Gobble
TomsThe signature spring sound — a loud, rolling vibrato a tom uses to advertise to hens and challenge rival males. It carries across a valley at dawn and is what hunters listen for to locate a bird on the roost.
Wild turkey reference · Sounds
Turkey sounds + calls.
A gobble that rolls across a dawn ridge, a hen's soft yelp from the cover, and the one sharp putt that ends a hunt. The full turkey vocabulary — what each sound means, when the bird makes it, and how a hunter turns a hen call into a tom in range.
The vocabulary
Seven turkey sounds.
Yelp
Hens (and toms)The basic turkey call — a series of clear, evenly-spaced notes. A hen yelps to communicate location and assembly. It's the first call most hunters learn because a hen yelp is exactly what pulls a spring tom in.
Cluck
BothA short, sharp single (or double) note meaning 'I'm here, all is calm.' Soft clucks reassure an incoming tom; they're a maintenance call mixed with yelps to sound natural and content.
Purr
BothA soft, rolling, contented sound made by relaxed, feeding birds. A purr tells a wary tom the area is safe — often the finishing touch that closes the last few yards.
Putt
BothA sharp, loud single note — the ALARM. A putting turkey has seen or heard danger and is about to leave. It's the sound a hunter never wants to hear, the turkey equivalent of the elk's bark.
Cutt
HensA loud, fast, irregular series of sharp clucks — an excited, aggressive call from a fired-up hen. Cutting can challenge a tom and trigger an aggressive gobble, a way to locate or fire up a stubborn bird.
Kee-kee
Young birdsThe whistling call of young turkeys (poults), used especially in fall to regroup a scattered flock. Fall hunters imitate the kee-kee to call scattered birds back together.
For hunters
Speak hen, and the tom comes looking.
Spring turkey hunting is a calling game, like elk in miniature. The tom gobbles to find hens; the hunter answers as a hen — soft yelps, a few clucks, a contented purr — and a fired-up tom struts in to find her. Match the bird’s mood: aggressive cutting can fire up a hot gobbler, while soft purrs finish a wary one. And never trigger a putt.
The full tactical breakdown — roosting, setups, decoys, and the roost-to-gun morning — is in the turkey hunting guide.
Frequently asked
Turkey sound questions.
What sounds does a wild turkey make?
Wild turkeys make a varied set of sounds. The famous one is the tom's gobble — a loud rolling call used in spring to attract hens and challenge rivals. Hens and toms also yelp (the basic location call), cluck ('I'm here, all calm'), purr (contented feeding), putt (the sharp alarm), cutt (an excited, aggressive hen call), and kee-kee (young birds regrouping). Hunters imitate the hen sounds to call a tom into range.
Why do turkeys gobble?
Toms gobble in spring to advertise their presence to hens and to challenge rival males during the breeding season. The gobble carries a long way through the woods, especially at dawn from the roost, which is exactly why spring turkey hunting works: a hunter locates a gobbling tom at first light, then imitates a hen to draw him in.
What is the basic turkey call for hunting?
The yelp is the foundational call — a series of clear, evenly-spaced notes that a hen uses to communicate location. A hunter imitating soft, natural hen yelps (mixed with clucks and purrs) is exactly what a spring tom expects to hear from a receptive hen, which is what pulls him into range. Beginners should master the yelp before anything else.
What does it mean when a turkey putts?
A putt is the turkey alarm. It's a sharp, loud single note a bird makes when it senses danger, and it usually means the turkey is about to leave or has already busted you. If a tom you're working starts putting, he's seen or heard something wrong — the same role the alarm bark plays for elk. The goal in calling is to never trigger a putt.
How do hunters use turkey calls?
Spring hunters imitate a hen — yelps, clucks, and purrs — to convince a gobbling tom that a receptive hen is nearby, drawing him into shotgun or bow range. The art is matching the tom's mood: aggressive cutting can fire up a hot bird, while soft clucks and purrs finish a wary one. Calls come as diaphragm reeds, box calls, pot-and-peg slates, and push-button calls; most hunters carry several.
From the page to the field
Hunt spring Merriam's at Elk Glade.
Elk Glade guides three-night spring Merriam's turkey hunts on the south slope of Pikes Peak, with the private-land early opener a week ahead of public seasons. Full strut, ranch country.
