Locator Calls: Nuances and Considerations

Turkey hunters obsess so much about pots, boxes and diaphragms that they sometimes neglect their other tools: locator calls.

Too often, locators are an afterthought. And even when hunters grab them, they sometimes just produce a loud noise and expect to hear a shock gobble. That’s too bad, because using locator calls wisely can boost success. Just ask James Harrison, of Phelps Game Calls, a five-time Grand National Calling Championships Owl Division winner.

“I probably pack more locator calls than turkey calls when I hunt,” he said. “With those natural animal sounds, you’re not spooking turkeys. They hear those every day. I like them because I can get turkeys to reveal their location without revealing mine.”

Harrison, a renowned call maker, emphasizes realism when using locators, believing that true-to-life sounds produce better results.

“As a call builder, I want it to be as real sounding as it can be,” he said. “Day in, day out, with pressured birds, the more realistic you can keep it, the better.”

Volume control is a big part of that. Harrison said many hunters blow locator calls too loudly, which can handicap a hunt

“An owl will only be so loud, and a crow will only be so loud,” he said. “That sound carries in the woods. If you get too close and hit a turkey with a loud hoot or crow call, you’ll scare that bird enough that he won’t gobble at it. If you can keep that volume at the right level, you’ll do a lot better.”

Likewise, some hunters overuse locators, continuing to make the same sound to the point that it loses effectiveness.

“I see a lot of guys who keep getting that turkey to gobble,” Harrison said. “If I get a bird to gobble once and then maybe again, if I can get a bearing on him, I go quiet and move in on him. If you hit him five, six or seven times, that bird will kind of get used to that sound or get tired of it, and he won’t gobble again. Once I get closer to the bird, I might hit him again, but he won’t be burned out from hearing that sound, and he’ll gobble better. Less is more, usually.”

Variety is also critical, Harrison said. He typically packs an owl hooter, a crow call, a woodpecker call, a coyote howler and an owl screamer, a call of his own design that produces the scream of a barred owl and can mimic a pileated woodpecker. Some days, the higher pitch of the screamer seems to carry better and prompts birds to gobble.

“You never know which one a bird will gobble at,” he said. “For example, I owl hoot all day long. I don’t care if it’s 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. I’ve also been out there when nothing gobbled at it. You can hit them with the best locator calls, and certain days, they just won’t gobble at it. It’s the same as with a box call. There’s nothing wrong with the call. The bird just doesn’t want to gobble at it that day, but he might like something else.”

Patience also plays a role with locators. Many folks expect instant results after blowing a call, but turkeys sometimes don’t gobble immediately. That’s OK, Harrison said, because, as mentioned, you only need to make a turkey gobble once or twice before switching from locators to turkey talk.

“You have to find them to hunt them,” he said. “You have to get them to gobble. After that, you can get on them and call them in.”