Alternatives to a mouth call

[SamuraiTater]

Hi, do i have to use the back of my tounge to force air to the call?
Can someone give me the steps they take when they move air to the call
thanks
steve

As I recall, it took me a long while before I ever got a single note from a mouth call. I had become convinced that I just didn't have it far enough back in my mouth. The gag reflex was awful, but worse than that I was afraid if I put it back any further, I might accidently swallow it.

I resolved I was going to find out if it was just a matter of putting far enough back or not. I doubled over and put my head down low. Not sure if that really would have helped to prevent me from swallowing it or not, but it gave me some peace of mind at the time. I placed that call back further than ever and when I huffed, a little whistle came out.

That was the beginning right there. I'd found the magic. Once I'd gotten the first whistle out of the thing, it was relatively easy to do it again. And I never put it as far back either. Within a week I was driving everyone crazy at work. I had that call in my cheek all day long and I played with it constantly just cuz I could make sounds on it. I wouldn't just make turkey sounds either. I'd play "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". I'd play INXS, "I Need You Tonight". That's actually a real fun one. Three cuts and a long purr that you change the pitch up and down on. When you start doing stupid stuff like that, you learn how to manipulate a call. I could get sounds out of it even if it was off-center in my mouth, or up against my front teeth. We can all give you instruction, but you just have to play with it until you find the magic.

It's kind of like learning to throw a curveball. My dad always threw a mean one. As a little kid throwing the baseball with him I was amazed at how he could make the ball take that turn in flight. I must have asked him to show me how he did it thousands of times. ......And he showed me his grip and how he rolled his wrist in his throwing motion thousands of times. Still, I just couldn't make it happen.....not even a little bit. Then one day it broke ever so slightly to the left for me. It wasn't a hard break, but it was definitely a break form it's original trajectory. .....And I had finally discovered the magic.

Didn't take long after that until I had mastered it. By the time I got to high school I had a legitimate curveball that would suddenly dart down and away from a right handed hitter. It's magic, I tell ya ! .....Not really. It's physics. And so is using that mouthcall. Just don't give up, you'll get it.

[ads1]

I never could get the hang of using a mouth call. The calls always seemed too big, so yesterday I got a Mini Mag. This is a mouth call with a smaller frame. On my trip from Chicago to Champaign I put that call in and was determined to get something out of it. After about 10 minutes I got some technique and sound out of the call. I couldn't put the call up and by the time I got to Champaign I was sounding like a turkey...maybe a sick turkey. I practiced all the way back to Chicago and couldn't quit. I stopped to get some gas and was still clucking. You should have seen the others gassing up! When I got back to my daughter's house I was still sounding off! It was a good day. I still have a long way to go but it felt good to finally get some turkey like sounds from my mouth call. Some of you may remember the first time you got your mouth call to work and how good it felt and how you didn't want to put it down. Don't think I had better practice in bed tonight unless I pull the covers over my head and just purr!!

[Steve_In]

Hey Steve, another thought. I break in the diaphragms before using them in the field. While trying one out I realized that when the call comes out of the box it is flat, stiff, and uncomfortable, but after being in my mouth it changes to concave to match the roof of my mouth. After a while I force to shape with my tongue and it feels natural. You can try soaking your call for 30 minutes or so to help it to be more pliable. I rinse and dry with tooth-pics between the reeds but I do not flatten them. Also watch that your reeds are not stuck together it will kill what the call should sound like.

[Uncle Nicky2]

If you're convinced that you just can't get the hang of it, you might want to try mounting a push-pin call to your gun barrel and tying a string to it, I have a Penns Woods call that sounds pretty good, I retired it when I finally got the hang of a diaphragm call (well, sorta, LOL). I've also had pretty good luck purring & clucking with my own voice once they are in close.