The Best Turkey Calls for 2019 (Review)

Turkey season is around the corner! Are you ready to get your big gobbler? With the plethora of turkey calls out there, it’s hard to know which turkey calls you should have in your vest. We’ve assembled our list of the top ranking turkey calls and our opinions of what’s good–and what’s not so good–about them.

Disclaimer: In the following article, we list the top five calls and also those that are worth a mention. We also provide links to our affiliates which help support The LocaCarnivore, so if you see a call you’d like to buy, use our links and help support us.

How We Rank the Calls

Everyone has their opinion on what works for a turkey call. Some folks like the mouth calls, while others prefer a box or pot call. We get that. So, it’s difficult to compare apples and oranges. We take the top five calls and talk about what’s good and what’s not so good about them. Our categories for ranking include:

One or no hands operation
Ease of use
Number of calls you can make with them
Durability and construction
User endorsements and complaints
Price

Top 5 Turkey Calls

	Best Mouth Call	Best Shaker Call	Best Starter Kit
	Primos Hunting Hook Hunter Turkey Mouth Call (Pack of 2)	Primos Hunting PS222 THE GOBBLER Turkey Shaker	Primos Hunting 272 Friction Call, Turkey, Starter Pack


The Upshot	A great mouth call for both novices and experienced turkey hunters.	A shaker call that anyone can use that realistically mimics Toms and Jakes gobbling.	A turkey hunter starter kit that gives you the choice of three calls.
Things We Liked	- No hands operation. - Choice of two calls.	- Easy to use. - Makes realistic gobbling sounds.	- Choice of box call, mouth call, and pot call with striker. - Good quality starting kit for beginner.
Things We Didn't Like	- Has latex. - Requires practice.	- Requires two-handed operation for Tom gobbles. - Some hunters reported breakage.	- Minimal instruction on package. - Kit looks different than image presented.

Top 5 Turkey Calls (Continued)

	Best Turkey Pot Call	Best Locator Call
	Primos Jackpot Turkey Pot Call with Conditioning Kit	Hunters Specialties H.S. Strut Hammerin Crow Turkey Locator Call


The Upshot	An extremely versatile call that makes clucks, yelps, purrs, and other turkey calls.	Gobbler locator call which produces crow distress cries. Turkeys gobble when they hear it.
Things We Liked	- Large variety of sounds. - Comes with conditioner.	- Large variety of sounds. - Easy one-handed operation.
Things We Didn't Like	- Two-handed operation. - Can damage slate by touching it.	- May require adjustments. - Minimal instructions.

Best Mouth Call

Primos Hunting Hook Hunter Turkey Mouth Call (Pack of 2)

For those hunters who prefer mouth calls, as well as those hunters new to mouth calls, the Primos Hunting Hook Hunter Turkey Mouth Calls are hard to beat. Most hunters who use them are impressed with how easy they are to use to call in a turkey. Many hunters had favorites, preferring one call over the other. A few people had problems with the tape/latex separating.

Things We Liked

Choice of two calls that provide flexibility calling toms.
Hands free operation.
Instructions on package, plus instructional videos online.

Things We Didn’t Like

Contains latex which is a problem for those allergic to it.
Requires practice to use successfully.
May have some issues with quality control.

Best Shaker Call

Primos Hunting PS222 THE GOBBLER Turkey Shaker

If you find using mouth calls daunting, you’ll be interested in THE GOBBLER Turkey Shaker by Primos. It’s a simple call that you operate with one hand to mimic Jakes and two hands to mimic Toms. Very loud and works incredibly well with realistic gobbles according to hunters. Most were surprised how easy it was to bring in a turkey. Some hunters have reported that it breaks easily.

Things We Liked

Easy to operate.
Makes realistic Tom and Jake gobbles.

Things We Didn’t Like

Requires one or two hands to operate.
May have some issues with quality control.

Best Starter Kit

Primos Hunting 272 Friction Call, Turkey, Starter Pack

Confused by all the different calls out there? Not sure what to get when learning how to call turkeys? The Primos Turkey calling pack has a nice assortment of high quality calls for the money. Calls include a mouth call, pot call, and a box call. Packaging comes with instructions on how to use. Doesn’t come with a disk or link to videos, but you can get instructions off the Internet. Two people said that the items in the package were different than what is shown. One claimed the mouth call tasted bitter.

Things We Liked

Three different types of calls to try out on turkeys.
Good quality calls for the beginner.

Things We Didn’t Like

Minimal instructions on packaging for use.
Requires practice to use successfully.
Mouth call may contain latex which is a problem for those allergic to it and it may taste bitter.

Best Turkey Pot Call

Primos Jackpot Turkey Pot Call with Conditioning Kit

If you’re looking for a call with a variety of sounds, from clucking and yelping to the softer purring, this pot call is a good option. Using the striker, you can make the calls as loud or as soft as you need to. Package comes with instructions for how to use effectively. Made of slate, it comes with its own conditioning kit.

Things We Liked

Large variety of sounds to attract Toms.
Comes with it’s own conditioner.

Things We Didn’t Like

Requires two hands to operate.
Minimal instructions on packaging for use.
Grease from fingers can damage the call.
Requires practice to use successfully.

Best Locator Call

Hunters Specialties H.S. Strut Hammerin Crow Turkey Locator Call

This is a turkey locator call which makes distressed or squabbling crow sounds. The idea behind it is to give the turkeys a noise that which provokes gobbles. Easy to use, just blow in the mouthpiece to make realistic crow sounds. Although well made and waterproof, the Hunters Specialties H.S. Strut Hammerin Crow Turkey Locator Call requires some adjustments for setting the right pitch, but unfortunately there aren’t a lot of instructions provided.

Things We Liked

Large variety of crow sounds to trigger Tom gobbles.
Easy one-handed operation.
Loud call that works when properly tuned.

Things We Didn’t Like

Reed may require some adjustments for the right pitch.
Minimal instructions to set up and use.
Requires practice to use successfully.

Honorable Mention

Hunters Specialties H.S. Strut Push Button Yelper Turkey Call

If you’ve found making sounds with box calls daunting, you might find Hunters Specialties H.S. Strut Push Button Yelper Turkey Call to be what you’ve been looking for. It will make yelps, clucks, and purrs with a push of the button. It’s so easy to operate, one hunter’s six-year-old child used it with success.

Things We Liked

Large variety turkey calls.
Easy to use and not difficult to learn.

Things We Didn’t Like

Requires two hands to operate.
Takes some practice to achieve the calls you want.

Honorable Mention

Hunters Specialties H.S. Strut Smokin’ Gun Turkey Box Call

If you’re a fan of box calls, the Hunters Specialties H.S. Strut Smokin’ Gun Turkey Box Call is a terrific call. Waterproof, it also produces clear yelps from both sides, making it a winner for turkey hunters. It is made from walnut wood and stained to look as good as it works. A band at the end keeps the box call from inadvertently sounding off when your moving through the field.