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Box call or slate(pot) call?

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3006hollowpoint

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Which one should I ( a beginner turkey hunter) get for spring season? I don't have any gear (besides the gun and 4x4) so I'm rackin the bank up this month. I'm getting a decent choke and some camo soon. I'm just stumped on calls.
How does I can call??!!
 
I told you thru text message but I'd go with a slate.... box call is easier, but a slate will also do really good purrs which I used to bring in the hen that brought in my first turkey... an over excited jake.
 
I'd go with a slate, takes about a second longer to figure out but personally I think it works better
 
If I had to chose one to have in my pack I would have to go with the slate. Pick up a couple of mouth calls, when I first started calling I would just practice anytime I was driving to prevent from driving the wife crazy. You will be amazed how quick you pick it up.
 
I would get a box, but also get some mouth calls. It's not as hard as you think it is. Once you gEt the darn thing to make noise it's on from there.
 
a box call is the #1 USED call in the woods hands down due to its ease of use and you can make all 4 main turkey vocalizations on it as well as a gobble. Having said that i dont even own one and chances are i never will have one in my pack, i just personally dont like them. TO ME they are bulky and noisy to carry, however they are very loud which can be useful on windy days.

I would start with a slate or a decent glass over glass style call, those seem to be the easiest to be consistent on. Dont rule our a good aluminum call (ala Lights Out Aluminum which is an AWESOME call)

with practice any can be easy to use, the key is to be consistent in using them to where you can yelp, cut, cluck and purr with no screeches or slipping. in addition be sure to practice useing them in non traditional positions because you will have TONS of those while in the woods. learn to use them in a variety of sitting positions as well as with gloves on (if you wear them normally) and with a gun on your knee. there is a big difference in being good at using them in a car or just sitting on the couch at your house then in actual hunting positions.

mouth calls will be tough to start with and took me a long time to be decent at them but some are quicker at learning then others so its never to early to start.


lastly always remember, you dont have to sound like a professional caller, you just have to be consistent at it. the more important factor is WHEN to call, HOW MUCH to call and HOW AGGRESSIVE to call. those all come with experience.
 
Tracy S. said:
If I had to chose one to have in my pack I would have to go with the slate. Pick up a couple of mouth calls, when I first started calling I would just practice anytime I was driving to prevent from driving the wife crazy. You will be amazed how quick you pick it up.
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Exactly. And don't feel like you have to spend a ton of cash on them, especially the mouth calls.
 
Pic IN the Casa said:
Tracy S. said:
If I had to chose one to have in my pack I would have to go with the slate. Pick up a couple of mouth calls, when I first started calling I would just practice anytime I was driving to prevent from driving the wife crazy. You will be amazed how quick you pick it up.
Click to expand...

Exactly. And don't feel like you have to spend a ton of cash on them, especially the mouth calls.
Click to expand...
HS. Strut Raspy Old Hen
 
If you decide to pic up some mouth calls start with a single Reed till you get the concept down then move to a double reed. Will save you some time and frustration. The more reeds the more air that's needed and the harder they are to blow.

Don't worry what it sounds like at first just focus on the concept and making noise with it, once you get that part the rest is just practice and confidence. Try some different ones because mouth calls are very much personal to each person and their mouth and air styles.

For example I can't use knight and hale calls cause they are too small for me and I can't keep them from moving, also I blow ALOT of air so 3 reeds or higher are best for me but I still use a double to kee kee


Everything in calling is practice and confidence.
 
I would get some kind of pot call. For me at least, they are more versatile. Box calls are easy and loud. However, I am a lot more confident with some kind of pot call for soft calling. A glass or aluminum would be nice because they can be loud or soft. I agree with REN that a Lights Out aluminum is awesome. I would recommend getting a couple different kinds or at the very least get a couple different strikers that way you can have a few different sounds.
 
I love a slate. 90%of the time Thats all I use in the woods is a slate type call with several strikers to sound like diffrent calls. I like a box but I can just get so much more out of a slate and 2 or 3 strikers.
 
REN said:
If you decide to pic up some mouth calls start with a single Reed till you get the concept down then move to a double reed. Will save you some time and frustration. The more reeds the more air that's needed and the harder they are to blow.

Don't worry what it sounds like at first just focus on the concept and making noise with it, once you get that part the rest is just practice and confidence. Try some different ones because mouth calls are very much personal to each person and their mouth and air styles.

For example I can't use knight and hale calls cause they are too small for me and I can't keep them from moving, also I blow ALOT of air so 3 reeds or higher are best for me but I still use a double to kee kee


Everything in calling is practice and confidence.
Click to expand...
Interesting, I started on a 2 reed and so far haven't used anything other than 2 reed. It took practice but I like the sound. I don't know if I'd even like the sound of a 1 reed unless it was a really good one... who knows
 
Nah a single reed is super high pitched but very easy to start with. I don't know anyone that uses them to hunt with but they are great for beginners to learn with
 
Makes sense... I like the 2 reed. I even made 2 reeds for my tube call last year. Gonna make a new 2 reed tube call soon and start practicing for the upcoming season. I have made some of the best sounds with a 2 reed tube call.
 
I like a slate call also.

However, an often over-looked simple, but effective call for beginners is the push/pull call. Nice yelps and clucks, and can be used one-handed against the side of your leg if needed.

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Get both and practice with both. When turkey season rolls around, use the one you feel most comfortable with. You have plenty of time between now and season to learn how to use each call effectively.
 
This is the best advise anyone has posted for a beginner. Its easy to use and you have little movement. I would like to add to this......... DONT OVER CALL! A little cluck goes a long way. Hunting is the same no matter what your after. Be still, be quite and you will kill them turkeys. Hunting pleasure will not only kill your hunt, but everyone that is in the area.
 
Good advice, Ren is spot on with his IMO. As is VolDoug. I'd say get you a box, a push/pull and a Slate call. The mouth call may not be easier than it seems,it takes a lot of practice to be proficient. Some folks can't use mouth calls. My advice would be to get the calls listed and practice, and possibly go hunting with a experienced hunter. Good Luck its just another learning curve!
 
I started with a box call myself, but like some of the other posters here, I really like a slate and get 2 or 3 different strikers and that will give you some different pitches to throw out there when your calling. A good way to practice is to record yourself calling and play it back. You don't have to be world champion caller. Just get the basics down as the yelp, purr, cackle and cuts. If you got turkeys in your area, you'll get on one sooner or later. Then it becomes a chess match. If I get a bird gobbeling good I let him set the pace until he gets close and then I usually shut up and make him find me. But, sometimes you get a bird that just humbles you and that's what makes it hunting. Good luck.
 

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