Turkey Calls

WINGBONE YELPER CALLS

 

Wing bone calls are lightweight and can be used for close or long distance calling. Wing bones are maintenance free, and are not effected by adverse weather which can change the pitch or tone of other calls. Yelpers make a unique sound, so you can hit that tom with a new hen sound. I've seen 1 guy in all my years turkey hunting that was using a yelper in the field. Some find the wing bone hard to learn, while others say it's as easy or easier than the mouth diaphragm. The one drawback to a yelper call is the hand movement. Also be very careful flashing the wingbone around since it is almost white in color.

How to make a wingbone yelper call

 

 

 

 

 

 

TUBE AND SNUFF CAN CALLS

 

Tube calls take a little practice to learn like the diaphragm calls. They work in wet weather and are very loud if you need to reach out a bit. Snuff can calls are basically the same design, just in a smaller form. You can make your own snuff can call by cutting off the end of a film canister and then stretching some latex over the end with a rubber band. Store these calls in the fridge too to keep the latex fresh.

Knight & Hale makes replacement rubber diaphragms for these calls in regular and raspy (#KH104) sets.

 

 

 

 

 

FRICTION CALLS

The easiest calls to master are the friction calls (for example, box, peg and slate, peg and glass, or push button). The major disadvantage is that you cannot hold a shotgun and work them at the same time. This is important because you may spook your wild bird when you put the call down and raise the shotgun. A second disadvantage is that most calls do not always work well if they get wet. Placing the friction calls in a loose plastic bag will allow you to operate them during wet conditions.

 

BOX CALLS

Box calls are easy to learn and produce some of the finest turkey calls you can imagine. The only drawback is keeping them in tune and they loose their tone in damp weather. Lynch and Albert Paul makes some of the favorites. Make sure you chalk your box call only with box call chalk, (carpenter's chalk), regular chalkboard chalk has oil in it that will change the tone of your boxcall.

The Box Call Page .... Bamaflier's great webpage on box calls. The history behind them, how to make them and more.

 

 

 

 

SLATE, CRYSTAL & GLASS CALLS

 

Slate calls are one of the easier calls to learn how to use. Other materials used for this type of call are fiberglass, ceramic, crystal, copper, aluminum, resin and the new Sla-Tek MTF from Knight and Hale. The older striker calls would not work in the rain, but the newer calls work just fine. Strikers are made of wood, carbon, acrylic and plastic. The hot new striker for 2000 is the "Super Striker" from Knight and Hale. It is a low maintenance hickory/metallic design that has a tip that requires less roughing and sanding of call surfaces.

Recently, turkey biologists have found that calls in the 12,000 to 15,000 Hz range will make a turkey respond better and hear your call at a greater distance. Most of today's turkey calls operate at the much lower frequency range of 5,000 Hz. The flood of aluminum calls these past few years was in response to this discovery.

Slate calls require 2 hands to use and your motion while calling, can give you away. There are straps available to strap the call to your leg to use it with one hand.

 

PUSH PIN CALLS

Push pin calls are very easy to learn . Drawbacks are that you need a hand to operate them and rain is not welcome with this call. I have one mounted on my shotgun with the pull string to give me the ability to sound like 2 turkeys fighting with my mouth call. Sometimes a good fight is all that will pull a snooty hen in with her tom in tow behind her. If you're not very good with a mouth call, the push pin mounted on your gun gives you the ability to do a cluck to get tommy three toes to put his head up while you keep your hands on the gun. Make sure you chalk your push pin call only with box call chalk, regular chalkboard chalk has oil in it that will change the tone of your call.

 

 

 

SHAKER CALLS

Shaker calls are the only ones specifically designed to produce realistic-sounding gobbles. No practice is necessary; the sound is the same each time you shake them. They produce only the gobble sound and are not usually considered a requirement for successful turkey hunting. Be extremely cautious when gobbling because you can and will call in hunters who will stalk your gobbling. You can also make a gobble sound with some of the double sided box calls by shaking them. Store these calls in the fridge too to keep the latex fresh.

 

 

 

 

 

"SPIT-N-DRUM" CALLS

The hot call for 2000 was the new "Spit-n-Drum" call from Lohman and M.A.D. The call is to be used in close when you have a gobbler that won't commit all the way in. Hunters are reporting that it really pisses off an old tom when he thinks another tom has invaded to steal his hens.

 

WING CALLS

The fake turkey wings slapped on your leg or bushes were the rage the past year. Most old timers use a real wing or their hat. I'm not real keen on walking around the turkey woods with turkey parts in my hands so I just use my hat to do the wing flapping sound. This call can sell a tom that you're the real deal in the first minutes of fly down off the roost.

 

LOCATOR SHOCK CALLS

Locator or shock calls are used to get a tom to gobble to give up his location. Any noise can illicit a turkey to sound off when they are in the mood. I remember as a kid hunting with my Dad in a thunderstorm in the Missouri timber, every time lightning lit up the sky and the thunder cracked and boomed, turkeys all over the ridges would gobble. Slamming a car door usually got a stern look from Pop while deer hunting but in turkey season it often set off a roosted gobbler. Carry as many shock calls as you can since finding a tom is the number one priority usually. One gobble on a slow day can pinpoint Tommy 3 Toes.

Hoot owls call mostly in the dark or early morning blue light. During the day you can switch to a crow or hawk call. The peacock screamer has worked when the my other calls drew a blank. Gym coach whistles are another option. One year I hunted with a buddy who had a daughter who, when she screamed, could raise the hair on your neck. She also could set off any gobbler within 1/2 mile. One other funny shock call discovery was the little boy who was riding his bike down the forestry road one spring morning. He had one of them silver and rubber "honk" horns on his handelbars. As the boy passed us, he honked and the ridge above us sounded off with 3 toms. After pleading with the oblivious child to help us out in our endeavor, we ended up running in to town to buy the $1.99 horn since it was the first gobble we had heard in the whole week of scouting. The kid just wouldn't part with his new horn.

 

HUMAN VOICE CALLS

 

You can use your own voice to call turkeys or as a locator call. You may sound terrible at first but don't be shy, many turkey hunters use their own voice for good reason. You'll never forget your voice at home, it will hardly never break, the rain won't botehr it and you can't be caught with a Snickers bar in your hand and no call handy. You don't have to sound exactly like a turkey, just get the rythym of the call down good. I've been caught with my mouth call out eating lunch and have just yelped or kee keed with my voice to lure a turkey in. My gobble is, well, I'm working on it.