Gobbler Nation

One place I used to hunt was slap full of coyotes. It also had a real healthy population of turkeys. I found that there was not very much gobbling going on but there was a lot of gobblers that drummed. I think that they learned that if they gobbled they brought in the yotes. I am lucky in that I can hear drumming at a good distance. When I first started turkey hunting I was ignorant to the drumming sound. I had no one around to tag along with or bounce questions off of. Once I heard it and associated it with a gobbler I became more attuned to it. It's one of the sweetest sounds I can hear in the turkey woods.
Rick

Like some of the other posters, I have lost most of high-frequency hearing, but still have normal hearing on the lower frequencies. I can't hear them gobble as far as I could when younger, but I can still hear one a long way. But I guess my hearing is still very good for low-pitched sounds, and I don't think anything in nature is lower than drumming. I've heard a bunch of turkeys drumming at over 100 yds, but of course it depends on the conditions. Get a turkey roosted on a high mountain on a cold, still morning and I believe its possible to hear him at 200 yds.

I killed one last year that I would not have gotten if I couldn't hear drumming. I hadn't heard him gobble in a long time and decided I needed to switch calls. As I was reaching for the call, I heard him drum just out of sight and right below me. I just had time to get the gun up before his head appeared at about 20 yds and got blasted. If he hadn't drummed, he would have caught me getting the call out. Or my new call probably would have scared him off.

I can hear drumming probably inside of a hundred yards but I have a hard time coursing its direction.

Well I guess that proves it. I can hear the spit but no drumming. I didn't bother putting in ear buds. I doubt if I could stand it if I heard one drum. I tell people when I hear a gobbler gobbling back at it me, it makes me want to jump up and run over and head butt a tree! I know I couldn't handle "drumming" too. I've been told the only thing that might beat it is hearing elk bugle, that's on my bucket list.

Ken

My hearing is poor. Rarely am able to hear it.

GLS wrote:For those (like me) who have a hard time hearing drumming, this is the best video with audio that I've heard drumming. I heard it best with earbuds plugged in the computer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grv8z6_TJZU&feature=plcp

Thanks, GLS! Turned the speakers up and put my ear close to one. First time in all these years I've been able to hear drumming. Can't hear it in the field.

Was sititng in the woods a couple weeks ago with two buddys. i was hearing gobbles way off that they were not/couldnt hear. But ive never once heard spitting and drumming. sucks for me

Anyone ever use the "spit and drum" call? I had one years ago and actually called in a bird while using it. For all I know, he came in despite the call. Everynow and then, I'll "spit" and "drum" with my mouth when desparate. I forget who made the call. Knight and Hale???

Johndoe wrote:I can hear it and has helped me kill a few. I have heard it at over 100yds. I have 2 buddies who cant and it drives them nuts that I can.

John

1 of those buddies,hope no one holds this against me

I wouldnt admit it if I were you

I am pretty sure I heard it this morning while jondoe was calling,by the way thanks Jon!

I have my own theories about how often toms drum and how effective drumming can be when used along with hen calls in the right situation. I personally think gobblers drum a lot more than most hunters realize. I can't hardly remember a strutting gobblers that I have came in close contact with, 100 yds. or less that I didn't hear drum, as long as the wind wasn't blowing hard. none of my buddies use the spit and drum themselves while their hunting, only me, but I have killed several gobblers that came in and hung up and wouldn't budge that I ended up closing the deal spitting and drumming back at the gobbler. first time it ever worked was out of desperation on a gobbler with three hens, ran out of options. hens wouldn't respond, hens were leaving with the gobbler strutting behind them I could hear him drumming so I started spitting and drumming back everytime I heard him. to be honest I couldn't believe he even heard me he was about 80-90 yds away. he slowly strutted back and forth getting a little closer every time when he broke 40 yds. I took him. I've been using the spit and drum ever since then, doesn't work everytime, but what does? over the years though it has definitely helped me seal the deal on several birds especially on public land. probably not many people using it. it's turkey talk just like yelping and cutting, just a more subtle. just another trick in your bag of tricks to add realism to the scene your painting for that gobbler with your calls. I use my natural voice, not that hard to do with some practice. you guys may be like most of my buddies and have your doubts, I understand, who does that right, and that's my point exactly.

Back in late winter this year I was sitting on the deck with my in laws plinking with .22s. My father-in-law got out an old rough ass Remington model 512. It looked rough but seemed to be in working order so I started shooting it. About 15 rounds in I touched one off and it blew up in the chamber right above the rim of the primer. It deafened completely for a second and then some hearing started to come back but with intense ringing. My hearing was noticeably diminished and the ringing was bad for the next couple days. I went to an ENT doctor as soon as I could. They did the full range of hearing tests and showed me the graph of my hearing. It is completely gone in one small range of high frequency sound. Literally the first thing that came to mind was whether I would still be able to hear a turkey gobble at a distance. First time I went out to listen before season I made a buddy come with me just so he could tell me if turkeys were gobbling that I couldn't hear. The good news is that turkey gobbles are not within the range of sound that got knocked out. I can still hear them well even far off and in wind. But I haven't heard a turkey drum this year that I could positively identify as drumming. I haven't had any serious strutters yet though. I had one that was in 3/4 strut for a few seconds and one that stopped and went into strut seconds before sticking his head up for the last time but none that I really think would have been drumming. So right now, I don't know if I can hear it any more or not. It scares me a little.

I've pretty much convinced myself that I can't hear the drumming. Two out of the 3 gobblers that came into my set last Saturday. I could hear spitting from a good distance out and I could watch them do it too. I'll bet they were drumming, but I couldn't hear it.

I even tried listening to the youtube video posted above and I couldn't hear it, only the spit.

Grunt-N-Gobble wrote:...
I even tried listening to the youtube video posted above and I couldn't hear it, only the spit.

That youtube video is an awesome example.

GLS wrote:Anyone ever use the "spit and drum" call? I had one years ago and actually called in a bird while using it. For all I know, he came in despite the call. Everynow and then, I'll "spit" and "drum" with my mouth when desparate. I forget who made the call. Knight and Hale???

MAD made one looked like a grunt tube. Lohman made one with a big round rubber ball shaped piece on it.

Del, you fall in a hole somewhere?? Gil

I've got both the lohman and the MAD spit and drum call, killed birds while using them in conjunction with hen calls so I can't say I wouldn't have killed some of those birds anyway, with a couple of exceptions when there was no doubt that spittin and drummin sealed the deal. both calls are OK, but 90% of the time I use my natural voice. in the right situation it can be deadly on toms in my experience.

Stinky J Picklestein wrote:

Grunt-N-Gobble wrote:...
I even tried listening to the youtube video posted above and I couldn't hear it, only the spit.

That youtube video is an awesome example.

I can't hear drumming in the video

jasonb53 wrote: I can't hear drumming in the video

Did you use ear buds and crank up the volume??

If you play almost any hunting video with turkeys strutting close through a surround sound system and turn up the bass anyone can hear it. For me, the more I heard it and recognized it the easier it was to hear. It is also very easy to convince yourself you are hearing it...lol

I hear it at work, in my living room, in my sleep.....

How do u spot drum with your mouth?

I got wood at 2:36 wen the bird belts out a gobble an It echoed. It's bed time now

I never give 'em a chance

drenalinld wrote:I hate that for you. It's intense for me. It is one of those sounds that is difficult to get an exact direction on many times which only amplifies the excitement for me. I love hearing him knowing he is almost in gun range but cannot figure out just where he is. Some can hear it and just don't identify it as turkey. You learn to key in on it. If you get the right turkey close enough I bet you will hear it. At 10 - 15 yards some gobbler sound like a car door closing when they make the spit just before drumming.

When I watch turkey videos I like to turn up the bass on the surround sound. You can hear a ton of drumming on most videos this way.

I hate that for you too. Drenalinld sums it up for me - when I hear that sound it ramps me up, big time. Can't breathe, start shaking, nothing else brings me into the present moment like that sound. That's a high no drug could replicate, duplicate or surpass.