A common hunting technique is using a locator call to prompt a shock gobble from a mature tom turkey, thereby giving away it's location so you can cut the distance and work the bird into shotgun range. Locator calls consist of mouth-blown calls like the Magnum Crow Call, Shock Gobble Owl Call and the Screamin’ Hawk Call, and loud turkey calls like box calls.

But, each of these calls has its time and place. Here are a few hints on the proper time and place for each of these effective locator calls:

• Shock Gobble Owl Call - We'll begin with this call since it's the first one you should pull out of your vest in the early morning darkness. The standard owl call requires the hunter to create backpressure by loosely covering the end of the call with his cupped free hand. Knight & Hale’s Shock Gobble Owl Call with Hoot Enhancer takes care of the back pressure for the caller, so that all that needs to be done is create a “who, who, who cooks for you” by blowing into the call.
• The owl call is the go-to call for early morning shock gobbling. If it draws no response and you know there are turkeys in the area, try the Magnum Crow next. Blow it loudly and aggressively. Add a little guttural sound by growling while calling to add the gravelly sound that really fires up gobblers.
• Put the owl call back in your pocket as the sun comes up and go to the Magnum Crow or Screamin’ Hawk. Those hours between 7:30 and 10 a.m. seem to be perfect for crow calls. Call quickly in short bursts and then go silent so you can listen for a response.
• If the crow call looses its effectiveness or you hit a new area in midmorning, try the Screamin’ Hawk. Loud single notes or pairs of notes will elicit a shock gobble.
• Many hunters go to a box call by late morning, and especially afternoons in those states where it's legal to hunt then. Box calls produce a lot of volume and often will get a shock gobble from a lonely tom.
• Yelping on a box call can be so loud, however, that they're best used when spot checking - driving to a certain area, getting out and ripping off a few yelps. If you're running and gunning a contained area, you may not want that much volume. That's when a simple diaphragm or friction call works best. Walk several hundred yards, give the cutts of an excited hen and wait for a response.