Not sure what mouth turkey call to get?
Look no further.
I’ve exhaustively tested ALL the best turkey mouth calls on the market. In fact, I tested everything, including: construction, sound quality, and so much more.
By the end of this guide, you’ll find the perfect mouth call.
Are you ready?
Table of Contents
- 1 The 4 Best Turkey Mouth Calls
- 2 Now It’s Your Turn
The 4 Best Turkey Mouth Calls
If you’re pressed on time, here’s a quick list of the best turkey mouth calls:
- Woodhaven Red Wasp Diaphragm: Best Overall Turkey Mouth Call
- HS Strut Premium Flex Combo: Best Turkey Mouth Call for Beginners
- Primos Hunting Upper Cut: Best for the Budget
- Primos Hunting Hook Hunter: Best Primos Turkey Mouth Call
1. Woodhaven Red Wasp Diaphragm: Best Overall Turkey Mouth Call
The Woodhaven Red Wasp Diaphragm is a well-known and well-loved turkey mouth call, and for with good reason.
Beginners and seasoned hunters alike go for this budget-friendly and solidly constructed piece of hunting equipment.
This is going to seem like I have nothing critical to say about the Red Wasp, but the truth is that there just isn’t that much for me to complain about.
I have some minor gripes about airflow, but that’s really about it.
Construction
The Woodhaven Red Wasp is a three reed V-Cut mouth call made with a red latex top reed and two straight prophylactic bottom reeds.
Its shape is that of almost every single other turkey mouth diaphragm; a horseshoe. The outer half-ring is made from a premium tape, a lined locking frame with adhesive, and “only the best latex material”
This call feels obviously high quality even looking it, but more so after holding and using it. Everything feels, firm, solid, and I’d even go as far as to say hand-made. You know you’re working with some quality build as soon as you use it.
The construction is as good as I’ve seen with “premium” turkey calls. It sure isn’t lacking in this department.
Sound Quality
All of these other factors like reliability, construction, and build quality are meaningless if there’s not a good sound coming out of the call its self, and the Red Wasp Diaphragm has this in spades.
This call is going to produce a nice, soft, raspy call, just like you’d expect from an old hen. Yelps and clucks sound top-notch. You’ll be certain to attract a few birds to your spot.
The sound quality is truly great, but as with any and every mouth call, the sound is largely dependant on the user. Don’t lose hope yet beginners! You should still consider picking this mouth call up.
While you’ll see many veteran hunters using this call like an orchestral instrument, the Red Wasp is designed in such a way that even newbies can use the call fairly easily, with a little practice of course.
Newer hunters and seasoned trackers both will enjoy the sound quality of this call. It’s easy to learn on and better yet, some hunters never want to let it go.
Durability
Bad build quality is always a deal-breaker for me, but the smartly designed and caringly constructed Red Wasp passed my torture test with flying colors.
Many hunters take meticulous care when handling, using, and storing their calls. Their calls can last them for an almost absurd amount of time, I’m talking months upon months, even a couple of years (gross).
I, however, am the very opposite of that. I treat my numerous mouth calls almost like absolute garbage. Aside from losing several, I toss them in my pockets with my keys, near my phone, and my utility knife. I have shredded up many a turkey calls in my life.
For this particular diaphragm, I was actively doing my best to treat it with the bare minimum care to find out if it could survive even me.
It absolutely defeated my torture and mistreatment. The build quality and durability shines brightly in this instance.
I am typically worried about the reed latex ripping or peeling because of the frequent contact with borderline sharp objects like my keys, but I couldn’t see any visible damage or hear any difference in the sound quality.
I know that the Woodhaven Red Wasp is cheap and I wouldn’t be losing out on much if it got destroyed, but it’s great to have a call that can survive almost anything within reasonable limits.
Even though I can afford to buy a brand new call whenever mine fails, not everyone can. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend or are just a frugal type, rest assured that you won’t be wasting your money.
You’ll likely end up squeezing out every nickel and dime it’s worth before it breaks, fails, or otherwise gets retired.
Price
The Woodhaven Red Wasp Diaphragm is only gonna cost you $11.99 almost everywhere.
While turkey mouth calls are not a particularly expensive item, this is still an amazing deal since you’re going to be bagging birds left and right while you’re using this mouth call.
Is the Woodhaven Red Wasp Diaphragm worth it?
There’s no question about it, yes. Here’s why:
- Popular – Although inexpensive, the Red Wasp is an ultra-high-quality product. You might be doing yourself a disservice if you skip out on this call just because it’s a popular call. There’s a reason (or more like several reasons) this is a popular call.
- Durable – The built quality and construction are incredible. It put my worries about durability to rest very quickly. It bordered on invincible, even for me. No bends, breaks, peeling, or tearing here.
- Reliable – This mouth call is reliable and is in it for the long-haul. It’s a big deal considering this is tied with sound quality for most important aspects of a good turkey mouth call.
- Great sound – The sound is superb and easy to produce for beginners. The sound is raspy and soft, just what you’d be looking for in an old hen. Many more experienced hunters could play this thing like a darn instrument. You will not be disappointed when you hear the Red Wasp for the first time.
You really can’t go wrong with the Woodhaven Red Wisp Diaphragm. There’s a reason why some veteran hunters won’t use anything else.
Using turkey calls can seem pretty daunting at first, as can turkey hunting in general.
Seeing some pros doing almost identical calls seems discouraging, but it doesn’t take perfect pitch for a perfect hunt.
Start out with the HS Strut Premium Flex Combo, a pack designed with beginners in mind.
Construction
The Flex Combo comes with four different types of calls: The Lil’ Strut, Smoking Gun, Triple Trauma, and Sickle Cutter.
All of them are built in the classic horseshoe shape.
The calls are built with a “premium flex frame” that is supposed to be comfortable for the user, and resistant to bending to ensure a good seal is kept during use and to retain its shape for a more consistent sound.
Of course for many new beginners (or those with a sensitive gag-reflex), a turkey call isn’t going to be the most comfortable thing in the world to get used to. Trimming the call down a little bit might be a reasonable path to take when you’re first starting out.
The reeds are made of a material called Infinity Latex, which requires less air pressure to produce a good sound.
Sound Quality
The sound quality is decent for such a low-cost pack of reeds. This is perfect for beginners who are getting into turkey hunting or who just want to practice their calls while driving around.
Someone described the turkey call as a musical instrument, and that holds true; it takes, patience, practice, and time to learn how to use one. It’s important to keep this in mind when judging the sonic merit of a call, but the sound quality is good overall and is certain to help bag some turkeys (if you practice).
While it can’t quite compete with some slightly more expensive calls, it still does what it’s aiming for; to call turkeys.
This call is not just for beginners either, the sound quality is good enough for intermediate hunters to pick these guys up as well.
Longevity and Build Quality
While the HS Strut Premium Flex Combo boasts good quality build for the calls, I didn’t quite get that impression from my time with them.
If you’re the type of person to take meticulous care of every piece of hunting gear you have, you can expect between 6 months and a year of use from these calls, but if you’re like me, the lifespan on the HS Strut calls is significantly less than what you’re expecting.
I didn’t expect much from these calls in terms of durability, but I was still disappointed with the minuscule amount of time it took for these calls to start falling apart.
I should preface this by saying that I did the absolute minimum when it came to taking care of and protecting the HS Struts. At most, I slipped them into a ziplock bag and stuffed that in my pocket, at worst I tossed them in my jacket pocket with my keys, in my back pocket with my wallet, and in my passenger seat.
The first one fell apart in my pocket with the latex peeling from the rest of the body. The second wasn’t as bad, but I was able to feel shallow rips in the material while I was on the hunt. The other two are fine, likely from a lack of use. I quickly chose favorites, but that’s more of a personal thing.
The ruggedness of these calls leaves something to be desired, but basic caretaking should have these calls lasting you a few months up to a year. Throw them away after that, they get rather nasty after that amount of time.
Price
The HS Strut Premium Flex Combo is only going to cost you $12.95. That’s a really great deal even for beginner turkey calls. If you find that you like using mouth calls, you can upgrade to a higher quality and slightly more expensive turkey call like the Primos Hunting Hook Hunter Turkey Mouth Call at $21.95 for two.
For beginners, this product is a great starting point.
While the build quality isn’t amazing, the price, variety of products, and sound quality are all pretty good for calls that are only about $3.50 a piece.
Even if you decide mouth calls or turkey hunting isn’t for you, you’re only out 13 dollars. These are a steal if you just need something to practice with or even a back-up. They can even last you a while if you’re gentle with them.
If you’re well versed in turkey hunting and mouth calls, you probably won’t be too disappointed with these, but I think you’d be doing yourself a favor by dropping a little extra cash on a higher quality product.
The HS Strut Premium Flex Combo doesn’t bring anything to the table that you haven’t seen before, but if you’re looking for something to gift to a child or new hunters, these would be a solid buy.
3. Primos Hunting Upper Cut: Best for the Budget
The Primos Hook Hunter Upper Cut diaphragm call is the best turkey call for anyone on a budget.
It’s loud, sounds true to nature, and is expertly engineered.
How does this call measure up to others on the market?
Let’s find out!
Design
The Primos Hunting Upper Cut diaphragm call is made with three premium-grade latex reeds. It’s crafted to perfection, and creates raspy pitches accurate enough to fool even the wisest turkeys!
This is thanks to Primos’ precise, expert engineering. Their Hook Hunter line is one of the leading lines of diaphragm calls, combining over 100 years of experience from seasoned, professional turkey hunters.
The handmade cuts, fly-downs, and upper-cut design produce unique pitches, giving some of the best yelps I’ve ever heard.
The experts at Primos have crafted this call with durability and performance in mind.
Sound
Thanks to the precision cuts, this call makes the exact sounds hens use to summon males from a long distance.
It’s a loud, crisp, raspy sound that’s very true to nature, great for cuts and yelps. If you direct your airflow to the right, you can even get those “keekees” and tree calls!
The sound quality of this diaphragm call is truly unmatched. I’d even go as far as to say it’s my go-to turkey call!
Use
The Upper Cut is a very loud, versatile call, so it’s great for both close and long-range use. It fits well in your mouth and is easy to blow, as long as you know how to use it.
It’s definitely not for beginners. Diaphragms can be a bit difficult to get used to, and you’ll need a lot of practice before you understand how to properly use it.
You must become familiar with the natural tones of turkeys to use it effectively. You also may need to pair it with another call if you’re looking to get any non-raspy tones.
Once you get used to it, it’s very simple to use and the airflow is great. Just put it in your mouth, give it a single blow, and watch the turkeys come flocking!
Price
You can find this turkey call at most online retailers for around $11.
At first, this might seem a little expensive for the average hobby turkey hunter.
But, Primos is an elite brand that has been delivering quality products for decades. It’s a great value for what could very well be the best turkey diaphragm call on the market.
It blows nicely, and Primos is a tried-and-true, time-tested manufacturer with over 100 years of experience in the turkey call game.
Is the Primos Hunting Upper Cut Worth it?
This is one of my all-time favorite diaphragm calls.
It’s versatile, gives you a loud, crisp sound that works every time, and comes from one of the best manufacturers out there.
I cannot recommend the Primo Hunting Upper Cut enough. This is one purchase you certainly will not regret.
4. Primos Hunting Hook Hunter: Best Primos Turkey Mouth Call
Primos game calls are top-notch, and without a doubt the Hook Hunter is the best Primos Turkey caller.
The Hook Hunter is actually a two-pack item. A blue call and a green call come together when you buy.
Being a moderately priced pack of callers, is it worth the extra expense?
Range
The Hook Hunter comes with two calls for a reason. Primos is making sure you are covered for long and short range calling.
My favorite of the two Hook Hunters is the blue long range call. Working with it is a slower paced run of sound.
The green short range is also great and easy to use. The clicks and purrs are easy to control and have a raspy sound.
The ghost cut gives me a good seal in the back of my mouth. I can really get after the long calls and kee kee sounds.
Use
The calls are easy to learn with and easy to use.
The packaging comes with helpful instructions and tips on using the mouth caller.
There is something to be said for practice with a mouth call, and the longer I’ve used the Hook Hunter, the better.
When out in the field, both will fit in the pocket on my hunting vest to protect them and keep them handy.
So, practice, practice, practice.
Your family may not appreciate that suggestion, but you can blame me now and thank me later.
Durability
The Hook Hunter is more durable than the cheaper options out there.
With mouth callers, many are only intended to be used for a short season. The Hook Hunters are well built and able to last for years if I’m careful with them.
They are also easy to keep clean.
I just soak mine in dish-soapy lukewarm water for a few minutes, then give it a quick rinse before laying it out on a paper towel.
I take the time to keep the reeds separate with a reed separator when I store them to get the most for my money.
Effective
The Hook Hunter calls are incredibly effective.
The consistent sounds make it easy to use, and to not have to guess at what sounds will come out of my mouth in the field.
The calls both give me more realistic sounds than the cheaper counterparts I’ve tried.
I can call a gobbler with his hens in without decoys, and that’s not a result I’d get with a cheap disposable caller.
Price
The Hook Hunter call is a 2-pack duo that is priced well.
They do come with a case, and that’s nice to have for storage.
The feel of the calls in the hand or in use is quality. No flimsy body or low-quality reeds here. This is a well built call that is worth the price.
Choose to cheap out and you’ll sound like a kid with a kazoo compared to this caller.
Is the Primo Hook Hunter Turkey Mouth Call worth it?
Without hesitation the answer is yes! These are mouth callers I have used for several years now.
The Primos Hook Hunter is a top notch duo with a quality sound and remarkably realistic calls.
Primo makes the best, and the best is the only way to buy.
Now It’s Your Turn
I hope you enjoyed my best turkey mouth call guide.
So as a recap:
If you’re looking for the best overall turkey mouth call, get the Woodhaven Red Wasp Diaphragm.
What about for beginners? Then opt-in for the HS Strut Premium Flex Combo.
On a budget? Then the Primos Hunting Upper Cut is for you.
Lastly, if you simply want the best primos call, I’d recommend the Primos Hunting Hook Hunter.
Now I want to turn it over to you:
Which turkey mouth call will you pick?
Let me know by leaving a quick comment down below.
