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Too much yelping?
Know how much is too much
Much of the fun of spring turkey hunting is trying to call lusty toms into take-home range. Every call made to mimic a comely hen — clucks, purrs, cutts and yelps — works at times, but yelps are employed most often, for good reason. They're easy to duplicate with most manufactured turkey calls, and most often, it's the sound real hens make in the wild.
The yelp itself is diverse. Soft yelps made by roosting hens at daybreak are known as tree yelps. A short series of louder yelps by hens on the ground say, "Here I am," while a long series (up to a couple dozen notes) is known as the lost call.
Yelps are an important tool for turkey hunters, but they can be overdone. For that reason, many experienced turkey hunters call sparingly once a tom is interested.
I like to hear toms gobble as much as the next person, but I bite my lip and hold back when a tom is committed and on his way. I may insert a couple of subtle clucks and purrs, or scratch in the leaves, just to reassure him I'm the real thing and still hanging around.
Sometimes calling repeatedly is the key to keeping a particular tom interested in your ruse. But, incessant yelping quite often will have the opposite effect and lead to a missed opportunity.
One quiet morning, I walked along an abandoned logging road in northern California, trying to locate a willing tom. I'd been at it for quite a while, when a tom suddenly gobbled nearby and shook me to my boots. He was close, so I flopped down in a less-than-perfect spot. Once settled, I unleashed a series of yelps. The old boy's immediate response was music to my ears.
He's really pumped, I thought, and so was I. I yelped over and over while the turkey filled the air with single, double and even triple gobbles. It was exciting, but it was too good to last.
Finally, the hefty Rio Grande longbeard crossed the road and entered the brush to my left. I pointed my shotgun in his direction, but all I could see was his lower legs as he held his ground and strutted. I should have shut up and let him stew, but I continued to call, hoping he'd step into an opening. Instead, I learned a painful lesson.
As I sat there helpless, two hens walked passed me, directly to the tom. He gobbled like crazy when they joined him, then the trio walked slowly out of my life.
Yelping excessively may keep a tom gobbling, but instead of closing the gap between the two of you, he may attract a roaming hen. Then it's game over, at least for the day.
Another scenario is a predator, such as a coyote or bobcat, will answer your calls and get between you and the turkey. You might not see the drama unfold, but if a tom suddenly clams up for no reason, it could be a four-legged carnivore beat you to a meal.
There are rare times when a lot of yelping is the right thing to do on a hunt, but more often restraint is the best call. When I have a gobbler interested, I call sparingly and only up the ante if there's nothing to lose. — John Higley