Mouth call problems

[besmith]

I've been using my pot call the past couple years. Even though it's a good stand-by, I've been wanting to start using a mouth call since my hands are occupied holding a gun once a gobbler's in sight, and I would like to be able to call him in further when he hangs up. (Happened last year.)

But...

I've had trouble with mouth calls making me gag. I've tried several different ones, and have the same problem with all of them, even with a fair amount of time spent trying them out. Has anyone else had this problem, and found a good call that alleviates it?

[DonBo]

Yes, yes and yes! My first turkey hunt (about a hundred yeras ago) I used to have nightmares about gagging on my mouth call when a big tom got in range.

The ONLY way to get away from that is to put it in your mouth a leave it there. Do it in the car when driving back and forth to work. (don't do this at home if you have a wife, or mother or any roomie for that matter) Try to follow the music with call. Practice, practice, practice. Time in the mouth is all there is to it, sorry no magic fix here.

[Sorgy]

Yes Sir been there and done that. The gagging on a mouth call reflex is hard to get over at first.

Just like Donbo stated.

I will add- there are some CD's of turkeys talking that you can hear all the different calls. I would start out just getting used to a call on the roof of your mouth- they take awhile to soften up and fit your pallet anyway. After you get used to the feel of the call then you can start trying to call. Again there are lots of help on the subject. Try You Tube.

They will get you started then practice in the car.

I still don't feel comfortable or get nervous when calling to birds but they communicate very well. It is awsome getting into a "b ch seesion" with an ornery hen.

Good Luck and share your learning experience on these pages.

Steve

[engfish]

I can't believe there are many guys who haven't suffered through the embarrassment of gagging on a mouth call. You look at it and think, "How tough can it be?" I finally confessed to one of the employees at Cabela's in Owatonna--a young guy--who gave me a few pointers and told me to stop back if it didn't get better. Fortunately, it did. Asking for help isn't always easy, but it never hurts to seek the advice of someone who knows how to call.

I'm not trying to plug one product over another; I carry calls by three different companies and like to add a new one every year just for fun. One of the problems with most of the calls is that they are fairly flat. Being new, it's not second nature to put that call in and form it to the roof of your mouth. I was afraid I was going to "wreck" it. The reality is that they are flexible and will bend to fit the shape of your roof.

I stumbled on the Primos Power Dome call which was slightly smaller and had a formed green "power dome" that fit nicely into the roof of my mouth. Once I got the hang of letting it sit up there, I was able to experiment with positioning my tongue and applying the right amount of pressure and in the right place on the latex. When that first "putt" came out, I almost cried. I was watching an instructional CD that demonstrated all of the calls and the mouth calls, of course, were last. It wasn't long before I was yelping and cutting and keekeeing my wife and kids right out of the house.

Don is right. The car is the best place to practice, especially if you can play a calling CD and imitate the sounds right back to the caller.

Good luck. We'll all look forward to hearing the good news once you get the hang of it.

[IlliniWalli]

yep ... ya just gotta practice, practice, practice ... and then practice some more.

and dont get discouraged and give up. i was about ready to when i started using a diaphragm years ago when all of a sudden it seemed like "i just got it."

start out using a double reed call, which is much easier than 2.5s, 3.5s and 4s. and try and master a simple cluck to begin with, then yelps before attempting the more difficult cutts and cackles, etc.

when a tom stops coming in as you have your gun up, often all it takes is a soft cluck or yelp on a mouth call to bring him in range.

[Powerstroke]

Also, there are different sizes available now. If it seems like all the calls make you gag, then maybe you have a smaller palate and need a smaller call. The call rests on the roof of your mouth. Once you find a comfortable place for the call you should stop the constant gagging. The hard part is you get comfortable carring the call around and then you will cough or something and suck the call back. Whoops. That can be scary.

FInd a call that doesn't make you gag and go from there. I also liked the sonic dome calls as a starter call. I have a narrow palate so I end up buying smaller calls or trimming the full size ones. Go slow and you'll figure it out.

[Wallydog]

I keep 2 in my mouth all the time while hunting. 1 raspy 1 sweet. You can practice moving 1 from the roof of your mouth to your cheek......many times. It'll help. Then you can introduce the second one!

WD

[Borch]

Two calls at onve WD?

You are the man!

[Gordie]

Two calls at onve WD?

You are the man!

Now that's what you call multi-tasking

I will have to give that a try WD

One thing to remember is not to pucker your lips out it deadens the call and makes it sound less realistic.

The closer to the tip of your tounge the call is the more raspy it is and the farther back on your tonge the more clear it is move it around until you find that sweet spot with the best of both sides.

[Dave S]

I will do the two call thing also iffin' we have hot birds and I can't move. But I wouldn't recommend trying it until a person has a good season under their belt and feel extremely comfortable with having only one in their mouth.

[besmith]

Thanks for all the feedback. I picked up a Power Dome call just to give it a try - I had originally ignored that one just because it seemed too gimmicky, but I figure it's worth a shot. I'm doing alright with that one in general - not choking much, and getting some sound out of it. Granted, right now it sounds more like a goose call than a yelp, but it's progress!

[DonBo]

That's a start! I got one of the Dome calls this weekend too. Haven't tried it yet but have high hopes.

[Dave S]

Granted, right now it sounds more like a goose call than a yelp, but it's progress!

You're on the right path. I've always recommend to people wanting to use mouth calls to focus on getting a sound before trying to sound like a turkey. Get a feel for the call, get the sound, then work on the vocalizations.

As Gordie mentioned placement of the call is important.

[Lund79]

I have 3 dome calls. To be honest, it still took me a long time (years) to get a sound that I liked out of it. Last year was the first time I used it in the woods without fear of spooking any birds. I was quite pleased when I got some answering back. Before that I mainly used my pot calls, wing bone and box calls. Now I can have the mouth call when they come in close. I still have the push/pull call on my barrel in case I can't get a sound out of the mouth call.

[Icedemon2012]

I have a small palate and have found youth size mouth calls or mini's work best for me. Some custom call makers make some sweet sounding youth size mouth calls and not that pricey. Primos made the Power Dome in a mini size with few different sound models. Not sure if they still make them or not. A couple of years ago I brought enough off of an online auction to last for a few years. I store in the beer frig so the light and heat don't destroy them.

[Nightcrawler]

Great advice and info. Had the same question. With a rack full of 50 calls which do start out with?

Want to try it agian, my last mouth call is in the ditch somewere as I was gagging

and could no see with watered eyes.

[trolloni]

All good info, you can trim that tape [white part] with a scissors just a little at a time ,fit is criticle for making sound ,the best call when youre a beginer is a single reed much easier to get a sound out of ,and when you do, go for just a high note first, youre tongue acts like a valve, more pressure on the reed higher sound then back off pressuure get a low note practice each indivdually for a while then combine the sounds keeyuk,keeyuk do this with a single reed a lot easier than double reeds or triples,get that single down and the rest is cake, dont worry bout funky sounds out in the woods turkeys make plenty a goofy squeeks and squacks,above all, dont swallow the call very hard to pass!

[WaveWacker]

I actually trim my calls down quite a bit and sit them towards the front of my pallet more. Just found that I get a better sound that way. This may help your gagging as well. I don't have a small pallet by any strectch of the imagination either.

[MNpurple]

I too have problems and along with what has been mentioned already, I carry my mouth calls in a small container (not the one most come in) that doesnt leak and I put just a little bit of scope mouthwash in the container. The blah taste of the calls gets to me after a while and freshening it up in a little scope helps to give it a good taste and in turns helps take my mind off of the gagging, and it has not seemed to have affected the reed or call at all. Plus you have minty fresh breath all morning

[benbosh]

above all, dont swallow the call very hard to pass!

I hope you aren't speaking from experience.. might get a funny sounding yelp or cackle if it hangs up upon exit