The recent NWTF Convention & Sport Show showcased the best new turkey calls for 2016. Whether you prefer mouth calls, slate calls, or box calls, or even wingbones – they could be found in good supply at the show.
Here’s a rundown on our top picks for this spring…
Quaker Boy Elevation Series Mouth Calls
The way a mouth call fits in your mouth can make or break the performance and sound quality you can achieve from the call. The Quaker Boy company has taken a new direction in the way they help hunters more closely mimic the hen turkey with the introduction of their new Elevation Series with SealRite technology.
The patented SealRite cushioned frame technology conforms to virtually every palate size and shape. SealRite increases the call vibration zone between your tongue and palate, bringing the reeds closer to your tongue for ease of use. The design eliminates the tab to tongue contact point, resulting in a clean operation platform. The result, a superior sealing call that is easier to achieve unmatched realistic turkey killing sounds.
Quaker Boy Odyssey Box Call
It’s hard to beat the realism that comes from a box call. The new Odyssey box call from Quaker Boy sets itself apart this spring with hand-crafted quality from the finest hardwoods available. The Odyssey’s Patent Pending ToneBlast technology frees the sound from the interior of the box. With this unique concept, the sound is no longer trapped inside the box. The ToneBlast lid allows yelps, cutts, clucks and cackles to escape the interior of the box, reaching gobblers’ ears with clarity and definition. The call features Quaker Boy’s proprietary waterproof coating allowing you to defy the elements and stay in the hunt.
Legacy Game Calls Moonshine Series
The crew at Legacy introduces their new Moonshine Series of game calls in partnership with Moonshine Legend, Mark Rogers. The X-Mark 3 and X-Mark 4 mouth calls are easy to use and produce the accurate sounds of the spring turkey.
The Bootlegger box call and Thump Keg pot call are two new additions for Legacy that are easy enough for any beginner to pick up and use, yet the calls produce superior sounds that veteran turkey hunters will love as well.
Primos Hacked Off Mouth Call
The Primos crew has added a new line of calls with a simple twist to help you easily customize the call to fit your mouth. Their new Hacked Off Series of mouth calls are built off their medium frame design, with printed lines on the tape to help you customize the call to perfectly fit your mouth.
Primos Grand Slam Series Pot Call
Looking for something unique for your turkey call collection? Primos has you covered with their limited edition series of pot calls and box calls. Primos introduces the Grand Slam Series Rio Grande Heartbreaker Edition, third of a four-year limited edition collection that features the four Grand Slam turkey sub-species. The 2016 edition, available in a box or pot call, will feature the Rio Grande Wild Turkey. Whether you actually hunt with it, or just leave it on the shelf for a collector’s item, this is one call you’ll definitely want to add to the mix.
Hunter Specialties Undertaker Mouth Calls
We stopped by the Hunter Specialties booth and checked out a few of their new calls. Their new Undertaker Mouth Call Series feature a premium aluminum frame that custom fits to the user’s mouth. Their Infinity Latex produces consistent sounds that easily replicates the hen turkey vocabulary.
Hunter Specialties Final Roost Box Call
One call that stood out for extremely life-like sounds and ease of use was the Final Roost box from Hunter Specialties. It’s got a great raspy sound and easily allows you to put that real-hen “whop” on the back end of the yelp. It’ll be a killer call this spring, no doubt.
Tom Teasers Mouth Calls
Tom Teasers diaphragm calls are handmade one at a time on specially designed presses. The company uses only the highest quality of latex, tape, and frames to make these calls. The crew at Tom Teasers prides themselves on the consistency built into every call they build. The calls are easy to blow and produce a wide variety of turkey sounds to bring your longbeard to the decoys.
FOXPRO Crooked Spur Slate Call
Sure, the crew at FOXPRO are known as the leaders in the predator calling industry. But what you may not know is they also offer a really slick line of hand calls and mouth calls for the turkey hunting industry as well.
The FOXPRO Crooked Spur Slate introduces an innovative design to the standard pot type turkey call. The Crooked Spur features a radical look and feel to the way you use a pot call. The Crooked Spur’s hand fitted ergonomic shape allows for ambidextrous calling for extreme comfort and consistency. This custom shape design allows you to make multiple hen turkey sounds. You can strike different areas of the surface to attain variations in pitch and realism. The Crooked Spur Slate is capable of producing soft, subtle purrs, putts, and tree yelps, yet still offers incredible volume for cutts, clucks, and loud yelps to locate distant gobblers.
Crooked Spur Pro Series Mouth Calls
A new Pro Series Combo Pack from FOXPRO allows you to carry the whole flock in your turkey vest this spring. FOXPRO’s Pro Series mouth calls offer a wide range of tone, pitch, and realism for advanced turkey callers. They feature a pad printed design on each call and are offered in their own unique color for quickly choosing the right call. Each Pro Series mouth call is individually stretched and hand made to ensure a perfect call every time.
Knight & Hale Dual Threat Pot Call
The new Dual Threat call from Knight & Hale gives you the freedom of two calls in one, eliminating the hassle of digging through your turkey vest to switch calls. Dual Threat’s double-sided design features a glass and slate combination. Use the glass side to produce loud, high-pitched tones that travel long distances and the slate side for seductive close-range calling to bring toms in those last few yards. The call also features Knight & Hale’s very forgiving Echotech Diamondwood Striker, which reliably produces lifelike sounds with any friction call.
Woodhaven Green Hornet & Black Hornet Mouth Calls
The turkey calls made by Woodhaven have produced countless trophies on the competition stage, as well as the spring turkey woods. They are simply some of the best calls on the market. Woodhaven releases two new mouth calls for 2016 with their Green Hornet and Black Hornet mouth calls.
The Green Hornet is built with WoodHaven’s exclusive lime green latex. This lime green latex is a little heavier in thickness giving this call even more backbone than their famous Red Wasp mouth call. This call is very loud and crisp, producing great yelps, cuts, and cackles.
For the Black Hornet, WoodHaven has taken their two-reed Hornet diaphragm call and made a few modifications. WoodHaven used their Yellow latex and added a third layer using their black latex, giving this call its own very unique tone and sound. This call is capable of calling both loud and soft while producing great yelps, cuts, clucks, and purrs.
The sounds of spring will be here before you know it. Be sure to check out the calls on our list of best new turkey calls for 2016 online and in stores in the weeks ahead as you prepare for opening day.
