How to Tune and Run a Turkey Box Call

Veteran hunters never hit the woods without a good box call. They’re indispensable tools for locating and even finishing spring gobblers. Photo by Bill Konway.

An old turkey hunter named Gibson from Arkansas patented the first box call in 1897. The big wooden trough with a hinged stroking lid has robbed many gobblers of their beards and hooks ever since. It’s not surprising, because to me, a box talks raspy hen better than other calls. Here’s how to make your box talk sweet turkey.

TUNE UP

You might not have thought about it, but most box calls can be fine-tuned. Famous Missouri turkey hunter Ray Eye figures he has hand-tuned thousands of calls for people during his seminars and in-store promotions across the country.

“With just a slight turn of a lid screw one way or the other, a quarter-inch or less, a call can go from sounding sketchy to sounding great,” he said.

Ray said try this: Find the center of your box call’s radius, or the gentle up-curve on the thin sounding lip that you stroke with the handle. Then set the middle of the call’s handle, which also has a radius on the underside of it, on the sounding lip.

“If the two radiuses sit squarely and evenly on each other, your call is good to go and should sound fine,” Ray said. “But if the lid sits a little cock-eyed on the bottom radius, adjust the screw slightly one way or the other to center and even both edges. I say slightly. Never turn the screw a bunch of times or you’ll throw the call out of tune.”

Ray noted that through time and heavy use, a lid screw can back out slightly and cause the call to lose a bit of its tone, so check those radiuses every once in a while.

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CLEAN UP

Through time and use, the calling edges of a box — the bottom of the handle and the sounding lip — can wear down just enough for a call to lose its rich tone. Rub the edges with a very fine steel wool or sandpaper — just enough to clean and smooth the wood but not rub any wood off. When you re-chalk and run the call, you’ll notice it sounds sweeter.

An experienced caller can make a box sing with realistic yelps, clucks, cutting, kee-kees and even purring. Photo by Bill Konway.

CHALK UP

Buy a hunk of wax-free chalk, which creates good friction, and won’t gum up the grain of a call’s wood. Chalk the underside of the handle and the sounding lip before you call. Every week or so during the season, lightly clean the lip and the handle with an abrasive pad to remove chalk build-up. The thinner and fresher the chalk on the two radiuses, the better the call sounds.

LIGHTEN UP

Your box is now tuned, clean, chalked and ready to fool gobblers. Finesse it for the best hen talk. Hold the bottom of the box lightly in your left palm, and work the lid gently with your right thumb and index finger (vice versa for southpaws). Keep your fingers off the sides of the box so you won’t muffle its hen sounds.

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MASTER THREE CALLS

Yelp: Move the lid an inch or less off to the side of the sounding lip and simply close the box fairly quickly to run two-note yelps together. Put light finger pressure on the lid for raspy yelps. Hold the handle a little tighter and exert a bit more force for higher-pitched notes. Vary hand pressure on the call for softer and louder yelps.

Cluck: Offset the lid a half-inch or so, and lightly pop the handle on the sounding lip with your fingers. Or, hold the call in your palm, press your left thumb on top of the lid, offset the lid lightly, and then tap it with your right index finger.

Cutting: A vertical hold works best. Lay the box in your palm, with the open end facing out and away from your body, and turn your hand perpendicular to the ground. Raise the handle an inch or less, but make sure it stays in light contact with the sounding lip at all times. Pop the lid quickly with your fingers for about five seconds to make a series of fast, sharp clucks, or cutting. This is an awesome call for striking gobbles out of tight-lipped birds late in the morning.