How do you decide

[greentrout]

What style call to use when?! I'm just getting back to turkey hunting after being away for several years. All I knew then was slate calls. Now I see several kinds of surfaces, soundboards, pots, and even strikers - it's a little much. Seems like you can change the combinations of those things to get similar or very different sounds. Is there a write up out there somewhere that explains all of the differences? I'm looking for "Modern Pot Calls For Dummies." Or maybe someone can tell me what type of call works better under what conditions hypothetically. And if you due all your hunting with one pot, I would like to hear more about that as well. Thanks

[SemoRiverRat]

It's very easy to be overwhelmed when it comes to pots and strikers, especially on a site like this where there are so many good names and options out there.  My advice is this, if you're mostly interested in pot style calls for hunting which it sounds like you are just purchase 2-3 different surfaces.  They all offer unique tones and qualities.  For me personally in my vest I carry a good slate surface that I can call very soft/seductive with, a glass/crystal that I can crank on to get more volume/aggressiveness, and I carry an aluminum that I can call with a very high frequency mainly to locate with.  There's not enough room in my vest to carry as many different pots as I would like to every hunt, there's so much value to being able to change up calls on a turkey that is either hung up or you've has to reposition on that wouldn't commit to your initial set up.
That's a long answer but I tried to make it as simple as possible, as far as purchasing pots and strikers I have a very hard time buying online, I like to have a call in my hand that I can play with multiple strikers to find the best fit, that's satisfying for me.  The best way to do that is go to shows like the NWTF convention where you can try as many calls as you want to. 

[BTH]

My response here is for getting back into pot calls only. I like having more strikers than pot calls. But I have figured out a few pots I like to hunt with instead of just one pot.

Good place to start is get a good quality slate that is a proven killer and a good quality glass or crystal that is a proven killer like mentioned above. I feel that each of these surfaces along with many others available can be played quiet or loud.  Start with 2-3 good quality strikers for each surface that will give you soft and controlled calling ability, loud or soft with clear tone ability and 1 or 2 that have a husky or raspy tone to their finish. Commit to figuring out and getting confident with those calls ONLY for season or 2 and practice practice practice until it is 2nd nature to get the sound YOU want any given time. Then figure what you do like and don't like about each and fill in and or sell off from there until you find a few that meet your style of calling and hunting. The reason I say proven in the above sentences is to eliminate every negative variable you have control over. Lots of research and learning experience was taken care of before a lot of us here started hunting and calling. Learn from this!

Don't be afraid to put an extra $20-$30 on top of your budget to get a call you like. It will make it easier to offload should you not like it after giving it a try. Also don't be afraid of going with an operation that is a smaller outfit than some of the big names. They might just surprise you (check out some reviews with the search mode here on the site). Also, take good care of them in case you end up selling them to fund another pot that "Fits" you better.

Hope this makes sense and helps a little.

[Sixes]

I'm no expert at all but here is my mindset for each day.

Windy: aluminum or ceramic or high pitched glass
calm, DRY and quiet: slate
calm but high humidity: ceramic or aluminum
long ranges: aluminum or glass
up close: slate or ceramic

[JLH]

I've heard it referred to as "taking their temperature "

Usually, it's fairly easy to get a bird to respond...or shock gobble.

From there, I see what gets a fast response....it could be raspy and deep, or clear and high....fast and aggressive or more subtle.

Once you feel you have his attention and he is headed your way, if he's fired up and gobbling his face off, or with hens and they are fired up, I give it back harder, sometimes it makes the hen mad and they all come in looking for a fight, bringing the boy turkey with her.

If he has responded and knows I'm there, but not talking, I'm staying quiet...soft purrs and clucks, not very often and somewhat random in volume.

All this can be done with a decent pot call, or 2 and a few different strikers....

But...I'm bowhunting them, and I'm solely dependent on if they decoy.
I need to bring them to where they can see my set up....if they decoy, I have a chance....very slim chance.
Most of the time they sit at 50yds and do the waiting game, which they win, everytime!

[KyScott]

If you are used to slate then you will be fine with everything else you buy. I carry a slate, crystal and Aluminum with quite a few strikers. This year i'll be adding copper to the mix. The reason I carry so many is because sometimes it just takes a different combination to get them interested or excited. I also think sometimes it just helps if they think there are a few different hens in one area by using different surfaces with different strikers. They are awful moody critters. 

[greentrout]

Thank you all for the responses. Learning a lot here and also discovering a lot more things I "need"

[Happy]

Don't make it any harder than it is. Find a good pot call or three and learn to play them really well. There are a pile of custom makers that make excellent calls. In my mind a good call can do it all. From soft stuff to pretty loud. There is a point to where an extremely loud call just sounds unnatural to me but some guys love them. Glass, crystal and slate are the most common surface but there are many others. If your just looking for hunting calls you don't need many but if you get into collecting then that is a whole other story.

[EZ]

Yep, don't overthink it. All the different calls and surfaces are basically just different voices of turkeys and on any given day, one "might" be preferred over another. Pick ones you like and go hunting.

[Spitten and drummen]

To be honest , get a crystal mistress or twisted sister and go kill birds. You can start adding calls to your collection. You can thank me later.

[Sir-diealot]

I started playing with strikers with different pots at first, I find it interesting how just a striker can make a call sound so different and you do not have to start out with high end strikers, you can get cheaper ones made with different materials so that you can find out if you like doing it that way and then move into better ones from there. If you have the finances you can move into better strikers or higher end strikers. There are several gentleman here that make strikers that are fairly priced or you can pick up a striker lot like have been popping up here.

I love both pots and strikers, I have not tried all of them either but I am really liking learning.

[PEte_A]

 

To be honest , get a crystal mistress or twisted sister and go kill birds. You can start adding calls to your collection. You can thank me later.

Agreed.

[greentrout]

I'm no expert at all but here is my mindset for each day.

Windy: aluminum or ceramic or high pitched glass
calm, DRY and quiet: slate
calm but high humidity: ceramic or aluminum
long ranges: aluminum or glass
up close: slate or ceramic

Something like this is what I was a little more interested in. I know every call maker can be different, and one person's glass can be a screamer and one can be quiet. But just in general, I was a little curious as to what surface was supposed to excel at. Seems the combinations of surface and pot can change the tone as well. Lots of variables.

I'm currently using an old Primos Battey World Class grey slate, which I like. It's lacking a little, but that's probably more a lack of a good strikers. I have ordered a green slate and an aluminum as well and looking at a couple of others. Thanks for the help and I was warned this is an addiction!