Make a turkey call / How To video

[catman529]

I put this video together to show how I make tube calls with super cheap if not free materials.

Note that I am a novice and have only been turkey hunting once, haven't yet shot one, and have spent a few times in the woods on non-hunting trips practicing my calling skills with the real gobblers. So you can probably call a lot better with it than I can.

You can make almost any sound with a tube call which is another reason I like it so much. Clucks/putts are the easiest and in my opinion, kee kees are the most difficult.

If you're lucky it can even make an owl hoot or a weird predator howl of some sort.

Here's the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhRHZfbTWNY

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

cool

 

[REN]

tube call is my #1 trick in the bag each spring. a very underused call for sure!

 

[catman529]

hopefully it doesn't spread in popularity...I like it this way.

Maybe I'll practice and try to master a wingbone call too, because I doubt many people use those either when you can just go buy a slate or box call at walmart and strike it easily to make a sound.

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Was that really you calling in that video? If it is, that's dang good, sounded like a pro to me

 

[catman529]

Yeah it was me, thanks man. I figured I got pretty good at it but was trying not to overestimate it. Still practicing too...the kee kee runs are hard but I got some good ones down tonight. Gonna try and make a wingbone next...without a wingbone until I shoot my first turkey.

 

[BDS05]

Impressive. Nice one catman.

 

[catman529]

Thanks

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Yea no doubt your calling is plenty good enough to fool a turkey, now you got to focus on the little things to get him in range, but those wingbone calls are tricky to make, my dad made his on first try and it sounds great, but I doubt they turn out like his everytime, glad turkeys have 2 wings though, lol

 

[catman529]

Would you recommend the purr and clucks to get them in range? It worked on a flock of hens back in May this year when I went and stalked the flock across a cornfield and snuck up in front of them through the woods. They were so close I could have counted the wrinkles and feathers on their necks. Some purr and clucks seemed to keep them interested.

 

[Blount County Hunter]

The purr indicates that all is well, and can comfort a tom enough to come into range, I usually mix up a few yelps and clucks then towards the end of my calling series throw in a few very soft purrs, usually hens purr in the wild while they are just calmly feeding, so when a tom hears that, he usually associates it with there being no danger in the area, somedays I prefer to call softly and sparringly, but other days when boss hens are fired up and yelping like crazy, I do the same, just depends on the situation of the hunt, but if you call a tom in and he hangs up at say 60 yds and just struts back and forth, and a few purrs might be what you need to get him to come into range,

 

[catman529]

thanks. that's what I was thinking. Purrs are kind of hard to do on the tube but very possible and I've done them just well enough to interest those hens I was talking about.

I'm going to try and make a hand painted decoy if I get the chance. I think maybe a hen decoy will be good. Do you use them?

 

[Blount County Hunter]

I would carry a slate call, specifically for purrs, you can make them very very soft on with a slate call as well as loud if needed, as for the decoys, I can give you a few tips, I wouldn't recommend painting your own as it might scare away more than you bring in, just because their eyes are so keen, the foam or rubber ones from the store will do just fine and are relatively cheap, if you are going to use just a hen, I would place it 20 yds behind you, the strategy is for the tom to be in range if he hangs up at 50 yds and waits for the hen, he will be 30 yds from you, but 50 yds from the decoy, but keep in mind, a tom will come from any direction, especially older birds, they will try to circle around you and come from behind very silently without making a peep, because for a tom to come to a hen is an unnatural thing in the wild, they will do it if they have to, but would rather strut and wait for a hen, especially if they are pressured birds, you can also use a jake hen combo, this will draw in the toms that think they are king of the woods and will come in to beat up a jake trying to get jiggy with his hen, but this can also backfire and scare away 2-3 yr olds birds that have been beat up and not looking for a fight, you can tie some fishing line to your decoy and give it some realistic bobbing head action to make your setup even more real, but 90% I don't even bring a decoy with me, I kind of like for the tom to not know where the hen is at, so if I don't get a shot right away, he might spend a little more time looking for her

 

[bvoss]

One of my favorite ways to seal the deal is to scratch in the leaves, I call to get them fired up and headed my way like everybody else, but many times scratching in the leaves brings em to the gun barrel.

 

[catman529]

Blount - I forgot about slate calls, yeah they can do a really good purr and it's really easy. I've done a couple on clam shells but the shells I have don't always produce the best sound. Gotta get some slate.

As for the decoy, if I don't make my own that looks real enough then I will buy one of the foam ones. Not gonna bother with a gobbler decoy, cause that's the whole reason I didn't shoot a turkey on my first hunt in the spring. We had a gobbler coming in and he went away after seeing our strutting decoy...he must have been younger.

bvoss - I was thinking that too, but wasn't sure if it'd be effective. I will have to try that sometime.

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Scratching in the leaves is very very effective, I have done it many times when a tom was just over the hill from me, and it brought them in almost everytime, also right at daybreak when the turkeys start to fly down, beat your hat aggressively on your thigh and then the ground, its a realistic way to fool a tom into thinking that the hen he heard making soft tree yelps has just left her roost, he will usually come in to check her out

 

[Blount County Hunter]

My dad and I made some very good sounding turtle shell calls, basically its an empty box turtle shell, with a 1/8 in thick piece of glass cut to fit into the shell and hot glued into place, and we use permanent marker on the center of the glass and that's where you strike the call to make the sound, the shell gives it a really good tone

 

[catman529]

That sounds interesting and definitely worth a try, I do have a turtle shell lying around. I find a few whenever I go shed hunting.

Do you sand down the glass to rough it up a bit?

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Nope, that's basically what the permanent marker does, we draw a little square about 2in by 2in in the center of the glass and that creates enough friction to produce a sound

 

[catman529]

that's cool, but how often do you have to re-apply the ink as it wears off?