call recommendations?

[Crow Hunter]

I will be turkey hunting for the first time this spring. What would be a good call to buy that I can get proficient enough with between now and late April? Thanks for any help.

[Archerysniper]

Its hard to beat a good box call for ease of use and good sound. My preference is a slate call till the birds start closing in and I need my hands then I will switch to a mouth call. I have also called in and killed a bunch of birds with a penswoods push button call.

[IceHawk]

I will second a box call probably the easiest. Another option My personal favorite is slate calls but been using them for yrs.

[rkhinrichs]

i like woodhaven mouth calls. I also like all the customs call you can buy at the Madison deer and turkey expo! I feel when I buy from a guy at the expo im supporting a guy that really cares about the quality of his calls. Yes you pay more but it is not mass produce like the big name companies.

[leech~~]

I started with a box call but it seems to be raining every year when we go and they don't like water very well. Some slates still work when their wet but I just gave up and only use a month call now. No hand movements and you can still puut even when they are walking right into you without moving!

[brittman]

Box calls are usually the easiest to learn.

[DonBo]

Sorry, but one call is just not going to cut it. Birds have different preferences everyday, or even every hour. A box call and a slate call will make any sounds needed for killing a turkey, but a couple of each is better along with a mouth call or 4. Before you know it, you'll have way more than you can possibly carry into the woods with you at one time.

[leech~~]

Mouth calls work just fine for me thanks!

[benbosh]

Can't use a box call to save my life but can run the slate and mouth calls no problem.. I have 10 mouth calls but each one produces a different tone and I have a wider range of turkey language. Some are loud, some soft, some produce better cuts and some give better yelps, some are clean and some are raspy. I will switch mouth calls when calling to sound like different birds and will add the slate in too, yelping on one while purring on the other... okay now I'm rambling but you get the point.

[cw642]

The little man struck this 5 year old bird up and finished him with one box call.

Of course he's used that same box to win turkey calling comps all over the Midwest so it's a little unfair.

[Powerstroke]

I prefer two slates with a couple different strikers. By having a two different slates and several strikers you can have multiple sounds in a pockets worth of calls.

I have finally learned diaphragm calls so I carry a couple of them too. They all sound a little different and do different calls so its hard to pick one, but I really like having a nasty raspy call to throw at them.

[Hoyt4]

Like Don said have a couple calls. The turkeys will let you know what they like. Sometimes you don't even need a call scratching the leafs have killed a few birds for me. I do favor a good box call. I do have a ton of calls on me though not sure why i have a few mouth calls a i like using all the time and slate. but I will not go to the woods without my box call.

All birds taken with this box call it's been through a lot. I have taken many with mouth calls and slate. But this one seems to come through when all others fail.

[IlliniWalli]

jmo, but i'd have to say a push button call is the easiest to learn

if you can draw circles with a pencil, you can yelp well enough on a pot call (slate, glass or crystal) to fool a tom. clucks and purrs pretty simple to learn, too

box calls can be learned quickly. just gotta practice and get the cadence down. big key with any call is lots of practice and dont call too loud and fast

it would be to your benefit to learn to at least make clucks with a mouth call. with your gun up and a tom hung up just out of range, better to make a couple clucks on a mouth call than risk movement with another type of call

just get one of each and see which one you like the best. you'll have multiple calls before long anyways

[brittman]

Give him time to fuel his addiction. Call buying is usually one of those fuels.

I used one brand of mouth call my first few years of spring gobbler hunting and had no problem bringing them in close. This was all public land in MN too.

I now own a half-dozen box calls and nearly a dozen slates ... but most of my kills the past 5 years have been with one of the box calls. Confidence ... who knows.

One tip: Do not buy a gobbler shaker call and if you do buy one leave it at home. If you do chose to ignore me and bring it along with you in the field, please only use it as a locator call.

[brittman]

WITH OUT A DOUBT some of the worst sounding calling I have ever heard in the field was made by real hens.

[DonBo]

WITH OUT A DOUBT some of the worst sounding calling I have ever heard in the field was made by real hens.

True that!

[Borch]

WITH OUT A DOUBT some of the worst sounding calling I have ever heard in the field was made by real hens.

My experience too.

[paceman]

Brittman;

I am curious as to your quote about leaving the gobbler shaker at home, have you had bad experiences using one? I was thinking about getting one..

[brittman]

Brittman;

I am curious as to your quote about leaving the gobbler shaker at home, have you had bad experiences using one? I was thinking about getting one..

I have heard people over call with it on both private and public land.

Locator call at best

[Borch]

I have a gobbler call I have had some success with but only use it on private land and not very frequently. I get especially concerned sounding like a gobbler on public land with a gobbler/jake decoy. Can be a safety issue as you may be attaching more than 3 toe turkeys.

[nbadger23]

I do the best with a slate call, but that's likely because that's the first one that was taught to me. I added a glass slate and a few more strikers last year and I really liked the different tones I could get. Now the problem is trying to keep track of all those strikers!

I do have a push/pull call that I like to use when I don't want to make a lot of movement as it can sit on my lap and I only need the one hand to use it.

I'm not good with a box call yet. It seems like I'm always making very screechy noises with it but I am working on it. I usually only use it when it's windy and I need a louder call.

I bought my first mouth calls last year and I'm learning. I can do a simple cluck and such and that's really the main goal I have with them so that I can make some sort of noise w/o using my hands if a bird is near. I can't roll my tongue for the life of me so doing a purr is a struggle. At this point I basically run air through my lips to have them vibrate... I feel like a little kid :-)

Starting simple and learning to use one well is a good idea IMO. The only thing I'd caution on that is having a backup plan for wet weather (i.e. have a glass slate or a waterproof box call for example)

[Archerysniper]

I can't roll my tongue for the life of me so doing a purr is a struggle. At this point I basically run air through my lips to have them vibrate... I feel like a little kid :-)

Same here however with practice you can do a heck of a fighting purr that way

[Borch]

I bought my first mouth calls last year and I'm learning. I can do a simple cluck and such and that's really the main goal I have with them so that I can make some sort of noise w/o using my hands if a bird is near. I can't roll my tongue for the life of me so doing a purr is a struggle. At this point I basically run air through my lips to have them vibrate... I feel like a little kid :-)

It's what I've settle into doing and I've never had a turkey or another person hunting with me complain. Try as I might just can't get the tongue roll to happen. I've moved past it and never looked back.

[123fish]

Yeah it pretty frustrating when you have your wife, daughter, and six year old grand daughter all rolling their tongues effortlessly while laughing at grampa while he struggles to put together even a couple of rrrs. Just hand me the Power Crystal.

[IlliniWalli]

Yeah it pretty frustrating when you have your wife, daughter, and six year old grand daughter all rolling their tongues effortlessly while laughing at grampa while he struggles to put together even a couple of rrrs. Just hand me the Power Crystal.

i gave up on the rolling tongue purrs, too, but i can make passable purrs blowing through my lips with a mouth call

when i do a fighting purr, i use a mouth call with a slate or glass

the power crystal makes great purrs but i usually purr on a woodhaven slate or glass nowadays