It is thought that turkeys have over 26 calls in their vocabulary. A description of some of the basic calls are listed below, to hear a demonstration of the calls below click and listen.

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THE PLAIN YELP - Sample
The yelp is the most commonly used call made by the wild turkey. Like the human voice, each turkey has its own pitch, tone, and cadence when yelping. The excited yelp is a series of fast yelping with cutting mixed into the series, usually at elevated volume levels.

CUTTING OF EXCITED HENS - Sample
This call can be heard at great distances, and is thought to be the hen’s version of a gobble used in the spring to attract gobblers. While cutting, the hen is at her most excited state of emotion. Cutting is a series of sharp, high pitched clucks with no real rhythm or pattern. It is used year round by hens and gobblers.

ASSEMBLY CALLING OR LOST YELPING - Sample
This series of loud yelps is used to assemble the hen’s flock. Many fall and winter mornings these long series of yelps are heard as the brood hens gather the young after fly down. The assembly yelping of the brood hen can end your chances of calling a bird to your setup during a fall hunt because the flock will quickly assemble to her.

THE TREE CALL - Sample
This is usually the first call you will hear from roosted turkeys. The tree call is a yelp that is soft and barely audible. Sometimes soft purring can be heard and associated with roosted turkeys and tree yelping.

THE FLY DOWN CACKLE - Sample
The cackle is generally a flying call, but is sometimes used on the ground. It can be heard when a bird is flying up or down from a roost. A cackle usually starts soft, but as the bird takes flight the cackle will get louder then taper off as the turkey lands. In the mornings, you will usually hear an elevated level of excitement before the turkeys fly down.

KEE KEE RUN - Sample
The kee kee is the lost call of a young turkey, but is used by adult birds as well. It's often heard in the fall, due to the number of young birds and large flocks that exist. Jakes generally use a four note call, which consists of three kee kee’s ending with a yelp.

CLUCKING AND PURRING - Sample
The cluck and purr can be used and heard year round. The cluck and purr is a perfect call to use while turkeys are close to reassure them that all is well. This call is also used as spacing while the birds are feeding.

THE PUTT - Sample
The putt is a sharp cluck and is an alarm call. After a turkey begins to alarm putt, the flock will generally leave the area quickly. Spring turkey hunters need to be careful not to use this call while trying to cluck at incoming birds.

THE CLUCK - Sample
Turkeys will use the cluck when trying to locate one another at close range. Turkeys use the cluck from the roost on many mornings. The cluck is a single note call, but can be two or more notes spaced several seconds apart.