Beginner’s Guide to Turkey Calling

The call of a gobbler echoing through the spring woods is a sound passionate turkey hunters dream about. Learning to coax those gobbles out of a tom requires you to learn how to talk turkey yourself. While turkey calling often seems intimidating to beginners, with the right guidance and a little practice, essentially anyone can learn to master these vocalizations.

This guide is your ultimate starting point. We’ll demystify turkey vocalizations, break down the different types of calls, help you choose your first ones, teach you basic techniques, and show you how to practice effectively. Get ready to find your voice and bring those longbeards running!

Before you can call like a turkey, it helps to understand why they call and what their most common sounds mean. Turkeys are constantly communicating, whether it’s hens signaling their presence, gobblers challenging rivals, or birds simply confirming their location.

Here are the essential calls every hunter should know:

• Yelp: The most common and versatile turkey sound. Hens use yelps to communicate their location, express contentment, or signal receptiveness. 
• Cluck: A short, sharp, single note. Clucks indicate contentment or can be used to get another turkey’s attention.
• Purr: A soft, rolling sound, often indicating contentment while feeding or resting. Purrs are low-volume, close-range sounds.
• Cutt: Loud, sharp, irregular clucks. Hens often use cuts when excited, aggressive, or trying to round up a scattered flock. 
• Kee-Kee: A high-pitched, whistling call (e.g., “kee-kee-kee”). Young turkeys often make this sound, especially in the fall, but it can be effective on hesitant birds in the spring.
• Gobble: The male turkey’s signature sound. Gobblers use it to announce their presence, attract hens, and challenge other males. 

There’s a wide world of turkey calls, each with its unique mechanics, advantages, and ideal uses. You don’t need them all, but understanding the basics will help you choose what’s right for you.

1. Box Calls

The box call is often a beginner’s best friend. It’s easy to learn and can produce incredibly realistic turkey sounds.

• How it works: A wooden paddle scrapes against the lip of a hollow wooden box, creating friction.
• Pros:
  • Easy to use: Many beginners can make realistic yelps and clucks within minutes.
  • Loud volume: Excellent for reaching distant birds or cutting through wind.
  • Versatile: Can produce yelps, clucks, and cuts.
  • Realistic tone: The wood chamber provides a natural, resonant sound.
• Cons:
  • Requires hand movement: Difficult to use when a turkey is in close range and you need to remain motionless.
  • Sensitive to weather: Traditional wooden box calls can perform poorly in damp or wet conditions unless specifically treated.

2. Pot Calls 

Pot calls, also known as friction calls, are a versatile favorite among many hunters.

• How they work: A striker (made of wood, carbon, or synthetic materials) runs across a circular surface, or “pot,” made of slate, glass, aluminum, ceramic, or other materials.
• Pros:
  • Versatile Sound Range: Produce everything from yelps, clucks, and purrs to aggressive cuts and even gobblers.
  • Adjustable Volume: Play loudly for distant birds or softly for close-range coaxing.
  • Realistic Tones: Various surface materials offer unique, lifelike sound qualities.
• Cons:
  • Practice Required: Demands more finesse than a box call to achieve consistent sounds.
  • Manual Operation: Requires hand movement, which can be a drawback in close encounters.
  • Weather Sensitivity: Some surfaces, like slate, may be affected by moisture, requiring proper conditioning or specialized strikers.

3. Mouth Calls 

The mouth call, also known as a diaphragm call, is a hands-free calling powerhouse, offering incredible versatility, though with a steeper learning curve.

• How they work: A thin latex or rubber reed (or reeds) stretches across a U-shaped frame. Placed in the roof of your mouth, air pushed over the reed causes it to vibrate, creating turkey sounds.
• Pros:
  • Hands-Free Operation: The key advantage, letting you keep your gun shouldered and stay completely motionless when a turkey is in close range.
  • Ultimate Versatility: Produces virtually every turkey sound, from the softest purr to the most aggressive cut.
  • Highly Realistic: Sounds originate directly from your mouth, offering a very natural quality.
  • Compact & Durable: Small, lightweight, and unaffected by rain or moisture.
• Cons:
  • Steep Learning Curve: Can be challenging to master initially, often resulting in squeaks or inconsistent sounds until proficient.
  • Personal Fit Dependent: Works best when you find a call that comfortably seals against your palate.

4. Push-Button Calls

Push-button calls are similar to box calls in their simplicity and consistency, making them an excellent choice for beginners or a reliable backup in any vest.

• How they work: Pushing a small plunger creates friction against a surface inside the call’s housing, producing sound.
• Pros:
  • Effortless Operation: Almost foolproof, consistently producing realistic yelps and clucks with minimal practice.
  • One-Handed Use: Many models allow for operation with a single hand.
• Cons:
  • Limited Sound Range: Lacks the versatility of calls with a wider range.
  • Volume Limitations: Generally not as loud as box or pot calls, limiting their effectiveness for long-distance locating.

5. Locator Calls

Locator calls don’t lure turkeys in; instead, they make gobblers reveal their position.

• How they work: They mimic other animals, using sharp, sudden sounds to provoke an involuntary ‘shock gobble’ from a tom.
• Pros:
  • Efficient Locating: Excellent for pinpointing birds on the roost or in thick cover when they’re silent to turkey calls.
  • Non-Threatening: Does not directly signal a hunter’s presence to the turkey, making it a low-risk way to get a response.
• Common types: Include owl hoots, crow caws, and coyote howls.
• Technique Tip: Use locator calls sparingly. Once you hear a gobble, the locator call has served its purpose.

Starting your turkey call collection can feel overwhelming, but a strategic approach makes it much simpler.

• Start Simple, Start Smart: For your very first mouth call, opt for a single-reed or a straight-cut double-reed call. These designs are typically the easiest to blow, require less air pressure, and are more forgiving for beginners. Similarly, a basic box call is an excellent choice for producing immediate, realistic sounds.
• Prioritize Fit for Mouth Calls: This is paramount. If you have a smaller or narrower palate, look for ‘youth’ or ‘small-frame’ models. Don’t hesitate to gently trim the tape on a mouth call’s frame for a better seal against the roof of your mouth. A comfortable fit will lead to faster skill progression and less frustration.
• Experiment with Mouth Calls: Mouth calls are relatively inexpensive. Be prepared to buy a few different calls in your initial stages. What works perfectly for one hunter might not work for another; it’s a normal process of trial and error to find the ones that feel natural in your mouth and produce your desired sounds.
• Focus on Quality, Not Just Price: While you don’t need the most expensive custom call to begin, avoid very cheap, poorly made options. A well-built production call will sound more realistic and be easier to learn on, providing a better foundation.
• A Little of Everything: You can start with a mouth call, a pot call, and a box call. This combination provides versatility for different situations and volume needs, covering hands-free, loud, and subtle options. Consider adding a locator call as a fourth essential.

Once you have your calls, it’s time to make some noise! Focus on consistency in sound and rhythm, more than perfect tone, to start with

General Tips for All Calls:

• Use Your Diaphragm: Whether it’s a mouth call or pushing air for a box/pot call, imagine the air coming from deep in your chest, like fogging a window or sighing. This creates more natural, resonant sounds.
• Listen to Real Turkeys: Watch online videos of real turkeys calling. Pay attention to the rhythm, cadence, and emotion in their yelps, clucks, and purrs. Reality is a great teacher.
• Practice Consistently: Even 10-15 minutes a day can make a huge difference over time.

Practice isn’t just about making noise; it’s about making realistic noise. These methods will help you progress.

• Daily, Short Sessions: Consistency trumps marathon sessions. Aim for 10-20 minutes every day.
• Record Yourself: This is invaluable! Use your phone to record your calling, then listen back critically. Compare your sounds directly to recordings of real wild turkeys.
• Focus on Rhythm and Cadence: Turkeys key in on the rhythm and timing of calls more than perfect pitch. Listen to how real hens string their yelps and clucks together.
• Practice Varying Volume: Learn to produce both soft, subtle notes for close-in birds and louder calls for reaching out.
• Seek Feedback: If you know an experienced turkey hunter, ask them for honest critique on your calling. Constructive criticism can highlight areas for improvement you might miss.
• Blind Practice: Practice calling without looking at your call (especially for box and pot calls) so you can keep your eyes peeled for incoming birds in the field.

Finding your ideal mouth call is a journey, but it’s one that leads to more confident calling and more successful hunts. To kickstart your mastery, check out The Grind Outdoors’ mouth calls!

We even have a pack that is specifically crafted for new callers. It includes two versatile calls: the No Split II (a 2-reed call with no cuts for clear tone and easy basic sounds) and the Lil Red II Batwing (a 2-reed batwing cut call for adding light rasp and tone as you progress). This pack is easy to master, helps you learn and hunt with basic calls, and the calls require less air to operate. It even includes a call case!

Click here to grab your 2-Pack of Beginner Mouth Calls and start sounding like a turkey pro today!