This year will be my first to hunt turkeys. I have done a lot of reading and talking with others and most everyone says to use either a crow or owl call to locate them right before dark...where they might be roosting. Has anyone seen the latest in using a Peacock call? Their story is that for an area that is hunted a lot, that the turkeys may have got use to the crow and owl call by either hunters or a lot of owls or crows in the area...and the peacock call makes for a better reflex call from the gobblers. Just wondering and looking forward to a nice hunt. I've already been scouting and have found signs of them in the area....right now anyways. Thanks
I have had great luck right at dark using a coyote howler. Actually works pretty good to locate a bird early in the morning too if the owl hoot isnt working. No experience with the peacock but it was all the rage a few years ago.
I'm gonna try a hawk call....ya never know. I looked at a peacock call but never heard anything about it. If the hawk doesn't work i'll go to my crow call.
I personally will never use a coyote call to locate gobblers. Here in PA, at least my area I've heard too many gobblers clam up when a real coyote sounds off. Early morning if you good with a barred owl call otherwise, crow calls work just fine. Others I've heard used or can be used is peacock, woodpecker, hawk, elk bugle but the ultimate locater is natures own, thunder. :p
Peacock works well, but I usually use a crow call. I've heard them shock gobble at a car horn before.
Rob, I always thought that would be the case also. I actually started using the coyote howl one year that I had done some late winter predator hunting and found that the turkeys would usually gobble at me when I howelled right at dark. I dont use it in the mornings unless the owl and crow are not working but have had enough luck getting them to shock gobble at it that I always have the call in my vest. I dont think it is a call you would want to use in close quarters to the birds for the reason you mentioned. I have had it work in Nebraska, Mississippi, Texas, and here at home. In my opinion, if the turkeys are already on the ground, it can make them shut up, but if they are still in the tree it seems to work pretty well at times. It very well could depend on the location and how hard the yotes have been hammering the drumsticks.
i have always used a crow call. Ive heard them gobble to truck doors shutting, the wife yelling at me, and lots of other loud noises. But just because they are located doesn't mean they are going to come in.
I have had them gobble when a plane flies over the field. Thats about the only good thing about having a small airport close by :p
Never had luck with either a crow or owl call. We have so many turkeys where I hunt that I've never not heard gobbles in the morning. Got to love spring turkey in Missouri.
This is SO true. I've only taken one archery bird. But, I'll always remember that evening. I was hesitant to go out, because we had storms coming in. I called.......nothing. I was thinking I was alone, out there. Before long, I could hear thunder rumbling. I must have heard +/- 10 gobblers shock-gobbling. It was awesome.
Last year while hunting with Rob at my place, we were setting up on an entire flock of birds that we had been chasing all morning. They were gobbling like crazy, honestly like a couple hundred gobbles that morning. We followed them until they got positioned in a spot that we could use terrain to sneak within 100 yards of where they were, and just as we arrived at our ambush spot, a yote appeared from where the birds were and the entire flock never gobbled again that morning. These birds are VERY wary of yotes in certain parts of the country, and I'd be hard pressed to ever use a yote call to locate because of this, you do risk shutting the birds down with this. I've used owl hoots, crow calls, and gobble calls in the past successfully. To be honest though, in the morning I'd much rather sit and listen for them to sound off on their own. This gives me the ability to setup without them even knowing I'm there, and I find that my first light setups where I've never called with a locater to be MUCH more successful. I prefer to wait and listen for them to gobble on their own, then get myself setup based on where I think they are headed after fly down, and only after I'm completely setup, I'll start calling. I really try not to get them too fired up on the roost either, just enough to let them know I'm there. I usually don't want them to know an exact location, but a general direction. I've had a LOT more success when birds are wandering around looking for me, than I have with calling them and allowing them to pinpoint my exact location. Just my thoughts........your mileage may vary.
It always cracks me up to hear so many crows in the pre-dawn darkness during turkey season.:D I hear a lot of guys owl hooting too, but don't see mto get many responses. However, I have heard guys with those peacock calls have birds sound off.
Spoken like a true PA turkey hunter.......lol. Sooooo true. That is exactly why I prefer to not use a locator at all. I'll use one occasionally after I feel the birds are off the roost, but not often...........
We've got a LOT of turkeys here. When I'm hunting within 1/4 mile of a road, I'll just shut my pickup off and honk my horn. As far as commercial calls go, I've had a lot more luck with owl or coyote calls than I have with the crow call.
I usually dont need a locator call, we have many birds here and there is usually one sounding off. If I do use one its always a crow call. I can get loud and irratating with it and I have the best luck with a crow call.
