Tips on Using a Mouth Call

[Bucks & Beards]

For the life of me I can't learn how to use a diaphragm mouth call.
Any tips or recommendations on beginner's calls that are easier to use for slow learners like me?
I do well with a box and/or slate call, but they are a problem when a Tom starts to close in.

 

[southernhunter]

i had the same problem ,just stick with it and watch alot of you tube. u soon will be calling them in left and right. if u like a box call you can tape one to the gun then it is just a one hand deal ,learn the mouth call but till you do that might get you by .

 

[catman529]

don't put a lot of pressure on it in your mouth. there should be an air seal between the floppy edge of the call and the roof of your mouth. Air should only pass through in between the reed and your tongue. start with very light pressure. Work at it till you can get a clear note. Increase pressure till you can get a clear high-pitched note. Once you can hold a nice high note, drop your jaw just a bit so the sound breaks down to the lower second part of a yelp. Start real slow so you can distinguish between the high and low notes. Eventually you can do it a lot faster and it will kind of blend together to make a yelp. For clucks, putts, etc, the best way I can describe it is saying "tick" without the vowel... make a "tck" sound with your tongue making sure it passes through the reed. Vary pressure between your tongue and the call to get different tones. Purring involves trilling your tongue and is a bit difficult to get the hang of. I found it a lot easier when I relaxed the tip of my tongue to let it vibrate more freely.

Hope this made some sense, sorry for rambling, and hope it helps a bit. I have only been using a diaphragm for 2-3 months but can yelp, cutt, cluck, and purr.

 

[Big Gun]

I had the same problem. I bought a Primos video on learning the mouth call. That helped me a lot.

 

[TeamMainStreet]

Practice practice practice. You will spend countless hours blowing that call and pretty much ticking everybody at home off but thats how you get it. What I like to do each season just before is carry them with me to work and practice on my way. Nobody but me in the truck, nobody telling you to shut up. Just do it till you get the hang of it and it sounds right to you. Oh a fresh call straight outta the pack will be rough anytime for someone who has never used one. The more you use it the more it will get broken in and it will feel more natural in you mouth.

 

[chall]

Could not do a thing first time I put one in my mouth. Watched the video and the best advise I got out of the video was to just put it in you mouth and go about whatever you are doing. One of the hardest things is just getting used to it being in your mouth. Dont try to call, just put it up there for 5 minutes or so at a time. Talk, do whatever and eventually you will get more used to it and all of a sudden you will start making sounds with it and get more comfortbale with it. But just get used to it being in your mouth first.

 

[Bigg E]

I think practice is the key, but getting a call that fits the roof of your mouth is also very important. You may have to buy quite a few before you find the one. I learned with a Primos Limbhanger and still use one sometimes. Don't get caught up in all the multi-reed, fancy packaging, marketing crap. I find that placing the call towards the back of the roof of my mouth gives me a little more control. If the roof of your mouth is very narrow, try one of the youth size calls. I got my children some and they were very easy to use. Good Luck

 

[Outdoor Enthusiast]

If the roof of your mouth is very narrow, try one of the youth size calls. I got my children some and they were very easy to use. Good Luck

I was having trouble with the shape and size of a call that I bought. It felt like I was gagging. I trimmed the call with a pair of scissors and it made a world of difference. Of course, I didn't fool with the frame or reed.

 

[REN]

also if you tend to have a narrow mouth you can try the Knight and Hale calls...they tend to have a smaller frame then most others and are actually very good calls.

 

[turkeyhunter]

I dont recommend shareing them.Colds and flu still going around.lol

 

[WTM]

practice and more practice. if anything master the yelp, cluck and purr to start. go to NWTF site and listen to the real turkey recordings. most of the time i only use a cluck and purr combo with a mouth call.

make sure it fits and trim if you have too. if you have some sort of gag reflex you may have a problem with a mouth call.

 

[Gray Ghost]

Best tip I can give you is to use a mouth call or any call about 1/2 as much as you think you should.