# What is the best call for a beginner to use?



## ninepntr (Aug 28, 2013)

Box call?
Push button calls?
Slate?
Not mouth?

Looking forward to hearing what your thoughts are.


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

They all work if you can find a good push button they are the easiest. A slate and peg are the most versatile and a box call is easy but a little restricted.They all can do the basic yelp and cluck which will call in turkeys.


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## Chromelander (Oct 1, 2011)

Best- slate

Easiest- Pushbutton 
In my opinion


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## BUCK/PIKE (Oct 24, 2011)

I use a slate call most of the time and just takes a little practice..
I really want to learn to use a mouth call but I'm terrible at even making noise with 1 and it feels so foreign in my mouth..someday maybe as I would love it when birds are close and I'm locked down and cant move.


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## Yankee#1 (Jun 3, 2015)

The easiest is a pushbutton, it's basically the call you would use if you had a 'Turkey Calling for Dummies 101' instruction manual.

With that said - I think a pushbutton often results in drawn out yelps and odd sounds that are unnatural. I don't particularly like them.

I think the best call to start with is the classic wooden box call. You can use it for all the requisite sounds that hens make and go from very loud to very soft. Any good box will also have multiple tones and pitches, and if it's two-sided you will definitely find a side that produces nice rasp. The box's only downfall is wet weather, but on rainy days you're probably better off hunting from a blind in a field with decoys anyway, because most birds are relatively quiet on rainy days (and the call stays dry enough to use in a blind).


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## Blaze (Oct 13, 2005)

My recommendation for beginners call would be a slat call. Very easy to use, and if you get a glass slat call it's water proof. You can get pretty good in short amount of time, just get the rythum right.


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## I'd rather be fishing (Dec 19, 2016)

I'd say box. Whatever you do practice, practice, practice.
First year, first morning I tried....alarm went off on my PHONE. 2 hens ran in with a big tom, Tom started strutting got about 37-40yard range and BOOM. Down he went. True story. Another year I was eating sunflower seeds and a big hen noticed would not leave me alone. Those birds are funny. Other years I did not see a thing, those must have been the years I ran into smart birds.


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## ninepntr (Aug 28, 2013)

I’ve tried a slate call but it’s hard for me to stay consistent.
Sometimes I think I scare them away with some of my calling.

What is your favorite good box call? I think I might want to try one.


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

It does not matter what call you use if you do not understand or know a turkeys cadence and length of note. I have heard crazy bad sounds come from all the above mention calls and yet each call in the hands of someone who knows how to use them is beautiful. Lovett Williams says the closest sound to a real hen when broken down by a sonogram is a trumpet and wingbone. We go by what we thinks sounds good - only a turkey knows what sounds good to them.


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## TheLionsFan (Dec 20, 2011)

Easiest? Probably push button. Cant get much easier than pushing a button. My opinion, ditch the push button and start with a pot call. Not that hard to learn and once mastered it sounds SOOO much better.


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## River raider (Dec 25, 2017)

The worse call I ever heard , sounded like a box call on someone's belt. Turned out to be a real hen. When learning any call , have a friend that is a good caller go around a building and make some calls. Being out of sight makes learning the sounds Easier. I always have two box calls ,two slate calls , fighting hen box, gobble tube and several mouth calls in my pack every time I go hunting. Mature birds like to hear more than one hen. When learning the diaphragm call , the more reeds it has , the easier to master, don't be afraid to trim it and bend it to fit the roof of your mouth.


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## BUCK/PIKE (Oct 24, 2011)

I only carry 1 box call right now it's a madd cherry bomb,very raspy


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## BigW (Dec 29, 2016)

I picked up a cheap three pack of mouth calls from Frank's a few years back. Had a lot of travel coming up and figured I could use that seat time to learn how to use them. It only took about 90 minutes of frustration to realize I had it in backwards. (go ahead and laugh... I sure did)
After that it was easy. I must have stopped a dozen times and called to turkeys I would see in a field or yards. They almost always responded and I had several Tom's move my way. 
Other than those mouth calls, I used to use an old box call I found at my grandpa's. Wish I still had that. 
Whatever you get, good luck and have fun.


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## River raider (Dec 25, 2017)

I think the biggest mistake a person makes when calling is being too loud and too often.


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## River raider (Dec 25, 2017)

I have purchased so many calls over the years, lot of them I gave to the kids to play with . Numerous mouth calls I just threw away. My favorite box call is a old True Tone, that I have sanded so many times to keep a certain sound. I make my own strikers from hickory for slate calls , my favorite slate is a old ThunderDome with with a aluminum back . Learned years ago to use a call in a plastic bag to keep it dry.


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## Jdhunttrapfish (Jan 14, 2016)

Box call is easy to use and sound good as long as it's not a real cheapie, I would take the sound of a box call over push button any day


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

ezcaller said:


> It does not matter what call you use if you do not understand or know a turkeys cadence and length of note. I have heard crazy bad sounds come from all the above mention calls and yet each call in the hands of someone who knows how to use them is beautiful. Lovett Williams says the closest sound to a real hen when broken down by a sonogram is a trumpet and wingbone. We go by what we thinks sounds good - only a turkey knows what sounds good to them.


There is so much turkey in a suction yelper. Most underrated call ever. I've got a trumpet from one of the best. I'm pretty good on suction not great compared to some of my friends.

I gotta kill one with that cane yelper this year, my problem with suction nerves hit I draw way to much air.


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

Yes I am putting more time in on mine just have to commit to it.


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## I'd rather be fishing (Dec 19, 2016)

If you know somebody that has turkeys in the area sit on the back porch and practice. We called them it at my parents in the evening and a huge flock came in and roosted in the oaks. First time I'd ever seen a turkey go 60+ feet into a tree. Up until that time I always thought they roosted in the 15 foot range. Great learning experience.


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## Wallywarrior (Apr 1, 2016)

Start with diaphragm/mouth calls and never look back. Are they hardest, yep, but everyone who uses one had to learn, so can you. They are easily the most versatile once you have them figured out. Start with the ones with no cuts in the latex, and single layer latex if you can find it. Go on YouTube and learn. Good luck. 


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## Wallywarrior (Apr 1, 2016)

Wallywarrior said:


> Start with diaphragm/mouth calls and never look back. Are they hardest, yep, but everyone who uses one had to learn, so can you. They are easily the most versatile once you have them figured out. Start with the ones with no cuts in the latex, and single layer latex if you can find it. Go on YouTube and learn. Good luck.
> 
> Go with good customs, still pretty cheap. I use gooserbat calls and would endorse.
> 
> ...





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## MPOW (Dec 27, 2016)

jus


River raider said:


> I think the biggest mistake a person makes when calling is being too loud and too often.


just like a real hen


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## Martian (Apr 28, 2011)

I think a box call may be the easiest to get on top of, you will need a blind to conceal the movement, but I would suggest learning a mouth call, ( Youtube), as then you can keep them coming in while your hands are on your weapon. also , easy to learn the mouth call, while in your car, and some come with CD


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## Yankee#1 (Jun 3, 2015)

If you use a diaphragm (mouth) call, I recommend you start with a straight double reed. This call will have no notches or splits, and using two reeds will let you learn how you need to drop you jaw to engage both pieces of latex. 

The thing to remember about mouth calls is simple - they follow the same principle as wind instruments (flute, sax, etc.) - and therefore once you learn how to blow the air over the top reed, you will have a relatively monotonous tone. If you only have a single reed, then you can alter the tone a bit by dropping your jaw, but you're liable to cause more harm than good. When you drop your jaw with a 2 or 3 reed call, you change the pattern of air flow over the latex, and this 'activates' the lower reeds, thereby giving you different pitch. Notches will then give the call a completely different sound because the distortions in the latex will cause 'fluttering' on that notched latex and give you the ability to add 'rasp' much easier into the sound.

In general, if you compare hen talk with musical notes - you'll notice a hen yelp starts with a relatively high-pitched note (or notes) and then drops down a few bars into a deeper pitch (usually with some rasp). If you had a wind instrument with a single reed you would use different keys to get those different notes - to consistently get those different notes with a mouth call, it's much easier to use a call with 2 or 3 reeds. In essence, as a wise old turkey hunter taught me years ago (a man who just happened to also be an amazing musician) - you will learn to blow air through your mouth and make sounds with a single reed, but not very good turkey calls. I think the best use of a single reed is produce kee-kee calls for fall hunting, which are relatively high-pitched monotones produced by younger birds.

I also recommend you search YouTube for the turkey calling series of videos produced by Mossberg. Those instructional videos are some of the most concise and in my opinion some of the flat-out best on the web.


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## Wallywarrior (Apr 1, 2016)

Yankee#1 said:


> If you use a diaphragm (mouth) call, I recommend you start with a straight double reed. This call will have no notches or splits, and using two reeds will let you learn how you need to drop you jaw to engage both pieces of latex.
> 
> The thing to remember about mouth calls is simple - they follow the same principle as wind instruments (flute, sax, etc.) - and therefore once you learn how to blow the air over the top reed, you will have a relatively monotonous tone. If you only have a single reed, then you can alter the tone a bit by dropping your jaw, but you're liable to cause more harm than good. When you drop your jaw with a 2 or 3 reed call, you change the pattern of air flow over the latex, and this 'activates' the lower reeds, thereby giving you different pitch. Notches will then give the call a completely different sound because the distortions in the latex will cause 'fluttering' on that notched latex and give you the ability to add 'rasp' much easier into the sound.
> 
> ...


I now use all sorts and have become proficient in most of them. I won’t argue with your advice one bit as it sounds a lot more educated in mine. I found it much easier to use a single reed when I started, but your stuff makes sense. 

I will stand by my statement of starting with a diaphragm though. No need to waste time and money on all those other types. 


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## mattawanhunter (Oct 30, 2011)

SLATE
Hands down the easiest rookie call to learn, turned this old rookie into a seasoned veteran champion turkey caller,you can set the thing on the ground and operate it with one hand with your gun in your lap, you can go really light and quiet or you can pick it up and make a lot of noise and call birds in from a long distance!

I've never hunted with anybody, I've never had anybody call for me!


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## mattawanhunter (Oct 30, 2011)




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## mattawanhunter (Oct 30, 2011)

There's some good articles







in Woods and Water news April edition!


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## backstrap bill (Oct 10, 2004)

Practice practice practice with whatever you decide. I take an arsenal of different things out with me. I have a slate, glass, aluminum pot calls. Along with a box call and a few different mouth calls. I’ll run the mouth call along with a pot call to sound like different birds. If one starts to comes in close I’ll drop the pot call and just rely on the mouth call. You got to take their temperature and see what they like and what they’re going to respond to. But mouth calls are probably the hardest to master but the best when you finally get to that point.


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## Jdhunttrapfish (Jan 14, 2016)

Yankee#1 said:


> If you use a diaphragm (mouth) call, I recommend you start with a straight double reed. This call will have no notches or splits, and using two reeds will let you learn how you need to drop you jaw to engage both pieces of latex.
> 
> The thing to remember about mouth calls is simple - they follow the same principle as wind instruments (flute, sax, etc.) - and therefore once you learn how to blow the air over the top reed, you will have a relatively monotonous tone. If you only have a single reed, then you can alter the tone a bit by dropping your jaw, but you're liable to cause more harm than good. When you drop your jaw with a 2 or 3 reed call, you change the pattern of air flow over the latex, and this 'activates' the lower reeds, thereby giving you different pitch. Notches will then give the call a completely different sound because the distortions in the latex will cause 'fluttering' on that notched latex and give you the ability to add 'rasp' much easier into the sound.
> 
> ...


 if the OP wants to put the time in to learn how to use a mouth call there is no doubt in my mind that diaphrams are the most realistic Turkey call, like someone said once you learn how you'll never turn back, I agree with the double reed to start, I always suggest to start with a no cut straight double reed, single reeds are ok, but you can't get the break in a single like you can with a double reed, and the break is fundamental to turkey mouth calling


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## backstrap bill (Oct 10, 2004)

This video offers something else to think about.


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## Wallywarrior (Apr 1, 2016)

backstrap bill said:


> This video offers something else to think about.


I didn’t watch it, but guessing it is about not calling at all. I would say that more turkeys are scared off than called in with calls in general. It is a lot less fun staying silent, but if your ultimate goal is to kill a turkey, it’s probably not a bad strategy. 


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## backstrap bill (Oct 10, 2004)

More like not to over call. Call enough to peak their attention then be quiet and let them come find you.


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## freezen1979 (Mar 22, 2015)

ninepntr said:


> Box call?
> Push button calls?
> Slate?
> Not mouth?
> ...


box call


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## 270 Hunter (Nov 10, 2016)

Hand free/ no movement required, use a mouth call. Buy one now, every time you drive your car practice basic clucks and purrs.Dont worry about the strange looks you get from others if the windows are down. You will be proficient by hunting time. ( buy a few mouth calls, single , double, triple reed. See what works for you best. Good Luck.


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## BUCK/PIKE (Oct 24, 2011)

good points guys calling less is definitely key!keep them interested but make them come look for his hen.
so many times I have birds wander in looking 20 or 30 min after calling.
when I first started huntng I guarantee I scared birds off over calling.


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## TriggerDiscipline (Sep 25, 2017)

Get a mouth call and practice. They're really not that hard and they're the most realistic sounding. Ghostcuts are a good choice for a beginner.


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