crow calls for turkey

[phantomak47]

Hey everyone, thanks for all the help with turkey hunting. I bought a nice wooden call, but I wasnt sure if I should get a crow call? Moreover, why does a turkey respond to a crow call and is it only for locating turkeys rather than helping call them in along with my hen call. thanks again.....I am heading out tomorrow

 

[NRA4LIFE]

It's my experience that the gobblers responding to the crow calls are simply trying to make more noise than you. I guess it's that "I can make more noise than you so I'm superior" attitude. Having said that, I use a crow call to try and locate birds only, mostly from long ranges. It can be quite effective. When nearing a bird to setup, though, I will stop using it. I have used the crow call many times to locate birds in the evening after they fly up to roost as well. Good luck.

 

[BeLikeTrey]

Love the crow call

Locator. It's a Territorial thing, I think. We used a crow call last year at the end of season to get those darned things to gobble. Over calling was the main culprit I think. My buddy's uncle overcalled the heck out of 'em. They got to where they just wouldn't answer a hen call. So, used the old faithful locator call. They gobble at a crow in every case I've seen.

 

[only1asterisk]

What these guys said. When they don't respond to anything else, sometimes you can wake them up with a crow call.


David

 

[Ed]

Or an Owl Hoot.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

That's a good point Ed. Where I used to hunt in MO, there are a lot of Barred Owls. They're hoots are real easy to replicate just by mouth. I set up on a bird one time and there was an owl in a tree only 20 yards or so from me and every time he'd hoot, the tom would gobble. That was cool.

 

[Marshall]

Crow and Owl calls can be a tremendous resource for locating birds. Use them sparingly.

 

[labgrade]

The crow call, or owl hoot just causes the gobblers to gobble - a locator thing.

We've had 'em do it with a slamming car door, or a (really wooseful) coyote yelp too.

Doesn't seem to really matter (but it depends, sometimes) that you just make some kinda noise that the gobbler makes in response.

He's just being territorial.

Kinda funny & iffy.

Have had a gobbler, or two, ply their trade, gobbling all the while - a really vocal tom, all the way in & never even got to see him = very tight scrub oaks.

Still - very cool having such a wary quary mere feet away .....

 

[Guyon]

What everybody else said....

I've raised turkeys with both calls.

Don't forget that you can call crows too. Last year, a flock of crows settled into a neighbor's tree. Well, I stepped up to my front porch screen and blew my crow call. They all came flapping over to my front trees. Then, I blew a hawk whistle and they flew back to my neighbor's yard. Blew the crow call again, and here they came back to me.

I felt like the freakin' Beastmaster.

 

[labgrade]

Stick up an owl decoy & do the crow calls - might get a gobble, & if not, you may have a sporting morning with crows coming in to harass the owl decoy - no tellin'.

 

[Newt]

Crow calls or Owl calls are both used around here. I've even got a buddy that takes an air horn out with him. So far as I know, the sound doesn't have to be natural. The air horn works great, for those of you out there that think it will scare a bird off. Nope, they just gobble and gobble and gobble. I'm with labgrade on this one, they're territorial.

 

[labgrade]

Thanks, Newt.

We went camping one fine Spring day & the truck door-closings, etc. elicted a gobble for almost any noise we made. Turkeys were absolutely nuts about their sounding gobbles. Didn't matter what kind of noise at all - gobblers gobble.

Spent a good 1/2 hour just playing with different things to make 'em go off. Kinda funny that time.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Never used any type of call but...

We live within about a half mile from the Arkansas River. In the spring the toms will gobble when...

My peacocks crow,
I slam my truck door,
A train goes by,
Somebody honks a car horn.

And just about any other sound they hear.

 

[Marshall]

Or, if you want an exciting morning, blow a wounded rabbit call.

 

[labgrade]

See?

When the gobblers are gobblin', just about anything sets 'em off.