Turkey Game Calls

Types of Turkey Calls

• Diaphragm (mouth) calls work hands-free, so you can call with your gun or bow up and ready. More reeds usually mean a raspier tone and more back pressure, and single-reed calls are the easiest to learn. Cut styles like batwing and ghost cut change the rasp, and mini-dome or low-profile frames fit smaller mouths. Popular picks include the Power Calls Beau Brooks Signature Series, Cutter and Ghost Cut, and the Primos Cuttin' Hen and The Blair.
  
• Pot (friction) calls let you control your sounds precisely. The calling surface shapes the tone:
  
  Slate gives soft, realistic purrs and clucks.
  Glass or crystal is higher-pitched and carries farther.
  Aluminum is the loudest and sharpest.
  
  Examples include the Primos Rare Breed Slate and the Power Calls Fuel Friction Crystal Pot.
  
• Box calls are loud, easy to learn, and good for reaching distant birds or cutting through wind. One example is the Primos Clear Cutter Box.
  
• Locator calls make sounds like a crow or an owl hoot, which can make a gobbler shock gobble and reveal where he is without you sounding like a hen.
  
• Call packs give you several reed styles in one purchase, such as the Power Calls Short Circuit packs.
  

Spring vs. Fall Turkey Calling

In spring, hunters call to gobblers with hen yelps, clucks, purrs, and aggressive cutting. In fall, flocks are made up of hens and young birds, so hunters often scatter a flock and then call the birds back with kee-kees (the whistle of a lost young turkey) and assembly yelps. A diaphragm call or a pot call can make both sets of sounds.

Building a Turkey Calling Setup

Carry at least two call types. A common combination is a diaphragm for close, hands-free calling plus a pot or box call for volume and a different tone. Add an owl or crow locator for scouting at dawn and midday. Different birds respond to different sounds, so variety helps.

Caring for Your Turkey Calls

• Rinse diaphragm calls after use, let them dry, and store them in a case. Replace them every season or two as the latex wears out.
• Rough up the surfaces of slate and crystal pot calls regularly, and keep your strikers clean.
• Keep box calls dry and chalk the lid. Avoid touching the calling surfaces with oily fingers.