If you’ve done your share of pre-season scouting, it’s likely that by the time hunting season rolls around, you’ve got your turkey spots dialed in, and you know their general location. Sometimes, you get thrown a curveball and have to make some last minute adjustments so you’re just wingin’ it on a new spot! Regardless of where you may fall in this spectrum, being able to locate a tom is critical. Here are a few tips and tricks for locating turkeys.
Why Turkeys Respond to Locator Sounds
Some attribute gobblers responding to non-turkey sounds to their heightened testosterone levels. They are raging males, eager to mate and looking for a fight. Others attribute it to their desire to simply be louder than anything else in the woods. Whatever the case may be as to why turkeys respond to other bird calls, the important thing is that turkeys do respond. Here’s some more info on three effective locator calls.
Barred Owl Locator
This is a great locator call to use when wanting to know a gobbler’s location, without turkeys coming in to soon to your hen calls. You might be trying to locate where the turkeys are to know where and how to set up on them. It would be problematic to have them come into your setup before you are ready. Owls are often mating in the springtime, and their calls can be heard frequently in the woods, and it is a great way to get a tom to speak up.
Crow Locator
Much like the barred owl locator, the crow locator is beneficial in getting a response from the gobbler, without him coming into your calls. The crow locator can be used anytime throughout the day and is another tool to have in the bag, especially when trying to mix up your calling. There are many different variations to the crow locator, so be sure to check out the Turkey Tech mobile app to perfect them.
Cutting
Cutting is a great turkey sound to use to elicit a response from a tom because it plays on his emotions. It helps get him excited. While there are many different scenarios in which cutting is beneficial, it is an effective locator call. The hunter should beware, however, that the tom responding might very well be on his way to check out the hen he just heard, so make sure you’re in a set up (or close to one) conducive to that!
As mentioned above, knowing when and how to use these sounds—along with their different variations—is an essential skill turkey callers must develop. The Turkey Tech mobile app outlines these sounds and variations in a way that is simple and easy to understand, teaching hunters how to make the sound, when to use it, and how a turkey may respond to it. The Turkey Tech mobile app is a must for any turkey hunter wanting to improve his or her knowledge of turkey hunting and calling. Indeed, it’s important to not just understand the sound you are making, but also when and how the turkeys will respond. All of this can be accomplished with one app, conveniently located on your cell phone. Best of luck this year to all turkey hunters in their pursuit of their own trophy toms!
This article was written by Got Game Technologies staffer, Jedd Tibbitts, an avid outdoorsman and marketing intern for Got Game Technologies. If you have comments or questions for Jedd about this post, he can be reached at jedd@gotgametech.com.
We wanted to bring you into the know on a great opportunity being put on by one of our partners, Credo Outdoors.
Credo was founded by a couple of hunters like us that possess a unique skill set and background in the anatomy and physiology of the animals we harvest as hunters. They hold camps each summer that teach hunters valuable skills in the processing, butchering, and preparing of the game animals we hunt. The next camp is June 11-12, and we highly recommend you consider making time to attend. You can learn more and register here.
We might be spilling the beans a bit here, but our team at Got Game Tech has actually started to work closely with the Credo Outdoors team in the development of a mobile application that will help you process, butcher and prepare the game animals you hunt! We are anticipating a launch of the app later this summer. To learn more about this project, you can follow the Cut Rite Mobile App on Instagram, along with Got Game Tech’s and Credo Outdoor’s Instagram pages as well. We’re excited to bring you another mobile app that allows you to grow and improve as a hunter. If you’d be interested in beta testing this new app, please send an email to tayler@gotgametech.com.
Every year as the snow begins to melt we start thinking about springtime, and nothing goes better with spring time than turkey hunting! To celebrate the start of another turkey season, we have put together a great prize package in partnership with some awesome companies. Get entered on our Giveaway page now!
Contest will run from March 14 to April 15 at 11:59 p.m. MT. Winner will be announced on Instagram Live at 6:00 p.m. MT on April 16 from the Turkey Tech Mobile App Instagram page. Be sure to give us a follow to make sure you keep up on the giveaway!
We’ve all been there before—a large tom a distance off, not quite willing to commit. You call again and again trying to keep his attention. Minutes pass by and he just isn’t closing the distance. You call harder—nothing happens. Eventually the tom loses interest and struts away. Thoughts run through your mind like, “Man, that was so close. What did I do wrong? What could I have done different? Why didn’t he commit after initially showing interest?” It’s easy to feel dejected, depressed, and lonely; like you are the only person in the hunting world lacking the skills to call in that tom. Social media amplifies those feelings as your feed is flooded with images of your buddies harvesting trophy toms. Every situation is different, and to some, there may not be a clear solution. But here are three tips to help hunters of all levels succeed in getting that tom that hangs up into shooting range.
1. Call the Hens
Often toms will hang up because they already have a hen or multiple hens around them. Why would he want to leave his six to go after one? You could try to give him the impression that you’re a large tom ready for a fight, but sometimes he just isn’t feeling it. After failed attempts to lure the tom away from the flock, try focusing the attention on the hens. Begin with some soft clucks directed towards the hens. Be sure to respond to the hens and ignore the Tom. These sounds might pique the interest of the hens and make them wonder who the new hen on the block is. As they start to respond, try mixing in a cluck and purr combination, or start cutting. This can raise the emotion level of the hens and get them to close the distance with the Tom following right behind…
2. Read and Understand the Emotions of the Bird
This is arguably the most important aspect of calling in turkeys in any situation. It’s important to understand the emotion level of every turkey and is helpful to imagine it on a scale of 1-10. If the tom responded to your locator call with little emotion, it would be unwise to respond with a fighting purr. A plain yelp or soft cluck might be more beneficial when that bird is in the 1-3 levels of emotions. As the bird escalates into the 4-6 emotions you could implement 30-45 seconds of a cluck and purr combination followed with some cutting. As the emotion level raises to 7 and above, that’s when sounds like the excited yelp, and fighting purr are effective. Some times the birds need some coaxing and if your calls are eliciting low emotions, try subtly raising the emotions of the calls you are using. More experience and encounters with toms will help you increase your understanding of the turkey language and the associated emotions embedded in each turkey sound.
3. Make Sure Your Presentation is Realistic
Some hunters like to use decoys, and some hunters do not. Either way, this principle applies to both. If your decoy setup is a jake and a hen, then it makes little sense to be using mature tom sounds to attract prospective toms. It may initially pique his interest, but he is unlikely to commit to your setup if certain elements are missing. The same can be said for the hunter without decoys. When the Tom approaches the spot where the sounds are coming from, he expects to see a bird or multiple birds. Try casting your sounds behind you and to your sides to keep the tom coming in your direction, but guessing where the sound is coming from.
In sum, turkey hunting can be difficult–that’s what keeps us coming back time and time again. The goal is to step out of the truck, get into the setup and have a trophy tom come strutting in, but the reality is that this doesn’t always happen. Sometimes you’re left with an unpunched tag in your pocket and a fueled desire to get better. We developed the Turkey Tech App to help hunters of all levels shorten the learning curve, and perfect their craft. In the app, Scott Ellis, a four-time grand national turkey calling champion presents some great information on the different sounds turkeys make and how to implement them into your hunting strategies. The better you understand the turkey language, the better chances you have of punching your tag with a quality tom. As a hunter, it is easy to get caught up in the obsession of new hunting gear. We make substantial investments into our weapons, clothing, decoys, setups, blinds, calls, and other equipment that helps us be more successful, but rarely do we take the time or money to invest in perhaps the most important contributor to success—ourselves. Improving your knowledge and understanding of the species you are targeting and learning successful strategies will do more to help you perfect your craft than any other piece of equipment or gear. Priced at only $4.99, the Turkey Tech App can provide hunters with a huge return on investment. You can find it on the App Store and Google Play Store. Best of luck to all of you hunters who are gearing up for the spring turkey season around the corner.
This article was written by Got Game Technologies staffer, Jedd Tibbitts, an avid outdoorsman and marketing intern for Got Game Technologies. If you have comments or questions for Jedd about this post, he can be reached at jedd@gotgametech.com.
We have loved this journey of partnering with expert callers and bringing you high quality content from them straight to your mobile devices to help you become a better caller and hunter. It is thus with great pleasure that we introduce to you the Goose Tech mobile app!
Goose Tech is the cutting edge of goose calling instruction. Under the guidance of the Goose Guru himself, Nick J, Goose Tech is designed to take you on a goose calling journey. First, Nick J. covers the basics and introductory concepts. Then he graduates you to the root sounds in goose calls with a specially designed alphabet. Next, you learn a wide variety of goose sounds. Next, you apply all of this knowledge with various calling sequences and skill builders. You can also record yourself calling and compare to the real goose sounds on the app. Finally, Nick J has taken his tried and true goose hunting tips and tactics to help you bring it all together.
In sum, Goose Tech will help you become a better goose hunter. It’s that simple! Check out the app today and start your goose calling journey with a proper foundation or continue your journey with an incredible guide.
We are bringing back the ElkNut live webinar just in time for hunting season!
On August 25 at 6 pm MT, Paul is going to go live and share some timely tips and tactics every elk hunter should know before they step foot in the elk woods.
After a few years of processing my own meat and aging it in small coolers, where temps were difficult to control and my meat age time was in turn limited, I decided to build a cold room. When I heard about a cool device that makes that process easier, and then we were quarantined due to COVID-19, I decided “no time like the present!”
DISCLAIMER: I did my best to build this walk in cooler to last. But I’m not a professional construction contractor, and I recommend you consult a professional experienced in construction before embarking on your own cold room construction project.
Step 1 – Outline the Space
I ended up concluding that a 4’ by 10’ space was sufficient for the amount of meat we’d be hanging each year, wouldn’t be overly difficult to keep cool or require too large of a window mounted A/C unit to pair with the Cool Bot. (Ultimately this turned out to be a good guess. We can hang two full sized elk in this space. It’s snug, but sufficient, and cools quickly.)
Step 2 – Frame the Walls
I framed up the walls, researching ahead of time the size of A/C unit I would need to cool the space when paired with the Cool Bot. (Here’s a helpful article to consider on that subject.) I also checked out standard exterior door sizes and frames that in as well. Pressure treated 2x4s made for the bottom of the walls since they’d sit on concrete (which I anchored into the concrete using Tapcon screws).
After framing I cutout and nailed plywood on to the frame. Here’s a look at the progress to this point.
Step 3 – Install the Door
At this point I installed the door, which as I mentioned earlier was a standard exterior door. I figured it would keep the cold air in better. I also made sure to install it so it would open out rather than in, since space inside the cold room would be at a premium.
Step 4 – Seal
Next up was sealing the edges and filling any holes with silicone.
Step 5 – Insulate
My garage walls and ceiling are sheet-rocked, so I put up a vapor barrier wrap in case of moisture from the cold room. I then used R-Tech Rigid Foam insulation, wedging it between the studs on the walls and attaching to the wrapped, Sheetrock walls and ceiling.
This didn’t fill in all the gaps, so I used the spray in insulation to line all the edges and fill the gaps.
Step 6 – Install the Window A/C Unit
The window A/C unit fit pretty snuggly in the framed window, but I used the same spray in insulation to seal the edges. I also had to hire an electrician to convert a plug in the ceiling of the garage so the wiring suited the A/C unit. (Definitely didn’t want to take any risks here and try this myself!)
The Cool Bot device is easily mounted to the wall, and then the sensor in the A/C unit is connected to a sensor on the Cool Bot. Apparently the Cool Bot tricks the sensor in the windows A/C unit to continue to blow cold air even though it’s minimum temperature is reached.
Step 7 – Install Shelving
I put in some clothes hanger bars and some shelving on top of the lower one. I can safely hang four elk quarters on each shelving level.
The version of the Cool Bot we purchased picks up a WiFi signal, and you can track the temperature in the room from your phone, which was well worth the upgrade.
So far, we have hung and aged one elk, one moose, one bear, and three deer since it’s construction, and everything has worked well (some for us, some for friends). On occasion we’ve had to reconnect the Cool Bot to WiFi, and the A/C had to work pretty hard around the clock to cool the room on our bear killed this June. We don’t have the power bill back from that yet, but aside from the bear, we haven’t noticed a significant increase in our power bill running the cold room in the fall and winter.
Having the cold room has allowed us to hunt and kill big game and process meat efficiently. And the aged meat is certainly next level in terms of tenderness and taste. I highly recommend checking out the Cool Bot, and I think you can get some kind of a deal if you follow the links to Cool Bot in this article.
Feel free to reach out with any questions about this project with an email to tayler@gotgametech.com.
We are excited to bring you our 2021 spring turkey hunting giveaway with prizes totaling over $3,000 in value! We have 11 great companies participating, so head on over to our Giveaway page and get entered, then check out these incredible companies and their great products!
Here’s a list of the prize package going to one lucky winner:
One (1) Lifetime Membership to Trips 4 Trade & Grand Slam Outdoors Hat and T-Shirt
Our summer pre-season elk calling webinar series is coming to a conclusion on August 20! Paul is giving a final seminar for the season, and the focus is going to be almost exclusively on live questions from participants (and giving away a brand new Hoyt bow of course)!
Reserve your seat at the webinar here. Each webinar you attend gets you an additional entry to win the Hoyt bow, so definitely get signed up!
We’ll start at 7 PM MT and take questions right out of the gate. No one matches Paul’s enthusiasm for elk calling, and it’s going to be a 90 minute train ride through the elk woods!
Also, if you have missed earlier webinars but would like access to them, send an email to tayler@gotgametech.com and we’ll get you set up!
September is nearly here, and we’re doing as much as we can to help you be ready. So study up on the ElkNut app, get registered for this webinar, and let’s get this elk party started!
This summer we want to help you be as ready as possible for the elk woods. And while we usually have a few in person seminars annually that we then share online, this year we’re trying some live seminars. The ElkNut, Paul Medel, will be sharing his elk calling secrets and answering lots of participant questions. You can register for the next scheduled seminar (July 23 at 7 p.m. MT) HERE. Each seminar you attend will get you an entry into our Hoyt bow giveaway too! We’ll have our final seminar on August 20 at 7 p.m. and give the Hoyt away at the end of that event. We hope you’ll join us!
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