Best Turkey Mouth Calls of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

You’ve most likely heard tales about turkeys that gobble at rusty gates, slammed truck doorways, and even gunshots. While these anecdotes would possibly spark fascination amongst turkey hunters, I don’t know anybody who’s known as in a gobbler with their pickup and carrying a rusty gate via the woods isn’t precisely sensible. If you wish to persistently name in turkeys, you’ll wish to be sure you’ve received a number of of the most effective turkey mouth calls tucked in your vest pocket.

Just about each model within the turkey enterprise affords mouth calls in several colours, sizes, and cuts. The excellent news is that none of them are very costly. The unhealthy information is that every one of those choices could make choosing the proper name a problem. To eradicate the guesswork, I interviewed a roster of veteran turkey hunters about their favourite mouth calls (often known as diaphragm turkey calls) for various searching situations. These skilled turkey hunters have greater than a century value of mixed searching expertise they usually’ve killed longbeards in each nook of turkey nation.

Why Every Turkey Hunter Needs a Mouth Call

Several years in the past, I used to be duking it out with a longbeard that went silent. After a useless half hour, I used my elbow to steadiness my gun on my knee and began to crank out a number of yelps on my slate name. Then I seen not one however two purple heads bobbing my means at solely 15 yards. I may solely watch as two toms strutted inside 5 yards, suspicious now that they didn’t see a hen. In an immediate, they spun again from the place they got here, unscathed. Had I used a mouth name that day, I’d most likely have a cool story about doubling up on two longbeards. Instead, I discovered a tough lesson. Since then, I’ve opted for a mouth name for practically all my turkey hunts. 

Many hunters have been busted as a result of they’ve been messing with a field or slate name as an alternative of holding their gun on the prepared when a gobbler slipped in undetected. With a mouth name you don’t have to fret about swapping a name to your gun. You run the decision hands-free, and keep able to shoot. 

Best Turkey Mouth Calls: Reviews & Recommendations

Best for Beginners: Woodhaven Ninja Ghost

Key Features

• Three-reed design
• Clean, practical sounds
• Versatile ghost lower for simple use

Pros

• Super simple to make use of
• Sounds like an actual hen

Cons

• Not probably the most dynamic name for specialists

Outdoor Life editor-in-chief, Alex Robinson has been turkey searching the Midwest for greater than 20 years, however he picked the Woodhaven Ninja Ghost as a result of it’s a super name for hunters who aren’t skilled callers. 

“It took me years to get even halfway decent using a mouth call,” Robinson says. “I burned through probably a dozen different brands and styles of mouth calls and never achieved a real authentic yelp sound. Even so, I killed plenty of turkeys with friction calls and well-timed, sub-par mouth calling. Then, a few years ago I tried the Woodhaven Ninja Ghost. It’s the easiest call I’ve ever used. It takes very little air pressure and runs well even if I don’t have it positioned perfectly in my mouth.”

One of the Ninja Ghost’s strengths is its simplicity. 

“It’s a straight-forward three-reed call with a small ghost-style cut in the middle of the top reed,” Robinson says. “The sound is crisp and not raspy (a lot of poor mouth callers struggle with overly raspy calls and end up sounding more like a slurring hen with a cough than a real bird). Most importantly, it kills turkeys. Last spring it brought seven gobblers to the gun,” Robinson says. Listen to the Ninja Ghost by clicking on the audio participant under.

Best for Soft Yelps: Zink Z-Cutter

Key Features

• Cutter-style triple reed
• Standard dimension
• Relatively simple use

Pros

• Standard dimension matches most mouths
• Makes comfortable, practical yelps
• Loose reed development requires little air

Cons

• Not nice for loud, long-range calling

After searching turkeys for 32 years throughout North America and in his house state of Wisconsin, Brian Lovett pins this name as a staple in his turkey vest.

“The cutter style reed on the Zink Z-Cutter makes it easy to churn out the full range of turkey vocabulary,” Lovett says. “And the loose reed construction doesn’t require much air. If you have to climb a steep ridge and need to eek out a few soft yelps… If you’re out of breath, this isn’t the easiest thing to do. But, this mouth call lets you do it because it doesn’t require much air.” 

“The Z-Cutter might be a step above a beginner call, but it should work well for most hunters. I can yelp clear, add rasp, cluck and cutt, cackle, cluck, and purr. If there is a con for this mouth call, it’s only that if I try and hammer on it, I start to lose sound quality.” Listen to the Z-Cutter by clicking on the audio participant under.

Best Custom: Shane Simpson Hunting: Prodigy Elite

Key Features

• Thicker reeds than the unique Prodigy line
• Mid-size tape
• Designed for comfortable and aggressive calling
• Combo “L” lower

Pros

• Different cuts for hunter-specific air channels
• Mid-size development matches most mouths
• Wide vocal vary
• Durable

Cons

• Not as accessible as different opponents

Outdoor Life contributor and fanatical turkey hunter, Josh Dahlke’s go-to mouth name is the Prodigy Elite made by Shane Simpson.

“I like Shane’s calls because they fit my mouth,” Dahlke says. “The frame, tape size, and the way that he cuts it seem to make this call a great medium-sized fit. And you can still work this call even if it doesn’t fit perfectly in your mouth.” 

The reed tightness lets you make a spread of calls from medium to loud, which makes this name nice for quite a lot of calling situations, like making an attempt to tug in a turkey that’s shut, however hung up behind brush. Or, getting the eye of that gobbler that’s a number of ridges over on a windy day. 

“These calls tend to last,” Dahlke says. “I’ve had others that fall apart way faster, and for the average turkey hunter, this call will last you an entire season. Out of all the calls I’ve experimented with, the overall size and design of Shane Simpson’s calls work best out of the box no matter your calling experience.”

The Prodigy Elite line affords mouth calls with L, R, and C cuts, which stand for left, proper and heart. These totally different cuts are designed to offer hunters with the most effective turkey mouth name that matches their air channels(The video under will enable you to decide which air channel you utilize).

Best for Long Distances: Quaker Boy Screamin’ Green Pro Triple

Key Features

• Three reed, no lower
• Premium latex
• Crisp, deep sounds

Pros

• Great rasp
• Natural sound
• Sized good

Cons

• Reeds have a tendency to stay greater than opponents
• Not excellent for novices

Native New Englander Bill Bailey has hunted turkeys for greater than 30 years in Northeast and a number of other Midwestern states. Bailey swears by Quaker Boy’s Screamin’ Green line of calls. While his go-to mouth name is the Pro Triple, he additionally likes the Old Nasty Hen. 

“The tape size, triple reeds, and rasp make this a great call,” Bailey says. “I like the raspiest call possible, like an old hen. Those qualities are important to me. Not to mention the fit. I pop it in, and it just feels natural. You don’t have to cut it, and I can run it right out of the package, which is why I keep returning to this call season after season. I’ve killed a lot of birds with this one.”

The Screamin’ Green line from Quaker Boy affords 4 totally different calls with numerous cuts and reeds, relying in your type and kind of name that works greatest for you. Listen to the Screaming Green Pro Triple by clicking on the audio participant under.

Best for Aggressive Calling: Strike Zone Trouble Maker

Key Features

• Moderate reed stretch
• Batwing lower
• Triple reed

Pros

• Easy for novices
• Latex maintains its stretch
• Durable tape
• Great for yelping and reducing

Cons

• Might be too raspy for novices

Long-time turkey hunter and calling skilled, Matt Wettish retains a number of Trouble Makers in his vest each turkey season. Wettish says that one among his favourite issues about this name is the standard.

“I love the consistency of these calls,” he says, “Strike Zone is a small company and there’s subtle differences in the calls, which is great when you find one that works. I know that if I leave the Trouble Maker on the dash of my truck and fry the reeds, I can go buy another one without worrying if it’s going to sound different.”

“It’s also a versatile call. I can yelp, cutt, and cluck, and it’s easy to generate multiple turkey vocalizations,” he says. “I’m an aggressive caller. I’ve found that the call doesn’t wear out easily, the reeds don’t deteriorate, the tape doesn’t come undone. Not as quickly as other competitors I’ve tried.” Listen to the Trouble Maker by clicking on the audio participant under.

Best Intermediate: Tom Teaser’s Butt Naked Hen

Key Features

• Three-reed development
• Batwing lower
• Medium dimension

Pros

• Clarity and rasp
• Makes most turkey sounds
• Medium dimension matches most

Cons

Jason Hart accomplished his U.S. Slam final yr by taking a turkey in Mississippi. Along with tagging a turkey in each state, Hart additionally owns 5 World Slams with a bow, 21 Grand Slams with each American gauge, muzzleloader, and archery. Out of all his Slams, Hart’s killed a hen in 45+ states and Mexico and Canada with the Tom Teaser’s Butt Naked Hen mouth name.

“It sounds more like a turkey than any other call. Every year I go back to this call, and I recommend it to everyone who asks. I’ve been using this call for the past ten years, and I haven’t found one that works better,” he says.

Hart says the decision has a flexible yelp, and that intermediate-level callers and even some novices ought to be capable to produce clear or raspy yelps, relying on the way you manipulate air movement and quantity. The Butt Naked Hen is a three-reed name with a batwing lower. If you battle with a four-reed name, particularly these with tighter latexes, this one is a superb choice for you. Listen to the Butt Naked Hen by clicking on the audio participant under.

Best for Cutting: Hook’s Custom 3-Reed Cutter

Key Features

• Three skinny reeds
• Cutter type (proper aspect)
• Mid-size tape

Pros

• Easy to run
• Crisp two-tone yelps
• Realistic
• Requires litte air

Cons

• Some would possibly favor much less rasp

Turkey searching legend Ray Eye has greater than 50 years of expertise calling longbeards all throughout the nation, and he’s made quite a few tutorial movies on the best way to use a mouth name. He’s additionally the writer of a number of turkey searching books. In Eye’s opinion, the most effective turkey mouth name is the Hook’s Custom 3-Reed Cutter, which he’s used to name in numerous birds whereas guiding different hunters and whereas searching on his personal. 

“One of the main reasons I love this call is the double note,” he says. “The sound turns over so smoothly. It has a great clear first note and then it breaks into a more raspy call that’s more realistic than a lot of other calls out there…and as the name implies, with this cutter you can make some of the most realistic excited turkey sounds with ease. You can get loud or do the soft stuff. This is my go-to call when things get serious.”

In addition to reducing, Eye stated it’s additionally the most effective turkey mouth requires making gobbler yelps.

“When I’m fall turkey hunting, this call reproduces excellent gobbler sounds,” he says. “It’s great for challenging them and making those deep, raspy gobbler yelps.” Listen to the Hook’s 3-Reed Cutter by clicking on the audio participant under.

Most Versatile: Woodhaven Ninja Hammer

Key Features

• Three-reed design
• Mid-size
• Combo lower

Pros

• Versatility
• Heavy latex doesn’t put on out rapidly
• Size matches most

Cons

• Probably not the most effective for novices

You don’t have to have a look at The Hunting Public’s YouTube channel lengthy to see that Aaron Warbritton kills his share of turkeys yearly. In reality, there’s loads of movies of Warbritton utilizing this name and different Woodhaven mouth calls on closely pressured birds on public lands. One factor Warbritton emphasised in regards to the Ninja Hammer is how he can manipulate air movement to make a number of turkey sounds.

“The right side is open on the top reed, so I can keekee and cluck out of it, but I yelp out of the center, especially if I’m calling aggressively,” he says. “It’s got a good mixture of low to high rasp. I like to do a lot of cutting on the left side. It’s just a really versatile call. The way the call sits in my mouth works great, especially with how I push air across my pallet. I can make all these sounds on one call. If I have to cackle, I can use the same one instead of fumbling around with a ton of different calls.”

The Ninja hammer has a heavier latex, which Warbritton prefers as a result of he says it runs higher. If you’re a minimalist run-n-gunner, the versatile Ninja Hammer is perhaps the one name you want if you hit the woods this spring.

Read Next: 25 Top Turkey Hunting Tips

Methodology

I interviewed skilled turkey hunters to get their detailed data on the most effective turkey mouth calls. We judged calls primarily based on usability, efficiency, and sturdiness. These specialists hunt everywhere in the nation, and their calls are tailor-made to particular searching situations. I made positive to incorporate quite a lot of calls which can be designed for novices, specialists, and everybody in between.  

You can’t check out a turkey mouth name before you purchase it. So as an alternative of sifting via multi packs of mouth calls, spitting out those which can be too small, and inevitably gagging and half choking on these which can be too huge, it is best to see this evaluate as a technique to skip quite a lot of the trial and error. But not the entire trial and error. You’ll should strive a number of turkey calls till you discover one which sounds proper if you blow it. Start with watching Shane Simpson’s video on figuring out your main air channel.

FAQs

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Final Thoughts

Even with this listing as a place to begin, you’ll most likely should undergo a number of totally different calls earlier than touchdown the most effective turkey mouth name for you. Of course, if which dimension name works greatest to your mouth and air channel, you’ve eradicated many of the guess work. Above all, you desire a name that’s simple to make use of, sounds practical, and might deal with a season’s value of calling.

Every name works in another way for each hunter. One name that feels like a dying turkey in your mouth would possibly sound like the true factor to your buddy. That’s why it’s vital to strive a number of totally different calls with the expectation that just one or two will sound correct. Thankfully, mouth calls are considerably cheaper than different varieties of turkey calls, and I’ve by no means misplaced sleep over a six-dollar mouth name that didn’t pan out. And bear in mind: Learning the best way to blow a turkey mouth name is like studying the best way to play an instrument—it takes follow.

Best for Beginners: Woodhaven Ninja Ghost
Best for Soft Yelps: Zink Z-Cutter
Best Custom: Shane Simpson Hunting: Prodigy Elite
Best for Long Distances: Quaker Boy: Screamin’ Green Pro Triple
Best for Aggressive Calling: Strike Zone Trouble Maker
Best Intermediate Call: Tom Teasers Butt Naked Hen
Best for Cutting: Hook’s Custom Calls: 3-reed Cutter
Best Versatile Call: Woodhaven Ninja Hammer