Using a turkey mouth call is not as tough as it may seem. With the right call selection and a little bit of practice even the newest of turkey hunters can be yelping up longbeards in the upcoming spring.
I hear it or something to the same effect a dozen or more times a year, "I've never been able to use one of them things." etc., etc.... My typical response is, "Sure you can you just need to practice a little bit." This sounds quite cliché' and likely annoys most readers here, Yet this is usually followed up with another statement, "You need to make sure and start out with the right call." This is a very important and critical step. There are thousands of calls out on the commercial marketplace. knowing what to start with will make all the difference. From there, we'll add the layers and have you yelping up longbeards in a few weeks.
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Crawl Before You Walk
Baby steps may be a more fitting headline here as I've been known to crawl up on a turkey. But first things first! I cannot emphasize this enough, you have got to start simple, and for that you need to focus on the yelp. The yelp is the primary call that a hen turkey makes and for this is of utmost importance that a turkey hunter learns to master the yelping of a hen turkey. When you flip over many of the top brand names of turkey calls, you'll find a series of typical instructions ~meh~. This may include the cutt, the purr, the cackle, the gobble or other calls. Usually, one listed is or should be the yelp. I want you to forget the rest of those for now. FOCUS ON THE YELP. Again, the yelp of a hen turkey is her main way to communicate with other turkeys. The best way to learn something is to learn to compartmentalize until you reach the level of knowledge desire. If you're new to calling turkeys, then you'll want to take baby steps into learning these other calls that can certainly add some realism to your setup. For now, lets just focus on the yelp.
We'll circle back to some of the mechanics of the yelp later. But I felt it important to ensure we're all on the same page. Before we start yelpin, let's talk about picking out a call that will best suit you in your new undertaking.
What is a good Turkey Call to Start Out With?
This question comes up quite often in these pre-spring conversations. There are a lot of great calls on the market. When you go to a sporting goods store like Bass Pro Shops you could see upward of a hundred different variations of brands and cuts offering the new hunters endless options. These various calls each can offer unique sounds and tones that turkey callers may wish to experiment with. I always suggest however to start with a call that is fairly basic but can offer the realism of nearly any turkey sound. My go-to call that is in my cheek nearly every turkey hunt I have been on for the last seven years has been The HeadCrusher V-Cut Diaphragm. This design is what I feel is the best turkey mouth call for beginners. The reason is plain and simple, its a plain and simple design that most importantly, is easy to blow. This call requires very little air but still allows for a full spectrum of turkey sounds. A call like the HeadCrusher still allows for plenty of volume with very few limitations and as your turkey calling improves you may choose to graduate to different style calls, or you may not. I designed this easy to use turkey mouth call based on a design that I learned off of. I think it's an excellent choice for beginners and the veteran turkey hunter alike.
FOCUS ON THE YELP! - Yes I did scream that
The Yelp is one of the most important calls a turkey hunter will learn to use. Yelping is responsible for most all successful turkey hunts where calling was key. When a hen yelps she's simply communicating to other turkeys unalarmed and in a content manner. Now she can vary this from subtle to aggressive yelping, however all and all the sound is generally the same and for lack of knowing what exactly they are striving to communicate when yelping, they are saying everything is okay and more or less can be seen as an assembly call amongst the group. Gobblers, Hens, Jakes and Jennies all yelp. A trained ear can usually distinguish between the jake and gobbler yelps that spring could offer. The best way I can describe them is just down an octave. The hen yelp is where we want to keep our focus, however. There are opportunities where a jake yelp or gobbler yelp could be helpful, but in order to stick to the basics, the hen yelp is what is in the spotlight. So first, I like to always suggest just get the call in your mouth and get comfortable with it. Learn to keep the call tucked to one side or the other and to speak with it in your mouth. I say this because you really need to get comfortable at all costs with the call in your mouth. This can take some time and be one of the first challenges a new turkey caller faces is to get past the feeling of choking with a mouth call in place. A word of precaution, don't push your limits, a mouth call lodged in your airway could be a dangerous situation. I don't think I need to carry on much on this matter but just always use precaution. Tapes can be trimmed to a more comfortable fit and also smaller frames are available in many mouth-call designs. For years I used standard calls with no problem. I tried a call that only comes in small frames and loved them so they are worth giving a shot.
After you get past here, its time to make some noise.
In order to produce the first note of the yelp you'll need to channel air through the roof of your mouth and over the reed. This can be a bit tricky, but with practice, you will get the hang of it. As you advance in your turkey calling ability, you will intuitively learn to articulate your tongue off of the call and produce these sounds. The biggest closing advice I can offer is to practice, practice, practice. In your car on your way to work is an excellent time to work on mouth calls as you are often alone, and whether you are a great caller or a beginning turkey caller, it can tend to get old with people hearing. My family has learned this is par for course in my vehicle, they've all learned to sleep right through some serious calling renditions. Check out these YouTube links below to see some really in-depth instructional videos for beginning turkey calling with a mouth call.
Good Luck & Make Him Gobble!
Edward
When will The HeadCrusher be back in stock?