CLUCK CALL
THE CLUCK
Turkeys cluck for various reasons. There's a contented cluck the hen gives when she's out in a field chasing grasshoppers or other insects. Then there's the cluck that means real excitement, which the hen gives in a series when a tom gobbles.
This excited cluck can get hunters into trouble. If a hunter doesn't know how to give it properly, or if a turkey misinterprets it, it can sound like a putt. Actually, the putt is a variation of the cluck, but the putt means "Danger! Get out of here." To prove this point, I once played a turkey-calling tape to a yard full of turkey poults. Every one of them took off and hid, because for some reason they interpreted the cluck as a putt.
To tell the difference between the two, notice the pitch and sharpness of the call. If it's high pitched and very sharp, it's a putt. If it's not so high pitched and has a flatter sound, then it's a cluck. There's a fine line between the cluck and the putt.
For that reason, I never use a cluck to call a gobbler unless I follow it with a series of yelps. Then there can be no mistaking the call, because no hen is going to putt and then yelp. If I want to use only a couple of really excited clucks, I always throw in one or two yelps at the end. That way I won't frighten the gobbler off.
Turkeys cluck for various reasons. There's a contented cluck the hen gives when she's out in a field chasing grasshoppers or other insects. Then there's the cluck that means real excitement, which the hen gives in a series when a tom gobbles.
This excited cluck can get hunters into trouble. If a hunter doesn't know how to give it properly, or if a turkey misinterprets it, it can sound like a putt. Actually, the putt is a variation of the cluck, but the putt means "Danger! Get out of here." To prove this point, I once played a turkey-calling tape to a yard full of turkey poults. Every one of them took off and hid, because for some reason they interpreted the cluck as a putt.
To tell the difference between the two, notice the pitch and sharpness of the call. If it's high pitched and very sharp, it's a putt. If it's not so high pitched and has a flatter sound, then it's a cluck. There's a fine line between the cluck and the putt.
For that reason, I never use a cluck to call a gobbler unless I follow it with a series of yelps. Then there can be no mistaking the call, because no hen is going to putt and then yelp. If I want to use only a couple of really excited clucks, I always throw in one or two yelps at the end. That way I won't frighten the gobbler off.
Tags: call, cluck, turkey, wild
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by GrandRiverGameCalls on -
I like to use the cluck as much as the yelp. I always space the clucks out for the reason mentioned above, I don't want it misinterpreted as a putt. This has worked well for me in setups with one or 2 hen decoys out in an clearing or field. I also throw in some yelps at times.
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