Pre-Season Turkey Practice | Calls You Need To Learn and Master

Turkey Hunting | Calling Strategies You Should Practice Right Now

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How fluent are you in turkey talk? Can you effortlessly speak the language and entice lonely birds to stroll into your set? Or do you sound more like a psychotic chicken squawking away in the woods? No judgment here. But if the latter is true, the offseason is your friend. You’ll have months of down time, often with no other hunting seasons to distract you, to practice your cackles, yelps, and purrs. And if those terms sound foreign to you, you’re definitely the psychotic chicken clucking away in the woods and not seeing turkeys. Do yourself a favor and change that before next spring arrives.

Let’s start with some basic turkey vocabulary, so we’re all on the same page. Turkeys make an incredible number of vocalizations, far beyond what most people know about. They each have their own place, and it’s to your enormous benefit to know when to make each one.

Gobble – This is the most commonly associated turkey hunting call. Males gobble to attract hens and challenge other tom turkeys. You can easily produce a gobble using ahand-held call.

Cluck – This call is used in short bursts by both males and females. It is a basic “come-here” call that can be done with a slate, glass, or box call such as the Dual Threat Glass and Slate Turkey Pot Call and Switchblade 3-in-1 Turkey Box Call.

Yelp – Turkeys use yelp vocalizations for a variety of reasons. They’ll use them when they’re lonely to find other turkeys, to assemble after the flock has disbanded, and to simply comfort each other. Turkey hunters can use a slate call to make yelps, as well, which are slightly longer than clucks.

Cackle – You’re probably familiar with this call, but turkeys use it when flying down from a tree roost. It is a series of 10 to 15 short bursts that starts and ends slowly. You can use a box or slate call for a cackle.

Purr – Turkeys make purring calls to simply stay in contact as they travel in their flock. It is a short purring noise that is best done with a diaphragm mouth call.

Kee kee – Used as an alarm call, this high-pitched whistling noise consists of 3 to 4 short bursts. It is best done on a slate call to get the right W or M motion with the striker.

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