This will be my first season of turkey hunting. I have hunted everything else, and now have the chance to do a hunt in Erath county for some turkey. I have a few diaphragm calls I can cluck and yelp on and a slate call I can make a decent variety of sounds on, but what are some of the key sounds and times to make those sounds In relation to positioning and posture of the bird? I have called for ducks and predators but this is a new realm for me. I have watched a few YouTube videos, but would appreciate any and all advice from veterans.

Keep it simple. I would recommend a decoy and don't overcall.
Locate the general area they roost by listening right before dark. After flydown a simple yelp will do and if you get him to answer two or three times and he is closer each time, quit calling and get in shooting position and be patient as he will be along shortly.Above all don't let him see ya move.If it doesn't go as planned, don't worry,the gobbler will show you what you did wrong and you will learn more from him than any source.
Having said that, it really don't matter, cause the way you been goin with that diaphram you're probably gonna call in two or three coyotes and they will scare him off anyway. Don't forget to put in a backup buckshot

Lol. Possibly so. I have 2 hen decoys, does 2 make it better than just one? I have heard too many becomes a hindrance. Along te same lines as any calling I know less is often more, but I was mostly curious how to begin a calling session. Thanks for your response. I don't plan on usin the diaphragm to make short shrill bursts of doin that has been the end of so many coyotes this past year unless I absolutely give up on the thunder chickens lol.

If you can roost the turkeys the night before, you are golden, if not, try an owl hoot "who cooks for you" in the morning to try to locate them.

From there, once the birds and animals try some tree yelps and purrs, keep them lower volume and shorter than normal yelps/purrs

Once the gobblers come off the roost, try normal yelps and clucks to get them to gobble. As Moe said, if they are coming your way, 1-2 clucks is all you need.

If they are henned up, you can stop calling to see if they come in. You can also gun and run by calling from ridgetops or treelines to try to get one to gobble.

I use 3 dekes since they came in a three pack, I put a standing jake out then a jake breeding a hen. Always seems to entice the Toms in to see who's breeding their hens.

They way the gobblers are acting right now you can call them with a car horn.

I second what scubaarchery says. I have been hunting Turkeys in PA. since 1998. Less is more. If I have one going the other way, I try to intensify the calling with yelps and cutting. A little louder. Just trying to make him mad. Good Luck!! You will be hooked. And by the way, don't plan on getting any sleep. This sport is very addicting!!

There ain't anything about huntin that doesn't get in your blood and become addicting. I can be content hunting park squirrels with a slingshot . I am lookin forward to this weekend hunt in Erath co. If no success there I would love to tag along to a thf member's lease for a weekend on my dime for fuel and food.

Let me know how this weekend goes. Have to wait until the 28th of April here in PA.

a good rule of thumb my grandpa taught me was dont start calling until you hear the crows come off the roost. said they both get off the roost about the same time and that if you wait to hear that you wont be sitting there at first light and start calling when they are still on the roost. this has always helped me. also if you can find a creek with big trees on it they often like to roost in those taller trees rather than short post oaks or mesquites. just a couple of things i have picked up on. good luck!

just read that you were going hunting this weekend.... erath is in the north counties and they do not open until march 31.

This weekend is youth season in the north zone if fit that criteris gtg

No I'm not going till April. It is a weekend hunt at a low fence ranch. I re-read my post and see the confusion by me saying "this weekend" regarding this weekend hunt I have planned in April.

No problem I didn't want you getting a ticket. My dad thought it was this weekend too and so I started to second guess myself lol I was hoping I had misread it so we could go this weekend! Good luck and just keep it simple and they will come in if they are around and in the mood!

Start off caling sequesnces softly, you do not want to spook a gobbler that is close but not known to you with loud caling. Turkeys talk alot but softly, get a bunch of hens together and if you are close enough you will see what I mean.

Usually start off with 3 yelps. On 2 occasions that is all that was required to kill two large Eastern gobblers. They flew off the roost and landed within 20 yards. Purrs, whines, soft yearls and clucks are all good for coxing a gobbler in that is close but not colse enough. If a Gobbler is hot and cutting you off there are a some other calls that work well, cackles and cutting will often work in that case.

If a gobbler comes in and the Waddles are bright read he is in an amorous mood f and you can get away with a lot more movement and mistakes once he is in range than if the waddles are pale blue almost white which indicates the gobbler os on edge and will leave at the slightest hint of danger. think of the waddles as a mood ring. Red hot and not worrried white and on edge about to leave.

If you get a gobbler in strutting they will often turn in circles, when the fanned out tail is between you and the gobblers hed there is no way he can see you so that is a great time to ger the gun in position for the shot if it is not already

Good luck and remember turkeys are one of the wariest creatures in the woods but they have birdbrains litterly, never heard of being called a birdbrain or turkey as being a complement or indication of intellegence. For example a turkey might walk up and down a fence for an hour or more before it remembers it can fly over.

Good luck and post some pics of the hunt

Good info there, thanks

Im hyper aggressive when it come to turkeys. I do anything I can to make one answer. If they answer and there is no hens then I do anything I can to make them cut me off with a gobble. After the cut off I go silent. If he gobbles more I give him a while before I answer. I think the key is cutting the ground in half on a lot of birds. I go to the birds. The downside is the chance of spooking the bird by moving in closer. I bust some birds but I kill a lot also. I like a cackle to get a cut off gobble. Some guy will not like how I do it and its not the only way but it has always worked for me. Blake

I still havent gone yet. Next weekend is when I go. Looking forward to it very much. Decided I am going to use my bow.