First slate call ever, looking for advice

[Sportdog7]

Last week I was at my sporting goods store and decided try a pot call, they had the HS L'ill Deuce on special along with the Raspy Old Hen diaphragm call so I said why not. I'm new to pot style calls, so any advice on how to get the best performance would be great. Also the striker is hollow and made of carbon does that make the call louder? Is there a benefit to a striker made of this material? Thanks again for any help, this will be my first season hunting turkeys my permit is for the last week of April. I see many youtube videos and a lot of the hunts are done with pop up blinds, I have one but I'm hesitant about using it. Any opinions on it? Again Thanks...I know I'm asking a lot of questions

[callmakerman]

Bottom line watch the video's and practice with the call so you sound like a turkey. Don't worry about all the fancy stuff at first with the call just stick with clucks,purr and soft yelps and you'll kill turkeys. Your call is a great start as I think we all started the same way buying a call off the shelf and learning how to run it. You don't have to buy a custom call to kill turkey's but for me it's fun hunting with a call I or someone else made for me. As far as the pop up blind. If you plan I shooting a bow it would help but if you can sit still for a long time against a big tree and call you'll do fine as well. Don't read to much into turkey hunting there's plenty of old timers that kill birds with very little calling and a ton of patients. Keep it fun.

[howl]

That striker is intended to be more useful in wet weather. You should get a CD that has recordings of wild turkeys to practice by. Knowing the things you say to turkeys sound just like a the real thing gives you confidence. The CDs Lovett Williams has out are very good.

[Sportdog7]

Thanks guys!!

[outdoors]

 Don't read to much into turkey hunting there's plenty of old timers that kill birds with very little calling and a ton of patients.        

[MikeStaten]

I have the Lil' Deuce and the same carbon HS striker from years ago.  For soft calling, the call isn't too bad.  However, I'm not a big fan of their carbon striker.  I haven't run that one in awhile but you might try a hickory, or other wood, striker too.

[callmakerman]

Good point Mike I missed the carbon striker part and he would be better served with a wood striker.  Sportdog send me your addy and I can hook you up with some 2 piece strikers to use this year. I have a ton of them so I can give you a few different combo's.

[MikeStaten]

Sportdog send me your addy and I can hook you up with some 2 piece strikers to use this year. I have a ton of them so I can give you a few different combo's.

Great when you see stuff like this. 

[callmakerman]

Gotta help the new guys out and I remember how much I hated squeaking on a call with the carbon striker.

[Sportdog7]

Good point Mike I missed the carbon striker part and he would be better served with a wood striker.  Sportdog send me your addy and I can hook you up with some 2 piece strikers to use this year. I have a ton of them so I can give you a few different combo's.
[/quote

I sent you a PM with my name & address, any help with a striker would be GREAT!!

[bornagain64]

Is this a slate or glass surface? When you watch some videos on you tube, check out some on conditioning your call. Each surface needs different conditioning and make different sounds.

The different strikers also make a call sound different, so the wood strikers you are getting will make your call sound like a different hen with each 1. There are some great people on this web site.

Also about the ground blind. If you are using a bow you will need it, not so much with a gun. But either way, its a good idea to get it in the woods and blended in with some of the woods. You can find a tree to tuck it under or cut some palm fronds and blend it in a little. If you leave it out a couple weeks before your hunt, the turkey and deer get used to seeing it there and will not spoke as easily. ( not sure if you are on public or private land, so may not help)

            Best to you, good luck.    John