Is mimicry the best medicine?

GobbleNut · Post by **GobbleNut** » March 7th, 2015, 9:43 am

Okay, here's another one for discussion...
We talk about calling and sounding a certain way. When prospecting for an active gobbler, I tend to go through the same calling process, and do so using the same sounds that seem to be the most successful for me. It seems that if I get into a group with some vocal hens among them,...and especially if the gobbler (gobblers) that are with them are not showing positive signs that they are going to come,.... I have this tendency to start mimicking the hens I hear calling back, thinking that doing so is a good thing.
Sometimes it works,....and sometimes it doesn't. What are you guys thoughts on approaching a calling situation like that?

Johndoe · Post by **Johndoe** » March 7th, 2015, 10:03 am

If I mimic calling in that situation, I am really calling to her. A challenge if you will. I watch her response not his.
If I am in competition with a hen not with him, I sound like he wants. If she is young I sound old. If she sounds old I sound young and see what he likes.
Sometimes it pays to just sit and listen. With everyone so focused on yelping it pays to listen to what other birds are doing in an effort not to sound exactly like every other bird in the woods.
I hunted a pair 3years ago and they just never seemed interested. I could have bushwhacked them but not what I want. I sat in a blind 20' off the ground one day and just watched and listened. The hen they "loved" didn't yelp. She cutt when coming to meet them. There was no cover near the meeting place so I set up about 150yds west. When the time was right I started cutting. Sure enough 15min later he came out directly across the gas line from me, not down the road to the meeting spot. He died and I felt like I was the ****. He was dead and I was and still am only a fair turkey hunter. Lol

ICDEDTURKES · Post by **ICDEDTURKES** » March 7th, 2015, 10:14 am

I tend to mimic them to a degree, I try not to call over the top of her, most times birds listen to each other before responding.. One thing I usually let them do and they do do in most cases is determine when the intensity ramps up.. Some hens are responding to be social and some are pissed or become pissed.. With the latter, what was simple yelping, she turns to ramped up yelping, than to cutting etc It almost nags them to be responded too. I have had better luck calling in hens and hens with gobblers by letting them be the one to show "anger" and responding in kind rather me scolding them immediately and intimidating them which could in turn turn off a hen that is being social.. With all that being said in some encounters where nothing is advancing there comes a time you may need to be the aggressor.

One sound I LOVE to hear and it is rarely talked about on these boards and usually means she is coming is an intense cluck and purr.. Not a fighting purr but a ramped up cluck and purr.. I believe it is a more intense sound than cutting and have had many a hen at feet away with fire in their eyes making this vocalization.

howl · Post by **howl** » March 7th, 2015, 12:12 pm

Turkeys recognize familiar voices.

timbrhuntr · Post by **timbrhuntr** » March 7th, 2015, 12:17 pm

I can tell you this I am great at calling in hens sometimes they bring in the tom but in 10 setups I bet I call in 8 hens and it is usually by talking to them and saying what they say but louder !

Bigspurs68 · Post by **Bigspurs68** » March 7th, 2015, 1:12 pm

I do mimic hens every chance I get. Not only to aggravate and challenge her but to better myself. If I can get a hen fired up, it helps me as a caller to match her notes, tones and cadence. If it pulls in a longbeard or fires one up, that's just a bonus.

ICDEDTURKES · Post by **ICDEDTURKES** » March 7th, 2015, 2:58 pm

Bigspurs68 wrote:I do mimic hens every chance I get. Not only to aggravate and challenge her but to better myself. If I can get a hen fired up, it helps me as a caller to match her notes, tones and cadence. If it pulls in a longbeard or fires one up, that's just a bonus.

Sometimes I have as much fun calling in a vocal hen as I do a gobbler..

Bigspurs68 · Post by **Bigspurs68** » March 7th, 2015, 3:27 pm

Sometimes I have as much fun calling in a vocal hen as I do a gobbler..[/quote]

exactly! Much to be learned from individual hens and their calling. Plus, it's just fun.

treeguy338 · Post by **treeguy338** » March 7th, 2015, 9:11 pm

This is one of my favorite tactics

Greyghost · Post by **Greyghost** » March 8th, 2015, 4:15 am

The below is submitted as the thread question reads: Is Mimicry The Best Medicine? And just as another point of view is all.

Mimicking hens is a good tactic. I do it some in the spring but more so in fall. If the gobblers are hennaed up in the spring a better percentage tactic I am successful with is work on the social pecking order dominance of the gobbler. Due to the fact that a lot of gobblers range in the spring searching for hens if a stray happens by one with hens the one with hens hears another gobbler in his area that may trigger a response for the boss to prove his social standing. Depending how close one is to the group of birds and wind the good old spit and drum. But gobbler yelps and clucks challenging the boss will work also. If one feels safe using it use a gobble call sparingly. And maybe even the fighting purr, on another thread 2 is sometimes better then one. I like it with 2 people since one does the fighting purr the other can mimic the wing flapping and ground/leaf noises. But there again as stated in the other thread 2 competent callers.

Given the situation and condition and what type of call to use will be key in carrying out that spring bird. Just don't stay fixated on hens and hen calls. Mix it up and I am sure one will enjoy not only occasionally calling in a hen with gobbler in tow but firing up a gobbler and having him come in looking to adjust another gobblers attitude.

Good point by IcdedT: One sound I LOVE to hear and it is rarely talked about on these boards and usually means she is coming is an intense cluck and purr.. Not a fighting purr but a ramped up cluck and purr.. I believe it is a more intense sound than cutting and have had many a hen at feet away with fire in their eyes making this vocalization.

That is were she will be in on you with wings spread and tail feathers fanned or more straight out and head cocking. Funny to watch.

And Howl: Turkeys recognize familiar voices.

Cut N Run · Post by **Cut N Run** » March 15th, 2015, 9:39 am

Lots of hens come to my calling too. It never hurts having a live decoy around, but it sucks when she goes to him, cuts him off, and tows him away before he ever gets in range.

Jim

appalachianassassin · March 15th, 2015, 1:16 pm

as far as volume. I normally only call just loud enough for the target turkey to hear me. but generally when im dueling with a hen ill be just a little more snappy with my calling than she is. usually if she yelps/cutts 9 times ill yelp or cutt 11 or 12. and when I have a hen coming to me, I don't shut up on them like I do a tom. just what works for me.

killerstump · Post by **killerstump** » March 15th, 2015, 1:35 pm

I have to ask.

When you say an intense cluck and purr what you mean? And when your snappy too? You just get right to the point if the call rather than slower than usual?

ICDEDTURKES · Post by **ICDEDTURKES** » March 17th, 2015, 6:36 pm

killerstump wrote:

When you say an intense cluck and purr what you mean?

There is a sound you hear when they come in fired up that is a cluck and purr just way more intense, louder and sharper.. Alot of times its mixed in with cutting or following cutting.. If I had to guess I think it means its a more agitated call than cutting in hen to hen interaction..

I have heard this many times when I have called in hens but the most glaring example was a few years back.. I was on the phone with MKW and said "Dude gotta go gobbler in a field next to a field I can hunt".. Now I do not hunt this field as its a field with a lone tree, but figured it give me a shot.. It was windy that day and I gave a good dose of calling to no avail.. From a woodlot on another neighboring property a hen emerged first somewhat content.. Than she got closer and I called to her figuring the interaction would be too much for the gobbler to take.. Long story short this hen walked a circle for what I would have to guess is 20 minutes varying between this call and cutting and I could see fire in her eyes.. She was literally 5-6 feet from me the entire time as she walked round and round the tree making these vocalizations non stop.. It was a very cool interaction and wish I had a camera at the time.

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