4 Types of Turkey Gobbles (And What They Mean)

Making a turkey gobble is great, but you must then interpret what the bird is doing and fine-tune your approach to work him into range. Photo by Clayton Worrell.

You hear the gobbling of a wild turkey, the most glorious sound of spring, and so you tear off down through the woods toward it. But whoa, man, pull up and listen closely. As explosive and exciting as the call is, don’t you know that not all gobbles are created equal? Here’s how to interpret four types of gobbles and then tailor your setups and calling to each.

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GOBBLE NO. 1

A turkey roars on the roost, flies down and gobbles a few more times as he walks in the opposite direction. One of two things is likely. This gobbler has made up his mind to go somewhere else to strut, feed, and loaf for the day. He gobbles at your first yelps to say to you, the “hen,” that you’re welcome to come along. Or maybe the gobbler has an adult hen with him, and she doesn’t like the tone of your calling, so she drags him away. (He gobbles as he follows her, hoping you’ll tag along; the more the merrier.)

In either case, you can rarely turn that bird around with yelping. Your best chance is to let him go and then get up, make a big circle left or right, slip in front of the gobbler and call from a new spot somewhere along the line that he’s walking. Or leave that turkey alone and try to strike another bird elsewhere. Or come back and try him the next morning or in a few days, when he might be alone and in a better mood to work toward your calling.

GOBBLE NO. 2

A turkey gobbles one or two times on the limb, and then flies down and shuts up.

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Most likely, the gobbler is roosted with hens nearby. He gobbles and flies down, and the girls pitch out near him. The courtship begins. Why gobble anymore? Or, it could be this, especially late in the season: The turkey you hear is the dominant bird in the area, and he gobbles a few times to tell subdominant toms that he is still around, large and in charge, so shut up and know your place. In either case, when the woods go quiet, I sit tight for 30 minutes to even an hour. Then, if I still have the patience, I sit and wait another hour, yelping and clucking every 10 minutes or so. There’s a chance the old bully gobbler will finish with his hens, hear me, gobble, and start working my way. Or, if the dominant bird has left the area to seek hens a half-mile away, a subordinate longbeard might finally feel frisky and brave enough to come to my calls. He might gobble one or two times, or he might strut in silently, so listen for drumming and stay ready.

Not every turkey gobbles steadily to the gun. Often, they shut up or move away, leaving you wondering what’s happening. Photo by Mike Hanback.

GOBBLE NO. 3

A bird on the ground gobbles explosively for five minutes and approaches your setup, but suddenly hangs up and shuts up 75 to 100 yards away.

It’s frustrating. But often, unbeknownst to us, a real hen hears the gobbler you’re working and runs to his side. The old boy now has what he wants, so he quits gobbling and leaves you holding the bag. But sometimes the tom is alone and still coming, albeit slowly. He quits gobbling, and turns to drumming and strutting as he approaches your calls. Don’t lose your edge or move too soon and mess up a good thing.

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GOBBLE NO. 4

A bird gobbles at owl hoots or a crow call but won’t answer your yelps.

This is a strange one with two possibilities, and it’s not because your yelping sucks. You might be fooling with a jake, especially late in the season. Many young toms cut loose shock gobbles, but they don’t respond well to hen calls. Or maybe you’ve run across a persnickety longbeard that shock-roars at locator calls but thumbs his beak at the sound of your diaphragm or box. (Turkeys are weird.) But the fact that he gobbles gives you some hope. Set up and try every call in your vest. If the bird rips a gobble at one of those sounds, stick with it. You might pull him in yet.