How to Use a Glass Turkey Call Effectively for Beginners

Pot calls, often called slate calls, are friction-style calls that are easy to use and produce a range of turkey sounds.

A glass turkey call is an essential tool for any turkey hunter. Mastering the art of using a glass call takes practice but allows you to mimic hen and gobbler sounds to lure in that wary tom. This guide will provide beginners with the key tips and techniques for effectively using a glass turkey call.

Selecting the Right Glass Turkey Call

Glass turkey calls come in various sizes and styles. When selecting your first glass call opt for one with the following features

Double glass design – Two glass surfaces produce more realistic turkey sounds,
Clear glass – Allows you to see the chalk as you scrape
Comfortable grip – Choose a call that feels good in your hand. The grip should not cause hand fatigue.
Enclosed end – Prevents fingers from sliding off the end.

Popular beginner glass call options include the Primos HookHunter Call, Flextone Glass Turkey Call, and Woodhaven Custom Calls Clear Cut Crystal.

Proper Hold and Hand Position

Holding the glass turkey call properly is critical for good technique. Follow these steps:

Grip the call vertically between thumb and index/middle fingers.
Allow your thumb to extend just slightly past the top edge.
Keep other fingers curled underneath.
Avoid covering the sound holes on the side.
Maintain a loose, relaxed grip. Do not squeeze tightly.
Brace the bottom end against the pad of your hand below the pinky.
Angle the call about 45 degrees from your body.

Proper hand positioning will let you smoothly oscillate your wrist to produce sounds.

Applying the Right Amount of Chalk

Chalk creates the friction needed to emit turkey sounds from the glass. Follow these tips when chalking your call:

Use quality turkey box call chalk designed for glass surfaces.
Apply a thin, even layer of chalk to the call.
Powder the chalk on by rubbing it between your fingers.
Avoid using large chalk chunks which will clog the call’s soundboard.
Reapply chalk after every few calls to maintain grip.
Keep a shammy cloth handy for removing excess buildup.

Getting the right chalk consistency takes experimentation. Start with light applications until you achieve the vibrant tone you want.

Mastering Basic Yelps and Clucks

With your call prepped, it’s time to start practicing basic turkey sounds.

Plain Hen Yelp

The plain yelp is the bread and butter call of any turkey hunter.

Hold the call at a 45-degree angle, thumb extended over the top edge.
Keeping your wrist stiff, draw your thumb downward 1-3 inches producing a downward scrape.
Return your thumb quickly to the top creating a distinct yelp sound.
Perform multiple yelps in succession, allowing the call to briefly touch your palm between each.

Excited Yelp

Ramp up the frequency of your plain yelps to mimic an excited hen.

Perform yelps in rapid succession while limiting the downward scrape distance to 1 inch or less.
Allow the call to continuously glide along your palm without lifting between yelps.
Speed up the sequence to heighten the frenzied effect.

Clucks and Purrs

Add clucks and purrs to vary your cadence.

Create sharper, louder clucks by gripping tighter and holding the call horizontal.
Make softer purrs by barely allowing the call to graze your palm.
Insert clucks/purrs between some yelps for added realism.

Cackles

Cackles signal contentment and are great for fly down from the roost.

Perform a few loud clucks.
Follow with a series of staccato short yelps.
Insert pauses between yelp sequences.

Mimicking Gobbler Sounds

Calling in lovesick toms requires imitating both hen and gobbler vocalizations. Here are tips for realistic gobbles:

Gobbles

Hold the call vertically and use your whole arm to draw your thumb downward in one long 4+ inch scrape.
Apply heavier pressure with your thumb to create a deep rumbling sound.
Follow with a few excited yelps.

Clucks and Purrs

Use the gobbler grip – hold the call horizontal and tightly in your fist.
Perform short 1 inch scrapes using your wrist.
Vary between loud clicks and softer purrs.

Drumming

Lightly rake your thumb downward along the surface simulating the patter of drumming wings.
Increase speed to heighten intensity.

Advanced Sound Combinations

Once you master basic calls, try combining them together for ultra-realistic sequences.

Follow excited yelps with a gobble then clucks/purrs.
Answer a distant real gobble with hen yelps.
Do a fly down cackle then feed call with clucks and purrs.

Pay close attention to how real turkeys interact. Mimic their vocal patterns during different situations.

Create the Right Sounds for the Season

Turkey calling changes with the season as bird behavior evolves. Follow these tips:

Early Season

Use lots of excited yelps and clucks to locate roosted toms.
Avoid over-calling and sounding desperate.

Pre-Breeding

Focus on hen yelps, clucks and plain gobbler talk.
Use occasional excited yelps when birds are responding.

Breeding

Stick to soft, realistic hen yelps and purrs.
Limit calling to avoid spooking dominant toms.

Post-Breeding

Aggressively use loud gobbles and clucks to provoke jealous toms.
Yelp and cluck excitedly when a gobbler approaches.

Start Calling with Realistic Expectations

Successfully calling wild turkeys is challenging and requires patience. Follow this advice to avoid common beginner mistakes:

Start calling softly and increase volume as you gauge responses.
Call less than you think. Overcalling often backfires.
Expect to work a bird for 30+ minutes. Do not give up too quickly.
If a turkey hangs up, try changing positions before breaking off the call.
Remember wind direction impacts your effectiveness.

With quality calls, proper technique, and realistic expectations, you will be convincing turkeys to come running in no time. Stay persistent and keep practicing. Your hard work will pay off this spring.

how to use a glass turkey call

Conditioning your pot call

Before you use a pot call for the first time, you’ll need to condition the calling surface. Conditioning is roughing up the surface with sand paper or other abrasive. This creates groves on the calling surface that the striker skips across to make a noise.

WARNING: When conditioning a calling surface, brush the sand paper across the slate in one direction only. That way when you run the striker across the surface, you’re going across the grain, creating realistic calls. Do not use a circular motion. Your call might skip or miss those times the striker runs with the grain.

Real slate is relatively soft, and can be conditioned with 200 grit sand paper or a Scotch Brite pad. For those harder surfaces like metal and glass, you’ll need to be a bit more aggressive and use something like 80 to 40 grit material.

You also can use 220 grit sandpaper to sand the tips of your strikers. The tip of the striker can get clogged with sediments from the slate’s surface, resulting on a poor sounding call. To clean the striker, drag the tip across the sandpaper in a single direction.

Now that your pot is conditioned and the striker clean, it’s time to make sounds.

Hold the striker about one-inch up from the bottom, like you would a pencil. Tip the top of the striker away from you, so it’s at a 45º angle when contacting the pot’s surface. This angle should remain constant throughout the calling process, no matter which sounds you’re making.

Also, you’ll want to find the sweet spot on each pot. Most pots sound best when the strikers are “scratched” across the surface about one-third of the way in from the outer edge of the pot. Some have sweet spots a little closer to center.

To make a cluck

Grab the striker about a half-inch from the bottom and press down firmly while you pull in toward you. The peg should make a quick, sharp jump that creates a one-note sound. To get the cluck tone you want, move the striker around on the slate’s surface to find the sweet-spot.

How to Use a Glass or Slate Turkey Call | Beginner Friction Calls

What is a power crystal turkey call?

The Power Crystal Turkey Call is a slate style call with a glass surface. The combination of the glass surface and the internal sound board, allows the Power Crystal to produce loud, sharp, crisp turkey sounds. This is great for locating, but also for sounding like the lead hen of a flock. Frictionite surfaces have been around for a long time.

How do you make a turkey call?

The mouth call goes in tape end first and reed facing outward. Rest the call on your tongue and press it to the roof of your mouth to create a seal with your palate. Pushing air through the call causes the reeds to vibrate and produce those turkey sounds. Changing the pressure with your tongue and airflow changes the tone of the call.

What are the different types of turkey calls?

In this video series, Seth (Bully) McCullough – owner of Bully’s Game Calls – shows you how to use the three main types of turkey calls. Mouth calls, box calls and glass calls. Bully also showcases his own In this video series, Seth (Bully) McCullough – owner of Bully’s Game Calls – shows you how to use the three main types of turkey calls.

What surface should a turkey hunter use?

1. SLATE A slate surface is often the bread and butter of a turkey hunter’s pot call selection. It creates very realistic tones, and is easy for a beginner to use. Using a scotch brite pad, you can get the surface rough, allowing you to cluck and purr with ease!