By Lawrence Taylor
Many hunters can be divided into two categories. The first group sits silent, motionless and hidden until a game animal wanders or flies into view. This tried-and-true hunting method takes plenty of game, but some people prefer a more “active” approach.
This group of hunters also remains hidden, but they make plenty of noise. They are wildlife callers, and their success depends on producing a convincing enough reproduction of an animal’s calls to convince a game animal to come to them.

Why Call?
At the very heart of it, calling wildlife is just plain fun. Take waterfowling, for example. Hunkering in a blind of cattails and blowing the sound of a mallard hen is exciting, especially when a flock of ducks swirls into the decoys. Or, how about sitting against a big tree and calling a heavy tom turkey over a ridge right into your lap? Like a fly fisherman who catches a fish on a fly he tied, taking game you called into range is just more satisfying.

And, the fun doesn’t stop with waterfowl and turkeys. Indeed, nearly every game animal will respond to a call. From white-tailed deer to bears, petite greenwing teal to giant Canada geese, and from wily coyotes to furry little squirrels, game calls work on all of them.

But, you can’t simply buy a call, head to the woods and reap the rewards of game flooding to your calls. Just like any worthwhile activity, becoming a competent caller takes practice and education. No matter if your interest lies in calling turkeys, waterfowl, deer, elk or whatever, each call demands the appropriate calling technique, and the only way to become competent is to learn what the call should sound like, how much to call, where and when to call, and a long list of others. The following are some tips and suggestions on starting or improving your calling for a variety of species.

Turkey
Harold Knight is one-half of the pair who created Knight & Hale Game Calls, one of the most-successful game call companies ever, and he has more than 30 years of turkey calling experience. When Knight talks turkey, smart hunters perk up their ears.
“If you’re just getting into turkey hunting and calling, buy a call that is easy to use, such as a slate or box call. Even better might be a push-pull call. They’re easy to use and many produce a great sound,” Knight says.

Before a turkey hunter can use any of these calls, however, he or she must locate a turkey to call to. This is done with a “locator” call, such as a crow call, owl hooter or hawk screaming call. Making a loud crow, owl or hawk calling causes a reaction gobble in nearby turkeys, thus enabling you to get closer and set up to call to the birds.

“It depends on the time of day,” Knight said when asked about his favorite locator call. “Early in the morning I like an owl call, but I think my favorite is a crow call; I’ll use it all day long.”

Harold Knight’s top turkey tip: “Don’t call loudly to turkeys that are getting close. Remember, the closer they get, the quieter you should call. Sometimes I even try to throw the sound behind me by cupping my hand over my mouth and turning my head a little.”

Deer
Deer simply don’t vocalize like turkeys. In fact, many hunters have spent a lot of time in the woods and have never heard a deer make any type of noise. But they do vocalize, usually in the form of a grunt or a bleat. (They also “snort,” but this often is associated with an alarmed deer, and isn’t a sound commonly used by hunters.)
The grunting sound of a buck whitetail is perhaps the best-known call for luring deer. In fact, so many hunters use grunt calls that a fall walk through the woods can sound like the “bean scene” from Blazing Saddles!

Bucks are territorial during fall, and often come to a grunt call in an attempt to run off a buck that might compete for the affection of any does in the area. Fawn and doe bleats also bring bucks within range. In Calling Whitetail Deer, the book he penned with Harold Knight, David Hale says that a fawn bleat call is his favorite early season call. “When used sparingly, this call can produce some exciting results,” he said. “When I say sparingly, I mean producing only one or two ‘BLA-Aas’ and that’s it — no more!”

David Hale’s No. 1 deer calling tip: “No matter if you’re using a grunt call or a doe bleat, the more sound you produce with the call, the better the chances the deer will locate your exact position.”

Waterfowl
Calling waterfowl can be extremely rewarding, but resist the urge to spend a lot of money on your first call. Select one that is inexpensive and easy to blow. Many people suggest picking a single-reed duck call, but a double-reed call is just as easy to learn and sounds more realistic.
Novice duck callers should begin by making a single “quack.” Learn the single note, then practice until you can string together 7 to 10 of those quacks.
It’s imperative to sound as much like a duck as possible, so watch video tapes and listen to cassette tapes that feature professional duck callers and the sounds of real ducks.

Predators
Calling predators — coyotes, bobcats, foxes and the like — can be thrilling In predator calling, the caller mimics the sounds of a prey animal such as a rabbit or bird being attacked by a predator. Other predators come to get in on the action. Predators can be called with traditional mouth calls or new electronic callers (check your local regulations).
These calls are easy to use and produces irresistible to hungry predators. The key is to create the natural rhythm of distressed prey.
Call for about one minute, then allow two or three minutes of silence.

Elk
Practice is key to calling elk. Practice until you can make a wide variety of elk vocalizations long before you ever set foot on an elk hunt. There are plenty of places to get instruction, from short audio cds to full-length video DVDs.
When you head out to hunt, start the morning out with only a cow call. If you get a bull to answer your first cow call, why bugle?
Create an illusion of a small herd of elk of various ages is important to playing on a big bull’s herding instinct. Use different calls to sound like elk of various ages, and begin calling sequences at a new location with shorter calls to mimic an animal that is a little distressed or lost. As you continue that calling sequence, make your calls longer to imply that the elk are calming down.

Squirrel
Did you know that even squirrels can be called? By barking or chattering on the call, hunters can convince that squirrel to come out and take a look at what’s going on, and usually that’s all it takes to harvest him. The Knight & Hale Squirrel call works on both grey and fox squirrels, and comes with either an instructional cassette tape or informative VHS providing all of the information you need to become a successful squirrel caller.