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A Caller’s Journal – Entry 7

Published on April 4, 2012 by admin in A Caller's Journal, General

What Happens Next?
by: Mike Longnecker

+++Stage time is worth its weight in gold, hard work promises progress, and listening to turkeys is of paramount importance. These are the three main things I learned this contest season. I found that I nearly eliminated my nerves through stage time. While my parents did at times have to suffer through two or more hours straight of me practicing at home, I strongly believe that I did not practice enough. And lastly, the more I listened to real turkeys, the better I called! I went to bed most nights with my iPod playing tracks from Tree Top Turkeys or Lovett Williams.

+++This season I won money, trophies, and most importantly, new friends. Several fantastic callers and men took me under their wing so to speak and offered me much advice on my calling! I was able to meet new people at nearly every contest, and hang out with old friends from past contests. Social networking connections such as Facebook helped us keep in contact with each other and talk about results, scores, and calls. It was great to meet you guys!

+++I competed at the Harrisburg Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, the Grand National Decorative Striker making Division, the PA State Calling Contest, the Southern Clarion County (SCC) Outdoor Show, and the Kettle Creek Outdoor Show. Harrisburg was an interesting contest to say the least. I went to originally compete in the Open, Friction, and Owl Hooting divisions. When I arrived, I was told that the Open and Friction were only open to callers ages twenty-one and older, but this information was not available online. So, after a short discussion (not wanting to lose my testimony or create a scene), I was moved to the Youth Division. I honestly believe that I did not call very well thanks to it being my first contest of the year, and having a call too soft for the terrible acoustics of the room. I ended up in 4th place, behind three great callers, Dakota Chamberlain, Corey Chamberlain, and Hunter Wallis. Congrats, guys! At first I was rather upset. But after watching the video from the competition, I realized that the batwing I ran was just dead in a room with such high ceilings. I then competed in the Owl Hooting Division, and took 2nd place behind Ralph Zorn; congrats Ralph!

+++Next, I competed at the PA State Championships. The divisions were well organized, the acoustics fantastic, and the callers many. I ended up in 4th place once again in the Intermediate Division behind Hunter Wallis, Dakota Chamberlain, and Hunter Croman. These younger callers have been kicking my butt! Hunter has a huge future ahead of him in the sport. Dakota can run a box call better than anyone I know, and Hunter Croman has vastly improved on a box call in the last year. Congrats, guys! Next, I competed in the Amateur Division and won it! Finally, my first win since winning a youth division in 2010. I was very happy to say the least! I also called in the Open and Friction, and while I called decently, there were many other callers there that definitely beat me! For the first time, the PA State contest had a Head to Head Division! Twenty callers signed up, and we ran a single elimination bracket. I beat Corey Chamberlain in the first round, Gary Musselman in the second round, and Pat Strawser in the third round. Next, I was up against Jarod Paronish. He called very well and beat me, but I was still qualified for 3rd or 4th place, so I had one round left. I was matched up against Shawn Waters, who beat me as well. Congrats, guys! I ended up in 4th place. This was a very long day of calling. Next I called in the Owl Hooting and the Gobbling Divisions. I did not place in either of these, but it was great to watch the guys call! Lastly, Chad Claycomb and I teamed up in the Team Challenge. We did not place, but definitely became better callers and friends because of it. What a day it was! We arrived at the auditorium at I believe around 9 A.M., and did not leave until past 5 P.M.

+++Next was the SCC calling contest, where I competed in the Jakes, Amateur, Open, and Friction divisions. This contest had excellent acoustics and fantastic judges. I called better than I ever have at a contest, with my best score being a 282/300 in the Amateur, pulling a 97/100 from one of the judges! Quite a few great guys were there, and we had a blast. I took 2nd in the Jakes between Corey Chamberlain (1st) and Dakota Chamberlain (3rd). After winning the Amateur Division for the second time in two contests, I placed 2nd in the Open and 2nd in the Friction. It was a fantastic day for me, and I was very grateful to God!

+++Just this weekend I ended my calling season by calling at the Kettle Creek Outdoor Show. I have been calling at this show since 2009 when they first started having a calling contest. The contest in 2009 was actually my very first one, but definitely not anything special. I took dead last in 2009 in the Youth, and won it in 2010. In 2011, I took 3rd in the Friction Division and missed placing in the Open by one point. This year, I tied for 1st in the Open! We had a call-off, my friend Lawrence won, I took 2nd, and Jeremy Pollock placed 3rd. I used three mouth calls that I stretched myself, and one that Scott Hook made for me. I also called in the Friction Division, and took 3rd once again behind Dakota Chamberlain (1st) and Ben Chamberlain (2nd). I think my favorite part of this contest was seeing the look on Dakota’s face after he beat his father. It was priceless! Congratulations to all the callers.

+++I ended the season with a 6th place at the Grand National Decorative Striker category, three 4th places, one 3rd place, five 2nd places, and 2 wins at calling contests. I had an absolutely amazing time, made many new friends, and increased my calling skills immensely. I am very grateful to my parents for driving me to contests, to Scott Hook for all his mentoring and support, and most importantly to God for all the opportunities He gave me. I cannot wait to call at Grand Nationals next February! Have a fantastic Easter, and don’t forget the real reason we have the holiday-Christ’s death on the cross, His burial, and His resurrection three days later!

“A Caller’s Journal” chronicles competitive caller, Mike Longnecker’s journey from the beginnings of contest calling and hopefully to a future, NWTF GNCC win.

Tags: calling, contests, NWTF, wild turkey

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Into The Mouth – Turkey Call Mechanics

Published on March 8, 2012 by admin in General, Posts by Shane Simpson, Tips and Techniques

by: Shane Simpson

+++When an experienced caller is trying to explain how to use a turkey, mouth call, it’s often very hard to understand exactly what they’re describing. If only we could see a mouth call in action while it’s in the mouth. Look no further because the video below does just that.

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“Pre-Planning Your Turkey Hunting Ground”

Published on March 3, 2012 by admin in General, Posts by Mike Houghton, Scouting, Tips and Techniques

by: Mike Houghton

+++In my line of work as a Firefighter, we use pre-planning of tactics and strategies to allow us to prepare for various scenarios we may encounter while on the job. Whether it is due to my job, or just the way that my brain works, I am partial to planning out and “looking down the road” as to what occurrences may happen that can affect whatever task it is I am performing. I approach my turkey hunting the same way, and this time of year is fantastic for getting outside and doing a little “pre-planning” of your hunting grounds.

+++While it is true that flock movements and locations will change throughout the seasons, more often than not the general landscape will not. With the foliage being down this time of year, it is a great time to get out and see how the landscape looks unencumbered by leaves, and other green growth. By seeing the woods in this light, you can locate areas that are great for setups, and cover. For example, one of the main properties I hunt was logged last year, and has changed dramatically from the previous spring. The loggers have created roads throughout the woods that are looking promising as travel routes for the birds, as well as creating large piles of down trees and unusable timber. It is spots like these that hold great promise as natural ground blinds, as well as just providing good break up. By walking these new roads repeatedly, I have been able to pinpoint several potential setup spots depending on what the birds are doing that day.

+++During your pre-planning walks pay special attention to fences, streams or creeks, and anything else that may act as a natural barrier to cause a longbeard to change or even stop his approach. Knowing these “success hazards” as I term them can prevent you from making a bad setup on a bird, and hindering your chances of calling him in. The other benefit to this knowledge is if you do have a bird hung up in that area, you already have the knowledge at your disposal as to how to maneuver around that obstacle and get yourself to a better setup before beginning your calling.

+++Become familiar with areas that are higher in elevation for that fantastic time of the morning when the birds are sounding off. I find it better to have a set plan of where to head to in the dark of morning, then to be bumbling around hoping it’s a good spot. I like to find areas that are not only great listening spots, but that also provide a good setup spot if need be. That way if you are doing a little prospecting mid morning or afternoon, you can do some locating and then still be in good shape if you have a bird sound off close to your location and need to set up quickly.

+++Keep your eyes peeled for potential strutting areas, dusting areas, and mid day hangouts. By pinpointing a few of these, you will be able to slip into those areas stealthily mindful of the fact that there may be birds in the area. There is nothing worse than bumping a bird due to making the wrong move in an area. Become a ghost in the woods, and never let them know you’re coming.

+++Every destination that you have in mind should also have two options ideally to be able to access without bumping the bird. One Tom a couple of seasons ago loved to hang out in a flat, open area in a creek bottom. Due to landscape I was unable to move on him directly head on and due to his determination, I was unable to get him to budge in my direction. After a duel of several hours with him, I backed out and formulated a plan for the next day in case he repeated his pattern. Sure enough, when the next day proved to be more of the same, I was able to slip around to a previously forgotten trail and get the better of him by using the landscape to my advantage.

+++The other added bonus to getting out in the woods to do a little pre-planning is to give your spouse a reprieve from the endless amount of call practicing that has been going on in your home all winter. I see from the various turkey website forums and discussions with fellow turkey fanatics we are all chomping at the bit for the season to arrive. This anticipation can be tempered a bit by getting out the boots, and taking a much needed walk in the woods.

Good luck to you in the Spring Woods!

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Locator Calls For Spring Turkeys

Published on February 24, 2012 by admin in General, Hunting, Posts by Chris Joslin, Scouting, Tips and Techniques

by: Chris Joslin

+++When it comes to locating turkeys in a new area, nothing can take the place of good old fashioned scouting. However, there may be times when you find yourself arriving to a new area just before dawn, with only a couple of days to get a turkey on the ground. Probably the best calls you can use to locate a gobbler are turkey calls, both hen sounds and gobbles; however, this can have its disadvantages. If you blast out some excited cutting or hen yelps and a turkey responds and he’s close to your position, you’d better be ready because he could be on top of you before you know it. If you use the gobble, you may find yourself in the same scenario or worse yet, draw the attention of other hunters. There are many other locator calls out there that can let you know where that gobbler is, without giving him a reason to come running until you are set up and ready for him. In this article I will discuss some of the most common locator calls, as well as, some less common calls that have been used to get that old longbeard to sound off and give away his location.

+++One of the most widely used locator calls in the spring turkey woods, and typically the first sound you’ll hear in the morning is an owl hooter. The owl hooter is best used early in the morning, just before, or right at dawn. Owl hooters come in many different variations and are made by most every major call manufacturer, but all are designed to reproduce the eight-note “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all” of the Barred Owl. For many hunters, their natural voice is all that is needed to produce this sound. For others nothing short of the best custom built hooter, such as the Harrison Hoot’n Stick will do. Whatever call you use, the more realistic the sound you make, the more likely you are to get a turkey to respond. To get lifelike sounds out of a reed type owl hooter, I like to make a circle around the end of the call with my thumb and index finger and cup my hands together to create back pressure on the call. Once you learn the standard, eight-note of the owl hooter, you can start releasing the back pressure by opening and closing your cupped hand to produce the “laughs” and “screams” often heard as an owl gets more excited.

+++The crow call is probably the second-most used call for locating gobblers. A crow call can be used from the time the sun starts to come up, until it sets again. I typically do not use a crow call until I’ve at least heard another crow sounding off for his morning flight. I also do not like to use them beyond “normal” roosting time of the turkeys. Most crow calls consist of a reed pinched between two pieces of plastic that make up the mouthpiece. I run a crow call by slightly biting down on the mouthpiece, while sealing off my air, thereby forcing all of my air through the call. Typically, I only blast out two or three short bursts at a time, so I don’t drown out the sound of an answering gobbler. Many times, you can get real crows in the area to respond and they, in turn, get other crows fired up throughout the woods, increasing the odds that one of them might elicit a shock gobble from a nearby tom.

+++Two other great mid-day locator calls, are the woodpecker and the hawk calls. I use the same call to do both sounds. The woodpecker call internal reeds resemble those of a close range predator call, such as a mouse squeaker. To recreate the sound of the Pileated Woodpecker, I seal the call with my lips and use my tongue as an “air valve” controlling the air that is allowed into the call. First build up air pressure behind your tongue and let out sharp bursts of air with increasing frequency as you go through the calling sequence. This sound is fairly common in the spring woods where I hunt in Missouri and does not get a gobbler to respond as much as other locator calls. Using this same call to make the sound of the red-tailed hawk, I use the same scenario with my tongue; however, this time, I let out a single loud burst of air and draw it out, while slowly lowering the amount of pressure going through the call.

+++Another call that is often overlooked as a locator call is the coyote howler. This is a call I might use when nothing else seems to get a response and I usually only use it during the pre-dawn hours or after sunset to locate roosted birds. You have to be careful though, since coyotes love to eat turkey as much as we do, you don’t want to be using the howler while the turkeys are still on the ground during legal shooting time, or you might have your hunt spoiled by an unwelcome visitor.

+++These are just a few of the different types of locator calls on the market today. I have heard stories of people using everything from goose honking and pig squealing to cows mooing and car horns. I’m sure every call or sound has its place and you just have to experiment sometimes to see what works in your area. I’ve seen turkeys respond to one locator sound one day, and something different the next, just like they do with different turkey calls. Since the idea here is to elicit a “shock” gobble and the turkeys in your area have heard every version of owl hooting from your competition; it may not be so shocking to him when you make the same sounds he’s heard all season. So the next time you’re out trying to get an old longbeard to give up his whereabouts, you may want to give one of these other sounds a try.

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The Traveling Turkey Hunter

Published on February 16, 2012 by admin in General, Posts by Joe Slaton, Tips and Techniques, Traveling

by: Joe Slaton

+++Turkey season is coming on fast and the preparation for a traveling turkey hunter is in full swing. Setting up places to hunt out of state usually starts 6-8 months earlier and sometimes even longer. If you are going to be hunting out of state you need to take several things into consideration. First is to get your license and tags prior to the season. Most DNR’s have online purchases now so you can buy your licenses before you go. Get your hotels booked and your vehicle rented. I always like to rent an SUV because it will haul more stuff. The next task is getting your gear prepared. Whether you are going to hunt in the swamps and need rubber boots or the mountains and you need climbing boots, the right gear can make all the difference in comfort. I teach several turkey hunting seminars every year and one of the things I never forget to mention is a Thermacell. Where I live there is seldom an outbreak of mosquitos but if you head down south to Florida or one of the other southern states you better have it with you. The first time I hunted Florida, I was almost carried off one night by a black cloud of mosquitos big enough to carry off a small dog. These days, my Thermacell has a spot in my vest every spring no matter where I hunt. That brings me to the turkey vest. I carry enough stuff in my vest that would fill up a wheelbarrow. So make sure you have enough pockets and gear to make your trip enjoyable.

+++The biggest hurdle in a traveling hunter is the airplane. If you are unable to drive to your destination the plane is your next option. There are a couple things you want to remember. Check the airlines policy on carrying guns. Most airlines want your gun in a hard case that is lockable. Your ammo has to be separated from the weapon and usually has to be in the original packaging. I forgot once to put my shells, that I carry in my vest, back into the package and they took my bag completely apart and pulled them out. Luckily I stayed until it was checked and was able to put it back in its original package. Also, don’t forget that each piece of luggage is going to cost between $25-$35 per bag unless you are flying Southwest (the first 2 bags fly free) which can be an extra expense that is often forgotten. Checking the gun/s is fairly easy if you follow these steps. First, they want you to open the case, and check to see if the gun is unloaded. Most don’t even look inside but they should. Next, they will have you sign a red card that says it’s unloaded and you’re not a terrorist, I think. I really don’t remember ever reading that card. Then they want you to close the case and, depending on the TSA agent, may or may not have you lock it until it goes through the x-ray machine. Give yourself a few extra minutes when you are checking in so that you can stay around until it’s all checked and locked then you can go through the x-ray machine with your pants falling off and being barefoot. As long as you jump through their hoops it can go smooth. I’ve only had one gun that never made it to my destination and I don’t want it to happen again. One thing I always do is carry on my turkey calls. Some of my calls are very important to me and some are very expensive. I always carry them on the plane with me so they won’t get lost. If nothing else shows up at my destination at least I can call the turkeys in for other people.

+++I always have a problem getting everything I need to fit into my bag that is going to be checked and I am always pushing the 50 pound, weight limit. When you are trying to put a turkey vest, camo clothes, regular clothes, extra boots, extra hunting gear, underwear, socks, thermals, a jacket, and a ditty bag, there is not much room for a decoy. Make sure to take out all your knives and sharp objects when flying. I have forgotten to take out my pocket knife before but was able to put it in my checked luggage before it was actually checked. Don’t forget about bringing your trophy home. If you are going to have it mounted you might be able to freeze the turkey and ship it before you come home. Check with your taxidermist as to how he would like you to send it. If you are going to bring the meat home that’s a different story. I have bought a small Styrofoam container to carry my meat in. If you can freeze the meat before you put it in the container it will probably stay frozen until you get home. I just carry those containers on the plane with me. I also put my tail, beard, and spurs in my checked bag. They don’t take up much room but again I am fighting the 50 pound, weight limit.

+++So keep these things in mind when you are traveling to your next turkey hunting destination. As long as you jump through the hoops you should be OK. Good luck and hunt safe.

Gobblin Forever, Joe Slaton

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Page 1 of 512 3 4 5

A Caller’s Journal – Entry 7

Into The Mouth – Turkey Call Mechanics

“Pre-Planning Your Turkey Hunting Ground”

Locator Calls For Spring Turkeys

The Traveling Turkey Hunter

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