Rasp or no rasp?

[deerbasshunter3]

Do you want rasp, or no rasp?

I never really hear the rasp in a turkey's yelp when I watch videos, but I am still a newbie so I may be missing it. I know what a rasp sounds like, but I just never hear it.

So, should I be looking to have some rasp in my yelps or not?

[nyhunter]

Well in my humble opinion a little rasp goes a long way. I personally like a medium raspy mouth call , but i also carry a clear and very raspy call in my case. All in All its more what sounds good to you

[Turkeyman62]

Rasp

[Bowguy]

Most guys subscribe to the raspier the better theory n sometimes it could be true. In the late 80s I believe it was my buddy was learning to call on a Quaker Boy twin call. It had two thin reeds, no cuts obviously. He was slurring his yeps together. Didn't sound even remotely right n he had bird after bird answer him. Enough birds in fact that I bought that call, and practiced trying to sound that bad. It was tough and they never answered me the way they did him. Anyway I believe sometimes rasp can help, sometimes a real high pitch can help, sometimes soft talking, sometimes aggressive calling. I also believe any of em could call the right bird on the right day. The "whatever" they want today and the desire to have that on you is why lots of guys carry multiple calls.

[howl]

I differentiate between rasp and coarse. Coarse sounds come from older birds, especially gobblers. Rasp is what I hear when a hen gets loud and urgent to the extent that the call starts to break up.

If you're trying to figure this kind of stuff out for yourself, I recommend getting Lovett Williams' CDs.

[Gooserbat]

I personally don't do calls with a lot of rasp, how ever there are those with exception.  I keep one tadpy diaphragm and a raspy striker on stand by.  I like a box with a good breaking yelp.

[Spitten and drummen]

I like heavy rasp. all hens sound different so carry clear and raspy calls. what may or may not work today could very well be the opposite tomorrow.

[willy8457]

I think it depends on what you are hunting, I hunt with dogs in the fall and after the break I like a box call with a high front end and raspy yelps.  Sounding like boss hen will draw in younger birds and jakes, However sounding like boss hen after breaking up gobblers usually doesn't work. Having a call that has a course back end will work better for calling gobblers and jakes, there is a difference between course and raspy.  Calling in the spring i like calls with not as much rasp, more of a pure turkey sound, but carry both calls cause you just don't know what they will respond to on any given day

[TauntoHawk]

high, clear, raspy, course...you never know what the birds will want and ive heard birds that sound all different.

Some mouth calls user make lots of rasp to cover up the fact they don't really have a good 2 note yelp its just moderate rasp on heavy rasp.

[WildTigerTrout]

I carry mouth calls that are clear sounding and raspy. I think I have better results with raspy calls but you never know what an individual gobbler may like so I carry both.

[Dr Juice]

Rasp. I have found that rasp triggers their gobbling response 

[zelmo1]

I like a raspy call, but all turkeys like people are different

[Big Guy]

I'll agree with what others here have said, get a couple clear sounding calls and a couple raspier sounding calls.  You'll never know what the gobblers will respond to that day.  The more hen sounds you have in your vest, the better the odds get in your favor.  I myself am trying to get a little more variety in my call sounds as well.

That being said, if I only could only take one call in to the woods it would be a raspier sounding call.

[WillowRidgeCalls]

Raspy or not raspy depends on where the birds are in their breeding cycle? Early in the breeding cycle you'll find your more raspier calls get more gobbler responses, later in the breeding cycle when the younger hens are bred, a more cleaner sounding call works better, as a general rule. That's why you need both style calls, your older "boss" hens are bred first, and your younger hens are bred last, so if you have a good population of birds it will depend on where they are in their cycle as to which calls works best for you?

[alclark2]

You never know what the turkey wants to hear. That's rasp might just be what he wants to hear that day... or not. Be prepared for either.