Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

I play with pot calls now and then throughout the year.  I sometimes play with trumpets (have not yet reached competence) but I don't practice mouth calling much till January.
I've ordered a few mouth calls for spring 2026 and will begin practicing with them and the other types of calls very soon.  Last year, I went back to basics and worked on it a lot and really improved my game. 
Deer season is still open but real slow here, and my mind turns to turkey.
Who else will up their calling practice soon?
And I really need to get back to walking, gotta get ready for those long morning hikes.

Guess I'm a bit obsessive...I keep a trumpet and Jordan on hand year round when I'm on the road. Listen to real hens calling over the stereo system, and run the yelpers.

I dont think a day goes by all year that I dont run a trumpet or mouth call atleast a little bit.

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Never stop running calls all year long ... I always have calls right next to my chair ... LOL. I don't think about playing them, I play them.. I really enjoy my calls and the different turkey sounds tones they all bring with hen. Jake and gobbler sounds.

The call I run the least is mouth call's. I always carry a couple but seldom ever use them. The 2 I carry are the old Quaker Boy double and old boss hen.

Playing calls is year-round for me. I seldom use a mouth call or carry one so that never gets touched.

I really ramp up my practice by the first of January every year.  Pots and mouth calls get dusted off for about 4 straight months.  This past year, I purchased a trumpet, so I have been learning something new since October.  Getting ready for the season raises the anticipation!

I guess I'm a slacker, I never touch them all year, last spring I popped my mouth calls in on the ride to my first hunt!

Which is dumb, my calling generally gets good mid season as far as mouth calls and wing bones , I can play a pot well cold turkey!


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I rarely use anything but mouth calls, although I do carry a pot or two when hunting. For those friction calls, after the season I do a quick inventory of the calls and strikers to see what I have either broken and/or lost and put away what has survived my escapades...generally until right before the next spring season at which time I will sort through them to see which pot/striker combinations I will most likely lug around with me unused when the season starts.

The mouth calls get stored away after the last hunt in the spring, which is usually in the latter part of May. I will disinfect all the mouth calls I have used and store them away in the fridge. Generally, they will not be touched until after the first of the year sometime. I will usually start getting anxious in anticipation of the upcoming spring hunts at some point and start sorting through my "fridge" mouth calls and making new ones. On average, I would say that process starts a couple of months before my first hunt.

Outside of that, I don't practice much any other time of the year. I suppose I have concluded, after all these years of trying, that my turkey calling ain't gonna get any better with more practice and I might as well resign myself to that. My fundamental theory is to find a gobbler or two out there in the turkey woods each spring that think my calling is good enough as it is. That theory generally works well enough to suit me.

As for those gobblers that think my calling sucks...well, I just leave those for you guys that practice a lot and can kill them!   ;D    :D   :newmascot:

My pot calls get played a few times throughout the Fall and Winter.  My mouth calls don't get played until normally after Christmas. 

I usually start when the Holliday season ends. The  decorations will go up in the attic and my garage clears out somewhat. Then, my deer gear gets put together put away in early February.

My play room is then organized (Garage) and I start to tinker with everything turkey. Bones, pots and boxes.

Soon I will order some additional latex to assemble some new calls. I usually don't run them until a month out.

I practice my calls year round. Not daily but several times a week. After deer season I ramp it up though. This year I want to listen to a lot more hen talk. Where do you guys find audio to listen to.

I usually don't touch my friction calls until a day or two before season. I am going to try to learn to use a mouth call this year. Going to start working on that shortly. Wish me luck!

Year-round for me too, I love tinkering with trumpets which is all I use these days.

I actually do not practice at all. I only pick them up when I start my scouting and I run them a little.. But it usually takes about 2-3 tries before the sound they make is good enough for me...

Quote from: redwad on December 31, 2025, 10:35:49 AMI practice my calls year round. Not daily but several times a week. After deer season I ramp it up though. This year I want to listen to a lot more hen talk. Where do you guys find audio to listen to.

You will find some real hen calls on youtube, but, not to sound corny but the best sounds you can learn from are from the real hens themselves. If you hunt in the fall you will ear every sounds that hen and gobblers make, from gobbles, to gobbler's yelp, to kee-kee, yelps, purrs... And in the spring, from my experience, honestly hens don't talk that much... They do a little bit of tree talk, and in my area they do more a contact cluck or bubble cluck, but once they hit the ground, they usually go pretty quiet...

Eehh.. I figure for most of us here. It's kinda like a pocketknife. Just need to touch the edge up a little before putting it to work. I would be willing to bet that for 75% of us on here, the calling is well above average and when a turkey hunt is screwed up. Its not because of the quality of calling. Quantity maybe, but not quality.

Quote from: Happy on January 04, 2026, 06:42:00 PMI would be willing to bet that for 75% of us on here, the calling is well above average and when a turkey hunt is screwed up, its not because of the quality of calling. Quantity maybe, but not quality.

Hmmmm.....

Maybe THAT'S my problem.....   I need to call more !!

Quote from: Yoder409 on January 04, 2026, 07:06:23 PM

Quote from: Happy on January 04, 2026, 06:42:00 PMI would be willing to bet that for 75% of us on here, the calling is well above average and when a turkey hunt is screwed up, its not because of the quality of calling. Quantity maybe, but not quality.

Hmmmm.....

Maybe THAT'S my problem.....   I need to call more !!

I need to sharpen and carry a pocket knife in both pockets ...

Quote from: Greg Massey on January 04, 2026, 07:27:21 PM

Quote from: Yoder409 on January 04, 2026, 07:06:23 PM

Quote from: Happy on January 04, 2026, 06:42:00 PMI would be willing to bet that for 75% of us on here, the calling is well above average and when a turkey hunt is screwed up, its not because of the quality of calling. Quantity maybe, but not quality.

Hmmmm.....

Maybe THAT'S my problem.....   I need to call more !!

I need to sharpen and carry a pocket knife in both pockets ...

You already walk around with your hand in your pocket too much as it is

Quote from: Yoder409 on January 04, 2026, 07:06:23 PM

Quote from: Happy on January 04, 2026, 06:42:00 PMI would be willing to bet that for 75% of us on here, the calling is well above average and when a turkey hunt is screwed up, its not because of the quality of calling. Quantity maybe, but not quality.

Hmmmm.....

Maybe THAT'S my problem.....   I need to call more !!

Thats the spirit! Remember, if your friction call ain't smoking, your just hopin'.

Quote from: Happy on January 04, 2026, 08:26:36 PM....if your friction call ain't smoking, your just hopin'.

I wrote that down.   :icon_thumright:

I have a trumpet in my truck and one on the coffee table. Trust me, I need the practice. Z

Quote from: crow on January 04, 2026, 07:54:02 PMYou already walk around with your hand in your pocket too much as it is

I wrote that one down, lol!!!

Quote from: EZ on January 05, 2026, 08:00:17 AM

Quote from: crow on January 04, 2026, 07:54:02 PMYou already walk around with your hand in your pocket too much as it is

I wrote that one down, lol!!!

 :TooFunny:    :TooFunny:    :TooFunny:

365 days a year.

I play calls year around especially at night when I'm sitting around on the recliner! I play everything as much as possible. My wife has gotten so used to it she said she doesn't pay attention to it anymore lol!

    Usually year round when,I am out hiking . I take a box or pot. Been practicing on a Tube for almost 1 year now.

Uh oh, maybe that's why I stink. I start practicing around now. Guess I have to start earlier. :smiley-char092:

I don't practice as much as I should.

Listening to Dave Owen's and Matt VanCise call, I have a lot of work to do!!!


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David, every year I tell myself that I'm going to start practicing my calling early.... but then LIFE happens!! This year is no different with the wife having medical issues. One of these years I'll make it happen!! Good luck this spring!! Please tell LT and Joe I said hello!! :wave:

Quote from: YoungGobbler on January 03, 2026, 06:03:22 PM...but the best sounds you can learn from are from the real hens themselves.

Sorry to again get a little bit off the subject...but sometimes things need to be said...  :angel9:

The above statement is true...but anybody that has listened to very many hen turkeys should be aware by now that, just like us humans, turkey voices vary a LOT. The consensus in the turkey hunting world seems to be that you should try to produce that "box call yelp" that so many contest judges want to hear. Gobblers in the woods are generally not nearly as particular about whether that hen they hear sounds like that or not.

At times, however, they can be very particular about what that hen they hear is saying to them...no matter what voice that hen is saying it in. In summary, you can practice your calling until you are "blue in the face"...but if you get out in the woods and say the wrong thing, even with that perfect "box call yelp" that those contest judges love, that gobbler you are calling to ain't necessarily gonna buy it!  ;D  :toothy9:

Knowing what to say and how to sound like a turkey is always a big challenge, so always practice your cadence, first start off soft and add volume as needed ... Learn the basics of calling etc, I always say if you have hunted and listen to enough turkeys you can almost tell within a few minutes if that turkey is killable that day ...if not it's up to YOU to convince him you are the best HEN in that area.

I totally agree, not all hens sound the same, but they all have a similarity in sound... that's the same with calls, they are all made with a similar sound / tone ... So again practice as much as you can with good yelps, cluck, purr etc and put it all in a cadence... Nerves / adrenaline in the heat of the battle can cause you a big problem within that battle. So why not practice and sound the best you can... IMO

Quote from: RutnNStrutn on February 06, 2026, 11:54:02 PMDavid, every year I tell myself that I'm going to start practicing my calling early.... but then LIFE happens!! This year is no different with the wife having medical issues. One of these years I'll make it happen!! Good luck this spring!! Please tell LT and Joe I said hello!! :wave:

I sure will.  Look for a PM.

Quote from: GobbleNut on February 07, 2026, 09:14:10 AM

Quote from: YoungGobbler on January 03, 2026, 06:03:22 PM...but the best sounds you can learn from are from the real hens themselves.

Sorry to again get a little bit off the subject...but sometimes things need to be said...  :angel9:

The above statement is true...but anybody that has listened to very many hen turkeys should be aware by now that, just like us humans, turkey voices vary a LOT. The consensus in the turkey hunting world seems to be that you should try to produce that "box call yelp" that so many contest judges want to hear. Gobblers in the woods are generally not nearly as particular about whether that hen they hear sounds like that or not.

At times, however, they can be very particular about what that hen they hear is saying to them...no matter what voice that hen is saying it in. In summary, you can practice your calling until you are "blue in the face"...but if you get out in the woods and say the wrong thing, even with that perfect "box call yelp" that those contest judges love, that gobbler you are calling to ain't necessarily gonna buy it!  ;D  :toothy9:

I'm glad someone on here finally said it. I have sat by trees in the spring woods for nearly 40 years and virtually never hear that "stage talk' from real hens in the mtns where i hunt during the spring turkey season. All that highly and over emphasized roll over you hear in a guy running his pot call on facebook like he is the babe ruth of turkey callers, I personally have never heard that in the woods from an actual live hen during the spring turkey season.

The worst calling I ever heard was from a live hen. Most birds in the mtns around here have very little roll over in their calling and they sound like they are dying of emphysema from smoking the last five years. More importantly - they tend to call rather soft and they do very little of it. Oh yea, occasionally a hen will get agitated and go off for a few moments, but 99% of the time, she just gives a few plain yelps or clucks to let the other birds know what she wants them to know. I know what someone is going to say - She will do small talk all day long, purring and tiny clucks and such, but you have to be in bow range to hear most of that. 

Here is the truth - way before turkey season, you will hear a lot of that hen talk as they set up pecking order and preparing to breed - but by the time that the spring turkey season begins in most states, she is going to be like I just described her above. So my suggestion - as you practice - why not plan to do sound like "she" is going to sound during the spring turkey season - which is soft and subtle 99% of the time.

Here is another thought as one prepares to go to the woods - I have yet to see any turkey call, that if played correctly and all other factors being equal, that the soft stuff on it did not sound a whole lot more like a hen than the loud stuff on the same call. True on some calls more than others (trumpet/wingbone especially), but true on all calls without exception.

Practice with this in mind - soft is the secret sauce. 

But I do have a great friend on here who calls like the turkey is in the next state, and he will be by here likely shortly to tell me that I am all wrong. LOL And - he kills ALOT of turkeys. But I have often said, "As good as he has done, just imagine what he would have killed had he not being blowing their ear drums out the whole time."

I will say this, I sound a lot better at the end of the season than I do at the beginning!

After all these years calling and listening to turkeys I really believe turkeys recognize the sound of other turkeys, and sometimes we hit that note and things come together quickly.

Quote from: Dtrkyman on February 07, 2026, 10:52:40 AMI will say this, I sound a lot better at the end of the season than I do at the beginning!

After all these years calling and listening to turkeys I really believe turkeys recognize the sound of other turkeys, and sometimes we hit that note and things come together quickly.

I will also say in most cases it's easier to kill a turkey in the spring than the fall... IMO

Well, now that we have completely hijacked the thread...might as well continue on...   ;D

I'm sure each of us that has hunted turkeys a good deal tends to develop a calling strategy based on what has been successful where we hunt. I think we all gravitate towards whatever strategy that might be. Another of my "theories on turkey hunting" is, if it works, keep doin' it...until it doesn't (which most certainly has happened on occasion).

If loud, aggressive calling from somebody has resulted in gobblers getting a ride home in the truck, I say have at it. However, I agree that doing that without knowing when to tone it down has probably kept a bunch of gobblers from taking that ride. Again, knowing what to say...and how to say it...and that includes volume, inflection, and cadence, as well as choosing the right combination of turkey sounds to be made...are all just as important, if not more so, than having a yelp, cluck (or whatever) that makes a contest judge happy.

I suppose my point is that, in my opinion, focusing on trying to get a very specific, perfect sound out of a call is nowhere near as important as making the right sound...even if it is not "perfect"...at the right time when dealing with a real, live gobbler.

Now, on the other hand, being the best caller you can be is always a good thing. Don't discount that. However, anybody that thinks THAT is what kills most gobblers is focusing on the wrong priority in the hierarchy of what gets them killed (again, in my opinion...which, with about ten dollars, will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks).  ;D

Quote from: Dtrkyman on February 07, 2026, 10:52:40 AMI will say this, I sound a lot better at the end of the season than I do at the beginning!

After all these years calling and listening to turkeys I really believe turkeys recognize the sound of other turkeys, and sometimes we hit that note and things come together quickly.

Totally agree...on both counts.  :D  It is uncanny how, on my first set-up on a gobbler each spring, I end up asking myself..."How did you forget how to use a turkey call between yesterday and today"?  :angel9:

I also totally agree that more often than we think, just sounding like a hen that a gobbler is familiar with is what gets them killed more than anything else we do.  :icon_thumright:

Quote from: GobbleNut on February 07, 2026, 11:28:10 AMI suppose my point is that, in my opinion, focusing on trying to get a very specific, perfect sound out of a call is nowhere near as important as making the right sound...even if it is not "perfect"...at the right time when dealing with a real, live gobbler.

Spot on!

I'm always practicing. Every time I see one of my calls laying around.


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   I can make a gobbler turn and run away without all that practice stuff. You guys are trying to hard

Quote from: GobbleNut on February 07, 2026, 09:14:10 AM

Quote from: YoungGobbler on January 03, 2026, 06:03:22 PM...but the best sounds you can learn from are from the real hens themselves.

Sorry to again get a little bit off the subject...but sometimes things need to be said...  :angel9:

The above statement is true...but anybody that has listened to very many hen turkeys should be aware by now that, just like us humans, turkey voices vary a LOT. The consensus in the turkey hunting world seems to be that you should try to produce that "box call yelp" that so many contest judges want to hear. Gobblers in the woods are generally not nearly as particular about whether that hen they hear sounds like that or not.

At times, however, they can be very particular about what that hen they hear is saying to them...no matter what voice that hen is saying it in. In summary, you can practice your calling until you are "blue in the face"...but if you get out in the woods and say the wrong thing, even with that perfect "box call yelp" that those contest judges love, that gobbler you are calling to ain't necessarily gonna buy it!  ;D  :toothy9:

You're absolutely right. Matter of fact, the last calls I've heard from turkeys were some immature birds who were yelping and it was interesting to hear them with their voice unsure, almost like a teenage who's voice is breaking.

Quote from: strum on February 07, 2026, 08:30:33 PMI can make a gobbler turn and run away without all that practice stuff. You guys are trying to hard

:z-winnersmiley:

Quote from: GobbleNut on February 07, 2026, 11:28:10 AMI suppose my point is that, in my opinion, focusing on trying to get a very specific, perfect sound out of a call is nowhere near as important as making the right sound...even if it is not "perfect"...at the right time when dealing with a real, live gobbler.

I'm pretty curious about what you just said. I'll pay attention this spring to see if it can make a difference... I'm curious to see if one can really "speak" gobblers.

My practice usually starts on opening day.

I ran a fresh mouth call yesterday for the first time since last turkey season. It was decent enough, but I'll build confidence dialing in volume and inflection over the next month. Been running my trumpet a little at a time in the shop since December. Those two are about all I use unless I'm just desperate. 

I apply a lot of the same tactics calling gobblers that I learned calling ducks.  Sometimes you have to stand on them and sometimes you have to be soft and seductive. I really ain't much on them that don't like a yelp! Get them interested and then back off just enough to make him come to you. You have to read his temperature and act accordingly. Knowing when not to call is as important as knowing when to call and what to say.