Pot calls and high wind

[Spitten and drummen]

I was just wondering. For you guys that live and hunt the midwest , do you ever use mellow surfaces such as gray slate or just stick to higher pitched harder surface. The reason I ask is because while I was in NW Missouri the wind blew pretty strong. I asked the outfitter and he said that was the norm. I just felt like when running slate surfaced calls , that they were not loud enough. I live in the south and normally run calls in a lower volume. I felt like I had to really call loud for the birds to hear me. It seemed as though the calls did not carry as well. Now it may just be in my head so thats why I am asking. To me when I called way louder than I normally do , that it did not sound as good. I killed a bird , but I was using a call that had volume and I was really getting down on it. Im heading back next year and was thinking about leaving the slate and glass surface at home and sticking with aluminum and crystal. For those with more experience with the midwest , please share your thoughts.

[JMalin]

What's wrong with a box?  No pot I've ever run could match a good box call as far as sheer volume goes and on a windy day (or calm day for that matter), you're just trying to get a gobble or two to locate him, not work him the entire way with the box.  But yeah, louder is better when attempting to locate a bird.

[HookedonHooks]

On a high wind day if you don't have aluminum or crystal pot call wise, you're pretty much SoL unless they're right on top of you. Ceramic cuts through the wind pretty good too.

[Spitten and drummen]

What's wrong with a box?  No pot I've ever run could match a good box call as far as sheer volume goes and on a windy day (or calm day for that matter), you're just trying to get a gobble or two to locate him, not work him the entire way with the box.  But yeah, louder is better when attempting to locate a bird.

Nothings wrong with a box. I use one quiet often however my question was for guys who use pot calls in windy midwest states , not about what type of calls to use. As far as working one all the way to the gun with a box , i have experience with that also. I have been doing this for a very long time. As stated in my post , I have hunted turkeys 40 years down here and just ventured to the midwest this year.  Therefore I want people who have hunted there for several years to give their opinion on pot call surfaces and volume there.

[1iagobblergetter]

I use a slate surface pot more than any other surface..If its super windy and i  wonder if they can hear it or not then I usually just crank it up a notch with one of my favorite glass calls or switch it up with a mini longbox.

[Spitten and drummen]

On a high wind day if you don't have aluminum or crystal pot call wise, you're pretty much SoL unless they're right on top of you. Ceramic cuts through the wind pretty good too.

Yeah pretty much my thoughts. We all know how well turkeys hear so I was kind of thinking that maybe being in that condition was a mind thing. We have high wind down here but many calm days also. Was told high wind was normal there. My thoughts also is that its hard for me to believe that truckloads of turkeys are not killed with gray slate in the midwest.

[Spitten and drummen]

I use a slate surface pot more than any other surface..If its super windy and i  wonder if they can hear it or not then I usually just crank it up a notch with one of my favorite glass calls or switch it up with a mini longbox.

Thanks. This is the kind of info I was looking for. So you kill birds consistantly in wind with slate?

[LaLongbeard]

Rather Midwest or south windy days are worse than rain imo. I hunted  a solid week of windy days so bad on some mornings you'd have to have been in the tree with the Gobbler to hear him. In the rare lulls between gusts I tried box,crystal and aluminum nothing. I have an old K&H yella hammer ceramic and the first time I used it I got an answer from couple hundred yards. Between gusts I'd call they'd answer killed one in 20 min. Anything can happen once. Next day same deal nothing until I got the YH out 30 min later I killed one. This went on  until the wind calmed down called up 4 in 3 days buddy shot and missed one I had better luck. I was calling so loud it was hurting my ears and the Gobblers loved it I don't know if it was this particular area or what it sounded like in the wind but it worked. The same call got me out of a jam on my first Texas hunt nothing was working on henned  up birds YH and I tagged out. What makes this whole thing odd it's never been a real producer I always have it in my call box in the truck but not usually in the vest. I have a new respect and confidence in the ceramic for windy days.

[Greg Massey]

For the reason you mention that why i run ceramic pot , during our season it's always rainy and wind blowing ...yes i have boxes and run those also , but my go to pot call is ceramic ... on those nice days with very little wind i will run slate or glass call....

[Spitten and drummen]

Good info here. I have a few stumpy ceramics. They dont seem really loud but may play with some different strikers to see if I can get that piercing high pitch with good turkey sounds. La longbeard what striker you running on it? Greg , what ceramic you have and what are you running on it. Thanks guys.

[Greg Massey]

Good info here. I have a few stumpy ceramics. They dont seem really loud but may play with some different strikers to see if I can get that piercing high pitch with good turkey sounds. La longbeard what striker you running on it? Greg , what ceramic you have and what are you running on it. Thanks guys.

Strikers i use is H Fowler snakewood with osage top and Neal Herrman black ebony .... the pot i run was made by Jim Shelly in a cherry pot with glass sound board .... the thing about ceramic is keeping the surface cleaned and your striker tips clean... on those damp cold morning, you can lay a hand warmer on the surface of that ceramic and that pot will sing out loud ....

[Spitten and drummen]

Good info here. I have a few stumpy ceramics. They dont seem really loud but may play with some different strikers to see if I can get that piercing high pitch with good turkey sounds. La longbeard what striker you running on it? Greg , what ceramic you have and what are you running on it. Thanks guys.

Strikers i use is H Fowler snakewood with osage top and Neal Herrman black ebony .... the pot i run was made by Jim Shelly in a cherry pot with glass sound board .... the thing about ceramic is keeping the surface cleaned and your striker tips clean... on those damp cold morning, you can lay a hand warmer on the surface of that ceramic and that pot will sing out loud ....

Appreciate it.

[1iagobblergetter]

I use a slate surface pot more than any other surface..If its super windy and i  wonder if they can hear it or not then I usually just crank it up a notch with one of my favorite glass calls or switch it up with a mini longbox.

Thanks. This is the kind of info I was looking for. So you kill birds consistantly in wind with slate?

For potcalls I rarely use any other surface than slate or glass. I do own about every surface known to man,but slate and glass are my favorite.. I'm getting off course with your question I know,but don't want to mislead you. I do use trumpets,tubes,mini paddles,etc,but kill alot of birds strictly with a slate call before I feel a need to break out anything else or mix it up..

[HookedonHooks]

Good info here. I have a few stumpy ceramics. They dont seem really loud but may play with some different strikers to see if I can get that piercing high pitch with good turkey sounds. La longbeard what striker you running on it? Greg , what ceramic you have and what are you running on it. Thanks guys.

One piece Dymondwood or Snakewood are what I like to bare down on ceramics to get the volume out of. Bloodwood if I'm playing it softer.

Killed two birds on both EXTREMELY high wind days in MO this year, one with Daybreak aluminum and other with Roberts green slate.

[Spitten and drummen]

Good info here. I have a few stumpy ceramics. They dont seem really loud but may play with some different strikers to see if I can get that piercing high pitch with good turkey sounds. La longbeard what striker you running on it? Greg , what ceramic you have and what are you running on it. Thanks guys.

One piece Dymondwood or Snakewood are what I like to bare down on ceramics to get the volume out of. Bloodwood if I'm playing it softer.

Killed two birds on both EXTREMELY high wind days in MO this year, one with Daybreak aluminum and other with Roberts green slate.

I have a roberts green slate also. It really is high pitch. It can be shrill on the front end. You running dymondwood on it also?