Turkey Calls Cont'd

          The third major type of turkey call is a slate call. It is probably the simplest turkey call out there in terms of parts and pieces, however in my opinion it is the hardest to use or at least the hardest to use well enough to trick a turkey. The call is comprised of a generally circular piece of slate or glass and a wooden, though I have seen glass and fiberglass, rod. The idea is to use the rod and “scratch” it on top of the slate to produce the different sounds of a female turkey. It works the same way as “nails on a chalk board”; the advantage of using this call is that it doesn’t require too much movement to operate though I still wouldn’t use it if the bird was in eye sight. This is because I have been busted way to many times in the past for as slight of a movement as reaching under the gun with my middle finger to remove the safety. If the glass or fiberglass rods are used the call is water becomes water proof (sometimes that can become the difference between a successful and unsuccessful hunt. The cons of this call are few but can make all the difference, I myself find it extremely difficult to use and even more difficult to master. I find that sometimes it may take up to five minutes to find that “sweet spot” and by then it may be too late. A picture of the slate call is posted below.