“If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.” ~Napoleon
Pot calls are a category of turkey calls that consist of a pot with a calling surface integrated into it (or set over it) and a striker. Skilled turkey hunters can produce a variety of turkey vocalizations with pot calls, including yelps, cutts, and purrs, and the learning curve is fairly shallow. Moreover, pot calls can be used to produce very loud and fairly soft calls.
They’re not great in the rain and they require the use of two hands, which can give away your position in the woods, but you know what? It’s worth it for how easy they are to use, and how versatile they are.
They are commonly made from slate (genuine slate, commonly from Pennsylvania) or crystal or glass. Slate calls and many glass calls come pre-conditioned and ready to roll. All aspiring turkey hunters need is a striker, a basic understanding of turkey talk, and a willingness to learn. You can teach yourself the rest. I did.
But many crystal and glass calls do not come pre-conditioned, which means out of the packaging, even in the hands of a veteran turkey hunter armed with a purpleheart striker, they’ll be as silent as the grave.
I didn’t understand this when I first started using them but I know better now. Fortunately, I learned better and now I know how to condition them. Here’s what you need to know to get that slick glass call sounding like a raspy hen in no time. You just need to know how to prepare a glass turkey call.
The Problem
See that glass calling surface? It’s as slick as a seasoned 870 action. I could use it as a signaling mirror if I wanted.
Just look at the way light reflects off this thing!
Even with a perfectly roughed-up striker tip, the only sound I’d be able to conjure from this thing would be audible only to the most astute of ears – and those ears belong neither to turkey nor man.
Now, slate naturally has a bit of a tooth, unless it’s been intentionally polished. This is not so with crystal and glass.
That’s the problem with this call’s surface. So how do we fix it? Conditioning.
How to Get It Ready for Spring Turkey Season
Most glass turkey calls, if they are unprepared, will come with one if not two of three things. Either a conditioning stone, or a bit of sandpaper, along with a scrap of Scotch Brite (or a similar abrasive pad) that can be used to recondition the surface of the call from time to time to keep the tone and timbre intact.
I’ve had crystal calls in the past that came with conditioning stones. Maybe they work for some of you but for me they’re just not aggressive enough. I’ve no doubt the grit of the stone is perfect for creating the ideal pitch and tone, it’s just that, since the stone is rigid, I struggle to press it into the surface of the call since neither the stone nor the calling surface is perfectly flat.
With sandpaper, I can press it down into the calling surface to get the perfect grit started. As for what that is, I’ve found that 220 works pretty well, and it’s what I’ll be using here.
Fold up a bit of this sandpaper over itself a few times, then start scuffing a section of the call under reasonable pressure, back and forth.
Work only in one dimension, back and forth. You do not want to be criss-crossing the gouges you’re creating on the surface of the call; this also means you do not want to prepare the call using circular motions.
Back and forth does it, so the striations you cut into the glass are all moving along one line (or rather, along a series of parallel lines).
After several passes, your call surface will look like this, which means you’ll be getting there.
Keep going, until the surface of the call (or at least a portion of it) is nice and roughed up. Then step down a grit if necessary and keep going.
When your call is so roughed up that it looks like frosted glass and it no longer feels as smooth as ice, but has a bit of a tooth, you’re ready to break out the striker and try for a few yelps.
Since glass and crystal are extremely hard, they tend to be a little more high-pitched than slate calls. With that said, you can adjust the pitch ever so slightly by changing the grit of the surface of the call.
Play around with it until you get the pitch you’re looking for and remember, you can also change the sound of the call a bit by using different strikers, too.
How to Keep It in Calling Shape (Reconditioning)
Now that you have your glass turkey call’s surface prepared, you’re ready to talk turkey for the spring opener.
There’s just one thing. These calls will need proper care, handling, and conditioning.
First, remember to keep the call’s surface dry. A wet pot call is as useful during spring turkey season as a scattergun loaded with styrofoam pellets.
Second, avoid touching the call’s surface if you can, as the oils in your skin will slough off on the glass and can alter, even silence, the call.
Third, the call will need to be reconditioned from time to time. When you notice your yelps aren’t as loud or predictable as they were, it means you need to retouch the surface.
That’s where that little square of Scotch Brite comes in. For this reason, you should always carry it in your vest.
Take the square and use it to rough up the surface of the call. Originally I recommended avoiding circular motions, but when reconditioning (as opposed to preparing) it’s acceptable.
You’ll see the surface getting cloudier as you condition it. Give it a few rough passes with the abrasive, then try your striker on it.
You’ll know when you get the sound right because it’ll sound like a turkey again!
Now you’re ready for the spring woods.
Be safe.
~The Eclectic Outfitter