What turkey calls do you use?

[Cody Gruchow]

im new to turkey hunting, so this year will be my first year hopefully. i am wondering what calls are out there. i have been messing around with a few primos mouth calls i bought on sale, and i am getting pretty good at it(drives the gf up the wall also). but anyways anyone got any tips for box calls or slate calls. im leaning towards the Cody slate calls(kinda neat to have a call that has your name on it  )

any pointers for a newbie?

[Auggie]

The box is most likely the easiest. I use all three. The box can get out and yelp on a windy day when it is loud in the woods, the diaphragm are hands free and I use them most of all, and I always have a slate to cut myself off and hit the sounds I can't get with the diaphragm.

[ChrisWallace]

If you can learn to master a mouth call I wouldnt say your set but it will really help to finish your birds off up close, plus with a bow in hand its hard to drag a slate or rap a box call.

Try the diamond cutters or the piggyback series, great intro mouth calls. I also like using an elk mouth call as well, they last longer and you have a much higher range of highs and lows as well.

But I like MAD calls like the alumunator, super alumunator. Box calls I run cherry bomb, heartbreaker. I also have the primos slate that straps to your leg, I thought it would work well holding a bow but it will slide on your leg unless your winch it on to your leg to the point of circulation getting cut off.

[kenhuntin]

You can't have too many. The mouth calls I like the best are Tru Tone and I replace them from the tru tone boys at the Mpls. sportshow each year. I use the black tru tone mouth call for cuts I carry two box calls a Knight and Hale ol mama hen and an H.S.Natural. I carry two slates My favorite call is a primos old glory slate for purrs and yelps The other is a copper pot for long range or wind I strap it to my leg with a H.S. Strut holder. For the slates I have five different strikers but use the H.S. magic wand the most. For locaters I use a palmers hoot tube then Knight and Hale crow then Primos gobble shaker and last a hawk scream.
  It helps at times to sound like a whole barfull of drunk hens to bring in a tom that is already with a girlfriend. Other times you can start off with soft predawn tree calls and be done hunting in 10 minutes.
 Watch out I thought I had all I needed for hunting until I started Turkey hunting. I went nuts and even bought a gun for just turkeys.
 I know two guys that only use one push call. One gets nothing every year but the other never fails. You don't need a bunch of stuff but for those seasons that keep going on and on I like to mix it up.

[thunderpout]

Get good on the mouth calls, really nice when theyre in close and you want yer hands free and on the gun,  Box calls carry farther...good in wind and really hilly/bluffy areas... I think slate calls are most realistic, especially the suttle purrs and yelps, but ya need to match the right striker with the right slate... alot arent worth anything when damp or wet so keep em in ziplocks when not out and using em!  yeah the HS Magic wand that Ken spoke of is a good one... a few good slates are the WoodWitch or the carbon/ waterproof type... another Im getting used to is the old wingbone type.... once ya get used to them they sound quite good.... Oh yeah.... get a practice tape!  I used to practice while driving to work, going home... etc,,