One other type of call, a shaker, produces gobbles when you shake it in a rapid motion. The easiest calls to master are the friction calls (for example, box, peg and slate, peg and glass, or push button). The major disadvantage is that you cannot hold a shotgun and work them at the same time. This is important because you may spook your wild bird when you put the call down and raise the shotgun. A second disadvantage is that most calls do not always work well if they get wet. Placing the friction calls in a loose plastic bag will allow you to operate them during wet conditions. Diaphragm mouth calls are popular among hunters. They are the most versatile calls but require much practice. They are unaffected by wet weather, allow the hunter to use both hands freely, and can be used without making any discernible movement.

Two other types of calls, the turpin call and the tube call, produce realistic calls, but require hand movement to operate. Shaker calls are the only ones specifically designed to produce realistic-sounding gobbles. No practice is necessary; the sound is the same each time you shake them. They produce only the gobble sound and are not usually considered a requirement for successful turkey hunting. The type of call used is less important than how well the hunter masters calling techniques. The best ways to learn turkey calling are to listen to live turkeys, an instructional tape, and/or an experienced turkey hunter. Turkeys have more than two dozen different calls, but the hunter will rarely notice more than about 10. There are 10 basic sounds the hunter should be able to recognize. Listed below are these sounds and how to use them.

Tree yelp - This is the first turkey sound heard in the morning. It is a slow, soft, nasal sound, consisting of three or four yelps made only at daybreak from the roost. It is made when turkeys are just becoming visible in trees It is a greeting call to make sure that all is well after a dark night of not seeing or hearing one another. This call can only be heard on still mornings in a roosting area. Tree yelps should be the first call made by a turkey hunter who has set up near a roosted turkey. This is where scouting really pays off. Click here to hear a tree yelp.

Plain yelp - The plain yelp is the one sound most people associate with turkeys. Turkeys use this sound to communicate with distant birds. The yelp is made by all turkeys in the fall, winter and spring. A yelp from a gobbler is lower pitched, more coarse, and less musical than from a hen. Click here to hear a tom yelp. The plain yelp is best used routinely throughout the morning while hunting. Plain yelps are usually done in a series of two to five in a row and always have a very even rhythm. Plain yelps will evoke a response from a spring gobbler and call him in if he is of a mind to come. It is the standard call when working a spring gobbler. Some hunters use it successfully with an occasional cluck. Click here to hear a hen yelp.

Cluck - The cluck has several meanings. The sound is a short, soft, single-syllable, non-musical tone. It is used to gain another turkey's attention. If used too loudly it will alarm turkeys. It can be used in the following manner: "cluck (pause briefly), cluck, cluck (pause), cluck (pause), cluck (pause), cluck, cluck." Its major use is to evoke an answering cluck from any nearby turkey. It works well because turkeys are curious about any other turkey sound. Some successful hunters use an occasional cluck with the plain yelp in this manner: "cluck (pause), yelp, yelp (pause), cluck, cluck (pause), yelp, yelp, yelp." Click here to hear a cluck.

Purr - There are 2 purrs used by hen and tom turkeys. The first purr is a soft fluttering call used by turkeys when communicating to each other, usually when they are content and relaxed. The second purr call is the fighting purr used when turkeys are posturing for a fight or agitated at something. Hunters often use purrs with clucks when gobblers are in close but not quite close enough. Click here to hear some purring.

Putt - This is a short, sharp, loud cluck. It sounds very similar to the cluck, only the cluck is softer and less distinct. It will not call in turkeys, but you should know the call when you hear it, because it is the worst sound a calling hunter can make. It is the alarm call of the turkey, and generally will be the last call you hear before a turkey departs.

Cackle - A cackle is an excited call of a hen and is often emitted when flying down from a roost. It is usually a series of 12 or more yelps which rise abruptly in pitch and cadence and then gradually decline in pitch and cadence. The fly-down cackle of the hen has been called the true mating call. Often the yelps are very short and staccato. Turkeys will also cackle when they fly over open water, fields or when jumping down off a deadfall or rock ledge. Another cackle is the assemble cackle made in the fall when the hen calls in the young poults. It's just a slowed-down version of the regular cackle. Click here to hear a fly down cackle.

Cut - A cut is a short, staccato yelp and is usually emitted by the hen in a series varying in length and cadence. It is often used by an aggravated hen as she defends her nesting territory from other hens, but it will often excite a gobbler. Sometimes used by lost or lonely hens who are searching for other turkeys. They are usually loud and aggressive and about 15 seconds in duration. Click here to hear some cutting.

Kee Kee Run - This is a call made by a lost young turkey trying to reassemble with its fall flock. It is a high-pitched "kee kee, kee" followed by a short, raspy yelp or two. Click here to hear a kee kee run call.

Hen Assembly - This call is made by an adult hen to gather her flock. It is a long series of yelps rising in volume and pitch and then declining. The series may be as long as 15-20 yelps.

Lost Call - The lost call is used by an adult of either sex who is looking for company. It will be a series of plaintive yelps and you'd better be ready, because they might just run in on you.

Gobble - The gobble has limited use and affects turkeys in two ways: hens hear a potential mate and gobblers hear a potential rival. Gobblers may investigate other gobbling in their vicinity and may fight uninvited gobblers. The gobble call will sometimes help you locate a gobbler but may not bring him into shotgun range. Extreme caution should be used when using a gobble call as it may attract other hunters into your calling territory, and you may find yourself being hunted by another turkey hunter. For that reason gobbles are not recommended while hunting but can be effective to locate roosting birds in the evening. Click here to hear a tom gobble.

Whine - The whine is a soft, high-pitched, drawn-out call of the hen, usually used in combination with putts and clucks. Click here to hear the whine call,

Spittin' and Drumming - This call is done by toms to attract hens for mating. The call is 2 notes, the first is the spittin' sound, "pffffft", followed by the vroom sound. Some hunters say the vroom sounds like an idling car muffler.

Beginners should keep several points in mind. It is better to call too softly than too loudly, to call too rarely than too frequently, and to perfect one or two calls rather than attempt some sound not yet mastered. Timing, or rhythm, can be more important than the actual quality of sound. Finally, remember that no two turkeys sound alike and what works on one gobbler might send the next one in another direction. If a gobbler will not respond to your call, change or vary your current calling technique.