Tips & Tactics

Turkey Calling — for Deer?

Turkey Calling — for Deer?

By Matt Maurice

Do you hunt in areas where deer get a lot of pressure from hunters? If so, I have a tip for you that’s pure poison on spooky deer.

You might think my tip is crazy, so first I’ll let you know I’m a veteran hunter with more than 35 years experience and more than 42 bucks to date — triple that number for does.

Years ago, as I sat in my stand on public land without having seen a deer all day, I began to get discouraged. To break the boredom, I went through my hunting vest to take inventory.

My slate turkey call from spring was still in there, so I decided to polish it up a bit. That’s when it occurred to me to try something.

I began to yelp, cluck and purr softly, imitating the sounds of a turkey feeding peacefully. The next thing I knew, deer were practically coming out of the woodwork!

The deer all appeared within 30 minutes after calling, with several does and a couple of young bucks arriving first. An 8-pointer was the next to show, and I used it to fill my freezer.

My theory is when deer hear turkey feeding, they assume everything is safe in the vicinity and let down their guard.

This trick has worked many times over the years, and I have made the turkey call a permanent addition to my deer gear.

I hope you’ll give my trick a try!

Editor’s Note by Tim H. Martin

Although I’ve not yet tried Matt’s turkey call tactic, I witnessed something on another continent that leads me to believe his theory will work.

While bowhunting at waterholes in Africa, I learned the larger animals will hold back and not drink until a guinea fowl flock comes to the waterhole.

Guineas are the African equivalent of the American wild turkey, with sharp eyes and spooky nature. If they say it’s safe to drink, antelope, zebras and other game will trust them.

Hunters allow the flock to drink and leave, then have bow in hand, because the big stuff is about to arrive.

Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.

Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd