The spring season is filled with turkeys coming out of hiding, ready to breed. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to lure them into your hunting area with the help of turkey calls.
What sounds does a turkey make in spring? One of the most common sounds is gobbling, and Toms gobble to let hens know their location so they can breed.
Using turkey calls will increase your chance of hunting success. But which turkey call is the best? Here’s a promising rundown to use during the springtime.
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How to Choose a Turkey Call
Before you purchase a new turkey call for your next hunting trip, make sure you consider a few things. This list will ensure that you choose the best turkey call depending on your skill, hunting style, and the conditions in which you’re hunting.
You should ideally have more than one type of turkey call, allowing for a backup option if your first one doesn’t work. A bit of diversity in the sound can also help to intrigue turkeys in your surroundings.
It’s good to use a turkey call, then wait for the gobbler to respond to you. Be patient! If you hear that the gobbling gets louder, it’s a promising sign that the turkey is moving closer to you.
Instead of making another sound, you should stop using the turkey call, as it could throw off the turkey.
It’s good to know what types of turkey calls exist, and how they work. Here’s a rundown of five of the best ones so you can lure in more turkeys during your next hunt.
Box Calls
A box is a friction call. It has a wooden box design with a paddle-shaped wooden lid. It can make a variety of turkey sounds, depending on how you use it.
How it works
You have to strike the edge of the box so that you make a sound. The hollow chamber inside the box is what makes a sound that appeals to turkeys. Here are some different ways in which you can use a box call.
- If you want to make a clucking sound, move the paddle of the lip with upward strokes.
- If you want to make a gobbling sound, use a rubber band and wrap it around the paddle. Hold the box call without touching the lid, then shake it.
- You can also make a kee-kee sound with a box call, the sound of lost young turkeys. You can attract a turkey’s attention during the springtime by producing this sound, especially since it’s different from other calls that hunters might be making on the hunt. To make a kee-kee sound with a box call, hold the paddle and box with a bit of space between them. Then, scrape the lid edge a third of the way from the top. To make the kee-kee-run sound, you follow the same instructions as you did to make the kee-kee sound, but then you must drag the lid at the end so that it scrapes the bottom of the box. This will give you the yelp at the end of the kee-kee that you want.
Slate Calls
A slate call is also a type of friction call, made up of a pot, which can be made out of plastic or wood, and a striker. It has a crystal, glass, slate, or aluminum surface.
The striker should be held in the same way you’d hold a pen. You have to flip the top away so that it moves back towards you. A slate call produces realistic turkey sounds, and it’s really easy to use.
How it works
- You can use a slate call to make a yelping sound by making a small circle on the pot without lifting the striker.
- When you want to make a clucking sound, pop the striker towards you.
- You can use a bit of a scotch brite pad to make the surface of the slate a bit rough so that you can make purring and clucking sounds to attract more turkeys to your location.
Locator calls
A locator call is used to find the location of turkeys in your environment. It mimics sounds made by other animals, such as owls and crows, so that they will respond to them. Sometimes locator calls can also make use of gobbler sounds.
How it works:
This is a straightforward turkey call where you just have to blow into it. Practicing this call will improve your chances of getting a response from turkeys in your surroundings.
A locator call is especially good to use sparingly because you’re just trying to get the turkey out of its current location. You can stop once you’ve heard the turkey gobble, as we mentioned earlier. If you continue trying to call the turkey, this could scare it off.
When using a turkey locator call, you should put your top front teeth on the wedge of the call, then slightly drag your teeth so that you can increase the pitch of the call.
You can make different bird sounds, so it’s worth learning about these and practicing your calls. For example, to make a woodpecker sound, say “t-t-t-t” into the call while blowing it.
Push-Button Calls
A push-button call is beginner-friendly because it’s very easy to use, so you can start with this when learning turkey calls. This call is made out of wood and/or plastic.
You’ll love that you can use it with one hand or attach it to your shotgun stack so that it’s even more convenient to use.
How it works
You have to push or pull the knob back and forth on the push-button call to create friction, producing a sound. Although simple, you should play around with different speeds and rhythms so that you can see how many sounds you can make, such as clucks, purrs, and yelps.
Wing Bone Calls
These turkey calls are old-fashioned, yet effective. They’re made from the wing bones of a turkey, that are put together to produce an instrument that hunters can use.
The bones are boiled and their marrow is removed so that you’re left with a hollow center to produce sound.
What’s great about turkey wing bone calls is that you can make them yourself if you like DIY. This tutorial provides you with the steps you need to follow to make your own wing bone call.
How it works
A wing bone call is easy to use. You have to purse your lips around the end of the wing bone and make a puckering sound so that you can produce yelping sounds.
Related Questions
Do turkeys purr?
Turkeys make soft and low purring sounds. They make these sounds when they’re happy.
When are turkeys most vocal?
Turkeys make the most sounds early in the morning. This is when you’ll hear them communicating with each other.
How many calls do turkeys have?
Turkeys have approximately 29 different vocalizations or calls.
Conclusion
If you’re planning your next turkey hunt, make sure you have some turkey calls in your backpack. In this guide, we’ve provided you with five of the best turkey calls for spring, what they are, and how to use them effectively to bring turkeys into your hunting area.
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