No ability at all

[WisTurk]

Do you wear gloves when you're hunting?  I know if/when I wear them it can affect my calling on a pot call.  Either some of the material touches the call which affects the harmonics and gives a different pitch/tone or something (like something touching the barrel of your rifle when you shoot), but I just hate wearing gloves when running calls.  And yes, going from a controlled environment such as your house to outside will affect the calling surface from moisture and humidity, plus they sound different when the sound isn't bouncing off the walls.

[sixbird]

Just a shot but if you aren't running a flared tip on your striker, it may help if you get one. They're a bit easier to be consistent with... 
It could be, like others have said, stage fright. I get that a little sometimes and mess up a few notes. Don't stress over a couple of messed up notes. Take a look at some of the vids. and listen to some of the callers. Some of them make me absolutely cringe but turkeys come to them...Don't be too critical of yourself but do make sure you're conditioning your calls properly and your strikers also. If it's moisture, rain chalk will help, a lot. Google "rain chalk" you can buy it right from the maker (he's a really nice guy).

[EZ]

When it comes to pot calls, I need help. I sit and practice in my den and do ok. In the woods, the only thing I can run is my slate. Don't know if it's the excitement of the hunt or if it's my calls, but I blame me. So, I'm curious about a new call. What might be considered an easy surface to call on? I'm wondering about aluminum. Through some ideas at me, please.   

Assuming your calling surface and your striker tip are properly conditioned, I'd say it's your striker angle and/or the way you're holding the striker. Keep practicing until it's second nature.

As I mentioned, keeping your calling surface well roughed is paramount. On slate use a scotchbrite pad. On glass, use 60 grit or even 36 grit and sand it often.

[hookedspur]

Don't know for sure but , are you using more down pressure outside ?
When I run a call inside I believe the walls bounce the sound back and I can hear it better,
but outside I have a tendency to grip the peg tighter and try to hear it by playing it to loud.
Just make sure you are doing it all the same and let the tip of your peg float on the surface ,
Don't try to play loud , ole Tom can hear it .

[HFultzjr]

I know one thing for sure. It's a lot easier to call from the living room chair/sofa, than sitting on the hard ground, after running to a spot, putting on your mask, getting gun in position, have a tick crawling up your back, sweat pouring down your face and a gobbler hung up about 100 yards out. That's for sure. LOL

[drenalinld]

That is the essence of turkey hunting for me those butterflies in my stomach at first light to full blown heart palpitations when I can hear him drumming but can't see him and try to calm my erratic breathing for a soft cluck and purr. I think you should practice this on the treadmill?

[2eagles]

Thanks, guys. I just noticed this question is getting some new answers. Some very good help here! Like I mentioned I was doing pretty good with my slate and that's the only pot I hunted with this year. Another thought was I expected more sound in the timber and was trying to crank up the volume at the expense of a good sound. So true!
Well, I ordered an aluminum / slate two sider from misfire this week. I'm looking forward to making noise with it and maybe with enough practice..... Next season!!

[wvmntnhick]

I've found myself being able to make some pretty sweet music both in the basement and outside. No difference really. Where things really change for me is when the bird is answering and I'm trying to keep from keeling over with excitement. Heck, last spring, when my niece was with me was a prime example. She even asked about it after the fact. Had my Yingling aluminum and crystal over slate in my lap. No gun mind you as it was a youth hunt. Bird gobbled well on the roost. Gobbled well when he hit the ground. Brought his brother along and still I managed to maintain good composure right up until they hung up and I tried to purr on that aluminum call. I let out 2 of the most awful screeching sounds you could imagine. Didn't bother the birds any as they then decided to break strut and come on in for her to miss twice at PBR but still, it wasn't turkey sounding at all. Was really disappointed in myself as I'd thought I'd blown it. Nerves got to me in a big way. They will impact the best of hunters at times and those of us on the "weaker willed" side of things will find a way to mess up.

Having said all that, let me say this. Later in the spring my buddy and I were set up blind calling in a place we expected to see birds. Nothing happens for about 20 minutes. He just tried a diaphragm call for the first time this year. Needless to say, it sounded fair, but not good. Not his fault as he's primarily a friction call guy. Anyway, I hear these horrible yelps coming from his direction and thought that he was just trying the diaphragm for fun before we left and it was going to be a good laugh. Glanced in his direction and saw nothing but him sitting at the base of a tree. Shortly thereafter, I saw a hen walking behind him and she started yelping again. She sounded worse than any bird I'd ever heard. Moral of the story, don't feel like you've got to be perfect. These birds aren't as smart or perfect as we make them out to be. Often times, it's just not their day to die. 

[2eagles]

Ah, the excitement of the hunt. Tom fever! Buck fever! Even doe fever. I was hunting a deer management zone with my bow. Had taken two does, so I earned the right to an any deer tag. I had seen really nice bucks in that timber and was waiting for one of the big boys. A nice doe walked in directly under my tree, but I had no desire  to shoot her. My heart was beating so hard and I couldn't breath to the point I was afraid I'd fall out of my tree. This is why I love hunting.

[wvmntnhick]

Ah, the excitement of the hunt. Tom fever! Buck fever! Even doe fever. I was hunting a deer management zone with my bow. Had taken two does, so I earned the right to an any deer tag. I had seen really nice bucks in that timber and was waiting for one of the big boys. A nice doe walked in directly under my tree, but I had no desire  to shoot her. My heart was beating so hard and I couldn't breath to the point I was afraid I'd fall out of my tree. This is why I love hunting.

Indeed! When that feeling no longer enters my body, I'll stop hunting all together.

[outdoors]

YUP ME TO .. WHEN ALL THAT SHAKING @ AND YOU SEE YOUR COAT MOVING WITH EVERY HEART BEAT ......... WHEN THATS GONE IT BECOMES KILLING ..... NOT A GOOD FEELING THEN .......

[wvmntnhick]

YUP ME TO .. WHEN ALL THAT SHAKING @ AND YOU SEE YOUR COAT MOVING WITH EVERY HEART BEAT ......... WHEN THATS GONE IT BECOMES KILLING ..... NOT A GOOD FEELING THEN .......

OH, make no mistake about it. We are killers plain and simple. There's zero debating that. When the need to physically hunt for food to survive diminished, we became killers at that moment. However, there's a level of excitement and anticipation that kicks in when the opportunity arises. That's the super fun part. As said above, when that disappears, I'm done. We've been shooting crop damage deer this summer for a farmer that will typically lose 40% of his annual crop yield and has lost as much as 65% in the past. I've gotten plenty of target practice the past few years on his farms between the deer, groundhogs and other varmints that pop up. While the excitement of shooting a groundhog has leveled out from my days of youth, I still get quite pumped up when the deer enter the field.

[sixbird]

My buddy and I laugh about how charged up I get...Sometimes I just quiver. I mean it's uncontrollable...When it's time to shoot, I'm o.k. but while that bird is coming in, well, it can be comical   

[Techn9cian02]

Stiff fingers, temperature and humidity differences, calls that were built and tuned to run differently...these are hurdles we all face.  I suggest having calls of a type all built to run the same way and limiting the number of calls and strikers. Limit your working collection  to what you can practice with enough to develop some muscle memory. Half asleep or full of adrenaline  at sunrise is no time to expect to remember all the details of a particular call.

X2


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[mtns2hunt]

When it comes to pot calls, I need help. I sit and practice in my den and do ok. In the woods, the only thing I can run is my slate. Don't know if it's the excitement of the hunt or if it's my calls, but I blame me. So, I'm curious about a new call. What might be considered an easy surface to call on? I'm wondering about aluminum. Through some ideas at me, please.   

Lot of good suggestions to improve your calling. Practice is great, conditioning your call and striker works as does experimenting with different materials. As for the adrenaline rush it could affect your calling. However, the best and quickest way to get it right is to find a buddy that can work a pot call and get him to assist. This is much better then buying a dozen different calls, strikers and practicing bad habits over and over.