I know everyone has their favorite call. Just curious what yours is? I actually have two favorites. One is the Call Girl Slate from Gobbler Down Custom calls. I can't tell you how many bird I have killed using this slate. It is about as turkey as turkey can get. Second favorite is the Fat Bottom Girl Mouth call, also from Gobbler Down. These guys make awesome calls, but more importantly, their customer service is top notch. Not to mention, they give back to our vet/leo members by doing all expenses paid duck, deer, and turkey hunts for these individuals every year. I really like to support organizations that give back to my brothers and sisters in arms as well as the guys/gals who keep us safe from the idiots who frequent our soil here. The fact their stuff is top notch is even better.

For me box calls. In particular Neil Cost Style box calls. I've been collecting NC style box calls since the 70's. I have a six Neil Cost calls. I also have 60 or 70 (maybe more) Neil Cost style calls from other Turkey call makers. Most of them are #1 calls. I'll come up with a what I feel is cool combination of woods and inlays. As long as they sound great the call makers will make them. If they won't sound good, none of the call makers would make what I wanted and I respect that.

Currently, I've been working with Preacher Man turkey calls. He's finishing up two #1 calls for me. He builds a great call. I think he'll say I stretched his imagination on these two. One is Snakewood lid and bottom with spalted sycamore box. The lid has 1/4" spalted sycamore inlay down the middle as does the bottom. The box has a 1/4" snakewood inlay on both sides. He also just finished up a Snakewood lid and bottom with wormy persimmon box and they same type of inlays listed on the spalted sycamore box/snakewood lid& bottom. The pics look awesome, Jody said they sound awesome. He'll ship them on Friday and I'll post picks next week when I get them.

I like pot calls and have a number of those and two or three dozen strikers made from different woods.

My favorite was a primos heartbreaker rosewood top AND ROSEWOOD BOTTOM. I came back from a Turkey hunt in OK, and upon unpacking, I realized that it was gone. Fell out of my pack or laid it down somewhere...who knows. I've looked, and I can't find another one. Not new or used.

Those calls sound like they will be beautiful. Make sure you throw up some pics. I have some that are really pretty made out of various exotic woods, but they are just hanging out on the mantle in the mancave. While they are beautiful, I will give up beauty every day of the week for pure turkiness. That is what I get out the call girl slate.

I have a motto when it comes to my turkey calls. Each time I head out the door to hunt I grab a different box call. I won't let myself hunt with the same box call twice in one season, unless I've made through all of the calls. I wish I had that much time to hunt but it rarely ever happens.

I will post pics

Try making your own box call, the kits from Shipley's Custom Sawing are pretty good. https://www.shipleysoutdoors.com/box-call-kit.aspx

Here is some other stuff they sell. https://www.shipleysoutdoors.com/game-call-supplies
The pot call parts are "okay" for starters, a good learning tool but not the ultimate.

During the spring turkey season, some of the gobblers will even answer a squeaky screen door.

I personally prefer pot calls with a handful of different striker tips. The 2 pots that I carry are slate over glass and ceramic over glass.

Funny story, one spring many years ago my buddy and I heard the worlds worst turkey caller. We thought someone had snuck onto my uncles ranch to hunt. Each time they called it was like nails on a chalk board. I wanted to scream "for the love of it all, give it up and stop"! The screeching gosh awful yelps kept on and were getting closer and closer to my buddy and I. Soon we caught movement coming into the field. It was a real hen and she just kept on screeching her gosh awful yelps.

Just went to show us, not all live turkeys have pretty voices!

David Halloran box call. Woodhaven Cherry Classic Crystal, and Hook's mouth calls. It's all I carry into the woods for the last 10 years...they have served me very well.

I have been on the fence about getting a David Halloran box. A couple buddies of mine run them and I am definitely a fan. The first pot I ever owned was a woodhaven. I still have it and its displayed up on the mantle. I ran hooks for years and still think they are one of the best mouth calls on the market. However, if I can buy calls that will support our troops/leos that are just as good if not better than these others, I am going to roll with them. Not to mention, over the last 5 years all I have run is Gobbler Down and they have served me very well. Some of that may just have been becoming smarter as a turkey hunter though...lol

You'll enjoy the Halloran box. His lids are heavier than a traditional box call, making control very easy. You can purr and whine perfectly with his box. I have finished many a gobbler with just slowly sliding the lid along the box...making a high pitched whine. I use rain chalk...it has a very good bite.

Fool Proof, or one of my wing
bone calls.

Are take the guts out of a yellow BIC pen, and be just as effective.

Whatever the turkeys like best that day, except a box call. I refuse to use a WalMart call or any kind of box call.

I usually have 5 different friction calls, 3 or 4 diaphragm calls and a pushup straw or two in the vest. usually cn get a gobbler to respond to something. My two longest bearded gobblers were killed without using a call other than natural voice, an Eastern with 12 1/4 inch beard and a Rio with a 12 3/8 beard.

Old man I hunted with years ago ask why I even use calls and not just call them, my only response was for volume and have a hard time cutting with the voice.

This is about a third of the turkey I have killed. I use fans, feathers and bones for projects. Never tried a pen!

I have a Lynch box call that I got at True Value Hardware in Abilene when I was a kid in the 80's. Man is it raspy but it still calls them in! It is my secret weapon when a hen is trying to lead a tom way from me. It sounds like a mouthy bitc…. and they often come back to fight, bring that foolish fellow in to watch the girl fight. A few of them ain't left the scene!

Android turkey call app on smartphone with a remote Bluetooth speaker..works great!!

My favorite is a pair of single sided cherry wood box calls I bought from Eddie Salter. I killed my first Eastern while using the first one maybe 30 years ago then bought a spare call because I liked it so much. Over the years one and then the other got damaged splitting wood off the back board. When I saw on ebay that those original Eddie Salter made calls like mine were collector items and crazy expensive, I decided to repair mine rather than try to find a replacement. Soaking in water, a heat gun, I was able to break the glue down and removed the back boards. I replaced the damaged Cherry with Brazilian rosewood guitar tone boards I cut down to fit. It may have actually improved the sound. One or both are with me on every Turkey hunt.
Sometimes I also still use an original Johnny Stewart Tape caller I bought from Mr. Stewart at a gun show just as long ago or longer. But if I do use it, I still finish with one of the Salter box calls. No telling how many Turkeys I have killed using those calls. More than I can remember.

Check out this hen that came in Saturday. She out called me!

I prefer the slate call for turkey. I can make my sounds more consistent with it. The box call works, but it's a little more finicky for me. I can use either.