Shock (or locator) calls work in unusual ways. In some areas, the “Who Cooks for You” makes a tom thunder every time, while 10 miles away, gobblers totally ignore it.
Owl, crow, peacock, and other bird calls often cause a tom to reveal its location without using hen calls and give you two important benefits. First, the tom won’t approach you as they will with a hen call, so there’s little danger of accidentally spooking it as you get nearer. Additionally, the tom may be call-shy and the locator won’t alarm it.
Locator calls are an important part of any turkey hunting strategy. Here’s additional insight from the NWTF’s John Higley.
Experienced turkey hunters know there’s more to calling toms during hunting season than making hen sounds from random setups in the woods. Success, most times, hinges on locating a tom or two before the hunt, which can be accomplished with a locator call.
By using calls that duplicate odd sounds, such as those made by owls, crows, peacocks and even coyotes, longbeards may shock gobble at the noise, which in turn, may give away their position.
A major advantage of locator calls: They do not cause a tom to react as if he heard a hen. So, he won’t show up when you least expect it and, quite possibly, catch you off guard.
The shock gobble is often something a hunter can capitalize on. Not all turkeys answer shock calls repeatedly, some may respond only once and other may never give in.
However, if a tom does gobble only one time, it may be hard to figure out which direction the reply originated, here’s how you can make the most of the situation…
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