Confidence Calls for Suspicious Toms

Fall toms are super suspicious and hyper wary of walking into danger.  To come to your call they may need  extra assurance that it really is another turkey they are coming to.  You can make other reassuring sounds besides vocal calls to keep a long beard coming.

When turkeys scratch in the leaves as the one above is doing, they make a distinctive sound that other turkeys recognize.  Their scratching always has the same rhythm because they scratch once with one foot then twice with the other then once with the first foot.  It sounds like “scratch”   pause  “scratch, scratch”  pause  “scratch.”  Scratch in the leaves with your fingers with the same rhythm to convince that tom  you are just a turkey doing turkey stuff. Only do this when you are sure you can’t be seen by an approaching turkey.

 

 

Another non vocal confidence call is wing flapping.  Turkeys stretch their wings without really flying from time to time like the one pictured above. Its a loud sound in a quiet forest and  it will give authenticity to your set up if you can make the sound.  Flap a turkey wing back and forth quickly in the air or beat your hat quickly against you chest or thigh to simulate the the sound of a turkey working the kinks out of its wings.

 

When soft calling doesn’t work sometimes it pays to get aggressive.  Use wing beats and fighting purrs to simulate a tom fight.  All turkeys are curious about turkey fights because the outcome may affect their own status in the pecking order.  Its a good call to incite a tom to throw off caution and come in for a look. Toms fly at each other all year to maintain or improve their rank in the flock, so its a good call in the fall as well as in the spring.