optimum time to start calling?

[hawglips]

Here's the scenario.

After a long morning of walking and searching, you find what you think is a brood flock, just over the rise. It's a great opportunity to scatter them, so you rush in and get a good scatter, and finish it off with a good secondary scatter.

You look around and choose a great place to set up and call. You sit down and get comfortable.

Now what?

When do you start calling?

What calls do you use?

[WillowRidgeCalls]

As a rule, most times you can start calling about a half hour after you break them, but that depends somewhat on when you break them. In the last two days I've busted 3 flocks, 1 late in the afternoon and two in the mornings. The flock I busted late in the afternoon started kee keeing as soon as they landed, it took the brood hen about 10 min to start clucking. The flock this morning I busted off the roost and it took them about 45 min to start clucking with a couple yelps. They were very vocal this morning, a lot of tree pitting, and a few deep cutts, and a couple yelps. The flock yesterday morning was a flock of gobblers, as I was moving in, I busted one and then rushed in to bust the others. It took almost 2 hours before I heard a couple deep clucks.

[hawglips]

As a rule, most times you can start calling about a half hour after you break them...

Any rationale behind this rule?

Some guys like to wait till they hear a bird start calling before they call.

[eggshell]

Hey I am really impatient and I usually start calling soon after I set up. If nothing answers I wait and throw a kee kee run out every once in a while. I have had birds answer from immediately to an hour later. However, I rarely wait an hour if I have not got an answer in 1/2 I'm moving. I have picked up scattered birds by moving the direction they went. One rule though, if you hear that old hen start assembly yelping cover her up hard and nasty or go commando and charge her, your hunt has taken a serious turn the wrong way if you don't.

[hawglips]

I don't have a whole lot of experience with fall birds that I've scattered, but I've always thought it sense to be the first bird calling after the break. It's worked well for me when I've done that.