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Every experienced turkey hunter knows that there are many important parts to every successful spring turkey hunt. But the real essence of the activity, its mystique, comes when you try to call a wary gobbler to the gun or bow by mimicking natural hen turkey sounds. To lure toms regularly, you must understand turkey behavior during the spring breeding season, and you need to know which sounds to imitate, and when.

Knowledgeable turkey hunters know that the turkey vocabulary consists of about 30 different sounds or combinations of sounds, depending on circumstances. They also know that only a few basic hen calls are crucial in most actual spring hunting situations. They include, in order of importance, yelps, clucks, purrs, cuts and cackles. Of these, the most common hen sounds, and the only ones a lot of hunters bother to reproduce, are loud or soft yelps of long or short duration.

As for actually making the common sounds, a few hunters can get by using their own voice to fool a tom now and then, but most of us beyond puberty rely on any one of several turkey calling devices on the market today. And there's the rub. There are so many types of calls to pick from that trying to choose the best one for you can be downright confusing, especially if you're new to the sport.

Let's try to simplify things just a bit and classify turkey calls two ways, as friction or air operated. Friction calls include different types of box calls, push-button calls, slot calls, scratch box calls and pot-and-striker calls, which now employ several sound-producing surfaces including slate, glass, aluminum and even titanium. OK, all of these calls come in several configurations and they are all naturally touted as best of their class by whoever manufactures them. Regardless, all of them have at least one important thing in common. Under the right circumstances, and in the right hands, they all work.

Below are common sounds made by the wild turkey - Use them, and try to mimic them as closely as possible.  From there, combine the sound to create the affect you desire.  Most of all, when you are in the woods, listen to the birds, and how they use the calls.  For example - in the fall, when you "bust a flock", you might want to make the sound of a lost jake.  Or, early in the morning you may want to do a fly down cackle followed by some soft yelps, clucks or purrs.  Experiment.  

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