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Talk to the turkeys, not at them

By Rod Schoener 4 min read

Former four-time U.S. Open and three-time Masters turkey calling champion Denny Gulvas of DuBois has been gracious enough to share much of the knowledge about the habits of Pennsylvania’s wild turkeys he has stored away while stomping the hills of the Keystone State for some 20-plus years. One thing he stressed is that most unsuccessful gobbler hunters give up too early.

“The sun can get really hot around 9 a.m., and it is easy to call it a day if you haven’t had and birds come in,” Gulvas said. “You’ve got to hang in there until the last second. I’ve had gobblers stay quiet all morning and then open up with 15 minutes left in the hunting day.”

He conceded that the old gobblers are tough to call in right now.

“To get the really old gobblers, the best time to go after them is on the last couple days of the season when the hens are all on their nests,” Gulvas said.

“Do your scouting ahead of time, listen at a distance, know your woods and read the sign where they are meeting.”

Gulvas is working on a new video featuring the many varied calls turkeys make, so he has been doing a lot of listening and talking over the past few years.

“It’s such a good feeling to be really able to talk to the turkeys. That’s the secret. It’s hard to do that,” Gulvas said.

“We hear a gobbler sound off and he is waiting for an answer. We don’t really converse with them, but we can. You have to learn what to say to them. Try to talk the way they do.”

Gulvas said that when you go out and listen to the turkeys, it has to play like a song. Get it in your head, or it will go away by the next morning. Once you have it in your head hold on to it and try to mimic the sounds you heard.

“Some of the best calls you can make are learned by talking with a hen,” Gulvas said. “Try to mimic her. It is important for hunters to really listen if they want to be good at talking.

“If you seriously want to talk to the turkeys, you have to put time and work into it.”

Gulvas said that he used to be a more aggressive caller, but he is more subdued now.

When I spoke with him just prior to the start of the season, he said, “This morning was the first day I heard hens cutting in 25 to 28 days of going to the woods.

“Most of the hen talk I’ve heard was soft stuff. If you want to be successful do what they are doing. If they’re not cutting, don’t use cutting calls. When they start cutting, you’ll have better luck with cutting calls. Until the hens start cutting, it won’t work for you. I always try to do what the hens are doing.”

After filming gobblers for the past 20-plus years, Gulvas has discovered many quirks about wild turkeys.

“I believe there are gobblers in certain areas that get things going,” he said. “If they don’t talk, none of the other gobblers in the area will either.

“Find yourself a gobbler with hens and listen to them for a day or two. Once one or the other opens up, try to mimic the sound.”

While he is trying to learn the sounds so he can talk like they do, Gulvas admits that he has to learn to mimic the sounds from memory, as a talking hen is a difficult to get on tape.

If you want to talk like a champion, consider one of Gulvas’ turkey calls.

He currently has four mouth calls on the market – the Masters Choice, the Double, the Triple and the Forerunner.

To purchase turkey calls or inquire about Gulvas’ turkey hunting videos contact Gulvas Wildlife adventures at RD 3 Box 235-B, DuBois, Pa. 15801.

He can be reached by phone at 814-371-6555 or on line at gobble@adelphia.net.

Rod Schoener is the Herald-Standard outdoor editor.

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