Older Hen or Younger Hen

[TJ3152]

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For conversation, what’s your preference in pitch, lower pitch of a mature hen or higher pitch of a younger hen? How about clearer versus more raspy? I personally think a well tuned custom box call sounds more like a real hen than any other call. However I use boxes, mouth calls, pots, and scratch boxes. If using a box, what’s your preferred wood combo for both mature hen sound and a younger hen sound? Thanks in advance for your responses!

[Zobo]

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Generally speaking I don’t think it really matters that much because hens make all those different sounds you’re talking about. But I have found that some of the calls I have just seem to get more of a response from gobblers than others. The thing is I don’t see any common link between those calls. Some are high pitched and clear, a couple raspy, and at least one I own sounds pretty bad to my ear but is very, very effective in the field, go figure.

[Greg Massey]

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It's all about the builder and tuning of the calls and what your ears prefer in sound ...  IMO ...

[ol bob]

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Its more about the gobbler, if hes in the mood any sound will work, if hes not no sound will work.

[greentrout]

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Talk to the builder and they should be able to tune a call with one side for different sounds. My biggest advice is to play several calls and find that hen in your head sound. I’m convinced when you find a call that sounds like what you think it should sound like, you’ll be more confident and get a better response from birds. There is always those calls that sound like nothing you think a turkey should that seem to work, but those are harder to find.

[outdoors]

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Why not both

[Greg Massey]

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Sound does matter and if a turkey is not in the mood , that call or sound he hasn't heard can trigger a gobble ... IMO... That's one of the reasons for changing up your calling during the year and not walk around sounding like the same hen.. I try to not sound like all the other guys in the woods and present something different to those moody gobblers ...

[3bailey3]

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I like old raspy with a slow yawk

[Tom007]

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It’s really all about your gobbler. Find the pitch that fires him up, the rest is history. Some guys like the loud girls at the bar, others pick-up and take home the quiet ones……..

[Sim1982]

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I like a clear front end with a two pack a day rasp at the back end.  I’ve seem to get more responses with the raspier calls then I do with the high pitched calls. I got more responses When using the fiddle boxes then I did with the pot calls this past season. Although I did have a few good days with the snakewood over sassafras preacherman box and a buster tulip crystal over red slate pot

[captpete]

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I agree with "ol Bob" & "Tom007" it's what ever sounds good to the Gobbler. With that said, in my area, I've had more responses from an older/deeper sounding hen than a younger higher pitched hen. Maybe it's just confidence in the calls, but I prefer slate(grey/green) over a glass or any metal surface call.

[silvestris]

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Whatever caller one uses, I believe that one who sounds like a resident hen will enjoy more success than one who merely calls.