Mouth calls

[longspur]

How often do you replace your mouth calls?

[guesswho]

At the beginning of every season, unless I lose one during the season.  Which happens more times than not.

[Happy]

Usually buy 2 of the two different calls I run at the beginning of the year and I am good.

[SteelerFan]

At the beginning of every season, unless I lose one during the season.  Which happens more times than not.

Yep

Usually buy 2 of the two different calls I run at the beginning of the year and I am good.

...and, yep.

[jlw]

I use the calls from the previous season to practice with, but then replace them with new calls right before the season starts.

[Gobble!]

At the beginning of every season, unless I lose one during the season.  Which happens more times than not.

Good advice.

[randy6471]

 New calls at the beginning of the season.

I use several different reed configurations and usually carry at least 1 spare of each.

[TRG3]

Last season was the 10th for the same mouth calls. At the end of every season, I rinse them in 50:50 H2O/mouth wash and place them in one of those flexible plastic squeeze coin-type holders and put this in a sealed plastic zip-type bag. Sometime in late March, I'll get them out and soak them for a few hours in 50:50 H2O/mouth wash before carefully separating the latex reeds with toothpicks in preparation of the early April Illinois first season. After that many years, the mouth calls are rough looking, but their very raspy sound doesn't seem to inhibit gobblers. My standard successful practice is to let the real gobblers on the roost do their thing for several minutes before lightly yelping with my mouth call which to them sounds like a new hen in the area. If I get a quick gobble, then I know that at least one of them has heard me. I let the gobble sequence on the roost continue and in about 4-5 minutes, I'll yelp a little louder with my mouth call quickly followed by my Primos gobble tube, giving them the indication that there is not only a new hen in the area but another tom has intruded. As they continue to gobble on the roost, I'll periodically yelp and gobble. At fly down, this often brings a real bird in as the peck order almost demands that the intruder be put in his place, especially since he is trying to court the new hen. I suspect that when the boss gobbler flies down and goes off with the hens, some of the subordinate ones come over to inspect/challenge the intruder tom and steal his hen. While this technique doesn't always work, most seasons I fill all of my three Illinois permits with this approach. If I don't fill a tag, it's generally my fault. One never ceases to learn in the turkey woods!

[Gobspur]

I replace them 1) when they break, 2) when i leave them somewhere and they get moldy.  Usually number 2.

Always have a spare new one in my vest.

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[Gooserbat]

About every 5-7 days of hunting.

[paboxcall]

About every 5-7 days of hunting.

Me too.

[Gamblinman]

I've bought the same 3 calls for the last 10 years. One of them will be the hot call all season.

[ericjames]

Use to around mid feburary to first or March every year.  Now I just build a new one as needed.

[LRD]

I usually buy new ones every year. I froze mine lasts year after soaking in non alcoholic mouth wash. We'll see if that works.

[turkaholic]

New ones every year. I have had problems using the old ones. The reeds stick together after the fist call. Then it's hell all season pouring water and surgical work with tooth picks. I have been frustrated with my mouth calls. I love the sound they produce when the reeds are not stuck together. I'm never happy with them when there stuck. Last year I used stacked frame calls and they never stuck together. I draw my stacked calls out when I have a bird working so I don't have to worry about the call sticking during the fight. I still experiment with different calls every year but they all stick no matter who makes them. At the beginning of the season I have more patience with them, at the end it's all stacked.