Jeremy Burnham said one thing he has learned is that a yelp is not the best call for a hung-up gobbler.
“Hunters yelp far too much at a hung-up gobbler,” he said. “A yelp is a great call to bring a gobbler within range, but once they start approaching, I think yelps can cause them to hang up,” he said. “It doesn’t always occur, and the yelp will often get a gobbled response, and a hot gobbler may gobble all the way in to yelps. Because I’ve experienced birds hanging up on me using yelps, I’ll yelp to get his attention, but once he is on his way I’ll back off to clucks and purrs. I believe that a yelp to a gobbler that’s getting closer sends a signal to stop, that the hen is coming to him. I think you can reduce the odds of a gobbler hanging up by switching to clucks and purrs.”
Burnham said a gobbler that is hung-up can still be taken, but a hunter must resort to different calls and changing locations to get the gobbler back on the move.
“The thinking then is to sound like a totally different hen in a totally difference place,” he said. “Avoid yelps at the new setup, and that gobbler may loosen up and come in. I’ve learned this approach may be completely silent on the part of the gobbler.”
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