Turkey calls.

[SCUMFROG]

This will be my first year turkey hunting. I was wondering what kind of calls every one uses? I have a slate that I've gotten very good at. Last weekend I got a thing called "The egg", it mounts to your gun barrel, it sounds ok. I can't use the mouth calls, I was born with a clef pallet and those thing make me gag. I also have a hoot owl, barred owl, crow and a hawk call for locating. I was also thinking of getting a coyote call but I'm not sure witch one to get, can some one suggest a good one? And what about a box call.

[Cooter]

Hey you're gonna love turkey hunting! I suggest adding a box call and another friction call such as a glass or aluminum call w/carbon striker - these are high pitched and carry far, plus can provoke a gobble when they're shut mouthed. I like HS black widow(anodized alum?) and MADD super crystal(plastic pot, not the wood pot).

Yote calls? Open reed call, not even sure what I got. You just gotta be able to make a loud, high pitched blast on it. Doesn't really have to sound like a yote - you can use almost any open reed call such as a varmint distress or elk call.

Also, get several different strikers for that slate call and any other friction call you buy, each will give the call a different sound. Good luck, later.

Hey, one more thing. If you can roll your tongue, flutter it, whatever, its great with the owl call. End your sequence with some sharp stacoto(sp?) bursts and it drives em nuts. Think machine gun fire

[brittman]

Scouting is the best avenue to succeeding in bring home a gobbler.

[buckpredator]

I think another important thing is practice. I have also been drawn this year so now, like in years past when I have been drawn I have been practicing with all the different calls I have. It really pays off come spring when one call isn't working you can just switch to another and it might make all the difference in the world.

P.S. One locator call that really works for me is a gobbler shaker call. Good luck

[Borch]

Well this is what I recommend to folks especially beginners. Get a good boxcall. It's a very versitile call that most folks can play well with a little practice. Doubles as a good locator call as well. Get two slate type of calls. The actual slate surface is generally easiest to play. Then add either glass, crystal or aluminum. Then pick up 3-5 different strikers. Each striker will give the call a slightely different sound. Pair this with the different surfaces and you have lots of options. Then pick up a locator call. Lots of hooter, crow and coyote calls out there. They'll all work at times.

The benefit of the mouth calls are they didn't require movement to use and wet weather doesn't effect sound quality. Downside is they are more difficult to use.

The push/pull peg/button calls are easy to use but often product poor quality sound and are less versitle than the other options.

Custom versus production calls. It's all in the eye/ear of the beholder. Most production calls are very effective for calling turkeys in the right hands. Custom calls may sound a little better(better to who? The hunter silly. Turkeys don't need to buy turkey calls) but they really shine in they looks and personalization to the personality of hte hunter using it.

Good Luck!

[HateHumminbird]

Scumfrog:

First off, welcome to the turkey site officially, and welcome to a lifetime of turkey hunting fun! Most agree, that once you've been bitten by this bug, it's a tough one to shake. Either way, glad to have you!

As far as calls are concerned, it sounds like you have your bases more than covered. In fact, too many calls can be quite the hindrance, psychologically, and in the field. Carrying them around can be a chore, and psyching yourself into changing calls all the time isn't always a good idea. Make it a goal to be a refined caller with a handful of calls, rather than so-so at all of them. If you have the time to practice and become good at all of them, then more power to you!

I'd focus on only a couple of the mainstays however:

-mouth/diaphragm

-slate

-box

Don't give up on the mouth calls just yet if possible. There are several manufacturers that sell a diaphragm with a plastic dome over the reed, allowing you to seat it properly without feeling the gag reflex as easily. Mouth calls are the only "motionless" option when a bird is in tight.

They're easy to learn and sound good on, but you don't necessarily need a box call. They can be a pain to carry, especially on long sneaks or calling forays. I will carry a box call on a windy day to reach out there, or if leaf-out has already occurred. Especially with the pushpin call you have, and if you learn the mouth call, I think you have more than enough to give the birds a few different "looks." You could also think about a different striker for your slate to give a different sound.

You have more than enough locator calls IMO. Save some money and use it to buy gas to get to your hunting area and do some scouting. Brittman's advice cannot be overstated.

Joel

[SCUMFROG]

Thanks for all the info.

jnelson, I do have one of those mouth calls with the dome on it and my mouth is to small for it. I did get some little mouth calls but to me they sound to squeaky. Maybe I should try them again.

I will get a box call when they start stocking them in a week or so. As for the box calls I've noticed they are short ones and long ones. I'm going to assume that they will produce different sounds.

I do have 2 slate calls one is glass and the other is some sort of synthetic stuff. And I think I've got like 4 strikers.

[brittman]

I use a mouth diaphram call 75% of the time. Confidence in your call is a key component. You must add some character (ie urgency, ....) to your calling.

I have several experiences where the mouth call seemed to move a gobbler further away. Switch to a box call and he came running in.

Friction calls (slate, glass, etc) are all very good, but for me they were the hardest to learn to call well. I have begun to master a few. The purr on a slate call is about as easy (and effective).

I also agree it is easy to get weighted down. I love a backpack to carry these things in. Many (maybe most) turkey hunters use a vest.

Decoys and a small portable blind also are along ... some days they are used ... many days they sit in the truck.

[HateHumminbird]

Primos now makes those types of mouth calls I think. Maybe they have a youth model? Keep trying!!!

Go and try out a number of box calls. Just remember that you have to carry that thing in the woods with you. The longer/larger paddleboats have a different sound, many times louder, but I couldn't carry that thing all over if I had to the way I hunt.

I've tried out quite a few, and have settled on the Primos Lil' Heartbreaker. Even it is a little bigger than I'd like, but I love that call. Very loud if you want it to be, and very scratchy with a high frequency. That call carries, and really gets birds excited. Some of the best gobbling responses I've ever gotten have been when using that call to get them fired up. Just remember to shut up right after that if you ever hope to see them.

Hard to beat a Lynch's Foolproof for the clucking. That's about the most realistic quiet cluck I've ever heard a call make. Most slates do a good job with this.

Joel

[Borch]

HS Strut also makes them and they are pretty easy to used(trough calls I believe). Most of these calls are also trimmable to fit your mouth.

Sounds like you have several calls already. Everyone has their favorives.

My favorite box including a couple custom calls is the Quaker Boy Grand Ol Master. I don't have a lot of confidence in the waterproof boxes yet. I have also used Lohman's boxcall majic and it does watefproof a boxcall but does change the pitch quite a bit. The Lynch and Halley Calls are very good boxcalls for the money as well.

[TomBow]

Primos also makes some "stacked frame" calls which provide more separation between the latex reeds compared to standard mouth calls which have reeds which are stacked right on top of each other. I found that the stacked frame calls are a little easier to use and don't get "spit-clogged" as easy as standard calls. Proper fit is the most important thing IMO with mouth calls, trim the tape a little at a time until the call is comfortable in your mouth. Practice like crazy. try this: get the call fitting well in your mouth, blow air from your diaphragm and mouth the "word" shuh, shuh, shuh, shuh. This "word" will put your tongue in the right position. You don't need a lot of tongue pressure, and don't overblow the call. The above instruction is just what worked for me, as I said, Practice, practice and figure out what YOU need to do as far as mouth position and tongue pressure in order to get good sounding calls. Good Luck!

[Wallydog]

Here are a few of my weapons of choice..............

WD

[SCUMFROG]

That stuff in the brown bottle, does that help call them in?

[Wallydog]

Only after the sun goes down......................

Still a priority in "turkey camp".

[Cooter]

The 'stuff' in the brown bottle helps you hear them better in the morning Or hear them even if they're not gobbling!!

[SCUMFROG]

If I was drinking that stuff I wouldn't want to hear any thing in the morning.