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I play with pot calls now and then throughout the year.  I sometimes play with trumpets (have not yet reached competence) but I don't practice mouth calling much till January.
I've ordered a few mouth calls for spring 2026 and will begin practicing with them and the other types of calls very soon.  Last year, I went back to basics and worked on it a lot and really improved my game. 
Deer season is still open but real slow here, and my mind turns to turkey.
Who else will up their calling practice soon?
And I really need to get back to walking, gotta get ready for those long morning hikes.

Guess I'm a bit obsessive...I keep a trumpet and Jordan on hand year round when I'm on the road. Listen to real hens calling over the stereo system, and run the yelpers.

I dont think a day goes by all year that I dont run a trumpet or mouth call atleast a little bit.

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Never stop running calls all year long ... I always have calls right next to my chair ... LOL. I don't think about playing them, I play them.. I really enjoy my calls and the different turkey sounds tones they all bring with hen. Jake and gobbler sounds.

The call I run the least is mouth call's. I always carry a couple but seldom ever use them. The 2 I carry are the old Quaker Boy double and old boss hen.

Playing calls is year-round for me. I seldom use a mouth call or carry one so that never gets touched.

I really ramp up my practice by the first of January every year.  Pots and mouth calls get dusted off for about 4 straight months.  This past year, I purchased a trumpet, so I have been learning something new since October.  Getting ready for the season raises the anticipation!

I guess I'm a slacker, I never touch them all year, last spring I popped my mouth calls in on the ride to my first hunt!

Which is dumb, my calling generally gets good mid season as far as mouth calls and wing bones , I can play a pot well cold turkey!


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I rarely use anything but mouth calls, although I do carry a pot or two when hunting. For those friction calls, after the season I do a quick inventory of the calls and strikers to see what I have either broken and/or lost and put away what has survived my escapades...generally until right before the next spring season at which time I will sort through them to see which pot/striker combinations I will most likely lug around with me unused when the season starts.

The mouth calls get stored away after the last hunt in the spring, which is usually in the latter part of May. I will disinfect all the mouth calls I have used and store them away in the fridge. Generally, they will not be touched until after the first of the year sometime. I will usually start getting anxious in anticipation of the upcoming spring hunts at some point and start sorting through my "fridge" mouth calls and making new ones. On average, I would say that process starts a couple of months before my first hunt.

Outside of that, I don't practice much any other time of the year. I suppose I have concluded, after all these years of trying, that my turkey calling ain't gonna get any better with more practice and I might as well resign myself to that. My fundamental theory is to find a gobbler or two out there in the turkey woods each spring that think my calling is good enough as it is. That theory generally works well enough to suit me.

As for those gobblers that think my calling sucks...well, I just leave those for you guys that practice a lot and can kill them!   ;D    :D   :newmascot:

My pot calls get played a few times throughout the Fall and Winter.  My mouth calls don't get played until normally after Christmas. 

I usually start when the Holliday season ends. The  decorations will go up in the attic and my garage clears out somewhat. Then, my deer gear gets put together put away in early February.

My play room is then organized (Garage) and I start to tinker with everything turkey. Bones, pots and boxes.

Soon I will order some additional latex to assemble some new calls. I usually don't run them until a month out.

I practice my calls year round. Not daily but several times a week. After deer season I ramp it up though. This year I want to listen to a lot more hen talk. Where do you guys find audio to listen to.

I usually don't touch my friction calls until a day or two before season. I am going to try to learn to use a mouth call this year. Going to start working on that shortly. Wish me luck!

Year-round for me too, I love tinkering with trumpets which is all I use these days.

I actually do not practice at all. I only pick them up when I start my scouting and I run them a little.. But it usually takes about 2-3 tries before the sound they make is good enough for me...

Quote from: redwad on December 31, 2025, 10:35:49 AMI practice my calls year round. Not daily but several times a week. After deer season I ramp it up though. This year I want to listen to a lot more hen talk. Where do you guys find audio to listen to.

You will find some real hen calls on youtube, but, not to sound corny but the best sounds you can learn from are from the real hens themselves. If you hunt in the fall you will ear every sounds that hen and gobblers make, from gobbles, to gobbler's yelp, to kee-kee, yelps, purrs... And in the spring, from my experience, honestly hens don't talk that much... They do a little bit of tree talk, and in my area they do more a contact cluck or bubble cluck, but once they hit the ground, they usually go pretty quiet...

Eehh.. I figure for most of us here. It's kinda like a pocketknife. Just need to touch the edge up a little before putting it to work. I would be willing to bet that for 75% of us on here, the calling is well above average and when a turkey hunt is screwed up. Its not because of the quality of calling. Quantity maybe, but not quality.

Quote from: Happy on January 04, 2026, 06:42:00 PMI would be willing to bet that for 75% of us on here, the calling is well above average and when a turkey hunt is screwed up, its not because of the quality of calling. Quantity maybe, but not quality.

Hmmmm.....

Maybe THAT'S my problem.....   I need to call more !!

Quote from: Yoder409 on January 04, 2026, 07:06:23 PM

Quote from: Happy on January 04, 2026, 06:42:00 PMI would be willing to bet that for 75% of us on here, the calling is well above average and when a turkey hunt is screwed up, its not because of the quality of calling. Quantity maybe, but not quality.

Hmmmm.....

Maybe THAT'S my problem.....   I need to call more !!

I need to sharpen and carry a pocket knife in both pockets ...

Quote from: Greg Massey on January 04, 2026, 07:27:21 PM

Quote from: Yoder409 on January 04, 2026, 07:06:23 PM

Quote from: Happy on January 04, 2026, 06:42:00 PMI would be willing to bet that for 75% of us on here, the calling is well above average and when a turkey hunt is screwed up, its not because of the quality of calling. Quantity maybe, but not quality.

Hmmmm.....

Maybe THAT'S my problem.....   I need to call more !!

I need to sharpen and carry a pocket knife in both pockets ...

You already walk around with your hand in your pocket too much as it is

Quote from: Yoder409 on January 04, 2026, 07:06:23 PM

Quote from: Happy on January 04, 2026, 06:42:00 PMI would be willing to bet that for 75% of us on here, the calling is well above average and when a turkey hunt is screwed up, its not because of the quality of calling. Quantity maybe, but not quality.

Hmmmm.....

Maybe THAT'S my problem.....   I need to call more !!

Thats the spirit! Remember, if your friction call ain't smoking, your just hopin'.

Quote from: Happy on January 04, 2026, 08:26:36 PM....if your friction call ain't smoking, your just hopin'.

I wrote that down.   :icon_thumright:

I have a trumpet in my truck and one on the coffee table. Trust me, I need the practice. Z

Quote from: crow on January 04, 2026, 07:54:02 PMYou already walk around with your hand in your pocket too much as it is

I wrote that one down, lol!!!

Quote from: EZ on January 05, 2026, 08:00:17 AM

Quote from: crow on January 04, 2026, 07:54:02 PMYou already walk around with your hand in your pocket too much as it is

I wrote that one down, lol!!!

 :TooFunny:    :TooFunny:    :TooFunny: