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Locater Calls Use; Im no expert but here goes
Topic Started: Feb 28 2008, 03:23 PM (136 Views)
Posted Image carew
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Fenelon Falls

I figured maybe I should write this for the rookies that are starting turkey hunting. The purpose of a locater call is to get a tom to shock gobble either when he is sitting on the roost or when he is on the ground. The birds are used to hearing the sounds or crows, coyotes, owls, sand hill cranes etc so they wont associate them with danger. In the spring the tom is looking for an excuse to sound off (and will at any load noise such as thunder, a dog barking, a car door slamming, a shot) and these provide him with one and by doing this he will allow you to locate his position so you can move in and set up.

One of the main things that rookies (myself included) will use a hen call as a locater call and this can cause problems in the long run. The thing is after you call a tom in several times and get busted then he becomes call shy and you severely reduce your chances of calling him into your decoy spread. In my first year, before I learned better, all the birds on my farm where call shy due a friend and I practicing our calling.

The use of a locater call the night before will get the birds gobbling while they are on the roost and allow you to figure out their position and it will make a tom sound off any time of the day. Not all birds will reply to a certain call (I think it has to do with what they are used to) so usually several calls are carried so if you don’t get a reply to one the chances you will have a tom reply to another type of call. The most common types of locater calls are crow, coyotes, owl and others include sand hill crane, woodpecker and several others.

I find that locater calls are bested used when the birds are sitting on the roost at night or around midmorning when you are trying to locate a bird.

This is just my take on it and if any others see any problems make sure you tell me.
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Posted Image dobber
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Team Ontario Trophy Bucks

"TURKEY LOCATOR CALLS"

Locator calls are a valuable part of any turkey hunter's arsenal. They are usually loud calls designed to startle or stimulate a tom into gobbling thus, revealing his location. The gobbler seems to be on pins and needles in the spring just waiting for an excuse to gobble. Although locator calls will invoke a response gobble from the bird, it will not attract him to your location. You will still need to use your turkey calls for that purpose. However, a locator call will help you along with the first step which is to locate the birds.

There are many different types of locator calls on the market, crow, owl, goose, coyote, etc. the list goes on. So which one(s) is right for you? Through the years of guiding hunters in this highly addictive sport, I've tried them all. I've also learned valuable lessons, and have learned to use non-threatening locator calls that the turkey is accustomed to hearing in his everyday environment. These "safe" calls as I call them include crow, owl, goose, and sandhill crane. I consider "threatening" calls to be predator calls, and any other calls that are not normally heard in the wild. Take a coyote call for example, do you think that them pea brained turkeys don't know the sound of a hungry Godzilla creature when they hear it? All you are doing by using these "threatening" type calls is letting the turkeys know that there is danger in the woods. Oh you may get a response gobble, but try using your turkey calls now and see if the old gobbler comes your way. Any loud sound will stimulate a gobbler to gobble, a car horn, clapping your hands, or a loud whistle, but ask yourself this, are these sounds natural to the everyday turkey woods? Does the turkey perceive these sounds as a threat to his life or not?

A turkey is very familiar with the sounds of crows, owls, geese, and sandhill cranes. He knows that these sounds are not a threat to his life. These are very safe and effective calls to use. Crow calls are used primarily during daylight hours, just the same as real crows vocalize. Crow calls can sometimes lose their effectiveness if there are too many real crows in the area. The gobbler just gets too accustomed to hearing them and will sometimes ignore the call. Owl calls have always been effective for me. I have always used them just before daylight in the morning, and just before dark in the evening to get the gobbler to reveal his roosting site. When giving a seminar I usually have the whole audience try to owl hoot with their natural voices. Have you ever heard three hundred puberty voiced owls hooting at one time? It's a sight to see and hear! Actually, all kidding aside, most people can owl hoot with their voices, give it a try!

I came up with the idea to use a goose call as an effective day time locator call when on many occasions geese would fly over the woods and gobbles would fill the air from all directions. I've used a goose call for many years with great success. The only down side for a lot of people is, they aren't always easy to yet sounds out of.

The first time I ever heard a sandhill crane in the woods,
it startled the heck out of me. If I had been a gobbler, I definitely would have gobbled. If you were to change the tone of your voice from a low pitch to a high ditch and roll your tongue at the same time, this would give you an idea of what a sandhill crane sounds like. I have never beard another natural or man made sound that could stimulate a gobbler to gobble at all times of the day like a sandhill crane. The woods simply light up with gobbles. I believe it is so effective because of its varying, rolling tones. After hearing all this action happening around me, I had to see if anybody produced such a call. I found that up here in the North, they were pretty much non-existent. I did finally find a company a company in Louisiana where crane bunting is evidently legal, and ordered one. I only got to use it for one year on my guided hunts, but the call was simply amazing. It out performed any other call I had ever used. I decided to have my company (A-Way Hunting Products) make some sandhill crane calls up. It was a very hard sound to duplicate, but we finally got it a will have them for sale here in the North for "98".

No matter which locator call you use, it's a good idea to have a friend stand about 20 yards away so he/she can hear any gobbles that may occur while you are busy blowing your call. "Safe" locator calls work well, and are worth the price of admission. Hopefully when the show opens here in Michigan, you will be greeted with a chorus of gobbles!
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Posted Image MJewell
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Mainly use crow and gobbler calls during the daylight hours to locate the birds if trying to locate the at night or before dawn in the morning will use the crow or hawk call sometimes. Have in the past use a 45 gallon drum lid to shock gobble them at night ( sound like thunder). HAve had to many bump and close calls to try and use hen calls anymore.

Matt
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You said it right. I only use a crow call though, and usually right before dawn. I find getting a shock gobble is the easy part. :goodpost:
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