locator calls

[ohio state]

what do you use as a locator?? need to find one that is easy to use.. got a coyote call.. never did sound like a coyote to me.. :o thanks WORM

 

[buckmaster 320]

Cutting with a box call works good also ;)

 

[Setterman]

what do you use as a locator?? need to find one that is easy to use.. got a coyote call.. never did sound like a coyote to me.. :o thanks WORM

Easiest question ever. The best locator call is patience and silence. No need to buy one, no reason to blow one. Just get to a place you can hear, and be quiet. Up in the day cruise and locate birds by cutting, or plain yelping.

 

[CopperHead77]

Locator calls have their place imo,say you need to locate a bird but you don't want him running in just yet,you need time to set up or whatever..a crow or owl call can work well in situations like that.

 

[turkeyhunter64]

I use a knight and hale owl call and a woodpecker/peacock call. that really sets them off when they are tight lipped.

 

[buckdead]

I never use em in the morning, but in the middle of the day Ill hit the crow call sometimes. Last year I was hunting a WMA around the lake and this idiot would pull up in the cove hit his peacock call then leave for the next cove and do it again. They wouldnt gobble at his call, but everytime he started his boat they fired off :D That was a good day

 

[KODAK]

Owl in the morning and crow from daylight to dark

 

[WingNut]

Owl call in the AM.

 

[bvoss]

I use an owl, peacock, and crow call. My buddy swears by his hawk and goose calls though.

 

[REN]

I use an owl in the AM but VERY SPARINGLY...will use a tube call as well as a last resort.

Goose calls work great though. I will also use a crow from time to time in the afternoons.....like some have said be selective in blowing them, if the bird is talking you really dont have to use one.

 

[TLRanger]

what do you use as a locator?? need to find one that is easy to use.. got a coyote call.. never did sound like a coyote to me.. :o thanks WORM

Easiest question ever. The best locator call is patience and silence. No need to buy one, no reason to blow one. Just get to a place you can hear, and be quiet. Up in the day cruise and locate birds by cutting, or plain yelping.

Exactly Right!

The yelp is the best locator there is.

 

[buckmaster 320]

what do you use as a locator?? need to find one that is easy to use.. got a coyote call.. never did sound like a coyote to me.. :o thanks WORM

Easiest question ever. The best locator call is patience and silence. No need to buy one, no reason to blow one. Just get to a place you can hear, and be quiet. Up in the day cruise and locate birds by cutting, or plain yelping.

X 2

 

[Baxter83]

I used an owl and a crow call last year and the year before and I don't think I ever located the first bird with either. One morning it had already broken daylight and I hadn't got one located yet, but I was trying. It may have been a minute after I blew on my owl hooter just as it was getting to be shooting light when a pack of coyotes started howling and cackling across the field. Just as they started a tom sounded off within 150 or so yards behind me. I think in some areas they get used to certain calls especially if it's hunted hard like where I'm at. I'm trying a coyote, peacock, and woodpecker call this year. I'll also bring the crow and owl too... :grin:

BTW: The above post is correct too. But sometimes you just get tired of sitting and waiting. :D

 

[REN]

yeah walking around while cutting and yelping can also backfire pretty quickly especially for the silent birds that hear you and head your way. you dont hear them so you keep walking or easing through the woods and get busted. I have had birds in the past be on me in less then 2mins after my first yelp/cut so if you are not READY when you start calling it may come back to haunt you.

like always in turkey hunting NO ONE has the answers and there is a time and place for everything.

 

[ohio state]

might have to get a crow and owl call.. sone place's they have been hunted to death?? the place where i' deer hunt at they are to laze to walk up hill's thanks WORM

 

[RUGER]

Easiest question ever. The best locator call is patience and silence. No need to buy one, no reason to blow one. Just get to a place you can hear, and be quiet. Up in the day cruise and locate birds by cutting, or plain yelping.

Works for me.

 

[NoNtYpiCaL1]

yeah walking around while cutting and yelping can also backfire pretty quickly especially for the silent birds that hear you and head your way. you dont hear them so you keep walking or easing through the woods and get busted. I have had birds in the past be on me in less then 2mins after my first yelp/cut so if you are not READY when you start calling it may come back to haunt you.

like always in turkey hunting NO ONE has the answers and there is a time and place for everything.

I learned a long time ago to be prepared before you use any hen call as a locator. But, when they answer it as a locator then its usually GAME ON instead of just a shock gobble

 

[Setterman]

yeah walking around while cutting and yelping can also backfire pretty quickly especially for the silent birds that hear you and head your way. you dont hear them so you keep walking or easing through the woods and get busted. I have had birds in the past be on me in less then 2mins after my first yelp/cut so if you are not READY when you start calling it may come back to haunt you.

like always in turkey hunting NO ONE has the answers and there is a time and place for everything.

First rule if you hunt like I do with zero locator calls, and locating birds either with patience or up in the day with hen calls, ALWAYS be in a place where you can sit straight down and be ready to kill in a second. In other words don't walk cluelessly through the woods, use woodsmanship and forethought when hunting, and you won't get caught in a pickle.

Second, there is zero thrill for me in shooting some sneaky silent slip in bird. The thrill is in the chess game, the gobbling, and the anticipation of the bird responding vocally to a call and marching to his death. I have deer season to satisfy the sniper side of me, and turkey season is a time to duel.

 

[Setterman]

what do you use as a locator?? need to find one that is easy to use.. got a coyote call.. never did sound like a coyote to me.. :o thanks WORM

Easiest question ever. The best locator call is patience and silence. No need to buy one, no reason to blow one. Just get to a place you can hear, and be quiet. Up in the day cruise and locate birds by cutting, or plain yelping.

thats not good advice.turkey will gobble to cutts and yelps but they will also come to those.Also for some reason I have heard turkey ignore hen talk but gobble to a crow right after the hen.Trying to move on a turkey and set up without him moving on you is a good reason to use locator calls. ;)

Yep it is crappy advice, the 100+ longbeards over the years might beg to differ. ;)

99% of the time, in my experience (for what its worth), a bird that hammers back will stand his ground, usually waiting for the hen to come to him. That is how the natural game is played. However, on the occasion when a bird bolts in, the whole woodsmanship and forethought thing done prior to calling has a huge positive impact and negative for the turkey.

I listen to guys cranking on locator calls all freaking season, the ride and blow or walk and blow. I bet 4 out of 5 times when I am working a bird or around birds which are vocal, they never respond to a locator call. No matter how hot they are and how willing they are to die.

If killing turkeys is the main goal, there is much better ways to spend ones time then cruising with locator calls. Many times, a gobbler will not gobble period, until one of his hens fires back aggressively at me calling to her. And one thing that is a pretty sure fire guarantee, hens don't generally yelp back at a crow or owl call.

If repositioning on a bird, be patient, if a bird is in a mood to die, many times they will gobble on their own, or at a natural sound.

Patience is huge in racking up kills in any given season. Locator calls are a way of trying to speed up a process which is better served and more successful IMO when patience and thought is employed.

 

[Anonymous]

Come on BSL, you know better than to argue with the captain.

 

[REN]

First rule if you hunt like I do with zero locator calls, and locating birds either with patience or up in the day with hen calls, ALWAYS be in a place where you can sit straight down and be ready to kill in a second. In other words don't walk cluelessly through the woods, use woodsmanship and forethought when hunting, and you won't get caught in a pickle.

Second, there is zero thrill for me in shooting some sneaky silent slip in bird. The thrill is in the chess game, the gobbling, and the anticipation of the bird responding vocally to a call and marching to his death. I have deer season to satisfy the sniper side of me, and turkey season is a time to duel.

sure YOU do this but the original post is obviously coming from someone that is not a seasoned turkey hunter at this point so is OBVIOUSLY not necessarily the best advise for a novice. 2nd how is shooting a SILENT bird a sniper session??? i mean if you call the bird in and he is silent you still called him in correct? still the game correct? just because he may have a sore throat it is no longer a game???

again to each his own and your way and ideas work for you but IMO walking around cutting and yelping is not really the best advice for a novice to start with. Let a novice learn how to hunt the easiest way first with the least amount of risk first then move on from there.

hey its your opinion and i am not downing that as the above is just mine...

 

[ohio state]

Don't kow nuttin 'bout it.
It seems that sum times it works, an sum time it don't!
I'm readin and tryin to learn! you and me both.. like to get and shot my bow?? WORM

 

[Setterman]

First rule if you hunt like I do with zero locator calls, and locating birds either with patience or up in the day with hen calls, ALWAYS be in a place where you can sit straight down and be ready to kill in a second. In other words don't walk cluelessly through the woods, use woodsmanship and forethought when hunting, and you won't get caught in a pickle.

Second, there is zero thrill for me in shooting some sneaky silent slip in bird. The thrill is in the chess game, the gobbling, and the anticipation of the bird responding vocally to a call and marching to his death. I have deer season to satisfy the sniper side of me, and turkey season is a time to duel.

sure YOU do this but the original post is obviously coming from someone that is not a seasoned turkey hunter at this point so is OBVIOUSLY not necessarily the best advise for a novice. 2nd how is shooting a SILENT bird a sniper session??? i mean if you call the bird in and he is silent you still called him in correct? still the game correct? just because he may have a sore throat it is no longer a game???

again to each his own and your way and ideas work for you but IMO walking around cutting and yelping is not really the best advice for a novice to start with. Let a novice learn how to hunt the easiest way first with the least amount of risk first then move on from there.

hey its your opinion and i am not downing that as the above is just mine...

It is just my personal preference on silent birds. There is no thrill to me, 20 years ago I would happily ace one, but now, it isn't the kill to me as much as the whole charade.

When I was cutting my teeth, I hunted dang near as I do now, sure I tried the locator calls, but found a system which worked with great success for me each season. In the Miss river bottoms there was no shortage of owls to get things started early.

I guess each must find a system which works for them and go with it, I was just offering an opinion on something which has worked with dramatic success for me over the years.

 

[Setterman]

what do you use as a locator?? need to find one that is easy to use.. got a coyote call.. never did sound like a coyote to me.. :o thanks WORM

Easiest question ever. The best locator call is patience and silence. No need to buy one, no reason to blow one. Just get to a place you can hear, and be quiet. Up in the day cruise and locate birds by cutting, or plain yelping.

thats not good advice.turkey will gobble to cutts and yelps but they will also come to those.Also for some reason I have heard turkey ignore hen talk but gobble to a crow right after the hen.Trying to move on a turkey and set up without him moving on you is a good reason to use locator calls. ;)

Yep it is crappy advice, the 100+ longbeards over the years might beg to differ. ;)

99% of the time, in my experience (for what its worth), a bird that hammers back will stand his ground, usually waiting for the hen to come to him. That is how the natural game is played. However, on the occasion when a bird bolts in, the whole woodsmanship and forethought thing done prior to calling has a huge positive impact and negative for the turkey.

I listen to guys cranking on locator calls all freaking season, the ride and blow or walk and blow. I bet 4 out of 5 times when I am working a bird or around birds which are vocal, they never respond to a locator call. No matter how hot they are and how willing they are to die.

If killing turkeys is the main goal, there is much better ways to spend ones time then cruising with locator calls. Many times, a gobbler will not gobble period, until one of his hens fires back aggressively at me calling to her. And one thing that is a pretty sure fire guarantee, hens don't generally yelp back at a crow or owl call.

If repositioning on a bird, be patient, if a bird is in a mood to die, many times they will gobble on their own, or at a natural sound.

Patience is huge in racking up kills in any given season. Locator calls are a way of trying to speed up a process which is better served and more successful IMO when patience and thought is employed.

So are you saying your right just because you killed a lot of turkey?Bet if i didn't have to work much and got to hunt 3 or more states a year my number would be even higher than that. ;)Guess all the turkey i killed thought those owls and crows were sick sounding turkey.crow calls can work great at times and have helped me kill several turkey that I would not have known were anywhere around.But I'm sure you will disagree and tell me how I'm wrong by using them so it doesn't matter.

Question: Does the person who has fixed more transmissions know more then the person who has fixed a handful? You betcha.

Second question: If you had been patient when things went silent, and just took a knee a listened for 10-15 minutes would those same birds not have fired right back at you?

Third question: How many birds have been spooked by the crow call or owl call, which you never knew were there?

I was offering opinions formed over 20 years of chasing these things pretty much every day from March 15th- Mid May, and having the opportunity to hunt along the way with some of the best turkey hunters in the country as well. Sure I hunt 5 or 6 states each year, but that doesn't make this game any easier, turkeys are turkeys, and short of setting a full strut decoy in a field, nothing comes automatically. However, there are things which do work and work consistently which experience and time in the woods exemplify.

 

[splitter]

i have an old donkey that i ride into the turkey woods, when i get ready to listen i smack him in the booty and then listen works like a charm

 

[TurkeyBurd]

Sounds like Ive heard all of this before.

Lets all hunt the way we want to hunt.

 

[Setterman]

Answer #1 yes but turkey hunting ain't transmission work so just because you have killed more doesn't mean you have learned more than me.Just means you got to hunt more and some of us have to work for a living while some get to hunt because they were born into money.

Are you serious? I mean really bsl, reread what you wrote and ask yourself how infantile and bizarre that statement is and how laughable your logic is at its core. Born into money, that is a good one, glad you know all about me and my life. I hunt more then most because I chose a career path which allows me to enjoy the things in life I enjoy, not for the money and not to be stuck in an office 5 days a week. That comes at a cost, no wife and far from being wealthy. However, I do what I want, when I want for the most part, and life to me isn't about work, it is about getting out and killing/catching things. Sorry it didn't work out for you, but that is your problem not mine.

You have real issues, I witnessed how you acted with others recently in the deer forum, and it is something inherently bitter with you and your views of people who disagree, or are more successful then you. No matter how you spin it, the guy who has aced 30 birds has more experience then the guy who has killed 5. According to your twisted logic, you know as much about killing turkeys as people like Will Primos, Preston Pittman, and Eddie Salter to name a few. Somehow I am not seeing your point.

#2 most of those I described I had been in the area for well more than your 15 min rule and they didn't make a sound so the crow call got them to gobble.

Okay, that works.

#3 I don't believe that many turkey have been spooked by me calling with locators at them.They either respond to them or they don't.had them ignore it but gobble to a yelp 5 seconds later.But to be honest I can't answer it fair because I don't know.Same as you don't know how many you have walked by because you were afraid to use one thinking it would spook one.

You are partly right, but hunting 100% of the time on public land here, I can promise you that I see at least a dozen birds a year get spooked by some dilbert blowing on a crow/owl call over the course of each season.

BTw don't start that crap again about the full strut decoy being a sure kill.lol We all heard you last year saying it wasn't hunting or fair.

It isn't hunting, but it is fair.

you really changed in the deer hunting forums but you are the same old hook over here.

You need a tissue?

I am not arguing anymore about this, if you all wish to toot on your locators then by all means it is not my place to tell anyone what to do. Like I said, just trying to offer up some advice.

 

[richmanbarbeque]

Setterman, Post more on turkey hunting and less on debating bsl. I think I am actually learning something from your posts, that was a compliment. :grin:

 

[Setterman]

Setterman, Post more on turkey hunting and less on debating bsl. I think I am actually learning something from your posts, that was a compliment. :grin:

Holy schnikes, is the world coming to an end :)

 

[bvoss]

...like always in turkey hunting NO ONE has the answers and there is a time and place for everything.

Very true. Dont get stuck in a rut using the same old locator calls. Turkeys can be conditioned too. Mix it up. That's what makes it so much fun. You never know what will or wont work.