more calls you have in your repertoire the better chance you’ll have to coax him in. Obtain recordings of wild birds and listen to rhythm and not necessarily tone.(for sounds of the wild turkey go to NWTF.ORG) Remember every wild turkey has a different voice. Record your calling, outside preferably. Gain confidence in your calling, know that you can purr when needed, cut when needed, yelp when needed etc. Nothing is worse than a hunter that is afraid to talk with a gobbler because his calling lacks confidence.

Now for the two types of birds I’ll be discussing. One is your basic call-shy gobbler and two is the workable bird that will come in with just the right amount of coaxing. I don’t mean the two year old that will fall over himself getting to you at the first sound that resembles a hen. I mean a workable gobbler.

When first engaging this tom, just feel him out and see how responsive he is. Start him with a little yelping and back off. If he starts in, then stop!! Over calling is probably the number one reason hunters don’t bag toms. Let me state that again. Over calling is probably the number one reason hunters don’t bag toms!!!

Give him enough to get his attention and start him coming. As your bird is closing I would recommend , what I call, checking him. Just a soft yelp or cluck to find his position and verify he’s still closing the distance. If his gobbles are farther away then its time to get more aggressive with him. Regain his attention with some cutting and excited yelping.

If this works and he starts moving toward you again, then let him work, let him come. I personally like to throw a series of purrs and clucks at him just to seal the deal. A good rule of thumb, less is almost always better, but like I stated previously, don’t loose his attention. Just don’t call every breath to hear him gobble. I love to hear a tom gobble as much as the next guy but don’t get caught up in the moment.

As for Mr. Call Shy, this is the gobbler that will really put your skills and patience to the test. This is the bird that will make you the proudest if you outsmart and bag him or humble you just the same if he evades you. This bird is going to be influenced by very soft subtle hen talk – purring and really soft clucking along with soft short yelps, very similar to tree yelps. Also, throw in a little whine or two. Use a series of the calls mentioned every 15 or 20 minutes.

Make your set up as realistic as possible. Not just with audible turkey talk, but with turkey noises, such as the age old trick of scratching in the leaves while simulating the above mentioned calls.

While hunting the third weekend of the central Florida season, I bagged a great bird on public land using those very tactics. He had gobbled on his own one time and I never answered him directly. I did exactly what I mentioned above, purring and clucking, whining and soft yelping on my Quaker Boy World Champ mouth call and about 40 minutes later the bird slipped in ever so cautiously, never strutting, never gobbling. He weighed 17 pounds, had an 11” beard and 1 1/2” spurs.

When working a bird off the roost, you may want to try a fly down with just wing beats, not the cackle. Use a hat beating on your leg or use a wing off a turkey to simulate a hen flying down. Also knowing where this bird is going after fly down can be valuable to your success.

Setting up where he’s going along with this light calling can prove to be successful. More times than not this bird is going to come in quiet and will not alert you of his presence. If you know this bird is using the area and know he isn’t vocal, just set up, soft call and wait. You are basically fooling this tom into believing you’re a lonely hen feeding. Keep in mind this type of scenario is really not engaging the bird in conversation as mentioned with the first type of gobbler.

Just remember when you’re working a vocal gobbler, call him just enough to keep him coming. Keep his interest piqued enough to make him look for you but no more! As he works his way in, check him a time or two to make sure he’s still closing the distance then shut down your calling and be looking for that neon red, white and blue head. If you’re working a non vocal, call shy bird or just hunting a tom you know is in the area but isn’t giving away his location, simulate a call shy hen – one that is looking for company but isn’t going to gather attention while trying to gain companionship. Soft hen talk mixed with feeding noises is a safe bet.

In addition, if you know anyone that has been successful hunting and taking turkeys, pick their brain for knowledge. Take to the field with them and see what makes them successful. You can learn more from one hunting trip with a good turkey hunter than
many seasons afield by yourself.

Scott Ellis

The answer to this is, of course you are. And if they are not spooked, they are aware of your presence. All the pre-scouting and work to get your stand justperfect, might well be all for nothing. Have you ever been on your way to your stand and seen tails fleeingor heard deer snorting? Sure you have, we all have.

Now you get in your stand and your confidence and excitement level is not the same as when you started out. After sitting awhile without seeing a deer, you start to doubt your chances and abandon your stand. If this sounds familiar you’re not alone.

This is something all deer hunters face and no sure-fire solution. I have taken many hunters to a stand over the years, as well as gone to a few stands myself. I have learned some things about how to increase your odds of the deer not knowing you’re in your stand.

There are many products on the market that help hunters get deer to come within sight – scents, calls, camo you name it, it is all for the same goal. The problem is if the deer already know you are there, you’re in for a long day.

Let me tell you about this one occurrence I observed. This one stand I was in is at least a half a mile from any road. It is solid bush and no clearings and you could hear the traffic go by. I had been in the stand about a half-hour, when this 11-point buck appeared. He was slowly walking and feeding without a care in the world. He could hear the traffic as well and paid no attention to it.

Then for some reason, a vehicle that I could hear heading down the road, started slowing down and eventually stopped. Now remember this is a half-mile away from me with solid timber the whole way.

As the vehicle slowed to a stop, the buck lifted his head and totally froze. There was a big broadleaf plant in his mouth and he even stopped chewing. The vehicle eventually started off again and the farther it went the more relaxed the buck got.
The buck eventually fed his way out of sight.

Now you may think that this is nothing new or no big deal but all this took place with the buck only 20 yards from me. He never had a clue I was there. He showed more attention to a sound a half mile away from him, without any concern that I was above him.

Just imagine that vehicle that stopped out at the road was me and I was on my way to the stand that I was already sitting in. Would that buck be in the area by the time I got to the stand? Would I be able to lure him back out with calls? Of course not, he would already be wise to what was going on. Whitetail deer (especially bucks) are creatures of habit and routine.

The plan years ago to get to a stand was to use the four-wheeler the majority of the way, then walk the rest. Makes sense right? Wrong!

In 1995 an older gentleman from New York was hunting with me. Getting off the four-wheeler and starting our walk in the dark was starting to get too much for the hunter. One morning he asked me to take him right to the stand with the four-wheeler. I stated that this would spook the deer and to walk in quiet would be best.

He then stated that we were probably spooking them more by trying to walk in quiet. He said to take him right to the stand but do not turn off the four-wheeler or shine a light up to the stand to help him see to get in. Once he was in the stand and set up, I was then and only then to get out of there.

The old fellow killed a good buck at first light that morning. He told me that evening that as soon as I left him he was watching the lights of the four-wheeler weave its way back through the bush when two bucks started to spar about 100-yards from him.

Now those bucks were probably sparring while we were on our way in and saw and heard the four-wheeler coming. They simply stopped and watched the four-wheeler come and then go and resumed their match. As daylight approached they had no idea the hunter was in the stand.

The 11 pointer I had watched from the stand that listened to the traffic, I had someone bring me to the stand with the four-wheeler that day. Once I was in the stand, the four-wheeler left. Eventually it got back to the road and I could hear it being loaded into the truck. I heard all of that and so did the deer.

If you can get the deer in your area to get accustomed to hearing a four-wheeler coming in and going out, I would bet that you would see more deer. To the deer when they hear you coming in, they think trouble is arriving. When the four-wheeler leaves, they think trouble has gone. Do not shut the motor off though. Let the deer concentrate on the bike.

My trail camera pictures also prove this method works. I have pictures of deer looking in the direction that I always approach when I come to exchange the card in the camera. Then I get photos of deer right after I have gone.

Try it this fall for yourself. Early in the year, start riding into your stand, sit a few minutes with the motor running then leave. The deer will get accustomed to this activity and you can figure they have you patterned. Have a friend bring you in to your stand when season starts. Maybe you can return the favor to your friend. I hope this helps someone get the trophy buck of there dreams.

Shane Gulbrandsen www.gulbrandsenoutfitters.com

You’ve made the shot! Now what? Many times when we take a calculated shot at a deer, it falls nearly in its tracks. Other times we are not so fortunate.
I have heard hunters talk about a shotthey made and never found the deer. As conscientious and ethical hunters, the last thing we want to do is leave a wounded or dead deer in the woods someplace because we couldn’t find it.

Sometimes when we make a shot it may not have the results we were hoping for – even what we would consider an easy shot. We are all human and at times shots get deflected or more often than not, our adrenalin rush forced a bad shot – or a not perfect shot.

After making your last shot and the deer did not drop where you can clearly see it, I would strongly recommend flagging the spot where you are standing. If you fired more than one shot and you moved in between shots, try to go back and flag the location of each shot. If you don’t carry flagging tape, I suggest you pick some up and put it in your pack.

Flagging the spot where you shot could be advantageous before the search is over. Many times when we are recounting the events that led up to the shot, the shot itself and finding your trophy, we realize we can’t remember the EXACT location of where you stood when you fired.

Knowing exactly where you stood when your fired your gun can be of great help in determining where a bullet may have gone, if not into a deer. Which brings me to the second thing you should do.

Locate the specific spot the deer was when you fired your shot or each shot to include them all. This is not always the easiest thing to do but I would suggest spending the time. Once you have marked the locations of where you fired from and where the deer was each time you fired, it can help you to determine several things.

Wounding a deer does not always provide telltale signs. I have killed deer before that never bled a drop of blood externally nor was there any visible hair at the site of the shooting. Other times, the blood trail is very obvious and easy to track. There is one thing I can guarantee you. Each and every time you shoot and hit a deer the blood trail or any other signs will never be the same.

If you can’t easily find a blood trail or any other signs that you have wounded the deer, take some time to align the location you were at when you shot with the spot where you think the deer stood. Look from all angles and directions and search carefully for broken small branches where a bullet may have hit and deflected. Also look for large trees you may have hit. Yes, we have all done it at one time or another. You need also to search for places where a bullet may have hit the ground and furrowed up the soil. If you find any of these, mark them with your flagging tape. Try to determine the outcome of each bullet that you fired.

Following a big trail of blood is easy. It’s the tiny specks that present a challenge but one that you have to undertake. Look for blood, hair and bone. All of these can give you clues as to where you may have hit the deer. Bright red blood often indicates a hit in the leg. Dark red blood may have come from the main body of the deer. Look at any hair closely. White hair comes mainly from the belly but there is white hair on many parts of the deer. Brown and grey hair comes mostly from the main torso area. A combination of blood color and hair color could help you to determine the location of a hit. Lastly, look for any bone fragments. Sometimes when a bullet enters a deer it hits a bone or bones and will shatter it. Sometimes pieces of the bone exit the deer and are found on the ground. This occurs mostly with a leg shot but not always. We all know there are exceptions to every rule.

When you find any of these indicators, mark them for future reference. You should know the general direction a deer ran when you fired at it. From the location of the first drops of blood and/or hair and bone, slowly and methodically work in the direction you think the deer went looking for any more signs. As you find them continue to mark them. Try not to disturb the area you are searching in. It is easy to cover up signs by flipping over a single leaf or stepping on a branch.

Don’t forget also in your search to look for blood and hair on bushes, shrubs or small trees. Sometimes a wounded deer, if running, will pump blood out and it will land on leaves and branches on brush, bushes, thickets, anything that is adjacent.

One of the mistakes young and inexperienced hunters will make is to get too excited and hurry off looking for the deer thinking they need to catch up to it. Deer will not run long distances even when completely healthy. They certainly are not going to run far if they have been wounded. Sometimes just sitting down and taking a break for 15 or 20 minutes will give the deer a chance to lay down and die. So, relax and do all the right things so you can go home at night knowing you did not leave a wounded or dying deer in the woods.

If you continue to mark each sign you have found and continue following the trail, you will eventually find your deer. This doesn’t always happen but more times than not it will. Don’t give up simply because there is no blood or hair or bones. Attempt to track the deer by following where it dug up leaves or earth when it ran away. If there is no blood trail, slowly follow these tracks and keep looking. Very often deer will not start bleeding until sometime after they have been hit.

The worst case scenario is when you have looked and looked and you can’t find any sign whatsoever that you have hit the deer. You have marked from where you fired to the location the deer was in when you fired. If all you have found is some tracks running away and you have marked those spots as well, continue trying to follow the tracks until the deer stops running. If you can do that, often a deer will run for a while, slow to a trot and eventually a walk and then stop. If you are adept enough to follow the tracks to where a deer stopped and stood, you may find some blood there. A deer may be bleeding so little that the only time it shows up is after it has stood in one spot for a while.

Scour an area thoroughly before giving up. Mark all the areas you have searched and only after you have exhausted every attempt at finding this deer, do you give up. I can relate a story that happened to a friend of mine while hunting together.

It was a foggy day when my buddy fired at a deer. He felt confident that he had hit the deer yet in his initial search he found no signs of the deer being hit. Still feeling as though he must have hit the deer, he continued his search with help from another fellow hunter. The search lasted long into the afternoon until just before dark, somehow a speck of blood no bigger than half the size of an eraser on a pencil was found on a brown leaf.

He marked that spot and began a methodical search that took hours. It was getting dark. I can say most people would have given it up – at least until the morning but he was determined to go to bed that night feeling he had done all he could.

We returned to our hunting camp only long enough to get flashlights, a Coleman lantern and a roll of toilet paper. With the Coleman lantern, a small piece of white tissue paper no larger than a dime shows up like a beacon.

With flashlights and lanterns we continued the search. A second drop of blood about the same size as the first was found about thirty feet away. We marked it and continued on. The search became somewhat easier in that we got a general idea of the direction the deer seemed to be headed – walking at this time by the way.

When we had gotten to the point where we were ready to give up the search, my friend suggested that me and another fellow hunter remain on the deer trail and he was going to take a flashlight and make a small circle around the edge of a small swale. Within five minutes, he yelled over that he had found the deer. A nice buck and he laid dead just on the other side of the swale.

In all my years of hunting, I have never seen anything quite like that. I learned a lot that day and night in our search for a wounded deer and we all went home knowing we had done everything we could.