Pistol Pete 101

ok, went out today and we got screwed by a hen outcalling me and my buddy. my buddy had a mouth call and made no movement but i had a slate and had a little movement. I lost my last mouth call somewhere in the house. I want to get a new one but i was never good at it to begin with. i want to know which one is the easiest to start off with? i am going shoppin today after school for a new one, then im gonna go out and look at some more land that i can hunt for next week. i want to be able to have my gun up and make some calls without having to have both of my hands busy with a call. thanks. Pete

Spatrat

I have only been at this for three years, so take this as such. There are so many different opinions on this and a whole lot of different calls out there. But for me I sarted with HS true tone double reed calls and had good luck with those. recently I discovered the Quakerboy mini mags (I think that is what they are called) they are about half the size of a normal call and they fit my pallet real nice. I have stuck pretty much to the double and triple reed calls.

Good luck

Wingbone

I've got a half dozen mouth calls I never use any more. I found it too tempting to call too much. For me the hardest think about using a mouth call was shutting up. I went to a wingbone or a slate, and haven't had a problem. If they are close enough to see your hands move, you shouldn't be calling.

SC Swampbird

The slate call will make you stop calling and get the gun up, so the bird will come the final few steps into view/range. Novice hunters tend to call too much and any bird that is close will key in on the area you called from and not seeing the hen will move off. Shut up and make him hunt for the hen. Once he starts coming, you can quit calling and wait him out, instead of calling to make him gobble. If he's coming, he's interested; he'll come....

Jollyarcher

A good beginner mouth call would be any clear reed type. One without multiple layers of latex, notches or cuts. A clear double is a good choice and can be very effective. They require less air and can be played both soft and loud.

I also find aluminum frame calls are much easier to play than the plastic frame variety. Unlike plastic, they can be bent slightly to better fit the contour of your mouth. Just don't bend them so much as to relax the reeds drastically. This can have an adverse effect on the calls sound. A little slack will produce rasp, which can be a good thing, but too much will sound flat out washed.

I have 20 or so mouth calls on hand at the beginning of Spring season... out of which 5 or 6 go into the woods with me. Pick ones that appeal to you and start out slow as not to get discouraged. Mouth calls are some of the best turkey talkers on the market. Stick with it and you won't be disappointed.