Calls to use for the less experienced

[vabeardhunter]

I'm fairly new to the site and newer/intermediate to turkey hunting (but now I have it bad...real bad)http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/Smileys/classic/tongue.gif Seems that I'm not alone, and there are a lot of newer hunters asking call questions. Thought maybe it would be a nice idea to have some more experienced input on what you think are the best calls to take into the field with you as a newer turkey hunter. Maybe the type of call, brand, version and why you think it would be good (ie: mouth call, Hooks, 2 reed v cut)  I think most know its more important already on how you use a call.
thank you in advance,
VBH

[Happy]

Honestly think a good push pin call and a box call are your best bet for learning to call. Now a lot of factory push pin calls sound pretty bad in my opinion but I have heard some customs that sound pretty sweet. A good box call can in my opinion  make the best yelps out there next to a diaphragm. Both of those calls are pretty user friendly and you can works your way up from there. Get you some good recordings of wild turkeys and go from there. That's my opinion anyways. Good luck.

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

Confidence to use the call for a variety of calls is a huge factor when starting out. For me that came with a good custom pot call, for other turkey hunting friends it was a box call.

[SteelerFan]

A quality, well tuned box call is definitely the easiest to reproduce realistic turkey talk. A good box can produce fantasic yelps with little thought process. David Halloran gives a great 101 on box calls here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Fp5hLW0v0#t=30

Just have to remember to be conscious of your hand movement when that bird is closing the distance and coming in. If you can see him, he's already been able to see you.

[Swamp Rooster]

I found the HS Strut diaphragm calls to be much easier to learn with than the primos ones.

[TauntoHawk]

a good single sided box can almost run itself. I woulds say a box call or pot call are easiest to start on. I learned a pot call first could run a mouth call for yearssss.

[boatpaddle]

I highly recommend starting your calling career with a slate call....They are easy to run & have realistic turkey sounds...
      Buy yourself a DVD from a callmaker. Watch & listen first, then pick up the call & join in....Being new to running calls, your just not fast enough to catch on to the where, who, what & why's of running the call...You seem like your always behind, when watching....Seems like a zillion things to remember all at one time...

      Till you have complete control of your calling, do yourself a favor & DO NOT buy anymore calls....One call to focus on, while learning turkey talk is great....Lessens your leaning curve, devotes you to only that call & speeds up your ablity to figure out where to call from on the calling surface to get what call your looking to reproduce.. Saves ya $$$, too....

     By complete control, I mean, if I ask you to give me a cluck & purr, you could put the call under your kitchen table and give me a cluck & purr, jake yelps, ole' hen assembly yelps & so on......The ability to run the call without looking is paramount, when you need to make one more very soft seductive call.....soft cluck & or a purr or a few soft walking yelps....

    When your looking down, your not scaning the woods with your eyes for that gobbler !!!

     There is so much more to talking turkey, then just running the call.....LEARN THE LANGUAGE !!

      Remember....calling is the only thing, that connects you sitting there & that turkey in his or her living room....

      Extra time becoming a good caller with one call, who knows and understands turkey talk will put you far ahead in your search for that first gobbler...

     Good luck to you....

[BowBendr]

^^ THIS ^^
Outstanding advice !


2015 Old Gobbler contest Champions

[R.W. Mackey]

  As some have already said, a good box, I also recommend a one side for beginners and a good pot
Call. Doesn't have to be slate most any of the call surfaces sound good. Mouth calls used by beginners are a Turkeys best friend, stick to one of the friction calls.
  Most beginners think you need to make all sorts of turkey sounds to call a turkey, been listening to too
Many contest callers. All you need to kill a turkey is a Yelp, if you can learn this one call and learn it well
You will be successful in the turkey woods. Learn to make it high pitched,young hen, raspy, older hen,
Slow and low pitched, gobbler, excited, spring time call, very soft, tree call. They are all a Yelp and you
Can't make a better Yelp than on a good box or pot call. 

RW

[Mabren2]

I started with a multi-pack of mouth calls, and a CD on how to use them from Primos. I thought the CD did a good job on teaching the basics, and I still recommend it to friends. Mouth calls were a little intimidating to me at first because my first blind attempts were such complete failures, but once I finally committed to learning and practiced using the CD, things fell into place rather quickly. I still don't consider myself a great caller, but I know I can kill birds with a mouth call. I'm a firm believer that everyone's individual calling style is going to produce different results with a given call, so I recommend buying a few different calls a figuring out what works for you. Mouth calls are great for being able to call hands free, with no movement, and I will always have one with me for that reason.

As I progressed in hunting, I learned the importance of soft talk from a very successful local hunter. I can't roll my R's, and still can't produce any form of a good sounding purr on a mouth call. That has led to my obsession with pot calls. I now make my own pot calls , and love making and using them. I wouldn't be caught dead in the woods without one. The realistic purrs and clucks that are so easy to produce with a good pot have killed a lot of birds for me. In general I think slate is a great surface to start with, because it can make every sound necessary, and in my opinion is the easiest to learn to condition and keep running good.

So for me it is a mouth call I have confidence in, and a good pot call, and that is it. I think that is a fairly simple approach, and I think it fits beginners well.

[HFultzjr]

A good box call (custom). Check out the short boxes by Mike @ Spring Creek Turkey calls on here, or any of the other great calls available here. I have a short box from Mike and it is probably the easiest playing box call I own. Watch lots of Youtube videos. Practice a lot. Get a recording device and set up about 15 yards or so from you and record your calls outside. Outside and a distance from your calls will give you a better idea of how they sound. Post in the sound files section and ask for advice. Many helpful people on here.

[wvmntnhick]

While not a novice, I find that my calling skills still need work and anyone who says otherwise has never heard me call before. Having said that, I don't feel like my calling has cost me a bird in the last several years. Over calling perhaps but not the actual calling itself. Having said that, I find a box call to be a necessity. In the past I'd have said any decent box call. After playing around with some custom boxes, I'm a firm believer that a QUALITY box is the ticket. I've got a McKinnis box, a Mabry and have an SS on the way. If looking for a pot call, I'd like to throw a big vote towards Mike Yingling's stuff. His prices are quite fair and the quality is great. I've got an aluminum, copper and crystal. All are easy runners and can make about any sound you want.

[vabeardhunter]

Very good sound information from everyone. Thank you all much. Keep'em coming. I would like to add that practicing on all different calls is a great idea but like everyone has said, go with what you have confidence in and start with something easier to run to build that confidence. I have been putting in time practicing on mouth calls lately, tho there's no way I'm going into the turkey woods and using that as a primary call. For me that will be used 'only if I have a bird close to finish him off' and will be using only one or two sounds on it that I'm confident with. Anything more right now will probably do more harm than good. Most of my practice has been on a pot call and box call. I already know I can kill birds with those type of calls. As the season progresses I will probably add a little more mouth calling if needed once I'm more confident.
Thank you again to all that have contributed so far. Keep'em coming...

[Cottonmouth]

I would get a pot call...slate and practice clucks, purrs, and yelps. Keep some scotch brite pads to touch it up and don't forget to buff the striker tip because it will glaze over sometimes. I always carry 2 or 3 pot calls because they can get damp on cool mornings just holding it in your hand. Even a well placed dew drop can mess one up for a while.

Get a few extra strikers to play around with and see which combinations work best. There are tons of videos and sound files to learn from too.