Box calls?

[anchor man]

I'm looking to buy a nice box call and don't want to spend more than $30. Does anyone have any recommendations? I probably will buy either from Gander or Cabelas and I'm not sure what they have in stock yet.

Thanks

[Ruttin' Buck]

Hey anchorman...thought I'd chime in. When I started Turkey hunting 5 seasons ago, I purchased a slate, box, and a few mouth calls. I didn't spend a ton of dough as I wasn't sure how fun it'd be. Well, I love it...and will continue to go as long as I get picked.

That being said, I'm guessing I spent about $20 on my HS Strut box call. Nothing special about this box, yet I've pulled a ton of birds with it. I'm 3 for 4 on the last season of the year for the past 4 seasons. As long as you have the box chalked up good, don't overcall, and sound remotely like a hen...they'll respond. There are a ton of calls under $30 at Cabelas that will do this for you.

I remember my first morning like it was yesterday. I had a gobbler running back and forth in this bottom gobbling his head off. I got him going with my box, then ran the slate, and finally I made sure my mouth call was acceptable by giving it a whirl...he gobbled to everything, but hung up on me for the better part of an hour!

Point is, every call out there will likely work...just make sure the quality is good enough so that it won't bust on you in the field. When runnin' and gunnin' equipment can be neglected a bit and must be robust enough to handle a few bumps.

I actually would highly recommend either a single hand call (push button call) or a barrel mount call. These calls allow you to hold your gun, aim, and call at the same time. This is a must if you are not 100% sure you can cluck and purr with a mouth call when birds are close.

Good luck to you!
Buck

[beretta]

LYNCH WORLD CHAMPION!!! they only cost about $20 and are deffinatly the best "bang" for your buck. just my .02 cents

[Borch]

My personal favorite is the Quaker Boy Old Grand Master. Best production Boxcall I've used. Although the Lynch calls are very good too. It'll run you $15-20.

[Hotspotter]

The lynch is tried and true, dang nice call. Clucking is its strong point....about as realistic as it gets.

My pick is the Primos Lil' Heartbreaker.....outside of your price range at ~$40, but more versatile than others I've used. The clucks are pretty good, but the yelps are higher pitched and raspier than most I've tried. You can get more volume with it to cut high winds if you're hunting in those conditions too.

Good luck!

Joel