HAMBURG - When Matt Morrett talks about the techniques that make one a winning turkey caller, the five-time world champion from Linglestown is focusing on filling a tag during spring gobbler season - not winning more hardware.
As the head of Zink Game Calls Turkey Division, Morrett has already had a busy spring season traveling around the country filming hunting programs for next season's segments of "Avian X" on the Pursuit Channel. Before heading out on the road, however, he took time to appear for what has become one of the most popular annual late-winter seminars at Cabela's in Hamburg.
Presented with his usual relaxed, easy-going manner, Morrett's sessions are more like an exchange of ideas among friends than a lecture by an instructor to his students. That is not to say that there is not something to be learned from him, even by those who are his senior.
While this year's seminar touched upon several topics, questions about and exchanging ideas about calling was a recurring item of interest. Like always, Morrett reminded his audience that calling technique is like other factors of hunting spring gobblers. A good thing for hunters to remember when taking to the woods for Pennsylvania's Saturday, May 3, opening day of the season is that every proven technique will work, but it will not work every time.
"You will hear a lot of people talk about not over calling, but to me that means not calling aggressively," Morrett said. "I think the proof of that is not learned by attending seminars or watching programs on television, but by actually getting out into the woods and listening to and observing hens.
"There is no better learning tool than being with a hen or hens, and the first thing you're going to realize is that hens talk constantly. Most of the time they are making contented putts and purrs and clucks that often go on for minutes.
"Hens have a steady cadence to their calls, which is far more important for hunters to imitate than worrying about pitch or tone because not every bird sounds the same. When a gobbler hears that steady, relaxed calling it is more likely to come in and investigate than it is to loud aggressive calling."
Morrett said this approach is excellent for attracting a gobbler, but if he begins to respond with a rapid series of gobbles the chances are he is on the way. When that happens, there is nothing wrong with some aggressive calls in return, but once the gobbler is interested and coming it is time to cut back - or even stop - calling.
"If a turkey's gobbling back to you every time you call to him, then quit calling," Morrett said. "He knows where you are, he's excited about finding you, and more than likely he's on his way to you.
"When he's only gobbling now and then it means he's not excited, so it's only natural for that hen to try and make him excited by calling more and calling more aggressively. Just remember that once that bird's gobbling and coming to you, call less and call softly because you've done your job.
"A lot of this is a matter of getting a feel for how the bird is responding, but chances are the more you call to an aggressive gobbler the more likely he's going to stop and hang up at 60 or 70 yards just out of range. If he reaches a point where he feels the hen that's calling should see him and come running, he's going to stop and expect her to close the distance rather than keep coming and looking for her."
While Morrett made his reputation and earned his world championship titles using a pot call, in the field he never limits himself to one type of call because various types of calls each produce their own unique sound. That includes carrying different types of the same kind of calls such as pot calls with slate, glass and aluminum surfaces.
As for diaphragm mouth calls, even if carrying those with multiple reeds, add variety by having a selection with various cuts to produce a full range of tones. And, of course, there is the tried-and-proven box call, which no turkey vest should be without.
Just remember that no matter what call is used to begin a conversation with Mr. Gobbler, make sure Ms. Hen sounds like a lady.