It’s the great turkey hunting debate. Which is the better hunting method, run and gun, or immediately set up, call and wait them out? With over 50 years of turkey hunting experience under my belt, I’ve watched many great turkey hunters from both sides of the fence with many gobblers flopping on the ground.
I’ve also witnessed quite a few heated arguments on the topic. Turkey hunters are a hard-headed lot, especially when they are defending their position about how they hunt wild turkeys. Successful turkey hunters carry egos as big as the shotguns they pack, and very few of them subscribe to the idea of admitting they are wrong about their turkey hunting tactics, especially when they have ample evidence to prove their point. Most video footage, photos, or buddies who witnessed said hunts to support their theories.
I’m not suggesting that this grand argument will ever be resolved, at least not as long as there are two turkey hunters left in the woods. I do, however, hope to shed some light on the reasoning behind the thoughts of each camp on this most controversial of turkey hunting subjects.
Two of the most successful turkey hunters of all time, whom I’ve been personally acquainted with for decades, and whom I’ve hunted with many times are Ray Eye and Walter Parrott. They are both from the Missouri Ozarks and know one another very well. However, Eye is a die-hard supporter of the run and gun, call until their ears bleed camp, while Parrott is a staunch supporter of calling softly and hunting birds as if they were always looking at you. Who can argue with these two super successful turkey callers and hunters?
I’ve been convinced for decades that most turkey hunters begin running and gunning because turkeys will not come to their calling, and they don’t know what else to do. They hear a turkey gobble at a distance and begin calling. When the tom doesn’t head their way in a few minutes, they chase after it. If they experience success with this method, running and gunning becomes their way of turkey hunting.
As long as I’ve known him, Ray Eye has been the ultimate call hard, go hard turkey hunter. I’ve hunted with him on several occasions when he had a turkey gobbling, but it did not gobble enough to suit him or did not come his way soon enough. I’ve heard him say it many times. “Let’s forget this gobbler and find one that wants to play.”
Ray Eye is an exceptional caller. He easily entices gobblers to do things that I could never get them to do. He is bold and aggressive. He calls long and loud and moves often if birds don’t cooperate quickly.
“Not every turkey in the woods gobbles on a given day,” Eye said. “I figure only about one in five gobbles the best of days. “So, I don’t like to spend a great deal of time on a bird that is don’t react well to my calls. I know from my experience that most of the time if one bird doesn’t work, I can move on and find one that will.”
At the other end of the spectrum is world class caller Walter Parrott. Parrott, too, is an exceptional caller and turkey hunter. However, he prefers to call quietly and rely on his patience to work gobblers into range.
“Gobblers are crafty birds,” Parrott said. “I’ve seen many turkey hunters scare birds off before they even get started on a hunt by starting with loud calling. Turkeys hear much better than us. That’s why I always start calling very softly. If a bird responds, I set up and begin working it. If a bird does not respond, then I begin calling louder, especially on windy days.”
Parrott also believes in sitting tight to wait gobblers out. “Patience is key to killing gobblers consistently,” he said. “Impatient hunters have kept more gobblers alive than you can imagine. Calling too loudly and moving too quickly are common mistakes. Hunters so often scare toms away that they don’t even realize are nearby.”
“You can’t see far in the thick woods, and a gobbler’s eyesight is far better than ours,” Parrott said. “Moving too much and calling too loudly become your enemy. If you are having a tough time killing birds, you are more than likely committing these two big turkey hunting sins. My advice is to always to hunt wild turkeys as if they are looking right at you!”
There you have it, the best of both sides of the great turkey hunting argument. Choose your side or adapt to both sides of the fracas. Utilizing both tactics has worked for me. Of course, my family history dictates my behavior. A grandfather several generations removed belonged to both the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Choosing sides often complicates matters.
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