9 Best Pot Friction Calls for Turkey Hunters

Best Overall Slate Call

Woodhaven Calls Next Level Ninja Slate Turkey Pot Call is our #1 Best Overall Slate Call choice for both avid experienced and beginner turkey hunters looking for a quality call for years of hunting enjoyment. The quality of this new and improved with a popular profile design change. 

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Call Features:

• "Next Level" - new popular profile pot design
• Walnut Profile Pot
• Comes with a Hickory and Purple Heart Striker
• Produces Crisp Cutts, Cackles, and Raspy Yelp
• Produces Soft Clucks and Purrs

Woodhaven is an American homegrown company started in the 1980's by Mike Pentecost the Founder and Owner. Each call is Made in the USA and they are located in St. Heflin, Alabama. Not only does Woodhaven produce friction calls, but they also have mouth calls and locator calls for your turkey-hunting needs. 

Best Overall Glass Call

Bone Collector's Sweet April Mahogany / Glass over Glass Pot Call is our #1 Best Glass Call for turkey hunters. This quality call is used primarily when conditions are dry, but also the glass allows for use when you are hunting in wet weather conditions. "This 'go anywhere' call will consistently perform in the worst conditions". Overall glass choice for different weather conditions. 

Call Features:

• Excellent Choice for Wet Calling Conditions
• Glass Call - has raspy sounds with a higher pitch
• Turned mahogany pot
• Realistic Cutts, Clucks, Purrs, and Yelps
• Custom Striker Included

Bone Collector series of calls are designed and crafted in the USA. Located in Hamilton, GA Michael Waddell, a significant name in the hunting and outdoor community, started Bone Collector in 2008. A popular hunting show on TV the Bone Collector series of products can withstand the harshest of environments. Not only does Bone Collector produce friction calls, but they also have a line of mouth calls, box calls,  and locator calls for your turkey-hunting needs. 

Best Overall Crystal Call

Phelps Game Calls - MeatEater X Phelps Crystal Over Slate Turkey Pot Call is our #1 Best Crystal Call for turkey hunters. This quality call is used primarily when conditions are dry, but also the crystal allows for use when you are hunting in wet weather conditions. Starting in 2009, Phelps Calls has been producing above-industry-standard calls for all types of hunters. Overall crystal call choice for its versatile use in both dry and wet conditions. 

Call Features:

• Excellent Choice for Wet Calling Conditions
• Crystal Call - has raspy sounds with a higher pitch
• Walnut wood pot
• Realistic Cutts, Clucks, Purrs, and Two-Tone Yelps
• Crystal over Slate Soundboard
• Hickory-tipped Striker Included

Phelps Game Calls was originally started by Jason Phelps in 2009 in the mountains of PeEll, Washington. As an avid hunter, Jason started his line of calls to get the game to come to him. With a civil engineering degree, his calls have been produced with high-quality materials and design. In 2021, Phelps Game Calls and Steve Rinella's MeatEater Brand joined forces to increase visibility and sales for Phelps. Under ownership by the MeatEater brand, the company will continue operations in PeEll, WA, while expanding its line of calls by partnering with some of the best custom call manufacturers in the US. Jason Phelps will continue to head business operations and not only does Phelps Game Calls produce friction turkey calls, but they also have a line of mouth calls, box calls,  and locator calls for your turkey-hunting needs. 

Best Overall Ceramic Call

Hank's Game Calls Padauk Ceramic Turkey Pot Call is our #1 Best Ceramic Call for turkey hunters. This quality constructed and engineered call can be used in a variety of hunting conditions. The ceramic material aallowshunters to continue calling when the weather starts to turn to rain.  How good is the Hank's Game Call Series for Turkey? Look at all these awards

• 3 X D.D. Adams Award Winner
• 2020 Grand Nationals - 1st Place Aluminum / 2nd Place Owl Hooter
• Virginia Call Maker of the Year
• 2019 Grand Nationals - 1st Place Owl Hooter
• Midwest Call Maker of the Year - 1st place in Slate, Glass, & Aluminum

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Call Features:

• 1st Place, Best of Class and Virginia Callmaker of the Year Award Winner
• Ceramic Over Glass surface
• Padauk wood pot
• Realistic Cutts, Clucks, Purrs, and Two-Tone Yelps
• 2 Piece Striker Included

Hank's Game Calls is located in Reidsville, NC and you can purchase your calls through their website or at Sportsman's Warehouse. The calls are not available on Amazon. The company has a history of producing quality calls that compete and win at many regional turkey calling competitions. The hand made in the USA calls are very popular among turkey hunters in the Carolinas. Believing in making the best calls, Hank's Game Calls produce a variety of friction turkey calls, but they also have a line of mouth calls, box calls,  and locator calls for your turkey-hunting needs. 

Best Pot Call for Beginners

Hunter Specialties H.S. Strut Cookie Cutt'R Tracer Friction Lid Pot Call is our #1 Best Beginner Pot Call for turkey hunters. This call is not of the highest material quality and is one of the few calls with a lid on the market. The lid for this call is designed for first-time friction slate users. The lid has three tracer slots to mimic the Yelp, Purr, and Cluck of a hen. If you follow the guide on the lid you will make the basic calls using The Cookie Cutt'R. The lid can be removed to utilize more of the surface for calling once you become for efficient and to resurface or condition the slate stone.  How good is the HS Strut Cookie Cutt'R? Look at all these reviews:

• "This product is great. Bought this product for my kid to learn. He loves and I find myself using it more than my other calls..."
• "I had no problem with getting Tom's to come to the turkey call plus I needed something fast to get out in the woods" 
• "Good place to start for calling turkeys"

Call Features:

• Tracer Lid - allows beginning hunter a guide for making calls 
• Injection molded pot coupled with a slate striking surface 
• Quick reference cap is removable 
• Realistic Clucks, Purrs, and Yelps
• Striker Included

Hunter Specialties makes a vast line of turkey calls for beginner to advanced hunters. H.S. Strut Game Calls is located in Irving, TX and you can purchase through their website or on Amazon. Other brick-and-mortar big box retailers like Sportsman's Warehouse have a variety of Hunter Specialties calls. Based out of Irving, TX Hunter Specialties produce a variety of turkey calls and other species calls under the Hunter Specialties, Johnny Stewart, and Wayne Carton's series. Pick up this turkey call if you are in a hurry or need some practice. 

Best 2-for-1 Slate & Glass Pot Call Combination

ESH Custom Calls - Wooden Pan Friction Call with Realistic Turkey Sounds  Combo is our #1 Best 2-for-1 Slate and Glass Pot Style Call for turkey hunters. This double-sided call has slate on one side and glass on the other. Having multiple surfaces gives the hunter the advantage of mixing up their calls to mimic more birds or even a flock of hens. How good are the ESH Turkey Calls? They are designed and have been fine-tuned by 14 Time Major Call and Call Building Champion Pat Strawser and Rodney Eckstine has won the 2022 and 2023 National Wildlife Turkey Federations Friction Division. 

• All Calls are Hand Made in the U.S.A. 
• ESH Offers Premier Customer Support 
• 100% Money Back Guarantee 

Call Features:

• Flip Over Pot Call - two-sided with glass and slate 
• Includes conditioner and sandpaper 
• Cherry and Walnut Wood
• Top Coated for Protection 
• Comes with Purple Heat 2 Piece Striker
• Lifetime Warranty
• 100% Satisfaction Money Back Guarantee

ESH is so good they put a warning on their packages that reads "ESH Custom Calls may attract other hunters. You, the hunter, assume all risk of injury with the use of this product". You know you have the right call when they know you will sound as good or better than a live turkey. Glass surface is a higher pitch sound while the slate side gives you an opportunity to be softer with your purrs.

Based out of Millersburg, PA ESH Custom Calls produce a variety of turkey calls including mouth calls and friction calls. 

Best Overall Pot Turkey Call for the Price - Less than $50

Strut Commander - Ole Scratch Slate Turkey Pot Call is our #1 Best Turkey Call for Less than $50 for all turkey hunters. This slate stone is housed in a walnut wood pot and comes with a two piece purple heart wood striker. An inexpensive call option, should not be taken lightly. This call has the ability to sound and mimic turkeys in the wild. With a little practice you can be pulling in those bearded gobblers in no time. 

• All Calls are Hand Made in the U.S.A. 
• 40+ years of combined Turkey Calling and Guiding Experience Goes into Each Call 
• Built by Turkey Hunters  

Call Features:

• Carries warm slate tones 
• Smaller Hand Turned Walnut Wood Pot 
• Walnut Wood
• Great for Tree Yelps 
• Comes with 1-Striker

Strut Commander if it sounds familiar is a sister company to Buck Commander and is manufactured under the Duck Commander name. The television show and hunting experiences have transformed into a turkey-calling company under Strut Commander's name. The calls are relatively inexpensive and able to be used by everyone from a novice to an advanced hunter. Mike Miller, world champion caller, and Jordan Summitt are leading the way for design and implementation at Strut Commander. 

Best Combo Kit of Turkey Calls for Beginners

Hunter Specialties Super Strut Combo Kit is our #1 Best Beginner Combo Kit for turkey hunters. You can purchase a slate Cookie Cutt'R alone, but his package of calls gives you one mouth call, the Cookie Cutt'R, and a Crow locator calls. If you have no calls in your turkey vest, this package is a great place to start.  How good is the HS Super Strut Combo Overall? Look at all these reviews:

• "Bought this as a back up in case I lost any of my primary equipment. It's not too of the line stuff but for the price it's pretty good! Would highly recommend as a beginners set or a back up set"
• "Editing my post, owl call is perfect, crow call is perfect, compared to an expereanced hunter the sound quality is as expected. The pot call acually earned me a complament on the sound. The diaprhame call however i gave to my daughter to practice. Feels to stiff in comparison. Though the diaprme i owe was much more exapensive then this set so for a starter kit this will give you more then enough calls to start working witg again i replace led only the diaprhame call. And intend on add a wet dry friction call and gobbler call. Would definitly recomend this set" 
• "i have had this set for about 2 weeks and I love it I have been hunting with it and it is GREAT! I have had success with everything the mouth call works great the owl call works great and the slate call is great the only thing I don't like is the crow call the Turkeys on my property did not respond to it but everything else is fine good qaulity and great price!"

Combo Package Calls and Features:

• Double D Diaphragm Call
• Hammerin' Crow Call
• The Hooter Locator Call
• Li'L Deuce Pan Call & Carbon Striker
• Realistic Clucks, Purrs, and Yelps
• Striker Included

Hunter Specialties makes a vast line of turkey calls for beginner to advanced hunters. H.S. Strut Game Calls is located in Irving, TX and you can purchase through their website or on Amazon. Other brick-and-mortar big box retailers like Sportsman's Warehouse have a variety of Hunter Specialties calls. Based out of Irving, TX Hunter Specialties produce a variety of turkey calls and other species calls under the Hunter Specialties, Johnny Stewart, and Wayne Carton's name series. Pick up this turkey call combo pack if you are a beginner wanting to try multiple calls on your next hunt or you are looking for an inexpensive backup when things go wrong. We like this call combo as it has the crow call included. One call every turkey hunter needs is a locator call and this crow call does the job.