Center Feature:

Non-Intrusive Calling
Getting back to basics

By Nick Smith

Today’s turkey hunters can quickly become entwined in brand names, the current calling pros and the products they endorse. Our fascination with contemporary hunting and all its glitz and glamour has lead to a very common misfortune. We, as a turkey hunting cult, follow the crowd! Our knowledge base as a hunting and calling collective is a collaboration of what we hear and learn, often from today’s endorsing experts. Turkey hunters often fail to remember there are more than just the ABC’s of turkey vocabulary that is at their disposal. Programmed to think in the realm of today’s turkey hunting television personalities, many find themselves in a rut. Successful season after successful season, or rut after rut, it is ultimately my fault. Or better yet, one of my loud calling brethren who has put you in this loud and aggressive state of mind.

The Reason Behind The Madness

Pro staff members much like myself, are used to sell a product. We are sent to trades shows, sportsmen’s expos and put on television to peddle our wares. Nothing is sacred, nor should it be. This is the outdoor industry pure and simple. Yet, today’s turkey hunters are suffering from a lack of knowledge based on the need for free capitalism. To put it bluntly, most turkey hunters are only given the information deemed useful to sell a goodie and not a pearl that will put the turkey in the pot. As I travel around the Northeast hosting seminars and promotions, I am amazed at the lack of knowledge the majority of today’s turkey hunters currently possess. I say this with complete respect, as I often find myself on both sides of the proverbial curtain. Many turkey hunters I speak with recount decades of experience with lists of birds to their credit. In their mind, they have seen it all and now enjoy our great sport merely to be outdoors. If that’s what fuels your desire to embark on a May morning, God bless you. However, I find a larger group who considers themselves accomplished turkey hunters, yet strive to know more and better knowledge because they are not tagging birds every season. Once a period of a few days is set aside and ample scouting has been completed, there is no reason why anyone shouldn’t be able to tag a legal bird. Exploiting the exploding turkey populations found all over the Northeast, turkeys can be found almost anywhere. Hunting these finicky birds really isn’t difficult either, especially once a hunter is able to differentiate when to be loud and aggressive and when to be more natural and subdued. This is where Non-intrusive Calling comes into play. 

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