Mouth calls?

[mbiewer]

This is my first spring draw in a few years.

 

Most of my hunting skills have been learned through "osmosis". (which explains my lack of success, lol). My family has never really hunted, so I was never exposed to it as a kid. In my younger years, I got to go along on a few hunts with others that actually knew what they were doing. Ive spent most of my time trying to glean information and trial by error..... a lot of error. ha ha

 

Anyways, I think ive gotten pretty good with the box calls. But for the spring turkey, I would like to learn more about the diaphragm calls. Standing at sportsmans this past Friday staring at the section I gave up. Nothing seemed to beckon to me. I realize that these aren't for "beginners" and they take serious practice. Luckily with a 30 minute commute (alone) I have no one else to annoy except for myself in the truck.

 

Still got my trusty box call (or two actually now) and a couple of slates. Any advice on #1 how to "maintain" the surface on the slate calls and mouth calls and or techniques for them?

 

Gotta change the luck somehow

[Little Creek Calls]

Condition your slate with a small square of scotch-brite pad. You can get it at the grocery store on the cleaning isle just cut the big pad into smaller easier to use squares. When using it just go side to side in one direction not circular. When using the call use the striker on the call perpendicular to the direction you ran the scotch-brite. It can also help to lightly sand the striker tip. As far as mouth call recommendations it will be easier to learn on a 2 reed call and one without a lot of complex cuts. Once you get that figured out then move on to the more complex calls. A general rule for using mouth calls is the cut reeds or the longest reeds go up toward the roof of your mouth allowing them to vibrate and not against your tongue.

If you are looking for some more training with calls come check out my seminar in April at Mesa Sportsmans.

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/55284-turkey-hunting-and-calling-seminars-2015/

[mbiewer]

thanks for the tips. I seen your other posting. I really wanna go check it out if time permits.

[az41mag]

Mouth calls can be a little intimidating at first, but the good news is that you have plenty of time to practice with them (in the car on your commute works well). As already mentioned, get some of the simple cut calls to learn on and practice with them often. One thing I learned from trial and error when I was learning to use diaphragm calls was how important it is for the call to fit properly and seal against the roof of your mouth. Depending on the call, I sometimes have to trim a little of the tape off so that it will seal properly against the roof of my mouth. This will of course vary from person to person depending on the size of your mouth, but just a little tip if you're struggling with them. I would also recommend attending one of Ammon's seminars, as they are very informative. He makes a variety of hand made turkey calls too. Glad you're thinking of this now and not 2 weeks before your hunt.

[backcountry_brad]

For the mouth calls make a "chuck" or "puck" sound to get your clucks and once you have those down try making the same noise in a gradual pattern to get yelps and cuts. Don't quit practicing with your mouth calls, they take some time to get a hang of!

[Little Creek Calls]

Like AZ41mag mentioned, If you need to trim the tape to get the call to fit better in your mouth do it. It should not affect the call just the way it fits in your mouth. When I am making mouth calls the latex reeds are stretched clamped and then cut at the edge of the frame before applying the tape. The tape does not hold the tension on the latex reeds, the frame does. If you bend or change the frame then you will be changing the tension on the reeds and changing the sound off the call.

[Couestracker]

I couldn’t seem to get the hang of diaphragm calls at first, then the late Marvin Robbins gave me the best tip about them, and that is if it's tickling your tongue it's not bent (curved) enough, if it's tickling the roof of your mouth it's bent too much. With that knowledge, I was able to master it on my own real quickly.

[Seldom Drawn]

This is my first spring draw in a few years.

 

Most of my hunting skills have been learned through "osmosis". (which explains my lack of success, lol). My family has never really hunted, so I was never exposed to it as a kid. In my younger years, I got to go along on a few hunts with others that actually knew what they were doing. Ive spent most of my time trying to glean information and trial by error..... a lot of error. ha ha

 

Anyways, I think ive gotten pretty good with the box calls. But for the spring turkey, I would like to learn more about the diaphragm calls. Standing at sportsmans this past Friday staring at the section I gave up. Nothing seemed to beckon to me. I realize that these aren't for "beginners" and they take serious practice. Luckily with a 30 minute commute (alone) I have no one else to annoy except for myself in the truck.

 

Still got my trusty box call (or two actually now) and a couple of slates. Any advice on #1 how to "maintain" the surface on the slate calls and mouth calls and or techniques for them?

 

Gotta change the luck somehow

Break down and buy 2 or 3 brands find the one that fits your mouth best and practice, google how to call if you don't have anyone that can help you, buy a push button box call if you can't get the mouth call down and buy a shaker gobble call thats all you need. I use wayne Carlton mouth calls for everything they fit my mouth good, they work for elk, Turkeys ,Coyotes and even bear.