New guy and call question

[bigquacks]

New guy here, started chasing these birds last year and got hooked on my first morning out. Didn't get anything but the rush was awesome. I have duck hunted all my life and can work a call pretty good, however when it comes to turkey hunting I am limited to a box call or a slate call. I just can not put a mouth call in without gagging. I have tried all kinds of calls and have tried to cut them down with no luck. My question is what can I use to limit my movement and get the birds to finish? I am open to about anything except a mouth call. Thanks

[bamagtrdude]

Hey BQ - welcome to the board!  If you absolutely cannot use a mouth call & you want to limit your movement, I'd say try & work on doing really quiet yelps with your natural voice.  My brother killed birds for years using only a slate, and a guy at work only uses a box call -- both regularly bag birds.  So, it can be done; you might surprise yourself at how good you can yelp with your natural voice!

Good luck - hope you have a great season!
BGD

PS. You *can* scrunch down next to a tree, with your knees up, and run your slate and/or box behind your legs; I've done it before, and when the bird is committed & coming, just slide the call right down beside me, real tight to my body, and just drop it on the ground (next to my butt).  Where there's a will, there's a way! 

[alloutdoors]

A tube call will give you a sound very similar to a diaphragm, no motion other than raising/lowering it. Can try a trumpet or wingbone also. I'll use a trumpet or tube on a lanyard and work it under my face mask. Assuming I'm sitting with my knees up in front of me, I can just let go of the call and have it fall down on the lanyard without the motion being visible. If they are that close you shouldn't be calling anymore anyway.

[olejake]

Welcome to an addiction that you will lose sleep over...I have hunted turkeys since there was a legally-huntable population in Georgia (for a  long time..lol)..and yet to become a fan of the mouth call..my brother hunts totally without a call and limits every season using just a God-given "talent" of using his own yelper...me, I am confident in the pot calls and feel that I can sound enough like a love-sick hen ..box calls serve there purpose,too....but if I had to go to the woods with just one call, it would be my slate..

[cahaba]

A good push pin type call limits movement. Some folks laugh at them and think they are for beginners but they will kill birds.  My neighbor turned me on to them. He has killed over 100 birds over the years.

With your mouth call problem take one and keep it with you.
Put it in your mouth on and off during the day and sooner or later it's a good chance you will loose the gag reflex.

[bamagtrdude]

Push-button's are great calls; good suggestion!

This may go a little long, but pls bear with me here; I might actually cut a YouTube video about this, if you think it would help to "visually" illustrate my points.  Just let me know.

Here are 2 main tips that I used to reduce gag reflex:
1) Hold the call in the FRONT of your mouth & work the call with the TIP of your tongue.
2) Learn what I call the POWER RAKE to flick the call out of your mouth with your tongue QUICK when you begin to gag.

I've been using mouth calls - this'll be my 15th season - and I *still*, at times, gag.  It sucks, I don't like it, but I dang sure don't let it stop me from using one - b/c they're so effective (for me) & they completely eliminate movement.  They're also THE ONLY call I take when it's raining; I leave all my high-$$$ slates & boxes at the house.  So, you really want to conquer this - which just takes a little time & patience.

Re: 1) Ok, here's what I do; I trim the tape of the mouth call until I can fit it in the roof of my mouth as far FORWARD (towards my 2 front teeth) as I can get it.  I then -- KEY: WITH THE TIP OF MY TONGUE -- wedge the call into the roof of my mouth so that it's effectively almost straight up-and-down (with a very slight tilt toward the back of my mouth, but not much).  Where the call is wedged is in between my two dracula teeth (incisors??  I'm not a dentist).  What this means for me is that MOST mouth calls have WAY too much tape on them (to use this method).  So, ample trimming is required.  [[Once you get the trim you like that fits, always use this call as your "template" for cutting the tape on future mouth calls.]]  It *also* means that the call NEVER NEVER NEVER gets anywhere near the back of my mouth.  Calls getting towards the BACK of your mouth (esp in the soft, roof area in the top/back part of your mouth) is what's causing the gag reflex.  Look @ my lesson on how to do a cluck, 'cause I describe exactly how to place the call in your mouth like this: http://youtu.be/nV3f6ZA41_I   ...  Pretty sure this is an unorthodox method of running a mouth call, but watch my other videos on YouTube; I've figured out how to make it sound good over the years. 

Re: 2) Ok, now another key -- the POWER RAKE tongue move.  Have you ever seen a dog get something in his mouth, and use his tongue to RAKE really hard & fast to get it out of his mouth?  THAT'S THE POWER RAKE TONGUE MOVE!  We have a little terrier dog that loves to retrieve tennis balls, and he invariably gets grass in his mouth; he uses his tongue -- AT THE BACK OF HIS MOUTH, CURLED UP -- to then RAKE his tongue from back to front & flick the grass out of his mouth.  *THIS* exact method/idea is how you can QUICKLY get a mouth call out of your mouth - and LIMIT the gag reflex from going full tilt on you.  *ANY* time I'm starting to feel like I might gag, I use the POWER RAKE tongue flick move to get that call out of my mouth quickly, rest a little bit, and get over gagging.    I also LAUGH about it, and get over myself, and keep at it!!  Don't know how many times I've done this in the woods, over the years.  Ha!

Hope this all helps; again, if a YouTube video getting into this might help, let me know; I can cut one real quick & upload it to my channel today.

KEEP AT IT!  You'll be glad you did!
BGD 

[nickhrp]

I tried for 5 years to get familiar with a mouth call and just can't seem to get it down well enough to suit myself so I turned to tube calls and they came quick to me and with a lot of practice I learned how to make all the different sounds and make them at soft and loud volumes give them a try


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[tomstopper]

A tube call will give you a sound very similar to a diaphragm, no motion other than raising/lowering it. Can try a trumpet or wingbone also. I'll use a trumpet or tube on a lanyard and work it under my face mask. Assuming I'm sitting with my knees up in front of me, I can just let go of the call and have it fall down on the lanyard without the motion being visible. If they are that close you shouldn't be calling anymore anyway.

A good push pin type call limits movement. Some folks laugh at them and think they are for beginners but they will kill birds.  My neighbor turned me on to them. He has killed over 100 birds over the years.

With your mouth call problem take one and keep it with you.
Put it in your mouth on and off during the day and sooner or later it's a good chance you will loose the gag reflex.

I use both of these methods as well. Also get some straps with Velcro and attach your slate  to your leg just above your knee. Allows you to use your slate while keeping you movement concealed.... 

[bamagtrdude]

Also get some straps with Velcro and attach your slate  to your leg just above your knee. Allows you to use your slate while keeping you movement concealed....

That's a good idea; I've also used my boots as a make-shift "pocket" to slide my slate & striker into, before taking a shot.  I'd work the slate with the striker behind my knees, and hold the stock of my gun under my armpit.  When he's committed and/or coming to a decoy (if you're using those), you'll have time to get ready & shoot, without much movement.

[joe alderman]

new guy most turkey hunters get real excited when a gobbler answers him back and the bird is only 50yds away the lesson that my grandfather and father always taught me if the bird answers that close dont call no more the bird has located you now soon he will be in your gun range allot of your big gobblers are killed with very minimum calling so if your calls are getting a reply back dont change a thing just wait him out

[jblackburn]

If he seems committed, you probably don't have to finish him.  If you are decoy-less, just sit still (hopefully in some cover, I like cedar trees) and he should come in looking for the hen.  Or with decoys, he might come to them.  As others have said, push pins are another good option, some can me attached to your gun and pulled with a string if you do need to give a quick cluck or purr.

I know you said no to mouth calls and you tried several, but did you try a youth framed call?  That has helped a lot of guys. Just wondering, good luck!!

[redleg06]

If he seems committed, you probably don't have to finish him.  If you are decoy-less, just sit still (hopefully in some cover, I like cedar trees) and he should come in looking for the hen. 

I tend to agree with this. Most of the time, if he's close enough to see me and has been been heading my way anyway, I'm going to be quiet and let him look for me.  When they are close enough to see you easily, the last thing I want to do is tell him EXACTLY what tree I'm at by calling.

[Huntnwork]

One thing about a diaphragm call, if you put it between your cheek and gums for a awhile before you try to use it you will be much more less apt to gag. The moist call is a lot less intrusive. I know I've been using a diaphragm call for over twenty years and I hate the dentist and tongue depressors. One thing is the material and the size. Woodhaven makes some small diaphragm calls you can try and Quaker Boy calls are pretty smooth. Good luck

[bigquacks]

I have spent a small fortune on mouth calls over the last several years. I have tried all sizes down to youth without any luck. going to stick with pot calls and box calls. Wouldn't mind finding an affordable trumpet call to try.

[cahaba]

I love mouth call but so does everybody else. Learning to use alternative calls like a tube or wingbone/trumpet could work in your favor especially in heavily hunted areas. They are not a must have to kill turkeys.