Every spring, a plaintive call echoes in the hardwoods.
It varies in tone and intensity, but the meaning is essentially the same. You′ve heard it, I′m sure. It′s the anguished cry of the frustrated turkey hunter.
Sometimes it′s "Where are the birds?" Sometimes, "Why don′t they answer?" Or, "Why don′t they come in?"
Even veteran hunters have days when the toms won′t cooperate. Jack Jensen, a pro-staffer with Blodgett Game Calls and Renzo Decoys, has some advice for turkey hunters that can turn frustration into success.
Jensen, of Oregon, Wis., is currently working on his third grand slam, this one with a muzzleloader. Hunting in 19 states, he has taken more turkeys than most of us will ever have a chance to talk to. To call turkeys to the gun, he says, a hunter must vary his calling according to the stages of the breeding cycle. What works in April might not do the job in May. He shared his experiences at a "Turkey University" last spring at the Gander Mountain store in Franklin, WI.
"Wisconsin hunters are lucky," said Jensen. "We have a very finite breeding season and birds are easy to pattern."
In mid-April, when our first hunting period begins, hens and toms will still be establishing their pecking order, Jensen says. Toms typically gather into groups consisting of one breeder and several "satellite" toms, who all stay together through the breeding season, which runs roughly from late-April to about May 10 or so. By scouting prior to the season, a hunter can determine where birds are roosting and where they are coming out into fields to display. Then it′s simply a matter of setting up between those two points and using the right combination of calls to bring a tom into range.
First and second period
During the first two hunting periods, toms are gobbling in earnest because they are ready to breed and hens are not. Toms are also fighting among themselves, so aggressive calling works well now, Jensen says. He likes to use loud hen yelps, cutts and cackles. The "fighting purr" of two sparring gobblers is another good early-season call. Pay attention to how gobblers respond, however, and vary your calling accordingly. "I give them what they want," Jensen said. If they gobble at loud calling, that′s what I do. If a tom responds to a quiet cluck, however, then I put my call down and get ready because I′m going to give him a ride in my truck."
Several things can cause toms to hang up out of range early in the season, Jensen says. A lone tom may be a satellite bird that has been beaten up by a dominant tom and is afraid he′ll get his butt kicked again if he comes closer. A group of toms traveling together may see your decoy and stop out of range to strut and display to attract the hen to them. In either case, it may pay to sound like multiple hens, using two different calls or both sides of a two-sided box call. The yelping of several hens may be enough to bring a hung-up tom close enough for a shot.
Third and fourth period
"These are the toughest time periods to hunt because breeding is in full swing" Jensen said. "Forget about calling toms now. Instead, you need to call hens."
Gobbling declines because hens are in a breeding mood. You will often see toms and hens together. Hunters complain that toms are "henned-up" and won′t respond. The "boss" hen is the dominant bird in a flock, Jensen says. Where she goes, all the other hens go, too. Often, the hens will have gobblers in tow, both dominant toms, who will breed them when they are ready, and satellite toms, hoping to get in on the action. "Whatever the boss hen does, you do the same thing," said Jensen. "If she clucks, you cluck back. If she does some fast cutting, give it right back to her. If she leaves you, though, you might as well go have breakfast and come back later."
Fifth and sixth periods
The last two hunting periods fall late in the breeding cycle. Most hens have laid all their eggs and are now incubating them, so they are no longer roosting in trees and they are no longer breeding. Toms are still looking for hens to breed, so they are on the move and gobbling, and are once again vulnerable to calling. They have been hunted, however, and have heard a lot of calling from both hens and hunters. "Don′t call as aggressively as you would early in the season," Jensen said. "Tone it down and call quietly, using mainly cutts and clucks. Most hunters just use yelps, so avoid those."
Decoys through the season
Jensen likes to change decoy set-ups as the season progresses to match the changing moods of gobblers. He uses a jake decoy throughout the season because gobblers often try to run off a jake. Early in the season, when toms are aggressive, he uses a jake in combination with one or more hens. During the active breeding period, he forgoes the hen decoys, using a jake alone to provoke a gobbler′s reaction. Late in the season, Jensen adds hen decoys to his arsenal once again, as toms are looking for hens. A wandering tom will often respond to a jake and hen set up as a breeding pair.
Learn as you hunt
The hunter who pays attention to what′s going on in the woods will learn something new almost every time out. "I always ask myself 'Why?′ Jensen said. "Why are the birds there instead of here, for instance? They need food, water and roosting trees, but other factors influence their movements, too."
Among other things you can learn by observing is that turkeys feed actively before a storm comes through and that dominant toms strut more than others, Jensen says. Pay attention as you hunt this year, and modify your tactics according to what the birds are doing. Match a turkey′s mood and you′ll have a better chance of taking him home for supper.
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