What Should Be Your First Turkey Call?

One of the most important things in a turkey hunter’s arsenal is the best turkey call for the right situation. Turkey hunters mimic various hen sounds like yelps, clucks, and purrs, to convince a male, or tom, turkey to come into shotgun or bow range. Many new turkey hunters are intimidated by the wide range of turkey sounds and the different types of man-made calls on the market. From the expansive flow of information about turkey calls and calling tactics that can be found on YouTube and elsewhere, it’s to keep turkey calls simple by sticking to a few basic calls.

Learning to use turkey calls as well as learning the right time to use them takes practice. However, with a little bit of time, calling turkeys isn’t as complicated as some people would like you to believe.

Since the rise in popularity, the market has been flooded with all different brands, calls, prices, and functions. We’ve compiled all things turkey calls and what you should keep in mind if you are looking for the best turkey call.

What Turkey Call Should I Learn to Use First?

A turkey box call is by far the most recommended call for the beginning turkey hunter. The majority of veteran turkey hunters will say that a box call is what they started calling with as a newcomer to the sport. However, not all box calls are created equal, some are 3 separate pieces of wood, others will be one hollowed out piece. The lid to a box call is also made from a solid piece of wood. When the lid surface is struck against the side surface, it creates sound.

A favorite for both amateur and veteran hunters, the box call is valuable due its ability to have a high volume that is great on windy days. Box calls are some of the easiest calls to use and don’t require any chalk. 

When using a turkey box call, always make sure that the lid stays in contact with the sides at all times. Raising the top off of the side area of this type of turkey call will make sounds squeak and take away the rhythm of calling.

Once You’ve Mastered The Box Call, Try a Pot Call.

A pot call is sometimes referred to as a slate call due to the surface of this type of hunting tool being made of slate. Once a hunter has learned the basics of calling on a box call, the next recommended call is a pot call. 

A pot call is incredibly versatile and gives you the greatest range of sounds with a short amount of learning time. Most pot calls consist of a shallow, circular wooden pot that holds a round disc. The caller holds a striker about the diameter of a pencil and rubs or scratches the disc to make various hen sounds. By changing the pressure and pattern of your striker on a pot call, you can make just about every hen noise sound like the real thing. It’s also easy to quickly make different hen noises to mimic more than one hen talking. 

Different gobblers will often react better to a certain tone and it’s easy to make adjustments with a pot call. Pot calls do require some small movements to operate so hunters should be very careful to hide their calling motion in their lap.

Should I Try a Diaphragm Turkey Call?

Diaphragm calls, or mouth calls, consist of a small plastic frame surrounding a pliable reed or diaphragm. By placing the call inside your mouth and forcing air over a thin reed, it is possible to accurately mimic many hen turkey vocalizations. The advantage of diaphragm calls is that they be used without any movement that might give away a hunter’s position to a wary gobbler.

Turkey callers often prefer diaphragm calls because, with a fair bit of practice, it’s possible to make a wide range of very realistic hen sounds with different tones and volumes. But, they’re also one of the more difficult turkey calls to master and require significant practice. Many hunters use a diaphragm call in conjunction with a pot or box call to make a variety of turkey noises.

Learning how to call turkeys is a task that takes considerable time, patience, and effort. If one will use these types of calls in the order as listed above and spend a lot of time practicing, turkey calling will soon become an event that is looked forward to instead of an undertaking.