Im no master by any means but every year I buy one or two new calls. I take box calls and slates of all kinds with me into the woods but I always end up with success using the diaphragms. Maybe I just suck at using boxes and slates. I dont know but this year I'm not even fooling with anything but the mouth call.
Go with what you know mindset. All that said I did purchase a couple of new mouth calls to learn. How about you guys?
I'm a pot and peg guy through and through. I love them, I'm confident running one and I have had a fair amount of success with them. There is no doubt in my mind I could throw 2 pots and 3 strikers in my vest and kill birds. I just love to learn and try new things though. So my vest will have a mouth call or two, maybe a box and/or trumpet if I can gain enough confidence before the season. Worst case scenario I'll have a variety of calls to play during the slow times.
I run a mouth call 90% of the time but there is times when a Box, Pot, or Trumpet is what they want to hear and its the difference between calling in or not calling in a particular tom.
Quote from: Gooserbat on January 18, 2022, 03:00:25 PM
I run a mouth call 90% of the time but there is times when a Box, Pot, or Trumpet is what they want to hear and its the difference between calling in or not calling in a particular tom.
100% agree
I was basically a straight mouth call guy for I bet over 25 years. Have some issues now that stops that but I believe mixing a couple call types up raises your odds.
Quote from: Bowguy on January 23, 2022, 04:10:12 AM
I was basically a straight mouth call guy for I bet over 25 years. Have some issues now that stops that but I believe mixing a couple call types up raises your odds.
Same here. Beginning in the 1980's, I pretty much used nothing but mouth calls. Didn't even carry other types of calls while hunting. More recently, I have started carrying a couple of pots and a few strikers for certain situations, but still use mouth calls almost exclusively. I know the friction calls that are available nowadays have been perfected to the point where pretty much all of the turkey vocalizations can be reproduced very realistically (and pretty easily), but I just prefer the challenge of replicating all those sounds with a mouth call. ...Just "anal" that way, I suppose... ;D ;)
Quote from: GobbleNut on January 23, 2022, 09:50:18 AM
Quote from: Bowguy on January 23, 2022, 04:10:12 AM
I was basically a straight mouth call guy for I bet over 25 years. Have some issues now that stops that but I believe mixing a couple call types up raises your odds.
Same here. Beginning in the 1980's, I pretty much used nothing but mouth calls. Didn't even carry other types of calls while hunting. More recently, I have started carrying a couple of pots and a few strikers for certain situations, but still use mouth calls almost exclusively. I know the friction calls that are available nowadays have been perfected to the point where pretty much all of the turkey vocalizations can be reproduced very realistically (and pretty easily), but I just prefer the challenge of replicating all those sounds with a mouth call. ...Just "anal" that way, I suppose... ;D ;)
I have used or tried about every kind of friction call there is and have killed turkeys using them but my most success is mouth calls. I just have sooo much more confidence in my calling ability and I believe the mouth calls are by far (at least for me) the most realistic. To clarify im no champion caller .. In fact Im a pretty sorry caller as far as sound goes. I cant purr and Im limited to standard yelps, cluck, cuts. But Ive learned the when and when not to call and I have a good feel on what Im saying when I say it. I like the under the breath calling when a smart ole tom is trying find me. Ill mess it up every time with a friction. But ive had some very close encounters using this method.
Quote from: GobbleNut on January 23, 2022, 09:50:18 AM
Quote from: Bowguy on January 23, 2022, 04:10:12 AM
I was basically a straight mouth call guy for I bet over 25 years. Have some issues now that stops that but I believe mixing a couple call types up raises your odds.
Same here. Beginning in the 1980's, I pretty much used nothing but mouth calls. Didn't even carry other types of calls while hunting. More recently, I have started carrying a couple of pots and a few strikers for certain situations, but still use mouth calls almost exclusively. I know the friction calls that are available nowadays have been perfected to the point where pretty much all of the turkey vocalizations can be reproduced very realistically (and pretty easily), but I just prefer the challenge of replicating all those sounds with a mouth call. ...Just "anal" that way, I suppose... ;D ;)
I wish I could still use them. I thought about trying again as my conditions are getting better. It was nice to know nothing but a few light mouth calls.
Quote from: strum on January 23, 2022, 12:12:46 PM
Quote from: GobbleNut on January 23, 2022, 09:50:18 AM
Quote from: Bowguy on January 23, 2022, 04:10:12 AM
I was basically a straight mouth call guy for I bet over 25 years. Have some issues now that stops that but I believe mixing a couple call types up raises your odds.
Same here. Beginning in the 1980's, I pretty much used nothing but mouth calls. Didn't even carry other types of calls while hunting. More recently, I have started carrying a couple of pots and a few strikers for certain situations, but still use mouth calls almost exclusively. I know the friction calls that are available nowadays have been perfected to the point where pretty much all of the turkey vocalizations can be reproduced very realistically (and pretty easily), but I just prefer the challenge of replicating all those sounds with a mouth call. ...Just "anal" that way, I suppose... ;D ;)
I have used or tried about every kind of friction call there is and have killed turkeys using them but my most success is mouth calls. I just have sooo much more confidence in my calling ability and I believe the mouth calls are by far (at least for me) the most realistic. To clarify im no champion caller .. In fact Im a pretty sorry caller as far as sound goes. I cant purr and Im limited to standard yelps, cluck, cuts. But Ive learned the when and when not to call and I have a good feel on what Im saying when I say it. I like the under the breath calling when a smart ole tom is trying find me. Ill mess it up every time with a friction. But ive had some very close encounters using this method.
Oddly enough I can yelp and purr on a mouth call but can't cluck and cut good enough to be satisfied with using clucks and cuts in the woods. I can cluck, cut and purr with a pot call but my yelping isn't great. So I use my strengths with each call on hunts. I don't use any other calls.
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Quote from: strum on January 23, 2022, 12:12:46 PM
Ive learned the when (to call) and when not to call and I have a good feel on what Im saying when I say it.
When all is said and done, this is the most important aspect of calling with any type of instrument. Learning what to say and when to say it (or not say anything at all, at times), in my opinion, is far more critical than the actual sound of the call (within reason, of course...ya' gotta make sounds that at least remotely sound like a turkey ;D). I am not certain if that knowledge falls under the category of "calling" versus "woodsmanship". ...I'll leave that up for debate... :) ;)
Very seldom ever use a month call, i do carry couple in the satchel somewhere, haven't seen them in long time. I will stick with boxes and pot calls myself...
I use a mouth call at least 90% of the time... probably more honestly. I can't remember the last time I called a bird in using anything else though I will occasionally break out a crystal pot to try and locate birds. This year it will be mostly diaphragm calls and a yelper around my neck
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Mouth call and yelpR.
I use a mouth call about 75% of the time when I'm hunting, but I do carry a pot call or two and a box. If it's windy, can't beat how loud a pot or box can get imo, but for the most part, I use a mouth call most of the time.
In years past, I'd run a mouth call probably 90% of the time, even though I carry a box and 3-4 pot calls with me into the woods. My plan this year is to spend more time using my pots and scratch box in the field. Need to justify my drive to own all these other calls lol
Quote from: Kwgoke on January 25, 2022, 01:20:04 PM
My plan this year is to spend more time using my pots and scratch box in the field. Need to justify my drive to own all these other calls lol
I understand that fully. Every year I buy something else and end up shelving it. I bought a very nice Turpin style Hen Box from a reputable maker on this forum. Nothing wrong with it. Its beautifully crafted and all. I just cant get turkeys to come to it. I know its me more than the call. That said I dont spend the time with it as I do the diaphragms. And Ive never ran boxes well.
I would be perfectly comfortable on a hunt with just a few of my favorite diaphragms. That is the first call I really started serious practicing with at 8 years old.
However I typically carry a pot call or 2, two strikers and a wingbone or trumpet. The last 4 years or so the diaphrams and the wingbones/trumpets have done 90% of the heavy lifting. I am by no means that great or even good with a suction yelper but it has been a game changer on more than a handful of gobblers in the last couple years.
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Quote from: strum on January 25, 2022, 06:54:43 PM
Quote from: Kwgoke on January 25, 2022, 01:20:04 PM
My plan this year is to spend more time using my pots and scratch box in the field. Need to justify my drive to own all these other calls lol
I understand that fully. Every year I buy something else and end up shelving it. I bought a very nice Turpin style Hen Box from a reputable maker on this forum. Nothing wrong with it. Its beautifully crafted and all. I just cant get turkeys to come to it. I know its me more than the call. That said I dont spend the time with it as I do the diaphragms. And Ive never ran boxes well.
I feel like my box call game has gotten better here lately, because I have had two upstairs next to my computer that I've been trying to sell on here, which means during meetings (I'm currently wfh) I place myself on mute and play them more often. Definitely seen a significant boost in how they sound because of that! Thinking I need to move a few more calls up to leave at my desk now!
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