Turkey sounds hunters should make

When it comes to calling turkeys in the spring, we’re being a bit unnatural. In the turkey woods, toms gather on strutting grounds and try to call hens to them. Hunters are doing just the opposite: making hen sounds to bring toms to them. For this reason, it pays to develop confident turkey calling skills.

Here’s a look at the turkey sounds hunters will want to be able to make. Refer to the instructions for each kind of call to see how to mimic these sounds.

The yelp is a basic turkey call and the easiest sound to make. It’s also the one that will bring in the most toms and hens during both the spring and fall seasons. The yelp calling sequence is a simple yup, yup, yup. The purpose is to send the message that all is safe and to let other turkeys know their location. This is a good call to use when trying to bring birds in close.

Blow three to five yelps in succession at the rate of about one per second, and you have a series of yelps.

The cluck is a simple, alluring sound that’s effective for bringing in a tom. Clucks are made up of one to three single, staccato notes, usually separated by two to three seconds. The sharp, crisp sounds of a cluck are mainly used in close range calling situations. When an approaching tom hangs up in sight of your setup, a cluck will often pull him the rest of the way in.

Clucks are good to use at the end of a series of yelps and, when made softly, pair well with purrs.

Purrs are a relaxing, reassuring calls that send the message all is safe. Purrs are soft sounds that roll in a smooth, calming fashion, like errrr. They are not very loud. This is a great call to offer when toms are close, especially if they seem nervous.

Tree calls, or tree yelps, are a wake-up calls to the rest of the birds in the area and mark the start of a new day. They’re useful in both spring and fall. Sometimes tree yelps start an hour before turkeys actually fly out of the roost.

A tree call is a softer, slightly more drawn-out versions of the yelp. Mimicking the sounds of turkeys on the roost is the best way to learn and master this call.

In the fall, turkey hunters will want to use the kee-kee call. This mimics the sound young turkeys make when they’ve lost track of the flock and want to reassemble with adult birds. This is a very common call heard from August through February. The key to making this call work is sticking with a three note sequence, kee, kee, kee. Avoid the temptation to extend the call to five or six notes even if sounds good.

While turkeys, and hunters, can make other turkey sounds (gobbles, putts, fly-down cackles, and more), yelps, clucks, purrs and tree calls will account for most of your calling. And they’ll consistently yield results.