Heads up guys, watch this video and you’re going to get a close-up on the inside of a full-grown man’s mouth. But, it’s all in the name of better turkey calling …
Even some hardcore turkey hunters have trouble running mouth calls. They gag. They peep like fuzzy barnyard chicks. They sound like grunting and squealing pigs. They give up.
That’s why hand-operated friction turkey calls were made, they say. Other hunters manage to use mouth diaphragms, killing a few fired-up gobblers with fair yelps and clucks during the spring mating season. Still others call in off-season competitions and the in-season turkey woods to improve their mouth-calling abilities. They study how they call. Competition caller and turkey hunter Shane Simpson, who shared this video tip, is one of these guys.
Why use a mouth call anyway? The cost is cheap. Hands-free operation doesn’t spook turkeys in view with the hand movement friction calls require. Just ounces to carry, you can hide one in your mouth. Still not into using a mouth call? Simpson’s advice on paying attention to how your tongue fits against the mouth call’s reeds might help make your mouth calling more realistic.
Placing your tongue on the call’s latex reed(s) correctly and finding just the right diaphragm fit for your mouth can improve your average turkey calling. Making a tight air seal with the call pushed firmly against the roof of your mouth–which Simpson does here after showing tongue reed placement–will finish the deal. Even if you know about tongue placement and how to blow air over reeds, how often have you seen it demonstrated inside a guy’s mouth?
Watch Simpson’s video again. Practice looking at your own tongue in the mirror–alerting family members or roommates in the process–as you make turkey hunting vocalizations.
Spring gobblers will appreciate your effort but may die as a result.