There are different methods of holding the pencil but it should be done lightly and it will produce a sharp, realistic sound. This is especially true with the less dominant or satellite toms. Often in the early season the hens are not quite ready to breed but the toms are fired up and will respond to effective calling. But hunters have to change the equation and sound like an eager hen that refuses to come and finally gets the lovesick gobbler to come to the call. In the real world the gobblers will sound off and the receptive hens will come to the gobbler. We practice to achieve realism and have the confidence that we will make the proper calls easily when the time comes. The point is that we don’t practice to achieve perfection. Veteran turkey hunters have marked the calendars and are checking their gear.Įven though many of them are quite proficient at calling in turkeys, they will still be practicing their calls. Spring turkey seasons opens on May 1, a mere two weeks away.

There are a lot of factors that determine the difference between success and failure in turkey hunting and calling is only one of them. There are few things that can compare to being in the woods as the first rays of light come over the eastern horizon and the forest resonates with the gobble of a big tom turkey about a hundred yards away. The above quotation by the legendary turkey hunter and one of the first professional call makers, Ben Rogers Lee, realistically sums up the feeling that many of us who have become addicted to turkey hunting have. “Turkey Hunting Ain’t a Sport It’s a Disease!” – Ben Rogers Lee

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