Its safe to say that the first step in a successful turkey hunt is finding and locating a gobbler that’s willing to play your game. In doing this most turkey hunters mimic the sounds of a hen turkey. These hen calls definitely have their place like allot of other calls. I have found though that there are times when you need a call that sounds nothing like a turkey to give you that extra advantage in the woods this spring.
The main purpose in using a “locator call” is to cause what is known as a “shock gobble”. Hearing a “shock gobble” doesn’t mean your going to harvest the bird by any means but it does give you a great advantage in knowing a general idea of the birds location which allows you to pick a close set up. Another great advantage to using locator calls and getting a tom to gobble is that he wont react to you as your another turkey, which in return gives you the hunter ample time needed to get set up on him.
As for my favorite locators, owl hooters and crow calls are right at the top of my list. Both have their purposes, owl hooters early and late in the day when birds are near roost sites. The crow call I tend to use more during daylight hours.
Early in the mornings even when I don’t have a gobbler roosted, Ill always try to get a response before first light with one of my locator calls. I try timing things just right so that I can barely see the ground below me and yet close enough to turkey talk time, this way if I get a response I still have enough time to get in close and set up, ready for the tom to leave his roost.
Nearly every call manufacture now has a selection of locator calls. Most common locator calls Ive seen would be the owl and crow although others do exist such as, predator, woodpecker and hawk calls. To sum it up, locators should be an integral part of your turkey hunting selection this year. They are not used every time out nor do they work every single time, but there are the times when a locator call will open a door to an eagerly waiting gobbler!
