Champion wild turkey caller Steve Ellis answers more of your questions about hunting wild turkeys and calling them.
Q & A:
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Q:Â Bryan from PA: I am pretty decent on a mouth call but I’m trying to clean up my sound and get rid of the mostly rasp I hear when I call. What should I do.Â
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A:Â The quickest fix is to get a cut of mouth call that exposes the second reed more. Such as a bat wing, yellow venom, Ellis Signature Split V of combo/cutter call. The second step is technique. Keeping a little more tongue contact and pressure on the call at the start of EACH yelp note restricts the top reed(with the cut) from vibrating thus creating a cleaner sound.
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Q:Â Andrew from NM- I hear you talk about being more realistic all the time. Why do you think being realistic kills more turkeys?
A:Â I feel adding more realism to your tone and cadence convinces a turkey it’s hearing a real hen and is much more luring than average or below average calling. Â More importantly, understanding each call and using the turkeys language to speak to him/her and actually say something is deadly as well. SE
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Q:Â Sonny from IL: How close do you set up to a bird?
A:Off the roost as close as possible. On into the morning hunting, as close as possible. If your moving in on a gobbler try your best to use a locator as you approach. You dont want him coming to you before you get a chance to set up. SE
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Q:Â Albert from GA: Do you practice all year round?
A:Â Absolutely Albert. ALL YEAR LONG. To stay sharp and polished for the stage and the woods. I try to never let rust collect on my calls or routines. Thanks! SE
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Q:Â Keegan from AL:Â Â How much do you call to a turkey on the roost.
A:Â I call very sparing to a roosted bird just enough to let him know where I am. Â A few series of tree calls. Then at flydown I give a cackle, then just wait till hits the ground before I make another sound. The only exception to this rule is when he is roosting with hens. I will then play off their calling and try to sound like the most “excited” and ready to breed girl in the bunch. SE
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Q:Â Jimmy from VT: I’ve been running a mouth call for 20 years, which Mouth Call Magic DVD do you recommend?
A:Â It depends on what your after Jimmy. MCM get’s you going from the ground up with technique for creating realism. MCM2 does the same but with an emphasis on yelping and using the four basic types of mouth calls. SE
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Q:Â Malcolm from TX: I’m looking to hunt complete a grand slam next year. Any quick tips for hunting the different birds?
A: A turkey is a turkey buddy. Get a feel for what he wants to hear and call accordingly. Make sure you take into considertion the different terrain changes as you move from state to state. Use them to your advantage on your set ups. In closing a general rule of thumb is you can talk more to Rios and Merriams than Easterns and of course Osceolas. SE
