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Woodhaven Custom Calls

Each spring millions of hunters take to the woods with visions of longbeards running into their set up. Taking into consideration the basics of nature, it’s not rocket science why birds stay out of gun range. Never the less, it leaves turkey hunters scratching their heads season after season. There are many reasons a gobbler will halt his forward progression. I will elaborate on the most common and possible solutions for alleviating this dilemma.

The Obstacle

At some point in your turkey hunting endeavors you will come across a gobbler that will stay out of gun range. It is almost as if he has some type of invisible shield blocking him from your position. He will mysteriously impede his march towards your set up and for no apparent reason. Barriers will often hinder a turkey’s travel and the hunter is unaware there was an obstacle.

Fences, ditches, creeks, hedgerows and roads are often the guilty culprit. The one key point to always keep in mind is to learn the lay of the land you are hunting. I know this is sometimes easier said than done, but at least gain knowledge of the property you have access to and are going to frequent this spring. There are many times every season I am dropped off in an area that I have never hunted. Often, I am guiding someone and have no clue where these problem areas are located. This makes the hunt even more challenging. My advice if your hunting land that is unknown to you is simply ask someone who has knowledge of the area. Hopefully they can point you in the right direction and make it easier to steer clear of these hindrances.

When you have identified an obstacle as the problem, I would recommend backing out undetected and reposition on the same side of the obstacle with the bird. Make sure you give yourself plenty of room when you make your move. Do not move too closely to the bird when you back out to reposition. Ensure you have a generous buffer between you and your gobbler. Spooking him when he is hung up at 50-60 yards is definitely a possibility. After you’ve moved and set up again, pick up where you left off. Initiate the conversation with a series of yelps and regain his attention. Many times simply changing your angle of attack will entice him to investigate and move into gun range. More food for thought, is to also change your call after you reposition. Your giving the illusion you are an entirely different hen. Accessibility is key to your success. If there is any way you can put yourself in the gobbler’s path of least resistance, you will up your percentage of success.

Strut Zone

One spring morning several years back I was dropped off on a piece of property with no geographical knowledge of the land. The only imperative information I was given was the area the birds would generally roost in. At first light I called in a gobbler to about sixty-five yards. For about two hours he stayed nearly stationary maybe moving fifteen yards from left to right. I used everything in my repertoire, from gobbling, to the silent treatment, as well, bombarding him cutting and excited yelping. I opted not to move on him because he was very close the entire hunt and I was not familiar with the terrain and what options and cover I had to permit me to reposition. Let’s just say my book of tricks was exhausted.

After the long confrontation was over and the bird moved off, I too stood there scratching my head unable to deduce why he would come no closer. During the ordeal I was not able to make visual contact with the gobbler, so I decided to investigate and see if I could determine why he would not close the deal. After locating where the bird was stationary, I found what appeared to be a small open area in the hard woods I was hunting. Undoubtedly I happened upon a bird that was consistent in his routine. He had flown down and commenced to strutting and gobbling in his strut zone. It appeared every morning he would follow the same ritual and that was his method for gathering hens. Strut marks and hen tracks were covering the area, indicating the rendezvous with his harem. The next morning I put a very simple plan in motion. I set up on his strut zone, gave minimal calling and by 7:30 a.m. he was riding in the back of my turkey vest. Ultimately the bird’s final destination was my set up location, so the calling in this situation was obviously secondary. When possible scout the land you are hunting and pattern the turkeys that inhabit the property. It will give you an added advantage knowing where they roost, travel routes and their routine after they fly down.

“Spooked”

Whether hunting public or private land there is a very good chance you will eventually encounter a gobbler that has been called in and spooked. He could have been shot at and missed or called in and the hunter commits a mistake and scares him off. Either situation will generally create a bad scenario. Sometimes later in the season, the gobbler submits to his breeding urge and lets his guard down and will be able to be called in again. Other times he is virtually unable to be harvested. The best advice I can give is to run the gamut of your strategies. In the calling department I would say to start softly and see how he reacts. Long moments of silence in between calling sequences can be effective. Soft yelps consisting of three or four notes may be the medicine he needs. If he gobbles after your series of calls, shut it down completely for about 15 minutes. Give the bird time to see if this subtle, coy type calling will lure him in. If this fails to yield any results slowly start to get more aggressive with him. Include some cutting with excited yelps. Again give a generous silent spell after each sequence. Overcalling at this point is definitely a factor; so do not get too overzealous with your lusty hen talk.

If all else fails, you may have to put a still hunt plan together. Basically pattern the bird you’re trying to harvest. Find out where he is roosting, his usual fly down time and position yourself on his established travel route. Take note of the times he is frequenting certain areas and establish if there are any consistencies. Base your strategies on the notes you’ve made. It should consist of setting up in one of these areas, playing the waiting game until he presents a shot. It does not contain the normal level of excitement associated with a spring hunt, but sometimes you have to do what it takes to get the job done. When it is all said and done, remember we are turkey hunting, not turkey calling.

Hanging With The Ladies

Sometimes the allure of a woman can be just too overwhelming. Often the bird that is hung up on you simply had hens. You may not have heard them vocalizing, but they were there. Keep in mind this applies to gobblers that you do not have in plain sight and are not aware of the reason they are staying out of gun range. There is also a distinct possibility that he was actually in the process of breeding the hens. Some of the best advice I can give is to just stay with the bird. If he is gobbling, remaining stationary and then goes quiet, just wait him out. If at some point he starts to gobble again keep the communication lines open. Continue to call, with some cutting and yelping, giving the impression you’re still interested, but do not over call him. If he slowly starts moving away from you but continuing to answer, follow along. Be mindful of your distance from the gobbler. You do not want to spook him as you are trailing him.

An afterthought is that you may eventually strike a nerve with the boss hen and she may lead the whole flock to you. There is also the possibility that the hens will continue to lead the gobbler in the opposite direction. If this occurs the safe bet is to position yourself in the turkeys path and wait for them to stroll by. Calling at this point becomes somewhat futile.

If hen calling fails to lure him into range, you can also try simulating a fight between two gobblers or even gobbling. This will sometimes either pique his interest enough to investigate or infuriate him to the point of confrontation. Always keep in mind the safety issues when employing such tactics. You do not want to lure in other hunters.

Lastly, the flock may have been on a food source and were staying in one particular area feeding. The hens were content to just feed along and not investigate the newcomer. The old gobbler could have been just keeping a close watch on his lady friends as they fed contently. Key to success here is to know where they are heading. Set up in their path and wait them out.

Subordinates

There is always going to be the possibility that your bird is not the dominant gobbler in that area. If this is the case your bird may hang out of gun range for fear of being confronted by the boss gobbler. Many people do not realize that the majority of long beards that will work to a call are the lesser toms. They do not have a harem and are on the prowl looking for any hens not claimed by the old monarch. Depending on which phase of the breeding cycle the birds in your area are in, you can call the dominant gobbler into your set up, but normally this only occurs when all his hens are not receptive to breeding. You will know when the time is right as the hens will often socialize with the gobbler for a short period of time after the birds have flown down. They then head off to sit their nest leaving the gobbler lonely and looking for any available hens.

If you encounter a bird that gobbles on the roost and then stops gobbling or either gobbles noticeably less, you could be dealing with a subordinate gobbler. If you are able to make visual contact with him, watch his body language. Is he strutting constantly or acting like he is fearful of going into a full strut? If the latter is true there is a good chance he is the lesser gobbler in the area. In this situation I would just stay with him as long as he gives away his location by gobbling. If he then goes silent keep your eyes peeled. He could have decided to investigate the sexy hen he’s been hearing and is slipping in quietly.

Also bear in mind he still may strut, along with spitting and drumming. Chances are he will refrain from gobbling so he will not attract attention to himself. Often times I’ve even had mature a tom gobble on the roost, cease gobbling when he hit the ground and eventually come into gun range clucking. An obvious sign he did not desire to alert the Alpha gobbler to his presence.

Overcalling

Probably the number one factor that causes more birds to halt their forward progression is overcalling. A gobbling turkey is what we all dream about laying in bed late night. Some only during turkey season does it overwhelm us. For others it is an affliction that haunts our sleep throughout the year. All too often hunters get caught up in the moment and the fact that he is answering your every call. Before you realize it you have bombarded him too much calling. This inevitably will cause him to hold his ground.

Let us put into perspective why we are hearing this enchanting sound. Simply stated a male turkey is gobbling to attract hens. Never lose sight that we are attempting to reverse nature each spring season. Luring a gobbler to a hen in a stationary position goes against a turkey’s normal spring time ritual.

When a hunter calls in excess, I feel the gobbler, with his propensity to exude stubbornness, decides to wait her out instead of pursuing her. Instinctively, a gobbler follows mother nature’s script on a daily basis during the spring. He also knows there are multiple hens in the area. Undoubtedly he can draw more hens, into what is probably his strut zone, by continuing to display and gobble. Leaving his position to find one lone hen seems to be pointless. Over the last 25 years, playing hard to get has bagged many more gobblers, than getting too aggressive too early. In lieu of that, there are times when playing coy and being shy will just not seal the deal. At this point you have to recognize that less is not better, and pick up the frequency and intensity of your calling. Sometimes aggressive calling will heighten his breeding desire, rendering him more susceptible to your calls.

Scott Ellis
Woodhaven Custom Calls -Sting Team
Prostaff
Tru-Glo Fiber Optics
Therma-Cell
Field Expert-Ol’ Tom Technical Gear
Member:Florida Outdoor Writer’s Assoc.

When most people hear turkey hunting they generally associate it with a strutting tom and the beautiful sound of a gobble during the spring. Learning the art of fall turkey hunting not only increases your chances of putting a bird in the freezer for Thanksgiving, it allows you to learn more about turkeys and how they live throughout the year, not solely during the mating season. This can benefit the spring turkey hunter as well. By having more knowledge of your quarry, such as their vernacular, social structure and how to locate them, you can add more to your book of strategies. Fall hunting requires more woodsmanship than calling ability. One of the most important tasks at hand is locating birds in the fall. They have a more broad range during this time of the year due to diminishing food sources.

The Basics:

There are two basic angles to hunting fall turkeys. Hunting bachelor flocks and hunting what I call brood flocks. Bachelor flocks consist of mature gobblers and brood flocks consist of the adult hens and their offspring. During the fall, a hunter has to realize that he is capitalizing on a turkey’s urge for companionship, their need to establish a pecking order and just overall curiosity. He is also putting his woods skills to the test by finding his birds. Finding a viable food source and water is essential to finding your birds. Patterning birds in the fall can be quite challenging but putting food and water on the top of your scouting list will pay dividends. Turkeys will continue to use a food source until it is exhausted and will water in the same areas if available. Use this to your advantage. Traditional roosting sites out west are a sure bet to finding your fall birds but, here in the southeast I don’t feel are as common. This is due to the variety of roosting areas that are available. Put your time in the woods scouting for sign very similar to the methods used in the spring. Look for tracks, dusting areas, and scratching. Keep in mind your more likely to find flocks of birds and not single birds, although finding a lone gobbler is not all that uncommon. More often when you find one, you will find multiple birds, whether bachelor flocks or brood flocks. Spend time in the woods and frequent areas that birds are likely to be feeding and you’ll find your turkeys. How many times have you heard deer hunters say “You should have seen all the turkeys I saw on the stand!!” Use this knowledge to your advantage.

Bachelor Flocks:

During the spring we all know that generally you’ll have your dominant gobbler and your subordinate gobblers in any given area that holds birds. During the fall, take away that breeding urge and your left with the same gobblers. These gobblers will often flock together, I feel for companionship. Do not be confused. There is still a pecking order established between these birds. Now once you’ve conducted reconnaissance on the birds in your area, your safest bet is to set up and blind call or move and call.

Blind calling is referred to as sitting in one area and just calling randomly, not engaged in a conversation with a bird. Use gobbler yelps and clucks and call sparingly, but with enough frequency for a bird to not pass your position without hearing your calling. Basically every 10 to 15 minutes. Gobbler yelping is very similar to hen yelping but with a slower rhythm and a deeper tone. On paper it would appear as “yawk”—-”yawk”—-”yawk”—-“yawk”—-”yawk”—-”yawk”. As opposed to hen yelping, yelp-yelp-yelp-yelp-yelp. Gobbler clucking again is similar to hens clucking but with a noticeably deeper tone. Throw in some deeper purring just to add realism. Once you get a response, call them just enough to pique there interest. Hopefully they will come to investigate the newcomer. Hunting these birds takes an enormous amount of patience. Its almost as if your still hunting but adding some vocalizations into the mix.

Running and gunning can be effective but, be mindful of your surroundings. Less foliage on the trees and the birds not being as vocally responsive can be a challenge. Without the birds giving away their location the chance of spooking them is much greater walking through the open timber. Remember patterning these birds and hunting near feeding areas is going to put you in their living room. You can even build a blind to gain comfort and conceal movement.

Brood Flocks:

These birds have a very tight knit social grouping. They live each day, all day together. You’re going to have to act upon this to bag your fall bird. Very similar to hunting bachelor flocks there are two basic methods. Blind calling and moving and calling. The type of calling employed is quite different than what is used to call bachelor flocks. While trying to locate or communicate with a brood flock, I’m going to conduct some assembly yelping , lost yelping and kee-kee running. Assembly or lost yelping is the same basic call. They are both 15-20 note yelps given with inflection. The assembly yelp is given by the brood hen when a flock is scattered. She emits these long series of yelps soon after the flock is broken apart. This is how she gathers her brood. The lost yelp, is when a bird is all alone by itself and is looking for companionship. I don’t feel a turkey is ever lost. I feel its more of a locating call. When giving these yelps just remember to visualize a turkey looking for company and pleading to gain there acquaintance. Kee-keeing is the whistle of the young birds. Long before a poult’s voice has developed enough to produce yelps, they can only whistle. As they become more mature their voice will allow them to yelp. They will then combine kee-keeing in conjunction with yelping, producing the kee-kee run. The kee-kee sounds like its spelled on paper. Kee kee kee—–kee kee kee kee. Kee kee running would appear as Kee kee kee —– kee kee kee kee – yelp yelp. Produce a series of this call ending with two to four yelps, with three or four complete sets in a series. Kee Keeing is best performed with a mouth call. For the beginner, I would highly suggest a Quaker Boy Kee Kee diaphragm. It is a clear call that has two thin reeds with no cut and will whistle with ease. For the more advanced caller I would prefer a World Champ mouth. You can attain the same realistic whistle with a raspy yelp.

When blind calling your trying to lure the birds in by piquing their curiosity. The flock will hopefully move into your position because they are investigating the new comer. Mix up your calling with several series of assembly/lost yelps starting each series with clucking and adding clucking in between your series. The next calling sequence, give a chorus of kee-kee runs. Call quite often and even call with multiple calls. Again, we’re trying to use a turkey’s curiosity and need for companionship to coax them into gun range.

Scattering the flocks:

This is an age old tradition when hunting fall turkeys. I feel this is definitely best accomplished by two hunters. Many times a hunter will get close enough to flush a flock only to have them fly off in the same direction and regroup before a hunter has a chance to set up and call them. If you’ve spotted a flock, have you and a buddy come in from different directions, then running in spooking them. Hopefully they will scatter in different directions. Once you’ve scattered a brood flock wait and quietly listen for them to start yelping and kee-keeing. If the birds did not flush too far from where you scattered them and you start hearing multiple birds, set up right there and begin your calling. Call very often. Assembly yelping and kee-kee running will be your best bet. At this point do not be afraid to call.

If the birds have flushed too far to set up where the flush occurred, then reposition to where the majority of the flock escaped your ambush and again wait and listen for them to start calling. Then begin your calling. In my opinion it is imperative that you do not start calling until the birds start calling. I feel this way you know the birds are calm enough to start the regrouping process.

If you’ve busted a bachelor flock, rely on your gobbler yelps and deep gobbler clucks, but calling more sparingly. A bachelor flock has much less urge to regroup than a brood flock. Many times the gobblers will not regroup, hence seeing lone long beards sometimes in the fall. But, its definitely worthy of a valiant effort.

Just remember scouting is going to be your main key to success. Fall turkey hunting can be productive with or without calling. You have to know where the turkeys are frequenting and put yourself in these areas. Many times I’ve had fall flocks never respond to a call, but my knowledge and patterning of the birds put me in a position to fill my tag. Other times the calling is what made the difference and definitely made the hunt more exciting. Fall turkey hunting generally doesn’t involve gobbling and strutting but hearing a bird kee-kee can be equally satisfying. It’s a sound that many hunters will never hear unless they put their time in the woods. Just know bagging a long beard, a jake, or even a hen in the fall is a great accomplishment. Many old timers will tell you spring hunting is great fun but the real test is harvesting a bird in the fall.

Scott Ellis
Woodhaven Custom Calls -Sting Team

Prostaff:
Tru-Glo Fiber Optics
Therma-Cell
Field Expert-Ol’ Tom Technical Gear

Member: Florida Outdoor Writer’s Assoc.

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Scott Ellis
Prostaff
Woodhaven Custom Calls
Tru-Glo Fiber Optics
Therma-Cell
Ol’ Tom Technical Gear
Member:Florida Outdoor Writer’s Assoc.

The Red Zone three pack is a must have for any serious turkey hunter. After testing these calls I new they would be an addition to my call case this spring. Mike Pentecost(founder and owner of Woodhaven) hit a home run with this addition to the already proven mouth call line.

The Red Vyper is a modified split V. This call produces a raspy yelp and sharp cutts. It will be great for running and gunning being used as a locator call. But you can tone it down for the softer side, clucks and purrs and soft yelping, if needed. I was highly impressed with it’s tonal qualities.

The Red Scorpion is a combo cut. It produces sweet kee kee runs, as well as beautiful yelps with a clear sweet front end. It will cluck and purr with the best of them. Another Woodhaven great that will give you an added advantage in the spring woods.

The Red Ghost is indicative of its name. A ghost cut, this call also had great results. It produced a medium rasp yelp with a sweet front end of each note. It will produce an awesome kee kee run, as well mid range cutts and cackles. I particularly loved it’s ability to cluck and purr. It produced melodious purrs worthy of putting on the stage to call competition or to fool a love sick gobbler.

Scott Ellis
Prostaff
Woodhaven Custom Calls
Tru-Glo Fiber Optics
Therma-Cell
Ol’ Tom Technical Gear
Member:Florida Outdoor Writer’s Assoc.