How many times do you call to a turkey?

[ATbuckhunter]

On average how many times do you call to a turkey? Normally I call like 5 or 6 times before I can see the turkey but I have only called in a few birds. 

[waterweasle]

all different, some needed ALOT of aggressive calling, some needed barely a squeak to commit

[nyslowhand]

Okay, the simple answer to your question and the one you don't want to hear is that experience will dictate how to hopefully draw a Tom in to your calling. Basically, over-calling isn't suggested....generally. BTW, this is the opposite of what happens in nature, when the hens typically go to the Tom's gobbling.

 

Turkeys, specifically gobblers, are wild animals and they all have different personalities. An older gobbler will react to calling different than a jake. Almost every situation is unique and must be handled differently.Then you throw in the variables of terrain, habitat, weather, time of day, progression of the mating season, turkey population, near-by hens &/or other competing Toms. There are a lot of "rules of thumb" for calling, but they are merely generalizations. The one that is most helpful is that there are many calls a hen makes other than the basic yelp. Learn what they sound like, what they mean and when to use them. From experience you'll learn there are times to be silent & other times to be very vocal! Best advice is to learn to use a diaphragm (mouth) call, the benefits out-weight the learning curve. You can "throw" the sound of the call to make the Tom think the hen is losing interest & moving away. You can also get them excited by using a mouth & friction call at the same time to mimic multiple hot hens. Most basic rule is that you'll almost never be able to call a gobbler in that is already with hens! Learn how to call-in the hens, the boys will follow the girls!

 

Text book scenario is when a Tom flies down into your lap or comes running in gobbling all the way. Life is good! Another situation you'll learn to dread is when they approach without gobbling. Worst case is when they stand their ground (hang-up) within sight, strutting & gobbling at your every call. Pretty much just teasing you & testing your patience. So...this is what makes it fun & frustrating, all at the same time!!! Hunting and calling to gobblers is an ever evolving experience, which you'll gain knowledge from each encounter to be used in future hunts.

[G-Man]

As much as is needed to get the bird.....

[dmandoes]

give them what they want

[ants]

After a tom has answered me a couple of times, and I know he is within 100 yds or so, I make one excited series of yelps and then I shut up for a while. Maybe just a soft cluck or two. Its hard to resist the urge to call back when a bird is gobbling at you but it works for me more often than not. Im no expert but I think the tom thinks that the hot hen is losing interest or has hooked up with another tom. A lot of times the bird will move in to investigate.

[turkeyfeathers]

Some great and true responses so far

[grampy]

Once I know a gobbler has heard my call,I will for the most part shut up. Just give him an occasional putt or a soft purr. I like playing the hard to get game. For me that works more than over calling. I'll use a triple reed mouth call with a variety of slate calls to give the impression of more than one hen.

[ATbuckhunter]

Great answers guys!