When turkey hunting out west, it’s really important to have calls that can cut through the wind. We’ve always experienced that box calls and friction calls do the best to get that sound out there and be effective.
Having a couple calls with you that have different pitch and tone is important to bring as well. I’ll often bring two box calls just for the different pitches I can get from each call.
If you like to run pot-style friction calls, having multiple strikers can be a big key to your success. In the right hands, one friction call using multiple strikers can make that one call sound like multiple different hens in the field.
The type of strikes we use are anything from laminated, hard, one-piece strikers, to quarter-inch dowell type strikes, long strikers, and everything in between.
Make sure to keep the end of your striker tips conditioned, clean, and ready to call. I like to take a 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper that I’ve picked up from my experience and experimenting over the years, and I condition and clean the end of the striker by rolling the striker in my hand as I use the sandpaper on the tip. That gives me the texture I need to really get after it with a friction call, and lets me make sure i can get multiple different tones with my strikers.
Having that high-pitched call, with one or two different tones to go to can really change your hunting experience, and bring those toms closer to the gobbler coffin.
Check out these videos to see and hear some box calls and friction calls in action!
Box Calls
Mouth Calls
Friction Calls
Custom Strikers