Pennsylvania Game News - May 2019 - 12

birds in that particular area are facing.
Many hunters repeatedly use the same
entry and exit points on hunting trips, and
they might do so year after year, since
birds tend to remain in the same areas
each spring.
Hunters who hear a bird while walking
in tend to go in a straight line toward that
turkey. If they've done this repeatedly
without success, the best chance you'll
have of calling in that bird is to approach
it differently.
I've found that using a different
approach has increased my calling success
dramatically. Basically, I like to get on the
same level as the turkey, which means
getting off mountaintops or heavily used
trails, and getting into those areas where
the turkeys feel comfortable.
It can equate to a lot of extra leg work,
but it's something I'll happily do to fill
a tag.

GET CLOSER

One hundred yards is the golden rule in
turkey hunting. The most-common advice
is that hunters approach to 100 yards of
the bird, then set up and call.
Why stop there? If you can safely close
the distance another 20 or 30 yards, why
not do so?
The less distance between you and the
gobbler, the better.
Of course, getting closer to a bird might
mean getting up and hour or two earlier
than normal to get in close while it's still
on the roost. All kinds of critters roam
the night woods, so turkeys are used to a
little commotion in the leaves underneath
them at night.
If you're careful, and don't use a light
near the roost, you can get in close and
wait for the bird to fly down.
Getting closer to a bird that's already
on the ground could mean using terrain,

weather or wind to mask the sound of
your approach.
Remember not to give away your position until you are set up and ready for the
bird to respond. That means no calling on
the way in and always having masking
cover between you and the turkey. They
can spot movement at long distances, even
in the thickest of cover.

CALLING & OVERCALLING

While you don't need to be a champion
turkey caller to bring in a longbeard, pressured turkeys might need special treatment. You can't rely on the same call and
same pattern to work all the time.
My approach is to let the gobbler tell
me what he wants to hear. If I call and
the gobbler cuts it off with a call of his
own, he's telling me he's very interested,
and he most likely is coming in. If the
gobbler hesitates or doesn't sound off at
your every beckoning, he is only somewhat interested, and it might take another
approach to pull him within range.
What calls to use and how loud to call
often differs from one situation to the next.
My assessment always considers how far
away the turkey is, at what point in the
season I'm hunting, the terrain of the area,
and potential hunting pressure nearby.
While most hunters know better than to
interfere when someone else is working a
bird, others might try to elbow in.
One of the best pieces of advice I can
give is to not overcall, especially if you
have cut the distance down on your setup.
When a hen gets close to a gobbler in
the spring, she usually goes from yelping
to making clucks and purrs. I've seen this
time and again in the woods, both before
season and in season. It's all the more
reason to be conservative with your calling at close range. Calling loudly when
close to a gobbler that has had any type of

Pennsylvania Game News - May 2019

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