Which pot?

[mtns2hunt]

I am not new to turkey hunting. Only need one more bird to finish up my second slam. But I am getting really confused about pot calls. There are so many different pots made from many different woods both common and exotic and combinations of surfaces i.e glass, slate, aluminum, copper not to mention different colors of slate and different textures of aluminum and probably a bunch I left out. How do you decide which is best and which gives you the depth and variety most desirable?

Do you just try out multiple calls all year? Pick out a particular call maker and buy one of everything he has? This can get expensive.

Currently I run a Crystal mistress, an off brand crystal with mesquite, an unknown brand of slate/walnut that sounds very good, a glass and sometimes a copper or aluminum. Oh and I have a Cody slate that's supposed to sound really good but to me is just okay. My small collection of calls consistently brings in turkeys. So please explain the magic of having so many different calls. Is this called call collecting and not really hunting. Many of the calls listed on this forum are way to fancy to hunt in my opinion.

Plus how is someone new to Turkey hunting supposed to know what to buy as many of these "custom" calls are very expensive. I have been meaning to ask these questions for awhile now but as mostly only the hardcore Turkey hunters are using the forum in the off season I figured I would get some straight answers. Thanks.

[HookedonHooks]

There's no "magic" in having a lot of options, it's simply only that, options.

Certain calls will get better responses on certain days, that's why having a good variety on hand is useful. In accumulating a lot you'll find a good variety of ones that should meet the sound expectations and desires you have.

[va longbeard]

There's no "magic" in having a lot of options, it's simply only that, options.

Certain calls will get better responses on certain days, that's why having a good variety on hand is useful. In accumulating a lot you'll find a good variety of ones that should meet the sound expectations and desires you have.

Well said, a lot of us on these forums are always chasing that quest for the magic call including myself.

Thru accumulating more than a few calls myself I found several times calls to my ear over the years I thought were not best but the turkeys disagreed with me and vice versa calls I thought sounded great did not produce.

I definitely agree that it helps to have more than one surface to run and I typically carry a couple of slates a glass or crystal and either a ceramic or aluminum every time I hunt to have a wide range of tones from mellow, super raspy to high volume.

[Spitten and drummen]

I just love turkey calls. I have waaaaay more than any one person should. The problem is that when you have that many , you become really picky. I collect them but one thing is for sure. If the call does not sound great and play consistant , then it does not stay. Each one sounds a tad diffrent. Calls to me are like bass baits , one day you can tear them up with a certain one then the next cant buy a bite with it. Also it gives me the ability to change several calls up daily. I believe that if you hunt a certain area alot and use the same calls that the birds get conditioned to them. Changing calls  throughout the season as well as calling style keeps the birds guessing. Just my opinion.

[Greg Massey]

I just love turkey calls. I have waaaaay more than any one person should. The problem is that when you have that many , you become really picky. I collect them but one thing is for sure. If the call does not sound great and play consistant , then it does not stay. Each one sounds a tad diffrent. Calls to me are like bass baits , one day you can tear them up with a certain one then the next cant buy a bite with it. Also it gives me the ability to change several calls up daily. I believe that if you hunt a certain area alot and use the same calls that the birds get conditioned to them. Changing calls  throughout the season as well as calling style keeps the birds guessing. Just my opinion.

X2 agree , with time and experience you become really picky in choosing that pot call to fit the birds you are hunting, you also have to listen and see from your bag of calls , what that bird wants on that particular day. Remember turkeys are turkeys some will die that day and other will not ....regardless what you do....

[Gog1015]

I agree with the previous comments, you need to also have pots that you have confidence in playing, in other words a pot that you thinks sounds like the hens in your area. An example for me is until last year I had never tried a ceramic call, now it is the first call out on most days.

[MK M GOBL]

As far as pot calls go I run 2, that's it I have a slate and a glass. I go in light and have a mix of mouth calls that make up the rest.

The call I use my my CODY World Class Slate, this is a hunting call. Not made to be "pretty" but for performance. The call has turkey in it and just need to let it out! Now I'm not saying other calls do not perform, but I know this one does. My other call is a very inexpensive glass call, bought it because it has a high that my slate won't hit.

All in all here is my "call" pack and gear/calls I use.


MK M GOBL

[EZ]

There's no "magic" in having a lot of options, it's simply only that, options.

Certain calls will get better responses on certain days, that's why having a good variety on hand is useful. In accumulating a lot you'll find a good variety of ones that should meet the sound expectations and desires you have.

That's pretty much it right there.

There's also a lot of folks on here who are collectors as well as hunters and just love well made, good sounding calls (as well as purdy). Callmakers earn their reputation from the many call maker competitions around the country and/or through word of mouth from the real turkey killers. Supply and demand drives the price. A cheaper call "can" sound as good as a much more expensive call and at times "can" be the call a bird wants to hear.


For a "new" hunter, he's in luck these days, because the custom call industry has pushed the "production" calls to be so much better than in the past, he almost can't go wrong.

[M,Yingling]

How do you decide which is best and which gives you the depth and variety most desirable?

i like to carry a variety of calls   ,,,, me i like hear a sound file of a call sometimes it just hits u and u know thats the call to buy

Do you just try out multiple calls all year? Pick out a particular call maker and buy one of everything he has? This can get expensive.

as the season starts i normally have a bag full of calls lol  never know what birds want to hear but as season progresses i carry less and only carry calls birds seem to respond to that year but always carry that one that sout of the norm a give it run evey once and awhile

as for one call maker if that one is making every sound u want hear then go for it ,, if not buy from multiple makers ,,, not all customs are way out their on price

Plus how is someone new to Turkey hunting supposed to know what to buy as many of these "custom" calls are very expensive. I have been meaning to ask these questions for awhile now but as mostly only the hardcore Turkey hunters are using the forum in the off season I figured I would get some straight answers. Thanks.

as for someone just getting into turkey hunting and calls sometimes i think they just have to look around and ask questions take what u see guys recommend ( with grain salt ) and go from their some of these guys sell calls and wont give a customer the time of day after so    ,, find a call maker willing to help u out and talk u thought stuff sometimes how run call and conditioning  tell them want your experience is with calling and what they recommend for first time caller  easy pot run

as far as it goes hell go walmart buy pot and watch watch tube

And Congrats on working on your second slam

[Happy hooker]

I have over 800 musky lures I'm still looking for the magic one
Ill tell you what a lot of guys have learned in regards to that,,we now pick out colors that are not being bought still on the racks or totally outrageous so the fish don't see or get conditioned to them.
I apply this to turkey hunting now late season and use more metallic and ceramic pots has guys don't favor them has much especially metallic. When I order something new from a caller a lot of the time now  I ask for something he thinks is different. If your not into the classic or mainstay classic "I gotta have an example of that" compulsion then ask the makers to give you something that isn't a medium hen.

I have hunting calls and just wanna have one collectable calls their cool,and I don't have the money to collect classic muscle cars or shotguns.

[Happy]

I am at the other end of the spectrum. Not knocking anybody but for me personally, if I have a few calls that sound like a turkey and I know what to say on it and when to say it then I am good. I prefer to keep things simple and be proficient with what I have. It's not worth it to me to buy 97 calls and then agonize over which ones to take. It's kinda like trying to decide whether to use a 30:06 or a .270 for deer. 99.9% of the time it ain't gonna matter and I am not going to make it harder than it is. Some guys like to play that game and more power to them. I just dont happen to be one of them. My suggestion to anyone starting out is get a few good call and learn to use them well. Go figure out how to call and kill turkeys and then if calls are a hobby to you and you enjoy that side of things then by all means indulge. Just remember that there are plenty of fellows out there with more turkey calls than beards on the wall. There is no right or wrong. It's just a matter of perspective and what a person enjoys.

[mtns2hunt]

How do you decide which is best and which gives you the depth and variety most desirable?

i like to carry a variety of calls   ,,,, me i like hear a sound file of a call sometimes it just hits u and u know thats the call to buy

Do you just try out multiple calls all year? Pick out a particular call maker and buy one of everything he has? This can get expensive.

as the season starts i normally have a bag full of calls lol  never know what birds want to hear but as season progresses i carry less and only carry calls birds seem to respond to that year but always carry that one that sout of the norm a give it run evey once and awhile

as for one call maker if that one is making every sound u want hear then go for it ,, if not buy from multiple makers ,,, not all customs are way out their on price

Plus how is someone new to Turkey hunting supposed to know what to buy as many of these "custom" calls are very expensive. I have been meaning to ask these questions for awhile now but as mostly only the hardcore Turkey hunters are using the forum in the off season I figured I would get some straight answers. Thanks.

as for someone just getting into turkey hunting and calls sometimes i think they just have to look around and ask questions take what u see guys recommend ( with grain salt ) and go from their some of these guys sell calls and wont give a customer the time of day after so    ,, find a call maker willing to help u out and talk u thought stuff sometimes how run call and conditioning  tell them want your experience is with calling and what they recommend for first time caller  easy pot run

as far as it goes hell go walmart buy pot and watch watch tube

And Congrats on working on your second slam

Thank you for taking the time for such a thoughtful response!

[mtns2hunt]

I am at the other end of the spectrum. Not knocking anybody but for me personally, if I have a few calls that sound like a turkey and I know what to say on it and when to say it then I am good. I prefer to keep things simple and be proficient with what I have. It's not worth it to me to buy 97 calls and then agonize over which ones to take. It's kinda like trying to decide whether to use a 30:06 or a .270 for deer. 99.9% of the time it ain't gonna matter and I am not going to make it harder than it is. Some guys like to play that game and more power to them. I just dont happen to be one of them. My suggestion to anyone starting out is get a few good call and learn to use them well. Go figure out how to call and kill turkeys and then if calls are a hobby to you and you enjoy that side of things then by all means indulge. Just remember that there are plenty of fellows out there with more turkey calls than beards on the wall. There is no right or wrong. It's just a matter of perspective and what a person enjoys.

I like your perspective. I don't carry too many calls, couple pots, two boxes some mouth calls and a pushpin. I use them all very well and only occasionally buy a new call. I am just confused at times about all the different varieties available and how to choose the right combo, especially with pots and strikers. I will never be rich enough to be a collector but I am interested in custom calls as they do seem to be built better.

Most other calls do not cause much confusion: I currently have four different deer calls, 8 pot calls, 10 box calls, 3 pushpin calls, several mouth calls for both turkeys and coyote and an e-caller for coyote and crows. I also use a hand call for crows and coyotes. Gosh, I guess I am a collector. Time to thin the herd I believe. Thanks everyone for your differing perspectives. I am, however, still concerned for the young or new hunter faced with the never ending selection and increasing cost associated with hunting.

One bright spot I have seen with call makers is that everyone I have spoken to has been more than willing to explain and give advice about their calls. It has helped a lot along with this forum.

[Happy]

I am, however, still concerned for the young or new hunter faced with the never ending selection and increasing cost associated with hunting.
I can see that a little. Fortunately for me, I started before the internet came around to muddle things up. But in all all seriousness( and this is not an insult to custom call makers at all) a good turkey turkey hunter could take a $20-$30 dollar production call from Walmart and go kill a turkey. Now it may not sound as good, be as well made or as purty but it will kill a turkey. Once again as humans we make it more complicated than it is. Turkeys couldn't care less what call is used. Thousands and thousands of Tom's have been killed by old timers with nothing but a scratch box or old box call. In my personal opinion, better to start simple on the call side of things, figure out how to call hunt and kill turkeys and then delve into the call world if that is something that appeals to a newcomer. No use overwhelming yourself right out of the gate with stuff that doesnt really matter that much. I would rather be able to capitalize on the 99.9% of situations than bother myself with the .1% of the time that only a certain call will do the trick. Odds are I wouldn't have the right call on that day anyways.

[EZ]

I am just confused at times about all the different varieties available and how to choose the right combo, especially with pots and strikers. I will never be rich enough to be a collector but I am interested in custom calls as they do seem to be built better.

No need to be confused. They all (all the combos) sound like turkeys.... just different voices. If you pick a good known callmaker, you will get a killer call, no matter the combo. I love variety in sound. I can't even begin to tell how many times the turkey only responded to ONE call, even though I ran many. I think the seemingly endless combos of woods and calling surfaces is great and keeps things interesting...... and then you bring up strikers, lol, another important component. One thing I can say for sure.... there's no "one call" or "perfect call".

Then we have to old saying: "it's the Indian, not the arrow" component. I just visited James Witmer last weekend. Now I can run a pot call....I thought, until James ran them. Besides building a killer call, he makes them scream!!!

One bright spot I have seen with call makers is that everyone I have spoken to has been more than willing to explain and give advice about their calls. It has helped a lot along with this forum.

This is very true and very key. Every custom call maker that I know will usually do everything possible to help you out and answer any questions you have. I do a lot of trades with other call makers and when they ask me what I want, I usually just tell them to make me a call that you want me to kill a turkey with, cause I know that anything they make, I will be happy with.