Home on the Range #039 – Turkey Slate Call Competition with a Neighbor

On last week’s “Home on the Range” we talked about why you may want to get into turkey hunting if you are new to hunting in general and don’t know where to start. We discussed how there is a “low barrier for entry” because you don’t need a lot of tools/equipment and it is not mandatory that you empty your checkbook to getting started. Plus, turkey meat is abundantly healthy for you and many landowners would be very welcoming to let you hunt if you are simply polite and ask permission. With all of that being said, this week we are going to discuss a more humorous difficulty you might encounter while hunting: what if there is competition or pressure from another hunter? Specifically pertaining to turkey hunting, what if you end up in a turkey slate call battle with someone? Two different hunters calling for turkeys, but only the most convincing and well-versed hunter wins. We will share a recent anecdote of ours and how keeping your cool and staying patient can pay fruitful dividends.

“Home on the Range” Series Coverage on AllOutdoor

Welcome to our reoccurring series of “Home on the Range.” Here, we would like to share all of our experiences for those who may be homesteading, living off the land, hunting, farming, ranching, and truly investing in nature and the great outdoors. The ability to provide for yourself and your family can be tremendously rewarding and simultaneously difficult at times. So, in “Home on the Range” we want to share our different exploits so you can learn and hopefully we can receive your feedback along the way as well.

Be Well-Versed with your Turkey Slate Call

Picking up from where we left off last week, I was fortunate enough to punch my Minnesota turkey tag this month. It was an interesting hunt because of the “turkey noises” I could hear coming distantly in the woods. The morning of my hunt started off like many others. I walked my way through the dark to my designated hunting spot on the edge of an alfalfa field. I was seated on the ground against a tree with a strutting Tom decoy 35 yards away and a feeding hen 30 yards away. The forest was peacefully quiet at dusk. Eventually, as more morning light broke through the woods, the Toms began gobbling and flying down from their nighttime roosts. I could hear 2 groups of them near me: one group of Toms to the southwest and another to the northwest.

I spent the next 2 hours using my favorite turkey slate call – one given to me by my grandfather – calling the boys in as best as I could. The woods around me was lush and green yet it was not humid out. I properly scoured my call so there was necessary abrasion on the surface to produce the tones, clucks, and chirps of an appealing hen. Everything I was doing was what my father taught and what I had been implementing on my own for 20+ years. I was confident that if the turkeys in the distance were in the mood to mate with a hen that I could pull them in, but not too confident. Turkeys can be fickle, after all.

I would let out some “clucks” and “purrs” every 10 – 15 minutes for 90+ minutes. I could hear both groups of Toms proudly trumpet back with a gobbling response every time yet they never sounded any closer. Finally, the group to the southwest went silent (if I ventured a guess, maybe 200 yards away through the woods). Simultaneously, the group to the northwest finally sounded like it was getting closer – yes!

I increased the intervals at which I called to every 5 minutes making sure to allow them some time to cover some ground. By their boisterous gobbles I could tell they were closing the distance quickly as they likely decided I was the hen they wanted to pursue that morning. Once they got within 100 yards (loose guess from their gobbling) I began to hear a suspiciously loud hen?… And it sounded… bad! Like, a hen that was injured or going through puberty. The clucks, purrs, and chirps simply sounded wrong.

The Toms that were gravitating my way all this time responded to the distressed hen sounds, but with a quizzical “Gobble?” almost as if they were asking a question with their own response. Not to be outdone, I felt the need to remind the Toms where they were originally headed. So, I gave a melodic and loud “purr” through my turkey slate call. In harmony, two Toms confidently responded with a gobble.

This conversation of a distressed hen/quizzical response followed by my realistic hen/strong response continued for 20 minutes. I was likely as perplexed as the two Toms, but they continued my way nevertheless. Finally, out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of red 40 yards away through the brush. I knew what that meant – a Tom’s head was closing in. I set down my turkey slate call, picked up my tried-and-true Remington 870, silently clicked the safety off, and pointed it to the shooting window I knew they’d walk through soon enough.

Within seconds a Tom came quickly approaching into the alfalfa field where my decoys were strategically set. My shotgun already raised and waiting, the 1st Tom walked through my chosen shooting window – and with some leaves to obscure my outline yet not enough to slow down my #6 shot payload – I fired. Down went my Tom, swiftly and humanely, after a 2 hour saga of calling him in.

Between my grandfather’s turkey slate call and the teachings of my father, everything came together as I had hoped. The great enigma though was where was that odd hen coming from?… After celebratory photos were taken, texts of excitement were sent to family, and I trekked back to my truck with my gear and trophy, I decided to visit my neighbors to see if they heard the same hen that I did. Maybe they were out hunting, too.

My neighbor is a “character.” Old man who doesn’t always stay within the lines (or the laws), but he’s pleasant enough, always helpful, and never short on stories. After I regaled him with stories of my hunt, I asked him, “Did you hear that injured hen this morning? It sounded close to your house.” He responded:

“Oh, that was my wife! You pulled them 2 Toms through our yard and when she saw them, she rolled open the window and started calling them trying to see if they’d talk back. She doesn’t use a turkey call much.”

My now infamous distressed hen was, in fact, my short-on-practice neighbor. Confused my Toms might have been, but not deterred. There was a turkey slate call competition occurring that morning (unbeknownst to me) and I had won. A hilarious hunting story now, but frustrating and perplexing in the moment. So, let my hunt be a lesson. Make sure to polish your turkey slate call skills. You never know who you will be competing against out in the woods.

So, if you have ever been hesitant to try turkey hunting, we implore you to give it a shot! You don’t need a lot of accessories or equipment. You don’t even need to own land. You can hunt public land if there is not a lot of pressure from other hunters. Or, you can always politely knock on doors of private land owners. Most land owners would be glad to let someone hunt if they ask. Too many people trespass and give hunters a bad reputation. Be polite and that’ll get your hunting career a long ways. As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.

Photography

All of the quality photography for this review was completed by the accomplished and wonderful Savannah Pierson of Savvy Photage. She is a pinnacle of knowledge, expert in her field, and her assistance in creating engaging photography and content is greatly appreciated.

Adam Scepaniak