Hunting With Bill Massey

An Expert Dispels Some Myths Of Calling

By Hank Strong

I first met Bill Massey at Sycamore Island, a store in southern Indiana. He was giving seminars on turkey hunting while I demonstrated a new inline muzzle- loading shotgun.

He is a champion caller; a top-notch deer and turkey guide who is not only at home in the woods, but is comfortable on stage delivering a seminar. Bill makes turkey hunting sound easy, and it is when you do it his way.

During a break we were introduced. He questioned me when I told him I thought a muzzleloader was superior to his his shotgun. We quickly came to an agreement: if I could prove my statement he would teach me how to hunt wild turkeys, provided I let him use the in-line on a turkey hunt.

The store had a 50-yard range so at the next break I screwed in the full choke tube and loaded the gun for him. Bill set up his target at 40 yards. One shot convinced him to hunt with the gun. It was already the middle of turkey season, so we made a date for my first lesson the following day.

Two things Bill is adamant about are wearing good camouflage clothing and using turkey decoys. He believes that camouflage clothing is a hunter’s first line of defense against a turkey’s natural instincts.

Bill quickly pointed out that in a few days a hunting area can change colors from a mixture of warm earth tones of browns, tans and shades of gray, to one filled with varying shades of green. He believes a hunter should try and match his clothes with the color of the terrain he’s hunting in so he can blend in with the spring foliage.

Bill uses turkey decoys to help lure a reluctant Tom within range. The more hen decoys the better, because it’s easier for the Tom to locate a large flock of birds. He prefers to set the decoys up the night before when possible. This allows the hunter to move into position quickly and quietly early in the morning and not disturb the surrounding hunting area.

Once the Tom locates the decoys he will focus on them and isn’t as cautious. Bill pointed out that “A Tom doesn’t have a curious bone in its body. So, the least little disturbance or movement can spook him.”

He went on to say “ When decoys are used the Tom becomes more concerned with mating than with danger.”

Before we went into the woods Bill showed me how to set up a spread of turkey decoys in a vacant field close to his home. We set up the Feather Flex hen decoys low to the ground, but high enough so the wind would move them when it blew. The flock was spread out with the hens five to 10 feet apart. This would give the impression the flock was feeding.

The real surprise came when he pulled “Bubba” from the sack of decoys. At first I was stumped, then Bill explained the strategy.

“While a Tom decoy only offers a slight advantage, it’s one I like to use. When a Tom sees a male with a flock of hens in his territory it can cause him to throw caution to the wind and come charging in to get rid of the intruder.”

Bill usually places “Bubba” 25 to 35 yards in front of the flock. This is a natural position for a Tom when he’s drumming. More importantly it’s a safe position for you to be in if an unscrupulous hunter decides “Bubba” is the real thing, which has happened on occasion.

During the exercise in his yard Bill emphasized the importance of being quiet and not disturbing other wild game when moving to a hunting area.

“Sometimes I’ll spray fox urine on my clothes because I’m less likely to spook a deer and have it snort,” he said. “Stealth is extremely important during the late season because the Toms have been pushed very hard, and they are starting to lose interest in mating.

“Remember those birds have heard calls from hunters and other birds and they are starting to become leery. So your three Cs, calling, camouflage and concealment, become very important.”

Calling was one aspect of turkey hunting that always gave me trouble and I had not mastered it. Bill was quick to point out that I didn’t need to be an expert at turkey calling to be successful hunter.

After all, not all turkeys sound alike, so why should my turkey call sound perfect? He stressed the importance of calling softly and to space my calls. Calling too loud and too often is worse than a less than perfect executed turkey call.

Over the years Bill has found that a Kee Kee run call would bring the hens into the hunting area and the Tom would follow them. That afternoon was devoted to teaching me how to use certain calls. First he taught me to recognize the difference between a hen and jake calling. A jake will call “kee kee” like a hen but it only makes one yelp. Once the hens answer it’s time to cluck and purr very softly while scratching in the leaves to imitate a hen feeding in the woods.

The next question I had seemed obvious to me, which type of call is best, a friction or mouth call? Bill’s answer surprised me.

“Both calls are excellent. What’s important is to learn how to use the call and integrate it into your style of hunting correctly. A mouth call does offer the lone hunter an advantage over a friction call. You can get into a tight shooting position and hold it while calling. However, if the hunter is using a friction call he has to lay it down and then get into a shooting position. This added movement could be just enough to spook a bird.”

He suggested a hunter use a blind when using a friction call. I had a portable blind from so I set it up in front of a large tree. Bill stressed the importance of setting this type blind up in front of large tree for protection and camouflage.

He added that a hunter should try and incorporate other vegetation into the overall camouflage scheme of the blind. He had me practice working my calls in the blind, then quickly switching into shooting position. The blind masked my hand movement from the prying eyes of a Tom and enabled me to quickly get into position.

Bill has several tricks he uses for locating trophy Toms. One is to use an owl call just before dark. If the Tom answers then Bill quickly sets up his decoys for the days hunt. Sometimes this requires a louder than normal call to get a response, but it can be a quick method for locating a Tom.

Another is to look for turkey signs. Bill is constantly looking for turkey tracks when he is scouting. When he finds a turkey trail he studies the tracks carefully, looking for a Tom’s tracks. A Tom’s track will have a longer center print than a hen.

May apples are one of a wild turkey’s favorite treats. However, late in the season most of them are usually gone so he concentrates on berry patches. Over the years he’s found that wild turkeys love eating any kind of berries.

In the spring they become a drawing card for wild turkeys. Once he locates a patch he studies the tracks left by the flock. If a stream or pond is nearby he may walk the shoreline looking for that telltale long center track from a Tom. Bill was quick to point out that wild turkeys love to feed on small frogs and other aquatic life when it’s available.

After loading the decoys and equipment into his truck Bill spoke.

“Look I’ve kept my part of the bargain. Now I want you to teach me how to load, and use that muzzleloader for my next hunt. But, first, I want you to explain how that gun was able to shoot a tighter pattern at 40 yards than my Mossberg at 35 yards?”

“Tomorrow Bill, I said. “I’m too tired right now.”