The hen turkey has an impressive repertoire of vocalizations she uses to communicate From soft murmurs to loud excited yelps, learning to identify key hen calls can help anyone hoping to hunt or observe wild turkeys. Keep reading to discover what sounds hen turkeys make and what each unique call means
The Hen’s Basic Yelp Call
The most common sound a hen turkey makes is the yelp. This is delivered as a series of single-note, modulated cries. Often, a hen will yelp in a series of 6 to 10 notes over 2 to 4 seconds.
Yelping serves many purposes for the hen turkey, She may yelp to
- Attract a mate
- Gather her brood
- Signal her location to other flock members
- Communicate with gobblers
- Express alarm or alert the flock
A plain yelp is often the first call a hunter will try to imitate when calling in turkeys. It is the quintessential turkey sound that carries well in the spring woods.
Excited and Assembly Yelping
Two variations on the basic yelp are the excited yelp and the assembly yelp.
The excited yelp is similar to the plain yelp but louder, more rapid, and more emphatic. A hen makes this call when worked up over something or to demonstrate aggression.
An assembly yelp is a louder, more drawn-out series of yelps. A hen will make this call to gather separated flock members. Hunters can use an excited or assembly yelp to call in groups of feeding turkeys.
Softer Hen Turkey Vocalizations
In addition to her yelping, a hen turkey uses subtler sounds to communicate. These softer calls include:
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Clucks – Short, staccato one-note sounds to get attention
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Purrs – Soft rolling call that signals contentment
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Tree calls – Series of muffled yelps from a roosted hen
These quieter sounds help hens keep in contact without drawing attention. A hunter may use them when a gobbler is nearby to avoid spooking him.
The Hen’s Alarm and Alert Calls
Hens also have specific vocalizations to signal danger or raise an alarm. These alert calls include:
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Putts – Loud, alarmed clucks that mean “danger!”
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Cutts – Rapid, loud clucking often mixed with yelping. This shows excitement.
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Cackles – A series of staccato, increasing pitched notes made when flying up to or down from the roost.
A wise hunter listens for these calls, as they indicate the hen is alarmed and may flee. Reproducing them can sometimes shock a gobbler into revealing its position.
Unique Sounds of Hen Turkey Poults
Poults – baby turkeys – also have distinctive calls. Their peeping and high-pitched cheeping allows the hen to locate and gather her brood. If separated, poults may make a “kee-kee” sound consisting of three shrill notes.
Why Understanding Hen Vocalizations Matters
For turkey hunters, correctly identifying and reproducing authentic hen calls is key to success.
Knowing when to use excited, content, or alarm calls can make the difference in convincing that old tom to come investigate.
Even just mastering the basic yelp will put you ahead of the game. Take time to listen to recordings of real hen turkeys and learn to mimic their diverse vocal language.
Doing so will lend realism to your calling and help you bag more spring gobblers and enjoy the unique experience of hunting the wily wild turkey.
More Turkey Hunting Tips
Below are some additional useful tips for hunting hen and gobbler turkeys:
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Use a box call, slate call, or mouth call that allows making realistic hen yelps, clucks, and purrs.
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When you hear a gobbler sound off, sit quietly for 10-15 minutes before yelping. Avoid aggressive calling too early.
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Mimic the cadence and tone of answering hen yelps to mimic a real hen.
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Stay hidden and still in your camo when calling. Movement and noise will alert turkeys.
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End calls abruptly if a gobbler gobbles mid-yelp. This sounds like a startled hen.
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Use a decoy to draw in tentative gobblers for a better shot opportunity.
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When hunting a gobbler with hens, try aggressive yelping to lure the dominant hen away from the group.
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Stay patient. Calling in leery boss gobblers tests patience. Avoid overcalling.
Understanding hen turkey vocalizations takes practice, but pays off in the spring woods. Do your homework and you’ll be greeting more sunrises with a heavyweight gobbler strutting into range!
There are a wide variety of different sounds or vocalizations made by wild turkeys. Listen to them here.
There are many factors that go into successfully hunting wild turkeys, including calling them at the right place at the right time. Knowing the distinctly different sounds wild turkeys make in specific situations will increase you chances for a successful harvest and make you an all-around better wild turkey hunter.
Sounds courtesy of Denny Gulvas of Gulvas Wildlife Adventures.
The adult hen assembly call is a series of loud yelps, usually a little more emphatic and longer than a standard series of yelps. The assembly yelp is used by a hen to assemble her flock or young poults. It is a good call in the fall when trying to call a scattered flock back together. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The cluck consists of one or more short, staccato notes. The plain cluck often includes two or three single note clucks. Its generally used by one bird to get the attention of another and a good call to reassure an approaching gobbler that a hen is waiting for him. This is a great call while trying to encourage gobbler to come into range if he starts to hang up. It can also be used while birds are still on the roost to subtly let a gobbler know you are there. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The cluck and purr is a cluck followed by a rolling, almost staccato call. It is often associated with flock talk or the feeling of contentment. Typically not a loud call, though sometimes it can be amplified, it is good for reassuring turkeys as they get close to your position. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
Loud, sharp clucks that are often mixed with yelping. Cutting is a sign that turkeys are excited, not alarmed. Cutting has several uses in hunting. If a gobbler is henned up, and one of the hens is cutting, you can cutt back in an attempt to bring her to you. You will want to mimic her calls, while cutting off her vocalizations and being a bit more excited. The goal with this tactic is to lure a dominate hen to you for a fight, often times bringing the gobbler with her. You can also cutt when you have tried soft calling to a gobbler that is hung up. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
Similar sounds and notes as a plain yelp but much more excited, rapid and with more volume. This is not a sign of alarm, but indicates that a turkey is worked up about something. If a gobbler is henned up, you might be able to bring him to you by picking a fight with the dominate hen in the flock. Yelp at her excitedly, cut off her vocalizations with your own calls and you might lure the hen, and the gobbler with her, to you. You can also use an excited yelp when you have tried soft calling to a gobbler that is hung up. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
Fly Down or Fly-up Cackle
A cackle usually consists of three to 10 irregularly spaced notes, loud and staccato, increasing in pitch as the call nears its end. The cackle is generally associated with leaving the roost, but can also be heard when a bird is flying up to a roost. A fly-down cackle is good call to tell a gobbler that a hen is on the ground. However, a fly-down cackle often works best if the gobbler is already on the ground before you call. Otherwise, the tom may stay on the roost; waiting for what he thinks is a hen turkey to come to him before he flies down. A fly-up cackle can also be a good tool when trying to locate roosted toms, as it may get a roosted tom to gobble. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The gobble is a loud, rapid gurgling sound made by male turkeys. The gobble is one of the principal vocalizations of the male wild turkey and is used primarily in the spring to let hens know he is in the area. Hunters must be cautious using a gobble, especially on public land where it may attract fellow hunters to your position. It can also be a double-edged sword. A gobble may draw a dominate tom to you looking for a fight or you might drive away less dominant birds who want to avoid a beating. It is often used as a call of last resort. However, it can also be used effectively late in the evening when trying to get a tom to gobble on the roost. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The kee kee is usually a three-note call that lasts about two seconds. A variation of the call, the kee kee run, is merely a kee kee followed by a yelp. The kee kee is the call of lost young turkeys and variations are also made by adult birds. Its often associated with fall hunting and is used to reassemble a scattered flock. It can be used in the spring to make you sound more natural – especially on public land where it may set you apart from all the other hunters using yelps and cutts. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The plain yelp of a hen is a basic turkey sound and is often delivered in a series of single note vocalizations. The plain yelp can have different meanings depending on how the hen uses it, but it is basic turkey communication. It is also commonly used by a hen to communicate with a gobbler during mating season. This is a basic turkey hunting call. If you can yelp, you have a chance of being able to call in a turkey. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
Purring is a soft, rolling call turkeys make when content. It is a low vocal communication designed to keep the turkeys in touch and often is made by feeding birds. This is not a loud call, but is good for reassuring turkeys as they get close to your position. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The putt is a single or several sharp notes. The putt is generally associated as an alarm and usually means the bird has seen or heard something and is signaling danger. This can be useful when you have a gobbler in range, but cant get him to raise his head or stop. However, before putting at a gobbler it is best to have your shotgun ready and on target. Once you raise the alarm by putting, you will have little time to shoot and the bird will take off at the slightest movement. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
The tree call is a series of soft muffled yelps given by a roosted bird that sometimes picks up in volume as fly down time nears. Maybe accompanied by soft clucking. It is generally acknowledged as a call to communicate with others in a flock. It can be used to let a gobbler on the roost know you are there. Your browser does not support the audio tag.
Best Wild Turkey Hen Calling and Yelping 2
FAQ
What sound do hen turkeys make?
Do female turkeys make noise?
Why do turkey hens cluck?
Will a hen turkey come to a call?
Do turkeys make a gurgling sound?
There is a myth that only male turkeys can make the gobble sound; however, hens can make the loud, rapid gurgling, just as chicken hens can crow. A purr is a low, soft, rolling sound, like a kitten’s purr. A contented kitten will make a soft purring sound. A contented turkey also makes a soft purring sound.
What sound does a turkey make?
A turkey gobble is the best-known turkey sound. The gobble is the turkey version of crowing. When a turkey gobbles, they make loud gurgling sounds. This is one of the most recognized sounds these birds make. However, they usually gobble in the spring when the male announces to the females that he is close by.
Why do hens make clucking noises?
Mother turkeys sitting on eggs will make cluck and purr noises as she talks to her unhatched poults. The sound is reassuring and encouraging to the birds in their eggs. When a male approaches, hens become excited and make cutting noises. Cutting is a turkey sound that indicates a hen is excited.
How do you Cluck a hen turkey?
The key is to learn the proper context and intensity to generate a quality cluck. Cutting is a series of fast, loud clucks. Cutting is the most sexually aggressive of the hen turkey sounds.