Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 3, 1995 TAG: 9504040010
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
JIM CLAY:
If you say that you call in every turkey you come across, I guarantee one of two things: You are new to turkey hunting or you are a liar.
I hunted 61 days last year. But the advantage the turkey has, he is out there 365 days. I'm gone after May 20.
There are times when they will gobble and run over top of you. There are more times when they won't gobble at all. If they don't want to gobble, they won't.
Turkey hunting is the most dangerous outdoor activity for a hunter. But it is not dangerous if everyone identifies his target. Everybody who goes out there thinks he is a safe hunter. That's not always the case.
There will be a quiz on turkey hunting every day you go hunting. You either pass it or fail it. There are no B's or C's.
Turkeys love gold watches. You had better hide them with long gloves or long cuffs.
Learn to get comfortable with your face mask. Practice putting it on and wearing it.
Can you sit still for an hour without moving anything but your eyes? If you can't, practice.
Good camouflage is comfortable, and it makes you feel good by giving you confidence.
A crow call is one of my favorite turkey locator calls. I blow it so it will irritate a gobbler and make him gobble. Get a crow call with a wooden barrel rather than a plastic one. It will sound better.
Gobbler calls are the most dangerous of the locator calls.
Most of us are better callers than turkeys. Callers practice. Did you ever see a turkey practice calling?
Mouth calls are excellent calls. I think it is important to learn to use one even if you don't do anything more than make a cluck with it. I don't know any really good turkey hunters who don't use a mouth call.
Carrying a mouth call in your mouth too long can cause the call tone to deteriorate. I've broken myself of that habit.
We sell 18 different mouth calls. You should select the one that you have confidence in.
Every turkey sounds different, just like people. They all have different voices.
Calling a turkey isn't like playing a game of checkers: You make a move, he makes a move; you move, he moves. Don't wait, but call right through his gobbles. That will aggravate him.
If you have worked the same gobbler before without success, next time try a different approach: change positions, change calls. Hunters are too prone to go back to the same place and use the same call.
One of the major ways I have of telling a turkey from a turkey hunter, the hunter will call one time, then move on.
The gun you use should be the one that you can shoot best. I use a scope on my shotgun with crosshairs that won't blot out the view of a turkey's head and neck. The scope will be on a raised mount so I can aim under it when a turkey is in close, less than 20 yards.
Take the sling off your shotgun. That will cut down on motion.
I shoot No. 6 shot. I'm an advocate of small shot and dense patterns. Turkeys have no tolerance of anything that hits them in the head and neck.
Aim at the spot where the head and neck join, because everybody tends to shoot high.
Chokes are cheap. Screw them in and screw them out until you find the one that gives your gun the best pattern.
Push the safety off quietly when you are ready to shoot. Many gobblers have been spooked by a loud safety.
TOM DUVAL:
Practice calling. Don't wait until the night before the season opens to start.
Remember, turkeys aren't on a time schedule. They don't have to be at work at a certain time, so don't try to hurry things.
Don't keep on calling until you shoot. Call enough to get him interested in locating you, then be quiet and let him hunt you. The closer he gets, the less you call.
Tone down your call when a turkey gets close, the same as you would talk softer to a person near you as compared with one in the distance.
The secret to using a box call is to hold it lightly. Hold it with your fingertips. Keep your hands off the sides. That way you don't disrupt the tone of the call.
Keep plenty of chalk on the striking surfaces of your box call, but use something other than white chalk. White can look like a turkey's head. You don't want to be mistaken for a turkey.
On a wet day, put your box call in a plastic bag to protect it from the moisture. You can use it inside the bag and it doesn't impact the sound. If you like, use a spray can of paint to camouflage the plastic bag.
Be safe. Respect the rights of landowners.
by CNB