[Born2Hunt]

I have been calling turkeys for decades with mouth and box calls. However, I know very little about friction calls. I have one each glass, slate and a aluminum calls and started carrying them a few years back when I got a new turkey vest making toting them convenient.

For several years I have taken them out of storage and scratch on them a few times and sometimes when I am hearing nothing I would get them out and make a few calls. I am sure they are some of more economical calls available.....

I have read that the prep and strikers are very important for the realism of the sounds that one can product. I can easily handle the prep, but would appreciate some wit on what type of striker I might add to my collection to improve the quality of my current friction calls.

Is there one that will work for all three type calls or do I need a different one for each call? Also which call from the glass, slate or aluminum is the easiest to master? Which should product the best results.? Pro/cons?

 

[Moss]

Personally I love a good slate call, I learned to call on one. I can do clucks, purrs, yelps and cackles. What more do you need? Someone said you can’t do kee kees on a slate but I very seldom use kee kees in the spring. I’d sooner use a mouth call for kee kees.

 

[rugered]

I like a two sided slate over slate. Sometimes glass calls are nice on windy days but you can probably cover the same distance with a box call. You can use the same strikers on various calls but you may need to prep them a bit.

 

[fall gobbler]

I have been calling turkeys for decades with mouth and box calls. However, I know very little about friction calls. I have one each glass, slate and a aluminum calls and started carrying them a few years back when I got a new turkey vest making toting them convenient.

For several years I have taken them out of storage and scratch on them a few times and sometimes when I am hearing nothing I would get them out and make a few calls. I am sure they are some of more economical calls available.....

I have read that the prep and strikers are very important for the realism of the sounds that one can product. I can easily handle the prep, but would appreciate some wit on what type of striker I might add to my collection to improve the quality of my current friction calls.

Is there one that will work for all three type calls or do I need a different one for each call? Also which call from the glass, slate or aluminum is the easiest to master? Which should product the best results.? Pro/cons?

BTH, pot calls in general are real turkey killers. My suggestion, first and foremost, it to get very comfortable running them. Once you got that (it's all in the angle of the striker to the calling surface) it's a VERY easy call to master.

I've got many pot calls from the best in the country as well as many, many strikers of all kinds (and woods) from all makers. When it comes down to it, there is not ONE striker that calls on just about ever surface as a diamond wood striker.

When it comes to strikers I only use diamond wood, heavy hickory (Cody) and a newer one called Frog wood.

Very little prep with pot calls. Keep fingers (oil) off of calling surface. Condition slate and alum. with scotch-brite and glass with fairly heavy (60-80) grit sandpaper.
The striker requires very little prep. Just a little sandpaper work on the tip to remove slate/glass particles that load up in the tip. If you do this before the season, you would have to do a lot of calling to have to recondition your strikers at all during the season.

 

[LMBHNGR]

DITTO to what "fall gobbler" said. He's spot on

 

[Fullfan]

Diamond wood and snake wood. Both are somewhat expensive. But both have earned their spots w me. Actually had 3 guys looking for my snakewood striker last spring after I dropped in in the Missouri ozarks. Sure was glad to find it.

 

[6-DASHER]

...just keep finger oil off the surface and also the tip of every type of striker, especially the striker, to many people touch it and let the skin oils soak in...

 

[Bowguy67]

I agree w the dymondwood but realize not every single striker even among the same exact call give the best results. That’s part of getting a call from a good custom call maker. At times I go to a maker, he runs calls I listen. I run calls he listens. Typically we prefer the same few combos but some aren’t even in contention even with same strikers and calls. Big reason production calls can’t produce the same consistent results

 

[Fairchild #17]

I have a whole drawer full of different material strikers. I hunt with diamondwood and frogwood.

 

[Born2Hunt]

Some questions: Is there any advantage to the bell shape striker? Just diamond, snakewood or frog wood any particular manufacture?

 

[fall gobbler]

Some questions: Is there any advantage to the bell shape striker? Just diamond, snakewood or frog wood any particular manufacture?

Opinions vary, but I'm not a big fan of the flared end strikers. I think they were designed to give beginning callers a bigger "sweet spot", but once you get that angle down, I like the straight pegs. I believe you get a much better and sharper sound.

Most custom guys supply a run of the mill, two-piece diamond wood striker with their calls. There's a reason for that.

You may want to give Jeff Harrison a call. He makes some of the best one-piece strikers available.

JLH Strikers

JLH Strikers၊ Frederick, Maryland .နှစ်သက်သူ ၂,၃၆၀ ဦး · ၄၀၀ ဦး ဒီအကြေင်းပြေနေသည် . Hand turned custom turkey strikers.

www.facebook.com

 

[Acorn20]

The makers of my pot calls have always provided a striker that they've paired to the call. That's not to say that it's the only striker that will work that call. I'll try different strikers myself and sometimes, just slightly charring the end of a striker will provide the desired sound consistently.

 

[bradford13]

Over the past 10 years all I’ve used is slate calls with good success. Last year I ordered a glass from a gentleman in Bradford county and it is awesome. Called 3 gobblers in at first light, and got one. It could’ve been sheer luck but I’m sold.

 

[Bowguy67]

I also prefer straight pegs and I’d recommend them. I don’t even like rounded tip pegs never mind flared.

 

[Moss]

On another note if I’m calling with my slate call and acrylic striker and I feel some grit on the end of my striker I’ll use the scotch brite to sand the tip of it.

 

[RatherBeHunting]

Lots of good info above! I am what I would call a "casual" turkey hunter/call maker. I got into turning pot calls/strikers a long time ago and enjoyed trying different woods. It's quite a learning experience learning what works consistently and sounds like a turkey. Size and thickness of the calling surface along with striker design, length of striker, different woods, etc. My go to call is a slate/glass with a bloodwood striker/flared tip. I carry a few different pots and 4-5 different strikers, box call, wingbone, and just added a EZ cane yelper that going along this spring. Fun part for me is experimenting with different calls and combo's. I haven't turned many pots/strikers for a number of years (gone a different direction) since retiring from the machining trade. Here's pics of few I did. Pots are slate/glass made from spalted birch from Alaska.

Strikers are purpleheart, bloodwood, and walnut (I think)

 

[SnoodStretcher]

Two of my favorite strikers are a larger acrylic and a snow goose bone.

I actually do very little maintenance to my striker tips except for on strikers that I use on aluminum.

 

[Fullfan]

My strikers are from JLH, at one time I hauled 12-15 strikers with me. Now just two get the pleasure of hunting w me.

 

[Bowsnbucks38]

I made a striker out of a straight piece of mountain laurel a little thicker than a pencil - and a dried corn cob. I let the laurel stick DRY for a year, then glued it into the corn cob section. I've used it on my slate call (a D.D. Adams original design, sold by Dick Kirby) - and have called in a number of turkeys with it. I just sand the rounded end a bit, and burn it lightly to "refresh" the laurel piece. Cost = $0.

 

[fall gobbler]

Michael is running a standard two-piece diamond wood striker.