Beginner Call

[Guest ncwhiteoak]

Last year was my first year in the turkey woods, and i fell in love with it. Didn't kill a bird but we got set up on a right nice gobbler a few times, and my buddy called some hens in.

I've never done any calling, my buddy did it all, so my question is what is a good box/slate/mouth call for me to begin with and practice on so I can be somewhat prepared to call for myself this spring.

Thanks

Happy Huntin to all

[LifeNRA]

I started out by using a mouth call. But that is not the call I think some one new to the sport. Get a slate style call and a box call. You don't need to spend a ton of money on one either! I like the Primos slate style calls. I have the glass version and the one with frictionite. The mouth call takes lots of practice. You need to find one that fits your mouth. Sometimes this involves a little trimming. If you do a little goes a long way! I have found the Primos mini Sonic Domes work great for me.

[buck-hunter84]

im askin the same question!

what is a good mouth call?

[MichiganHunter]

I like to tell people to start with a box call/push button just because it is easy to use. But i would say if you are goin to buy them now, start gettin your self a couple. A few mouth calls and a good slate/glass call or two. but u have got to practice before u go tryin to run a bird down. I like H.S. Strut and Primos calls, but anything u are comfortable with will work just fine.

[Hoyt03]

For mouth calls I really like the woodhavens especially the red wasp. I also really like Hally caller, Grand C calls and of course mountainside.

[Guest Steve_Foate]

If you want a great mouth call I believe one of the best is the Pro-series by Woodwise. go to

www.woodswise.com

[Guest Steve_Foate]

Start with get a good box and or push box call.

Then go on-line and send for Tree top turkeys and get one of their CD's on real turkey calling.

Listen and try to imitate what you hear. They make the best CD out there to learn by....

[HuntingInMaine]

I can't seem to get the hang of a mouth call, it tickles too much ....but my bf and youngest son have had great success with the HS Strut raspy old hen call.

Its a good idea to be able to use several different types of calls if you are hunting public land. They seem to get used to one type of call and won't come into it so you have to try something they haven't been hearing.

[Rhino]

Diaphram calls (mouth calls) are really a personal thing. What fits and sounds best for one person can be very different for another. I personally prefer Woodhaven calls and use 3 different diapram calls made by Woodhaven.

Box calls are the easiest to use but IMHO are limited to what turkey talk you can reproduce with them. I keep at least one with me though while I'm hunting. They work fine for yelps and cutting but other calls reproduce other turkey talk better. They are also louder than most other calls and real handy when hunting on windy days. I've found they are the preferred calls to use when hunting Merriam turkeys though.

My favorite call to use is a slate call. I carry at least 2 (sometimes 4) different slate calls with me while I'm hunting. I also carry a variety of strikers too. Different strikers produce different tones from the same slate call. Slate calls also reproduce the best sounding clucks and purrs of the wild turkey. You can also reproduce all the other sounds of turkeys with them too. The most forgiving slate call I've used is the Cody II slate call.

Take Steve's advice on getting a CD with real turkey calling and practice, practice, practice until you are confident in your calling. It's one thing to reproduce turkey talk when your practicing but another when your excited trying to work a bird so you want your calling to be automatic.

One more thing...a good woodsman that's an average caller will consitently kill more birds than a good caller that's an average woodsman. Get out and scout the birds you're going to hunt and try to get a good idea what their patterns for movement are. The easiest way to kill a gobbler is to be between where he is and where he wants to go.

[Guest spurcollector]

I called my first gobbler in with a box call. I think it is the easiest to master. I have a Primos Heartbreaker that I like a lot. I carry it in my vest. It'll reach waaay out and get 'em.

My favorite call of all is a Cane Creek slate call. You can get more sounds out of a slate. It's the second call to get.

Go to a place that'll let you play with the calls. Wal-Mart doesn't sell the good stuff.

Above all, practice, practice, practice...

[Guest HoppeMan]

The Primos Sonic Domes are awesome mouth calls, and The Freak is also a great slate-style call. But I'd say box calls are probably the easiest to learn on. Any box call should work, I think

Take care,

Nathan

[dlriggins]

I use a primos power crystal and have had the best luck with it I have also come to like a Tom Gaskins call that is as simple to use as any I have tried as for a mouth call the guys agree in these about as much as pizza toppings no two like the same ones I recommend going to the sporting goods dept. and spending a little money I personally like the primos mouth calls due to the metal frame and extra tape for trimming

[M00N]

I found when teaching my father this past year how to use his first turkey calls that after much trial and error (we purchased every call possible just about in Cabela's store...his idea...lol) that he found the Primos Ol' Glory with a Primos Lucky Striker to be the easiest friction call to learn on and the Primos Sonic Dome Double Turkey to be the easiest mouth call to learn on.

I personally use a Primos Ol' Glory and Primos Lucky Striker combination myself and the Primos Sonic Dome Double Turkey. After teaching with him I kinda fell in love with the two calls and couldn't put them down.

I recommend though, that you either go to a store where you can test the friction calls out or buy several different styles and give them a try until you find one that suits you. Not everyone enjoys the same style of friction calls. Also mouth calls are one those trial and error things. Some calls just don't fit my mouth right, even with trimming. It depends on your mouth shape and calling style as to what mouth call will suit you, again try a few different styles until you find one you like. Good luck!

[PA_RIDGE_RUNNER]

I am a box call user. My very best call for the spring is an old Lynch box call that was my dads. Man that call has just the right sound from PA to KS those toms love it. I certainly use other calls, infact I just got a custom pot call that I think will do very well. I also have some mouth calls. I don't sound as good as I would like with a mouth call but practice with them as they do very well when that tom is in close and needs just a little nudge. My problem is at that moment I am plumb shot through with adrenalin and my mouth is cotton dry as a result. I remember one old tom that must have been half deaf because I was so excited and dry mouth that the sound I was making only remotely resembled a turkey sound but it was enough to get him in that last few yards. Anyne else experience very local earthquakes just when that bird pops into view and it seems to continue till the shot. I have sat without moving for several hours and so pumped up that after it was all over I was exhausted. That is the fun.

[Guest HoppeMan]

Another great call, I learned how to use a slate-style call with my custom call made by Andy Smith, or A&J calls. Here's his link:

http://www.ajcustomcalls.net/

Really great calls, I would reccomend them to anyone

Take care,

Nathan

[Ethan Givan]

I suggest getting a slate, box, or push button style call. Mouth calls are great but they take much more practice than the others. I love my Primos mouth calls though.

[Strut10]

My advice to a beginner would be to start with whatever call you want to.

At this point in the year, you may or may not be limited in your choices due to the "learning curve". It will take you longer to become proficient on a diaphragm than it will a box or slate than it will a push button call. Like most other endeavors, you will get out more if you put more in. It takes practice to run any one of the calls mentioned and run it well. Just more for some than others.

I would, say plan on using a box and a slate as your primary calls this spring. Find someone who knows how to use them well and politely ask for a lesson on each. Neither one is hard to use. If I had you here, I could have you doing the basics in 2 minutes.....1 minute for each call. After I'd shown you that, it's all up to how much time you put into practicing. Also......start practicing with a 2 or 3 reed diaphragm tomorrow. By the time season rolls around you oughta have enough of the basics down to use it some on the gobblers, too.

Good luck and let us know how you're progressing.

[BearClaw]

I called by first gobbler in last year with a Knight & Hale Old Yeller slate call. I just bought an HS Strut Field Champion and it sounds great. No chalk necessary, waterproof and it has a silencer button on it. It sounded great and I am still a rookie so I would recommend this for a 'beginner'.

[Guest catfeesh77]

This year will be my first year to turkey hunt, and opening day can't get here soon enough. I'm ready!!