Every year around springtime, some people buy a new turkey call for turkey hunting; they choose from either a diaphragm, slate, or a box call. People might have a hard time deciding which one to buy, and which one will work best. I’m going to tell you which one works best overall.
One benefit of a diaphragm turkey call is that you can buy a lot of them for cheap. They sound very realistic if you are using them right. They don’t take up a lot of space if you are carrying them in a bag. Some negatives would be that they are kind of hard to get used to using and you have to practice a lot with them. Also, they aren’t as loud as box calls or slate calls.
Benefits of using a slate call would be they are pretty loud, and they are really easy to use and you don’t really have to practice before using them in the field. Some negatives would be they are probably the highest priced call out of the three calls, and it doesn’t really matter the brand. Also they take up a lot of space in your bag because you need a striker for the call and the actual call.
Some benefits of using a box call are that they are very high pitched and you can use them if a turkey is far away. Another benefit would be they pack really easily because it is just one piece of wood and there aren't things that you need to use with it. Some negatives would be that you don’t want to use this call if it is raining because the chalk in the box gets wet, then it just doesn’t sound right. Another negative is they are one of the higher priced calls no matter what brand.
If I just started turkey hunting, I would probably go with a slate call. Even though they are expensive, they are very easy to use. But if I was someone who has been turkey hunting for a while and wanted a new challenge, I would try the diaphragm calls because they are very realistic if you are using them and they are pretty cheap.