Duke's recent Texas Hunt. We got a wagon load! Brother Rick got his last bird Friday last minute before we left. Everett was done the first afternoon there (doubled). My first was Wed. afternoon and second was Thurs morning. God Bless Texas!

     The three jakes came noisily from my left not twenty yards away.  I didn't see them coming because of the huge red oak that I was leaning against.  The lead jake became nervous, but not as much as I was.  This was the first time I had called turkeys in and I wasn't really trying.  I had been practicing on a mouth diaphragm in the middle of the morning on an oak flat.  Being new to the sport, I thought I could jerk my gun up and end my dilemma with one shot. What followed was chaos.  The bird I chose to shoot jumped straight up and I shot the leaves out from under him.  On the second try, two of the jakes were already airborne and the one running directly away was saved by the first hull hanging halfway out of the chamber of the borrowed Auto Five. 
     In those days of turkey hunting, little information was available to hunters.  The mouth call I had, like all others then was a single reed and came with no instructions.  Today, new hunters are better prepared to take the challenge a field.  Countless books, videos, websites and television shows let people understand what calling a turkey is comprised of.  But which calls do you use in what situations? 
     Mouth diaphragms.  The mouth call is probably the most versatile call today.  It leaves both hands free to shoulder your gun and call at the same time.  Beginners should start with plain reeded calls then advance to cut reeds once you get the hang of things.  Thickness and number of reeds will vary sound and it may take a while to get the results you want. 
     Slates, glass and slot calls.  These calls use strikers to produce sound from rubbing across the surface of the call material.  They are authentic in turkey sound, but take maintenance to keep the surface from being slick and producing unwanted sounds. These calls are good for making soft calls to a gobbler on the roost (tree calls) or doing cluck and purr combinations to simulate feeding hens. 
      Box and push-pin calls.  Like the slate family, these calls require maintenance but are effective in making the sounds of turkeys.  Box calls have hinged lids that are stroked over the lip of the box creating friction to produce sound.  They are chalked to maintain the sound quality.  Push-pin calls are gaining in popularity because of their ease of operation and the ability to make them gun-mountable. 
     Shock calls or locator calls.  Want to shock a turkey into gobbling?  This is what a locator call does. In the spring, a gobbler will sometimes gobble to a loud noise be it a woodpecker, owl, crow, hawk or another gobbler.  Try to make it natural as possible in heavy- pressured areas.
     Try all of these calls to get the sounds you think will make you successful.  You may want to try some of your friends calls before purchasing your own.  You are about to acquire one of the worst hunting bugs there is....TURKEY CALL ADDICTION! 
     An hour and a half after missing I called in the same three crazy jakes and at seventeen years old, tagged my first turkey.  Don't ask me how it happened, things like that just do in the turkey woods.  Be careful out there. 
Duke Turnage "Primos Hunting Calls" Pro Staff