Owl Calls

[DirtTime]

Back in my early 20's I used to use and owl call as a locater. It worked pretty well.

Once I was in the general area for the first sit I would do the old "Who cooks for you...Who cooks for you." while it was still dark.

Does anyone still use one?

What are your thoughts?

[mlammerhirt]

Have it in the vest....hit an miss at best for me. Have had equal luck with a crow call as a locator.

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[grampy]

I would use the owl call to locate roost birds the night before the hunt. During the day, a crow call or even better a peacock call for a locater works well for me.

[DirtTime]

Have it in the vest....hit an miss at best for me. Have had equal luck with a crow call as a locator.

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I heard the crow call works better, just never tried one. Crows are so populated in all areas I just never thought it would do any good.

 

I would use the owl call to locate roost birds the night before the hunt. During the day, a crow call or even better a peacock call for a locater works well for me.

This is good if you are camping the land or live really close. If you have to drive 40 minutes to an hour, using it the night before isn't so easy.

 

 

I asked because the area in the NZ I hunt has a resident owl. For the past two summers every night we have camped up there he/she comes and visits us ever night just before dark. I have also heard it while hunting deer up there in the early mornings and heard a few turkey reply. That doesn't mean that a fake call would get them startled though.

[nyantler]

I still use it quite a bit... I spent years learning to mimic the bard owls at camp and have gotten pretty good at calling with my mouth. I have called many an owl right to my camp in the evening while sitting by the fire. It is fun listening to the owls answer getting closer and closer until they finally are wooting in a tree directly above the camp before realizing they have been had. It still works well as a locator for Tom's.

Edited February 14, 2016 by nyantler

[Dom]

I use one but did not have to buy it.I can make owl sounds by blowing through my hands.

[maytom]

For the life of me I can't work an owl call at all!!! But, I can do an impressive call with my natural voice. Go figure?

[hunter49]

I use to use a owl hooter at the crack of dawn which worked well, but now I don't wake up until the crack of dawn & go hunt. I also use a crow call with one loud blast then listen. If you call to much you'll miss the gobble.  We use to make our owl calls out of a 6oz. juice can with a piece of copper tube solder to it & blow across the 3/8" hole we drilled in one end of it, they worked pretty well.  I do the "who cooks for you" thing with my mouth pretty well also, the grand kids think I am nuts walking around doing it often. lol

[The_Real_TCIII]

I have two friends that do it with their voice and they call in actual owls, it's pretty amazing

[DirtTime]

Surprised a few use the owl call either vocal or with a fabricated call.

 

I was looking at some crow calls today. Going to add one to the pack for this spring. Can't hurt.

[TreeGuy]

I'll do the owl to " put them to bed" the night before a hunt. I usually try to be noisy around 1hr before dusk since they usually don't go to far. I have practiced a bunch and almost perfected the voice version... As far as crow, its my go to call after sun up for locating, also pretty good with the voice but not close on volume of the Reed call. If that doesn't get any response I start yelping.

[turkeyfeathers]

I have one I've had for 35 years. Pretty sure it was one of the first type to get used in the wild. A Zelinski made it. It's a V8 or such type of can with brown tree bark type of camo. He's since passed but heard he was a tremendous turkey hunter. I carry it in my vest but it hasn't really fired up too many birds. Even the crow call is hit and miss. With miss most of the time.

Rob , perfect description of how to use it.

[Bowguy 1]

An owl hooter can work awesome to locate birds. I use them constantly when pre season locating. Look at the Harrison Hootin stick. James Harrison just got first at the Grand Nationals in Nashville and it's not the first time., he has a you tube video out that shows usage, the laugh during owl calls gets em best. Remember keep your calls short, Midwest turkey supply sells the calls as does Hooks custom calls. You can buy the call in multiple woods fairly inexpensively or go even cheaper n get synthetic

[wooly]

I have two friends that do it with their voice and they call in actual owls, it's pretty amazing

 

Who....who...?

 

 

[Pygmy]

My natural voice owling is not that great, and my results have not been that great as far as getting gobblers to sound off..I have tried a couple of owl hooters and they aren't that great either.

However, I have a couple of buddies who can owl VERY well, and I have been impressed with their results...Once again, sometimes a general approximation of a REAL call will get results, but day in and day out AUTHENTIC calling gets the job done...The guys who sound like a REAL turkey get results..The guys who sound like a REAL owl, get results..

I don't use locators on an everyday basis, but personally I have had best results with a good,LOUD, raspy open reed crow call.

[Lawdwaz]

I use my owl hooter every hunt but if I had to choose between it and a crow call, the crow call would win, hands down.

 

 

But then again, I'm one of those dreaded Run N Gun turkey hunters, most of the time.

[Lawdwaz]

I have one I've had for 35 years. Pretty sure it was one of the first type to get used in the wild. A Zelinski made it. It's a V8 or such type of can with brown tree bark type of camo.

 

Hmmmmmmmm, A. Zelinski?

 

OR............

 

G.S.Wasinsky? 

[turkeyfeathers]

Hmmmmmmmm, A. Zelinski?

 

OR............

 

G.S.Wasinsky? 

Dang, that's it. George I do believe. Thanks for the correction. You know of them I assume ?

[Lawdwaz]

 

 

Edited February 15, 2016 by Lawdwaz

[Lawdwaz]

Dang, that's it. George I do believe. Thanks for the correction. You know of them I assume ?

 

Yup, the first one I ever bought. 

 

More pics to come.......

[turkeyfeathers]

 

<a href="http://s131.photobucket.com/user/lscott_06/media/IMG_7617_zpsylvpqpdz.jpg.html"target="_blank"><img src="http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p301/lscott_06/IMG_7617_zpsylvpqpdz.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_7617_zpsylvpqpdz.jpg"/></a>

Awesome !!! Guessing you've had that call for many a years too ? Heard a story of he and his brother setting a "flock" of decoys in a field one foggy morning. They left .came back and couldn't ever find them again. Something to that effect.

[Lawdwaz]

The only other owl hooters I've owned............

 

P.S Olt on right and Primos on left: (the Olt was modified long ago but I was never thrilled with it, hence the Primos purchase)

 

 

This is the go-to hooter for me.  Thousands of miles on it...........

 

[Pygmy]

Actually, Larry you could leave the owl call at home and just use the crow call.

Despite what many hunters think, gobblers will gobble at a crow call ( or a car horn or ANYTHING loud) well before fly down and think nothing of it.

Runnin' N Gunnin' is how I killed the vast majority of my gobblers..Actually, it was more like " walkin' N Talkin"..I would cover several miles on foot morning after morning trolling for an active bird.

I did this day after day during the spring season for many years.I was fortunate to have many hundreds of acres of land available for me to hunt.

I've slowed down the last 5 or 6 years, though...Spending lots more time sitting on my butt .

I'm really beginning to like it..I get more time for NAPS and still manage to kill a turkey now and then

[Lawdwaz]

A brace of the ONLY crow call I'd ever own.......Faulks C50 (yupper, wood calls!)

 

 

And all the players in a family shot..............

 

 

 

[Lawdwaz]

Awesome !!! Guessing you've had that call for many a years too ?

 

Yup, probably got it in 1981, 35 years ago like you mentioned. 

 

I don't know if I've used it in 30 years though.  Just a little dusty!!