Move the Feet and not the Beak

[TheCallDr]

After talking to Zummer, JBird and others here, I have decided to post here first...... "Move the Feet and not his Beak"

This whole topic was based my desire to make callers and promote calling like a Jake during the spring season and how many turkeys it had produced for me. ( on my Southland Tube ).

A bit of history ( and in his book.. short version ). Tom Turpin's caller of choice was a scratch box. One he could do "perfect" Hen yelps on and the demise of many turkeys. He found himself hunting with a man who was using a Jordan yelper ( one Tom had never seen ). They had busted a group of turkeys. Tom was having a long "conversation" with a Jake hung up in a thicket out of gun range. When a hen started yelping the other hunter explained to Tom, that while his calling was perfect Hen, the Jake in that time of year would not come to that call. The man took his Jordan caller and responded or copied the Jake. No sooner had the man finished his call, came the Jake running towards Tom and he downed him with one shot.

This was the exact moment when Tom Turpin had his Epiphany! Where he understood that "moving the beak was not moving the feet". His words  after hunting turkeys and a call maker for 30 plus years were...... that the hunter had to do "intelligent" calling because the Turkey had a real language. That having a caller (or callers on hand) to do "every call" of both sexes and ages was to be "prepared" for a hunt.

It's an interesting topic to discuss. I ended up finding after becoming frustrated, and throwing the kitchen sink at a gobbler with all my callers, that doing Jake calls during the spring was what made some gobblers move his feet. Like Tom Turpin, that is when I had my epiphany. Like most hunters we like to perfect our calling. The challenge Tom noted was how do we do "intelligent" calling? because doing perfect calling may move his beak and not his feet.





 

 

[Old Geezer]

I agree with Mike.  In 2004 Spring season I had the opportunity to do a test on a group of gobblers.  After laying different yelps from various calls on them, the one that moved them was the yelps from my Roanoke Trumpet that renders perfect jake yelps.  They walked right to me.  2010, I brought my first gobbler in range for the vintage muzzle loader with the same jake yelps.  He was traveling with a jake.  The jake would answer me but the gobbler lend the way to my gun.  Another thing that sold me on Jake yelps in spring, and showed me I was right on with the sound, is when I know a jake is in the area, most times I can start the converstion and he will call back.

Ralph

[TheCallDr]

Ralph

I had the Tube and you had the Trumpet to "make calls" and see the outcome. Like you, I was able to identify that it was the Jake calling and not the Hen that made the gobblers move their feet.

I will get around to making my own Tube but I am working on a Jake Slate as we speak. I have found that the mass-produced call companies don't even have a clue how important it is to have a caller to do Jake and Gobbler sounds. Yet it's not surprising. None make a mass produced quality Yelper either. The Green plastic WingBone from Primos was the only "attempt".... and most of know how that worked out....lol.

As you know I have your Roanoke and a Buice 6 1/2" trumpet suited to make the calls I need. Yet the Roanoke because of it's design and the way it is Voiced....... it can't be beat as a "go-to" caller.

I have yet to see and receive the one-piece Roanoke caller you are sending. What a great idea to make the caller that way!

[Luckyjbird]

Good points guys. Using your head to make the right calls is a big factor. That jake caller would be certainly worth the effort. I've killed a few toms using a jake sounding caller. I've used a Turpin style box Whitt made for me and done great with it in the spring & fall.

I'd be in line for one of those jake callers when you get 'em done!   

[Ryan T]

Sometimes, a kee-kee followed by a jake yelp or two right after fly down will make em do a cart wheel off of the limb. 

[Redbeard]

Yup, probably more due to my lack of perfection on a tube call, I found the jake yelp a great springtime call having used it twice on hung up gobblers that came in to the call after holding their ground to hen talk.

Great post, interesting info and a great quote........

[TheCallDr]

Move the Feet and not his Beak really has 2 meanings. The first is knowing the "right call" on a given situation. Like Tom Turpin learned his "perfect" Hen yelping  should have been jake calling to the hung up young gobbler.

 Hunting "gobbles" and not "Gobblers" has been an issue in recent times. The term "working a Turkey" is where we got spoiled by using our callers from start to finish. The worst habit is when a gobbler goes silent we end up using our caller to get him to gobble again, so we can know where he is or keep tabs his location. Often this works and all goes well. In reality that gobbler is pumped and already committed. When this calling is used now as a "tracker or location tool" it ends up backfiring.

The name of the game is to use your call to lure him to the gun. In short........ moving the Feet. I don't know if you guys have noticed but gobbling turkeys is not like it used to be. It now takes a lot more thinking and planning a strategy. Unfortunately that means using your caller less ( and more defined) and a lot of patience. It also means that some of the turkeys we kill never gobble and come in silent. Some hunters feel that the if there is no gobbling and "working with a caller" the fun is over. I disagree. To me it's always been Hunting and not Calling that defines a successful hunt.

Maybe I am wrong. But I think there is a shorter period during the spring where we are able to "call" like we love to do.

[AlanKrow]

Good post..

[Jake St. John]

Good post.  The very reason I have been putting gobblers on my Striblings for 25 years.  I have lost count of the old birds that gobbler yelp has called in both Spring and Fall.  Most of the young hunters today want a twin hen.  By putting the gobbler on one side, you increase your bag of tricks.  As my hunting partner wrote about in his book,   "M.L. Lynch did not put a gobbler side on his world champion turkey call for Show."

[ferocious calls]

Great post. Less is often more. Jake and gobbler talk will move thier feet.

[Ferguson]

Who'd ever thunk that an old raspy terrible sound'n yelp or cluck would of ever done anything cept run the birds to the next county 

Good post and good points.

[TheCallDr]

Gobbling has changed over the years. I don't know if it's due to population, breeding non gobbling birds, change in habitat, predation or hunting pressure. What it all boils down to is we have to change because it has changed. Run and Gun works less along with some tried and true tricks we learned along the way.

I think we have the best sounding callers and decoys that has ever been made today. Even that is not the "cure" ( but helps ). I do believe that the game is to move his feet. Sometimes you just have to get North to a North bound bird. I am not complaining because I have to work and plan harder. It's just those days when you take someone who you want to show a good time and it's work!

I also believe the Game dept in some states need to adjust the season dates. This has gone on way too long and someone needs to get the message across. I know my buddies in PA had half a season at best.

[Yelpy]

Gobbling has changed over the years. I don't know if it's due to population, breeding non gobbling birds, change in habitat, predation or hunting pressure. What it all boils down to is we have to change because it has changed. Run and Gun works less along with some tried and true tricks we learned along the way.

I think we have the best sounding callers and decoys that has ever been made today. Even that is not the "cure" ( but helps ). I do believe that the game is to move his feet. Sometimes you just have to get North to a North bound bird. I am not complaining because I have to work and plan harder. It's just those days when you take someone who you want to show a good time and it's work!

I also believe the Game dept in some states need to adjust the season dates. This has gone on way too long and someone needs to get the message across. I know my buddies in PA had half a season at best.

 

I couldn't agree with you more on the season dates. I sat and watched the breading season going by here in PA alot earlier than when the season opened. I would have to say after the first week of the PA season times get really tough here. It seems like you get one good week and a few good days towards the end of the season. Other than that just try and be where there wanting to hang out and hope for the best. It is very tough to work a bird after the first week. The worm weather seams to be getting earlier every year therfore the breading is starting earlier.

[yankee gobbler]

Wisconsin had a third of a season with the heat coming a month earlier. The DNR, Fish and game can not pick or predict the weather. Weather changes from year to year. Hunted in a blizzard in South Dakota in 2011, 3rd week of their season. Missed the peak, as it was 3 weeks later. Went a week later this year and the birds were beyond peak.
Jake yelps, I use them and they do make the feet move/walk (to me). Ralph's caller is a favorite of mine now that I never leave home with out. Ralphie told me of his succes with the caller and I then began to call with it.The Jake yelp is a natural and so easy to reproduce on that caller. Iffin you don't have one, get one ordered. I have convinced many a hunter that it works.
Rod