Turkey Huntings Finer Points

Turkey Calls – Theirs and Ours

Learning to call turkeys is very exciting but if you’re just getting started it can be a little frustrating also, at least until you become comfortable with the calling device of your choice and how to use it properly. In this chapter I’ll cover the calls and avoid mentioning the manufacturers since there are so many good ones on the market. For those who have called a turkey in and harvested it, you know of the satisfaction it brings along with the adrenaline rush and satisfaction that come with success. If you’re just getting started, don’t be discouraged by the mistakes you’ll surely make before you become proficient, and the time will come when you too will have birds assembling all around you in the fall and toms strutting into your setup in the spring.

First I’ll cover the types of calls and how to use them and follow with the vocalizations and what they mean and when to use them also. Keep in mind that competition-quality calling isn’t at all necessary to fool a turkey. However, the biggest difference is that those who do compete are extremely dedicated to practicing and this gives them an advantage over someone who doesn’t take their calling seriously. Their quality and precision in making any call does pay dividends, not only during a competition, but in the field as well. What’s wrong with striving to get better, even if it’s only to call turkeys?

Basically there are two types of calls, friction and air-operated. In the friction calls department, you have box calls with an attached lid and the two piece call, where one is a striker and the other a box, usually with a hole or vent in it to produce the appropriate sounds. Most of these also require you to apply chalk to either the striker or the contact edge of the box itself.

The first call I’ll cover is the push peg box, perhaps the easiest to use. These calls are designed so that anyone can use them with almost no prior experience. What you have is a box with one side open and a wooden peg running through it. Attached to the peg is a striker surface that makes contact with a mating part permanently attached to the inside of the box. The reason this type call is so easy is all you have to do is push the peg down and spring returns it to call again. If you wish to make another call, you simply push the peg faster or apply more pressure. The greatest advantage to this type call is that anyone can pick it up and begin calling but it does have a limit as to the variety of calls it is capable of producing and it requires the use of one hand, causing movement.

Probably the best friction call on the market today is the box call, which is an elongated box with an attached lid. This call comes in different lengths, widths and thickness, depending on the manufacturer and type of wood used. The lid is attached so that it can move freely from side to side and this action is what makes these calls work. The manufacturer will advise you on where to apply chalk or will already have done this before it got to the store. The greatest advantage to the bigger box calls is they can produce almost every call and deliver the volume needed when deemed necessary. However, there is a disadvantage to these also, for example, when walking through the woods with it in your pocket you may inadvertently bump it or if it rubs against your side, it will be yelping when you want quiet. I have found this to be correctable by using a tight rubber band wrapped around the call until I am ready to use it. This problem is easily fixed but the other potential problem requires more attention. As I first stated, most of these calls are made of wood, cedar, cherry, mahogany or a few others, but wood will absorb moisture and the call will not work properly. Also, you may get caught in a rain, which is not at all uncommon during spring and fall seasons, and if the call gets wet you’ll have to put it away for the day. This is a solution to this problem. Keeping your call in a plastic bag while calling will keep it dry but will reduce the volume.

Still another solution that I prefer is to use a waterproof fanny pack. The pack is also camouflaged and I just open it up to use my call. Whatever solution you can come up with, assure that the call doesn’t get wet. Don’t let any inconvenience stop you from using a good box call since the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. The greatest advantage of all is that a box call, when properly cared for, will last you a lifetime and someday you can look at it and recall the most important part of hunting Mister Long Beard, the memories.

Another friction call is the slate and peg or just slate call. Just like the chalkboard in school, if you apply pressure to it with something, you’re going to get noise. The slate calls today usually employ the use of a wooden peg made of maple, cherry, yet some are plastic. The slate call requires considerably more practice and patience and is therefore considered a more advanced call, not for novices.

Slate calls can produce excellent calls, which are specific to its properties. In other words, slate sounds like no other call and in the hands of someone experienced it can duplicate the best of any other device out there. In some calls the manufacturer has incorporated the slate and box together, with a piece of slate permanently attached to the bottom of the box and a striker to be held separately. However, a pure slate call is usually round with a protective wrap of plastic on the outer edge. This design makes holding the call without touching the piece of slate itself easy and comfortable. When calling, don’t touch call bottom to palm since this will deaden the sounds. Also, if you touch the slate itself you will be depositing oils from your hand and this will have an effect on the sound quality of the call. Most manufacturers supply you an abrasive pad to wipe the slate after it has been used for a while. Lightly wipe the slate with the pad in the same direction of the slate’s grain to keep it in good condition. Now, to call you’ll want to hold it with your fingertips on the edges, with the striker in your hand. With the striker at approximately thirty degrees and pressed against the slate, make the letter C to make a plain yelp. It may take some time to make other calls but with practice you’ll get the hang of it.

This is not a complete list of all the friction calls available today since there are many more types, depending on the manufacturers. But with this sampling, simply choose and start practicing. A great way to do this today is with the instructional tapes and videos available. Actually hearing the calls is a tremendous assist as you practice.