As a turkey hunter, having a basic understanding of turkey vocalizations is absolutely essential for calling in and bagging birds One of the most common and important turkey calls to recognize is the yelp But what exactly does a turkey yelp mean and when should you use yelps when calling? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about turkey yelps and how to use them effectively.
The Basics of the Turkey Yelp
A yelp is a short, high-pitched vocalization that wild turkeys make, usually consisting of 2 notes – a higher note followed by a lower one. The yelp is one of the most frequently used turkey calls and it can have a variety of different meanings depending on the context.
Both male and female turkeys yelp. However, hen yelps are higher pitched, faster, and contain more notes than gobbler yelps. Gobbler yelps are deeper, raspier, and slower paced.
What Does a Hen Yelp Mean?
Hen yelps are primarily used as locator calls or to reassemble a flock, Essentially hen yelps are a turkey’s way of communicating “where are you?” and “come here!”
During mating season, hen yelps take on a different meaning, indicating that the hen is ready and receptive to breeding This makes the yelp an important call for hunters to master in order to lure in lovestruck gobblers
Here are some of the common meanings behind hen yelps:
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Locator call – A hen will yelp to figure out where other turkeys are and to call the flock together. Yelping allows the turkeys to find each other.
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Brood assembly – A hen uses yelps to gather up poults (baby turkeys) and keep the brood together.
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Mating call – In spring, a receptive hen will yelp to let gobblers know she is ready to mate, using an eager, excited tone.
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Flock talk – Hens use yelps as flock communication to maintain contact with other turkeys and signal their location.
When to Use Hen Yelps When Calling
As a hunter, knowing when to employ hen yelps is key to calling in gobblers effectively. Here are some of the best times to use hen yelp calls:
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Early morning – Yelp softly a few times after fly down to tell any nearby gobblers there’s a hen on the ground ready to mate.
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When you hear gobbles – If a gobbler sounds off, yelp back excitedly to mimic a lovesick hen and pull him in.
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If a gobbler hangs up – Try stringing together some eager, pleading yelps to convince a hesitant tom to close the distance.
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After calling – Throw in a few clucks and yelps between calling sequences to reassure a gobbler as he approaches.
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When hens are present – Use hen yelps to simulate flock talk and fit in with real hens that are with a tom.
What Does a Gobbler Yelp Mean?
While gobbler yelps aren’t used as frequently as hen yelps, they also convey important information:
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Location – Gobblers will yelp to signal their position to hens and other males.
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Responding to hens – A gobbler may yelp back to a hen’s call instead of gobbling to avoid alerting competitors.
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Dominance – In fall/winter, gobblers yelp during interactions over flock dominance and pecking order.
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Close range – A gobbler sneaking into a setup sometimes yelps rather than gobbles up close.
Other Important Turkey Vocalizations
In addition to yelps, there are several other key turkey sounds that hunters should be familiar with:
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Clucks – Short, one-note calls used by turkeys to get attention and locate one another. Also used by hunters to sound relaxed.
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Putts – Loud, sharp one-note alarm calls indicating a turkey has sensed danger.
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Cutting – Fast, excited series of loud clucks used by hens seeking companionship or to rile up a tom.
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Purring – Soft, rolling call of contentment and spatial relations. Can attract toms.
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Gobbling – The loud, resonating mating call of male turkeys in spring.
Putting Yelps to Work
Now that you understand the meaning behind turkey yelps, it’s time to incorporate them into your calling strategy. Here are some tips:
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Use hen yelps sparingly and only when necessary. Overcalling will seem unnatural.
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Make your hen yelps sound eager, upbeat, and excited like a lovesick hen. Put emotion and urgency into them.
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Avoid yelping randomly. Call with purpose, as if actually communicating with a turkey.
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Mix yelps with other calls like clucks and purrs to sound more natural.
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Adjust your calling based on how a gobbler responds. If he hangs up, get more excited. If he’s coming in quietly, call less.
Understanding what a turkey yelp means is invaluable to calling in and tagging birds. Use this knowledge to take your turkey hunting skill to the next level this season!
Basic Turkey Calling Sounds: Plain Cluck and Yelp
When you make turkey calling sounds, you speak a second language.
To do so effectively, you need to know the calling sounds to imitate birds and fool them into range. While roughly thirty call distinctions can be heard in the wild, fewer than half of these turkey vocalizations are usually used. Some hunters make just several. Others employ as many calling strategies as possible.
Many spring gobbler hunters make two basic calls: the plain cluck and hen yelp. Others include roost clucks and tree yelps (a.k.a. tree calling), fly-down cackles, cutting (loud and fast clucks), lost yelps, purrs, gobbles — even the kee-kee sounds of young birds to enhance their turkey calling game.
Clucks differ by sex. Gobbler clucks are often low-pitched when compared to a hens. Clucks for both turkey hens and toms can be spaced out, often two to three seconds or more between calls. Sometimes the bird might make just one. This sound may be soft or loud, situation depending.
The plain hen yelp is roughly three to eight notes long, and its the calling option most often employed by spring turkey hunters to lure gobblers to setups. As with other vocalizations, turkeys make it to indicate their position.
Hen yelping is higher-pitched than the deeper, coarser yelping of gobblers. Tom turkeys yelp with a slower cadence as well and yelps are generally fewer in number — often three notes: yawp, yawp, yawp. In the spring, a jake (juvenile male turkey) will sometimes yelp rather than gobble on the approach.
When looking for flock mates, or other lone hens and gobblers, turkeys call. Its an effort to get another bird to call back, step into view and reveal its exact location. Its basically a wild turkey asking, Where are you? or saying, Come over here where I am.
By making turkey calling sounds while hunting, you can communicate directly with the spring gobbler youre after. Other times you can try to lure a territorial hen into range, hoping this boss bird will drag a strutting tom along to your gun or bow. Fall birds respond well to calling too.
Vary the turkey calling sounds you make the same way real birds do. Listen to turkeys as they call too. Theyll teach you plenty.
Steve Hickoff is Realtrees turkey hunting editor and blogger.
Learn How to Yelp in 3 Steps | Turkey Mouth Call 101
FAQ
What is a turkey yelp?
YELP: A basic hen sound often delivered in a series of single note vocalizations.
What does it mean when a turkey pecks you?
Turkeys may attempt to dominate or attack people that they view as subordinates, and this behavior is observed most often during breeding season. They may also respond aggressively and peck shiny objects like windows or vehicles, interpreting their own reflection as an intruding turkey.
What does it mean when a turkey is a gobbler?
To gobble something typically means to eat it quickly or greedily, but gobble has a specific turkey-related sense in reference to the guttural sounds the bird makes. Gobbler is a common nickname for a male turkey, in addition to the generic meaning “one that gobbles.”
What is the difference between a Yelp and a cluck?
Like the yelp, the cluck is also commonly used in a series. Unlike the yelp, it is less uniform and more erratic. The cluck can be heard in conjunction with purrs when a turkey is milling about at peace with the world. In the video below, you can hear this hen clucking and purring.
What does a Turkey Yelp mean?
The two-note yelp might be the most basic turkey sound. Yelps can mean about anything depending on a variety of factors such as number, cadence, volume, and more. To keep it simple, just remember they’re primarily used by hens as locator or brood-assembly calls, and they’re also used as a vocal indicator that a female is ready to breed.
Is a Turkey Yelp a sound of pain?
A turkey yelp is not a sound of pain. While yelping is one of the sounds made by turkeys, it does not signify pain like the yelps made by dogs or other animals. A female turkey uses her yelp to communicate her location to a male and express her eagerness to meet him. Yelps are loud turkey sounds produced by connecting single notes.
Why do turkeys Yelp?
The first yelps are brief, soft, and muffled because a turkey makes them with its beak nearly closed. Turkeys use tree yelps to communicate with other birds in a flock, and as the flock awakens, they become louder and louder until they evolve into full-fledged yelping as birds prepare to fly down.
Can a Turkey Yelp with a mouth call?
There are a variety of words hunters will use to imitate a yelp with a mouth call. “Yelp,” “chuck,” and “shock” are just a few of the words commonly used to humanize the turkey vocabulary. Yelping is not exclusive to the female turkey. Toms will also yelp. This is an example of a jake yelping. Notice how the tone is deeper than most hen calls.
What do turkey calls Mean?
Saying the right thing at the right time may mean the difference between securing the main course for dinner and going home empty handed. Let’s examine 11 of the more common turkey calls and what they mean. The sound turkey hunters want to hear in the woods. Designed to attract females and repel competing males. The least understood turkey call.