Turkey Calls

[Gunowner99]

Now you know I will bug the heck out of you all when I am trying something new, sorry. So, for me the beginner, any advice on a call starter kit or where to begin on buying a few calls? I see so much out there but I know you all will distill it down for me. Thanks!

[Steeltrap]

What do you think you would like to use? Mouth calls can be very effective.....but you have to practice A LOT to become effective. "Scratch" calls (slate, aluminum, glass) are also very good.....but again practice is required. Box calls work very well, require practice, but are a little easier to use and a little more forgiving if you screw up.

Being new....don't consider a suction call yet. That requires a lot of practice and they are easy to screw up.

Always remember, it's more about "cadence" of the call than it is the sound.

[Gunowner99]

Oh boy, so I should maybe get a box call and maybe a scratch call to start? Suggestions on any that are inexpensive but effective. Depends on the caller I know.

[TooBigToFit]

To me, I think a pot call of some sort (slate/glass/etc.) is the best balance between versatility and ease of use for a beginner. It's fairly easy to make all the sounds you need on one (yelps, clucks, cutts, purrs), and volume control is also intuitive.

Box calls are very easy to use, but, mainly for yelping. Doing the other vocalizations is doable, but I find them trickier to do on a box call than anything else. To me, if you need to be loud, a box call is hard to beat.

Mouth/diaphragm calls have a reputation for being tough to use. But there's quite a few months between now and opening day, and I'm sure you could figure it out if you put enough time into it (and if you don't died of suffocation from accidentally swallowing the call).

I think you should pick up a pot call, and a diaphragm call. Diaphragm calls are cheap, worst case, you're out the cost of a meal at McDonalds. If you're picking up a diaphragm call, try and get a 2 reed, and definitely not more than 3 reeds. The more reeds it has, the more air you need, and the harder it is.

Learn the pot call when you're at home. When you're commuting to and from work, try learning the mouth call. Pop it in, learn how to position it with your tongue, get used to not gagging and choking, and learn how to make the sounds.

For either one, if you can learn how to yelp, you have a chance of getting a turkey. I find that for the mouth call, decomposing the yelp into 2 parts is most helpful in learning. Learn the high part (I usually try to say "key"), then follow it with the low part (drop your jaw a bit, I say "yuck"). Do it slow, then speed it up. It'll eventually start sounding like a yelp.

Buy the proper conditioning material for your pot call and striker (it depends on what the call material is, but usually a light ScotchBrite pad won't hurt anything, you may need sandpaper for other things). I carry the stuff with my calls when I hunt. When you're done using the mouth call, clean it off, and don't let it dry out (avoid leaving it on your car on a hot day, for example).

[Gunowner99]

Good idea to practice in the car as my wife would be driven crazy ha ha! More to consider but I am understanding a little better, a lot to learn!

[Boondox]

If I cared , I wouldnt mention this ..... but it took me almost a year to figure out the mouth call.
My friend who is a retard , picked it up instantaneously???
I was less then pleased obviously.
I love the mouth calls.
Forget people TELLING you how to use it , and forget trying to follow the directions.
Get someone patient to SHOW you in person is best I think.

I also have an old box call I use.

Here's my tip..... I like to use the mouth as a locator in the spring ......
but when I set up or in the fall season ................ I like to use the mouth and box call together.
I do not pretend to be a single bird .... I pretend to be a couple birds.
Despite all the people who will claim fall calling is pointless ...... it is not.
In the spring they come in for love ...... they are still a social bird to an extent and will come in during the fall because they are a social bird.

If I thought for one second you hunted my locations ............. I wouldnt have mentioned any of this.

Good luck , it's fun for sure.

[gghbi]

If I thought for one second you hunted my locations ............. I wouldnt have mentioned any of this.

Good luck , it's fun for sure.

Spoken like a true and sucessful turkey hunter. Same goes for fishing holes.

[eatmydust]

Turkey calling is probably the second most important part of the hunt, woodsmanship, patience, patience, patience and learning to read turkey body language and communications is paramount to consistently killing Spring gobblers and Fall turkeys.

I got extremely lucky and killed a Spring gobbler my first year of actually hunting turkeys. Then I spent about 5 years trying to duplicate my harvest with no success. During that drought though, I practiced mouth diaghram calling, and tried virtually every type of turkey call available. I also spent more time in the woods because of my lack of success than if I had become the "master hunter" I thought I was. Turkey hunting can be a frustrating past time and it's also my favorite type of hunting.

Nowadays, I stick to several diaghram calls, a box call and one of the small push-rod type calls. 95% of the time I use the mouth call with the others as change of pace type calls when nothing seems to work. Youtube is your friend, as is a turkey calling CD, use them. Checkout the NWTF website, the PGC's website, especially anything by Mary Jo Casellaina(sp?), the PGC's top turkey biologist.

Mainly, get out in the woods and scout, hunt and enjoy the awesomeness of PA's natural beauty and bounty. You'll screw up alot early on and like everyone else, you'll figure it out with enough persistence. Be safe and enjoy it.

[R L Suehr]

Try learning using the mouth call. Once you get it, it's the most versatile one. I take my with me when I go to work and practice on the truck. I started with one as a teenager and picked it up pretty quick. My father, never got the hang of it and still uses box/slate calls. He's way better with those than the diaphragm call. For spring you can pick up a gobble call too. They can help get the big ones in range.

[rensdd]

Once you get your call, you can go to you tube and search turkey calling, some have good instruction.