There are several types of turkey calls used by turkey hunters today, and the topic of when and how to use these calls can be confusing.
No worries because in this post, we will not only take a look at the best calls for turkey hunting, but we will also look at how and why these calls came to be and the different types of vocalizations a turkey makes for communication, and when certain turkey calls should be used.
Experienced turkey hunters carry every type of call with them in the woods including a: Box Call, Diaphragm Call, Slate Call, and Locator Calls. This allows the hunter the versatility to use the call that they think is best for any given situation.
Types of Turkey Calls
Let’s look at the history and designs of the various turkey calls used today.
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Scratch Box Turkey Calls
The scratch box call is one of the most popular calls in the turkey hunting world today, and almost all turkey hunters have one in their kit.
Scraping the lid at different speeds and pressures creates different sounds and tones, and hunters can create clucks, yelps, whines, and purrs, all by manipulating the lid against the box in different ways.
To operate a scratch box call, the hunter scrapes the lid, which is fastened with a single screw or another type of fastener, at an angle against the thinner box sides.
Brief History
The patent for the first scratch box turkey call was filed in the year 1900, but mass production of this style of call did not happen until nearly 1940.
The original design was made by a North Carolina confederate veteran by the name of Hardy Draughn, and he made his original scratch box calls from cedar.
The first person to mass produce and market the scratch box call was a man by the name of Mike Lynch in 1939, and he changed the design to incorporate mahogany for the sides of the box and a walnut lid.
Diaphragm Turkey Calls
Diaphragm calls are placed in the mouth, and when you exhale, you can create virtually any turkey sound you want.
Diaphragm calls are great because they are small and can fit in your shirt pocket, and are incredibly versatile. The downside of the diaphragm call is that they require significant practice to become proficient with them.
These calls are also fairly low in volume, but they are great for when turkeys are close and closing into your decoys, but work poorly for long-distance calling when you are trying to get the attention of a tom turkey, and in these situations, a box call is more suitable.
One major advantage to the diaphragm call is the fact that it is in your mouth; this means you have both hands free to hold your bow or shotgun at the ready, and this is crucial when solo hunting.
Slate Turkey Calls
Slate turkey calls consist of two parts, the slate, and the striker.
The slate is a round piece that looks like a thin hockey puck, and it can be made of several different materials such as slate stone, glass, or ceramic.
The striker is used to scratch along the surface of the slate and is made from either wood, aluminum, or carbon.
By taking the striker and scratching it across the slates’ surface at different angles, you can create different sounds that resemble different turkey vocalizations.
Like the diaphragm call, slate calls take a significant amount of practice to become proficient, and they also typically take up both hands, so it isn’t the best call choice for solo hunters.
Push Button Turkey Calls
Push Button calls are the best calls for the novice turkey hunter, as they are the most forgiving and easy-to-use turkey calls.
Push button calls are similar to the box call in the way they produce noise, but with the push button call, you simply depress a spring-loaded plunger attached to a block that scrapes against another pyramid-shaped piece of wood.
You can change the sounds made by varying the “intensity,” or speed and pressure at which the wooden dowel plunger is pushed.
Turkey Locator Calls
Now it might sound counter-intuitive to a person who knows very little about turkey hunting, but locator calls do not imitate the vocalization of a turkey.
Locator calls, as the name suggests, are used to locate turkeys when a hunter isn’t aware of their location (shocker, right?)
Turkeys, unlike most wild animals that hunters pursue, are loud animals. They cluck, they gobble, you can hear their wings flapping from a considerable distance when they roost for the night or come down from their nightly roost, and they also respond to other animal calls.
These calls can imitate a few different animals like owls, crows, hawks, or, surprisingly, coyotes. And when you use these calls, you will often get a response from a nearby tom turkey.
Wingbone Turkey Calls
Imitating the vocalizations of the North American wild turkey for hunting goes back a long time. The earliest turkey calls were made over 8,500 years ago, and the call consisted of a turkey wing bone dated to 6,500 B.C.
These first calls are known as wing bone calls or by their common modern nickname, “yelper.”
The concept of the wing bone call is simple; the user cups his hand around the thick end of the hollow bone and, with a tight lip seal on the narrow end of the bone, makes a “kissing” noise as they rapidly suck air through the bone.
Many turkey hunters still use wing bone calls to this day because they work just as well today as they did 10,000 years ago, they are simple, and all you need to make a couple is a harvested turkey.
When To Use Turkey Calls
There is a prevalent myth that tom turkeys don’t gobble in the fall, and we are here to put that myth to rest.
Toms will gobble in the fall, and you might sometimes hear more gobble in the fall than in the spring.
For this reason, you can call turkeys during both seasons, though it might be a bit more difficult to draw a tom turkey in during the fall months, and the spring breeding season is obviously better for calling due to the aggressive nature of tom turkeys and breeding competition.
Turkey Vocalization
On the surface, the wild turkey doesn’t seem very clever or articulate, but biologists have discovered a fairly complex system of vocalizations of the turkey, with nearly 30 different vocalization calls. Let’s take a look at the most common turkey vocalizations.
The Gobble
Let’s start with the most common turkey call among the average person first, the gobble.
A tom turkey uses the gobble during the breeding season to let all the nearby turkeys know that he’s ready to get busy “if you know what I mean.”
It’s a call used to get the attention of the ladies, but it’s also used to intimidate other toms and jakes and let them know that he’s the boss in these woods.
Cutting Calls
Cutting is best described as a series of rapid clucks produced by a hen, and it lets’ the tom turkey know that she’s checking him out.
If you are in the woods and you hear this rapid clucking going on, it likely means that you are hunting during the peak of the breeding season, and things will likely get interesting for you.
Cutting is also a way for a hen to express when they are agitated, and in this case, it is likely to be directed toward other hens.
If the toms have all found their harem of hens after the peak of breeding, you can use this call to get the ladies riled up and irritated, and they might just come to speak their minds to you, and they will likely have that big tom in tow.
Soft Calls
Soft calls consist of purrs, yelps, and clucks and are a comforting sound of sorts for turkeys.
These calls say “things are safe and secure” and can be a great tool to use when turkey hunting.
When a tom is within 100-50 yards, and you need them to commit just a little bit closer, you can use these low-volume calls to keep him relaxed, as he thinks everything is chill and laid back, and there’s nothing to worry about.
When it comes to sealing the deal on a tom during any turkey hunt, these calls will be crucial to do so, so be sure you are well-versed and practiced in the art of soft calling.
What Call Should I Use?
Hunting with a partner? Use a slate call if you or your partner are proficient in using them.
Hunting solo? If so, a combination of a box call in combination with a diaphragm call might be your best bet.
There is no right or wrong answer on what type of call to use as long as you are proficient with the particular call you want to use, and in many cases, it boils down to personal preference.
Final Thoughts
Becoming proficient with a turkey call is crucial, along with understanding what certain turkey vocalizations mean. With practice and time in the field, you will get to a point where you don’t have to think very hard about what calls to use and what vocalizations you should imitate to lure in a big tom.
To read more about getting started turkey hunting, check out this post on what you need to get started.
If you enjoyed this article, check out these articles from Pinetreesandsolitude.com:
- 3 Tips For Hunting Western Turkeys
- Where To Find Turkeys: Tips For This Season
- What’s The Best Turkey Call? Top Picks
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