Question about Pot calls in your vest.

[357MAGNOLE]

What should the well prepared hunter take with them in the woods in regards to pot calls? I have heard many people say to have a couple or more calls, and a couple strikers per call so multiple sounds can be produced.

So how many Pot calls do you take with you?

I already have a Halloran Crystal Mistress, about to be paired up with one of Del Cro's Jatoba strikers when it gets here.

Should I add a slate, aluminum, another style?

[greentag]

i will sometime take three if im wearing a vest but most of the time just two with several strikers matched up to them,there will always be a slate,then the others vary depending on what ever mood im in when i get my stuff ready.then if im hunting the same place for a few days in a row,i will rotate my calls with others,i dont know if it helps but thats just what i have always done.

[357MAGNOLE]

Ill also add in.... How does one know which striker/pot combo to run on that day?

[greentag]

i would run what ever you are most comfortable with and can run the best,alot of times early in the morning a slate call will draw moisture and not be able to play as good,but crystal and other surfaces do better. also its best to call soft first in case one is close to you,thats when a good slate or glass call comes in handy.you can always get louder if needed but say ones twenty yards from you and you cant see it you dont want to be screaming at it with something loud.then if you havent had one respond you can louder,an aluminum or crystal is good for reaching out there,like if your calling trying to strike one,cause they generally are louder,they also come in handy for windy days when it is harder for a bird to hear you or in hilly terrain when all the leaves are on the trees.as far as sitting down and calling one to the gun,i personally think a slate is hard to beat,you can call low and soft or get loud if needed.also several different surfaces come in handy because you never know what sound he wants to hear and this can change from day to day.you may not be having luck with one call and switch and that be all it takes for him to respond.i always say its like fishing,you wouldnt want to go bass fishing with just one bait,you switch it up untill you find something they like,turkey hunting is very similiar in my opinion.

[357MAGNOLE]

Greentag,

Great information. I appreciate it.  I am sitting here pondering on whether I should add a slate or aluminum call to my vest. I have never owned one of those types, just one in crystal and one in copper (which I gave away because It was a pain to keep clean and annoyed me)

Sounds like slate would add more versatility to my vest, but the Aluminum is very intriguing since it requires little to no maintenance.

[Planner]

Based on what you've provided I would add a slate call before adding an aluminum. Not that aluminum is bad, but a slate is a very easy call to run and if I'm only carrying two calls into the woods it's going to be a crystal and slate. Luckily, I'm more than willing and able to carry the whole orchestra.... But more often than not it's the crystal or a slate that comes out first on nearly every hunt.


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[357MAGNOLE]

I don't have a problem carrying more than two, but if I had 2 calls that complimented each other that is what I would prefer for sure. I don't know where to begin with the slate, ill probably just go back to Halloran and get one of his. I love the Crystal Mistress, so I cant imagine anything wrong with his other calls. Ill have to figure out some good striker options to throw in the vest as well.

[MK M GOBL]

I only carry 2 pot calls in my pack, first and foremost is my Cody World Class Slate call. I have ended more turkeys with that call over the last 20 years than anything else and it's still doing the job! My other call is a MAD Heavy Metal glass call that I picked up for $10 and that call is the other end of the spectrum and when called on it will steal a show! I do carry a few strikers along but run them on both pots. I don't pick pretty I pick performance.

MK M GOBL

[Jgarrett]

Get you a great sounding 2 sided call, that will allow you to soft talk and still get loud (pure death by Supreme, Ed Jenkins, Brad Roberts....just to name a few, make great 2 siders).....then pick another call you love....I personally like a good aluminum, but I recently was able to obtain a Talking Dirty so now that's all I nee......oh wait I'm letting the secret out?  Good luck to you this season and have fun with it!?

[greentag]

like planner said,i would  also add the slate before the aluminum.dont worry about how hard they are to maintain,they are really the easiest of all to take care of,you get any thing on them or if you need to condition them all you need is a piece of scotchbrite and rub it side to side and they are ready again.on damp mornings they do draw moisture but get back to normal quick.ill take them on damp days,ill usually put them in a ziplock back and keep it in my vest,then it is ready even if it is foggy and damp.to me and many others a slate is the easiest and most forgiving call to run.if you can run that crystal than you will definatly be able to run the slate and probably better.the slate that halloran makes is a good one,you cant go wrong there.as far as strikers massacar ebony,purpleheart,dymondwood and many more sound good on them.anybody just starting to learn on a pot call i feel would be better off with a slate first,the other surfaces can sometimes be finicky if you dont have them conditioned good,they can make unwanted sounds for someone not use to them,were as a slate is easier to run,easier to care for,and alot more forgiving to play.i would buy that halloran,a few strikers,take your crystal and practice,you would definantly be ready to go with those.

[Double B]

Last few seasons I carry 4-5, a slate,  ceramic,  aluminum and 2 glass calls are what I ended last season with.     I run a playoff system in the man cave from late January til April and choose  between the best of the best (ever changing, right?)  to get in the vest by April.  Your tryout selections will be growing if you're anything like me!    And strikers. ....usually 7 most mornings.  Purple heart, hickory,  rosewood and black locust are good choices for me and are carried.  Then a water proof tipped corncob striker and a laminate/dymondwood.   Two siders mentioned before is excellent advise....2 for one!    Good info already given but will add that I recommend you don't carry so many strikers that they ever ride 2 per pocket and cause noise.  Fill your vest but don't stuff it.  And have fun deciding! 

[357MAGNOLE]

Man you guys are awesome. I'll have to get that Halloran slate and pick up a couple of his once piece strikers. Thinking Purple Heart for one, not sure on the other.

[greentag]

if you order that call from david you can tell him to match a couple more strikers up to it,strikers are what makes a good pot call excellent.you can't just buy a striker and expect it to sound good on a certain pot,it may be awesome on one call and sound awful on the next,thats why alot of us have so many strikers,then you can go through and match them to what pots they sound best on.you can tell david to go ahead and match some up to it for different sounds and be a step ahead right out of the get go.dont overlook the cheaper two piece strikers he makes either they are very good.be warned though if you get to playing with pot calls and like them they can become addictive,strikers to good luck,

[357MAGNOLE]

Thanks.  I went ahead and ordered that slate call from him.  I didn't really have any extra cash to throw down so the wife might be after me when she finds out   

I sent him a nice email requesting he match up a couple good strikers. I also ordered the one piece purple heart, but I want to try that out on my crystal mistress too.

[Bowguy]

I see you already ordered the call but I personally would always carry an aluminum. A good aluminum is no maintenance as long as you keep it clean. They play extremely easily and are definitely another sound in your vest. Good aluminum calls can also be toned down easily. They're often the only call I use, even when the bird is roosted since you can tone em down so easily.
Prob one of the easiest to run, maintain and run loud or soft with zero problems is Schafers Atomic 13. That's not saying many others aren't great, just that his surface is suitable for all and that call is brutal on birds