One of the essentials that accompanies every turkey hunter is a turkey call. How many do you have in your collection? Do you rely on a tried-and-true favorite or, like writer Scott A. Messenger, do you bring along an assortment?
In this article, Messenger lays out his argument for learning how to adeptly handle multiple calls to create the illusion of a small flock of turkeys. This, he says, may increase your risk of error, but when mastered will ultimately work to your advantage:
Sounding like a variety of turkeys can be the key to your success. If turkeys are even moderately hunted, they will quickly learn to distinguish between a hunter trying to sound like a turkey and an actual turkey. However, if you are able to sound like multiple turkeys, your margin for error increases.
So my plan of attack for the turkey opener was to be prepared to sound like two or even three different turkeys calling from the same location. As a naturally wary creature, if the targeted turkey hears multiple other turkeys, it is likely the turkey will assume that the others are in a safe area. Plus, if I don’t sound that great on one of the calls, I can overlap with another call, to hide my errors.
Photo: Erie Times-News
