Houndstooth Game Calls

We celebrated the life of my friend, George Mayfield, this weekend. One of the speakers at his funeral was Steve Bowman, an outdoor writer. He spoke about a turkey George had named "Old Crooked Toe."

This hunt took place in 2014, before the YouTubers and podcasters were chasing him for content. George was largely known through print and television because of Steve Bowman. George was Steve's go-to man on anything hunting. There's no telling how many hunting and outdoor articles were written about George over the years.

George was known for game management and was a superior turkey hunter.

I met George, Steve, and another gentleman for a turkey hunt before daylight one morning in west Alabama. George wanted me to take Steve hunting that morning, and he showed us on a map where he was going and where he wanted us to start.

Steve and I headed to our spot, and sure enough, there was a turkey gobbling in a thinned pine plantation. We got set up, and that turkey was gobbling every breath on the limb. I let him hit the ground before I said a word to him. Then I got to cranking on him.

I'm pretty sure I was running a three-reed V-cut, and I remember the turkey moved parallel to us and got to the spot he wanted to be, what I think was a logging deck. He stood his ground, and every time I called, he answered. We built that conversation to a fever pitch, and then I shut the calling off.

Pure silence.

That old gobbler finally made his move.

He slipped in front of us, coming right to left, but Steve couldn't get a shot. There were too many pine tops in the way, and the pine rows had been hipped up, so you'd see him for a second and then he'd disappear. Finally, he slipped by us.

We started walking around the edge of a big cutover next to the pines. George texted me and asked how we were doing. I told him we were looking for another willing participant.

He asked if I could see a corner where the pines met the pines and the cutover met the cutover. I told him I could.

He said, "Slide over to that northern corner of the pines. There's a turkey gobbling there. I'm on the other side of him and can't do anything with him."

Steve and I eased into position, and on the first yelp, he gobbled. I waited a few minutes and yelped again. He gobbled right on top of us. About that time, I caught sight of him.

He walked to within about 15 yards of Steve, and Steve let it rip.

George texted me and asked, "Did you get him?"

I replied, "Yes sir, we did."

George texted both of us back and said, "Y'all have got a long walk back to camp," with a smart reply. Hahaha.

He was just messing with us.

We gathered up the turkey and headed toward George and the other gentleman. Evidently, it was Old Crooked Toe, a turkey George had been after because of his crooked toe.

I had completely forgotten about that turkey's old crooked toe until Steve mentioned it while speaking at George's funeral this past Saturday.

After the service, I walked up to Steve and hugged him. He reminded me that the turkey story he had just told was about the crooked-toed gobbler we killed that morning.

George was one hell of a turkey hunter. He was as in tune with the turkeys on the properties he hunted as we are with the interior of our own homes.

If George told you there was a turkey somewhere, you'd better listen, because there was one there.

I am thankful for him bringing me into his circle of friends, for the wisdom he shared with me, and for the experiences he afforded me throughout the years.

Looking back now, I realize those hunts were never just about the turkeys.

They were about time spent with a man whose knowledge, generosity, and passion left a mark on everyone fortunate enough to know him.

George's legacy lives on in the stories we tell, the lessons we carry into the woods, and the friendships he helped forge along the way.

The woods feel a little different without him, but his influence will echo through them for generations to come.

If you know my wife, Mrs. Summer is quite the Southern cook. She definitely has a gift for it.

We often get asked how we prepare wild turkey, so we thought we'd share one of our favorite recipes with you. This simple fried wild turkey recipe is packed with flavor and makes a great meal for family and friends.

Fried Wild Turkey Recipe

Ingredients

• Wild turkey breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Buttermilk
• 1 jar of jalapeños (including the juice)
• All-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Your favorite seasonings

Our Favorite Seasonings

• Tony Chachere's
• Garlic Salt
• Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• Kinder Salt, Pepper & Garlic Blend

Directions

1. Cut the wild turkey into small, bite-sized pieces.
2. Place the turkey in a bowl and soak it in buttermilk and one jar of jalapeños, including the juice.
3. Let it soak for at least 6 hours, but overnight is even better.
4. Drain all liquid from the turkey.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour and your favorite seasonings.
6. Heat vegetable oil to 325°F–350°F.
7. Coat the turkey pieces and jalapeños in the seasoned flour mixture.
8. Carefully place them into the hot oil.
9. Fry until golden brown and cooked through.
10. Serve hot and enjoy!

Why We Love This Recipe

This recipe is simple, easy to make, and brings out great flavor in wild turkey. The buttermilk helps tenderize the meat while the jalapeños add just the right amount of flavor. It's one of our favorite ways to serve wild turkey when family and friends are gathered around the table.

Good food and good company have always been a big part of the hunting tradition, and this recipe checks both boxes.

Watch the Video

We also put together a video showing how we fry wild turkey.

If you enjoy it, we'd appreciate you subscribing to the channel.

~ Lyle & Summer

If you turkey hunt long enough, it’s going to happen.

You get a bird fired up. He answers every time you call. He sounds like he’s coming. Your heart’s pounding. Then all of a sudden, he stops.

He’s still gobbling. He’s still interested. But he just won’t take those last few steps.

That’s what we call a hung-up gobbler, and it’ll test your patience in a hurry.

The good news is, a gobbler hanging up doesn’t always mean the hunt’s over. Most of the time, it means something in his mind just isn’t adding up. If you can figure out what that is, you’ve still got a shot.

Why Gobblers Hang Up

Before you can fix it, you need to understand why it happens.

A gobbler usually hangs up for one of a few reasons:

• He expects the hen to come to him
• There’s a fence, ditch, creek, or thick cover between the two of you
• He got to a spot where he should be able to see the hen and doesn’t
• He’s with real hens already
• He’s been pressured and has learned to be careful

Most of the time, that bird isn’t scared. He’s just stuck. Either mentally or physically.

The Biggest Mistake Hunters Make

When a gobbler hangs up, most folks do the same thing.

They call more.

Then they call louder.

Then they cutt, yelp, and plead with that bird until he either shuts up or walks off.

I’ve seen more hunts ruined by overcalling a hung-up gobbler than just about anything else.

If he already knows where you are, calling harder usually doesn’t fix the problem. A lot of times it makes him dig his heels in even more.

My First Move: Shut Up

If I’ve got a gobbler hung up, the first thing I usually do is get quiet.

That may sound backwards, but think about it. If a hen was calling to him and then suddenly went quiet, what’s he going to do?

A lot of times, he’ll start looking.

And when he starts looking, he may take those few extra steps you needed all along.

Sometimes the best call you can make is no call at all.

Soft Calling Still Kills

If I do call to a hung-up bird, I’m usually going softer, not louder.

A few soft yelps. Maybe a little cluck and purr. Just enough to let him know that hen is still there and still relaxed.

That soft stuff can be deadly, especially on a bird that’s already committed but needs a little reassurance. Getting the clear front end of your turkey yelp right can make those soft calls sound a whole lot more natural.

If you start hammering on him when he’s hung up, it can sound desperate and unnatural. Soft calling feels more real.

Pay Attention to the Terrain

A lot of hung-up gobblers aren’t really hanging up because of your calling. They’re hanging up because something between you and them is making them stop.

It could be:

• A fence line
• A creek bank
• A logging road
• A patch of thick brush
• A rise in the terrain where he wants a visual before coming farther

Turkeys like to see where they’re headed. If that bird has reached a point where he thinks he ought to see a hen and doesn’t, he’ll often stop right there.

That’s why setup matters so much. Sometimes the problem started before the first call was ever made.

Sometimes You Need to Move, Sometimes You Don’t

This is where experience comes in.

If I know the bird is locked down in one spot and the terrain is the issue, I may try to slip closer if I can do it without getting busted.

But that move has to make sense.

If the woods are open, the leaves are crunchy, or he’s likely to spot movement, I’m usually better off sitting tight and letting the bird make the mistake.

Moving on a turkey can save the hunt, or ruin it in one second flat. You’ve got to read the situation.

What If He’s Gobbling But Won’t Come?

That bird is still huntable.

Just because he won’t close the distance right away doesn’t mean he’s done. I’ve had birds stand in one spot and gobble for what felt like forever, then finally ease in quiet.

That’s another reason not to get impatient.

A lot of hunters leave too early, call too much, or force the issue when all they really needed was five more minutes.

If you’re trying to mix in a different sound when a bird stalls out, knowing how to do soft kee kee runs to a turkey could possibly make him make a move.

What I Do If He Starts Drifting Off

If I can tell the bird is losing interest or starting to go the other way, I may hit him with something a little sharper.

Not a panic routine. Just enough to make him think that hen is walking off or getting interested in something else.

Sometimes that little change in emotion will turn him.

But even then, I’m not trying to do too much. Just give him a reason to gobble again and reconsider.

If you’re still figuring out what kind of call best fits your style, this breakdown of turkey call cut types explained will help you understand why certain calls run easier or sound different in the woods.

Pressured Birds Are a Different Deal

Late season birds and heavily pressured gobblers are some of the worst about hanging up.

They’ve heard every call in the county. They’ve probably had hunters yelp at them from bad setups all week long.

Those birds usually need less calling, better positioning, and a whole lot more patience.

That’s where soft calling and letting the woods settle down can really pay off. If you need help cleaning up your sound, these turkey mouth call tips are worth a look.

Final Thoughts

If a gobbler hangs up, don’t panic.

Most of the time, that bird is still interested. He just needs something to make sense before he commits.

Get quiet. Call softer. Pay attention to the terrain. And above all else, don’t let impatience talk you into ruining a hunt that’s still alive.

Some of the best birds I’ve ever killed made me wait longer than I wanted to.

That’s turkey hunting.

And when it finally comes together, it’s worth every second.

And once season’s over, don’t forget to keep your gear ready. Here’s how to tune and maintain your turkey calls for peak performance.

If you need a call that can go from soft and subtle to sharp and aggressive when the moment calls for it, take a look at our handmade turkey calls. Every one is built to sound right when it matters most.

Good luck out there, and hunt safe.
~Lyle

If you ask most folks what the best time to kill a turkey is, they’ll tell you right off the roost.

And they’re not wrong.

But what a lot of hunters don’t realize is some of the best opportunities you’ll get all season don’t happen at daylight.

They happen after the woods go quiet.

Mid-morning is when a lot of hunters are heading to breakfast, back to camp, or climbing down thinking it’s over. Meanwhile, that’s when things can actually start getting good.

What Changes After Fly Down

At daylight, gobblers usually have one thing on their mind.

Hens.

If they’re already with hens on the roost or fly down into them, your job just got a whole lot harder. He’s not looking for you. He’s already got company.

That’s why early morning hunts can be frustrating. You hear him gobble, he sounds fired up, but he goes the other way.

That’s not the end of the story though.

Why Mid-Morning Gets Good

As the morning goes on, those hens start drifting off to nest.

And when that happens, that gobbler that ignored you earlier is suddenly by himself.

Now he’s looking again.

That’s your window.

A lonely gobbler at 9:30 or 10:00 is a whole different bird than one surrounded by hens at daylight.

Less Pressure, More Opportunity

Another thing working in your favor mid-morning is pressure.

Most hunters are gone by then. The woods settle down. The calling stops. The movement dies off.

That gobbler has likely heard a bunch of bad calling early. By mid-morning, things get quiet, and a natural-sounding hen stands out a whole lot more.

If you can sound like the only real turkey in the woods, your odds go up.

How I Hunt Mid-Morning Birds

I don’t hunt mid-morning the same way I hunt fly down.

Early, I’m trying to be set up where I think a bird is going to be. Mid-morning, I’m covering ground and trying to strike one.

I’ll ease along, stop, and call. Then listen.

Not rushing. Not stomping through the woods. Just moving with a purpose.

When I do strike one, the game changes quick.

Striking a Mid-Morning Gobbler

Mid-morning birds don’t always gobble as much.

Sometimes you’ll get one to fire off right away. Other times, you’ve got to work a little for it.

I like to mix in different sounds. Yelps, cuts, and every now and then something different if needed.

If you’re looking to expand your calling, knowing how to run a kee kee turkey mouth call can give you another sound that birds don’t hear as often.

Sometimes that change is all it takes to get a response.

Once You Get a Response

Once a gobbler answers mid-morning, you need to slow down and hunt him smart.

These birds are often by themselves, but they can also be cautious.

I’ll set up as quick and quietly as I can, get comfortable, and start working him.

Not overcalling. Not forcing it.

Just sounding like a hen that’s in the area and easy to find.

If your calling isn’t clean, it can cost you here. That’s why it helps to understand turkey mouth call tips that help you sound natural and relaxed.

Be Ready for a Quiet Approach

Just like in early morning hunts, mid-morning birds don’t always come in gobbling.

In fact, a lot of them will come in quiet.

You may not hear another sound after that first gobble.

That’s why you need to stay ready, stay still, and keep your eyes working.

If you’ve learned what to do when a gobbler hangs up, you already know how quick things can change.

Mid-Morning Mistakes to Avoid

• Leaving too early
• Moving too fast and blowing birds out
• Calling too much after getting a response
• Not setting up properly once you strike a bird

Most of the time, the opportunity is there. Hunters just miss it because they think the hunt is over.

Final Thoughts

Mid-morning turkey hunting doesn’t get talked about enough.

But some of the most cooperative gobblers you’ll find all season are walking around between 9:00 and noon looking for a hen.

If you’re heading back to the truck early, you might be missing your best chance.

Slow down. Stay longer. Hunt smarter.

And when the woods go quiet, don’t assume it’s over. That’s when it can just be getting started.

If you need a call that will run soft, loud, and everything in between, take a look at our handmade turkey calls. They’re built to sound right when it matters most.

Good luck out there, and hunt safe.
Lyle