Best Locator Calls for Turkey Hunting: Find the Gobbler Before You Call Him

How we picked

A locator call doesn't sound like a turkey, so it gets its own rubric, separate from the hen calls on our turkey calls hub: volume and carry 30% (the maker's loudness or range claims), ease for a beginner 30%, build 20%, and carry in the vest 20%. Every score comes from the maker's product page, read on September 22, 2026, and the bands are on our methodology page. The picks are ordered by score.

We haven't blown any of these calls. What each one sounds like, and when it works, is always the maker's claim, and we say whose.

What a locator call does

WoodHaven Custom Calls puts it in one line: “Locator calls are used to trigger a shock gobble from a turkey so hunters can identify a gobbler's location without using hen sounds.” That last part is the point for a beginner. Hen talk invites a gobbler to come to you, which you don't want before you've picked a tree and sat down. A locator gets him to answer from where he is, so you can decide where to set up first.

Each maker pitches its sound a little differently. WoodHaven says of its owl that “An owl hoot is one of the most trusted ways to strike a gobble at first light.” Primos sells its crow call for the same job without tying it to a time of day: “A perfect way to entice a spring gobbler into giving away his location is to sound like a crow.” Phelps says the owl, hawk and woodpecker sounds on its three-in-one call “will make the most wary tight lipped gobbler sound off.” How locating fits into scouting, from the evening before to the morning of the hunt, is in how to find turkeys, and the case for hunting mornings versus evenings is in turkey hunting morning vs evening.

The picks, side by side

Every value links to the page it came from. A dash means the maker doesn't publish it. Not one of the five makers lists a lanyard with its call or publishes a weight.

Why the Quaker Boy Crankin' Crow wins

It's the only locator here whose maker claims both volume and ease. Quaker Boy calls it “an excellent turkey locator or crow hunting call,” says it “creates every crow sound easily and accurately,” and says “The new design is extra loud with unmatched realism.” It's compact, made in the USA, and one of only two calls here with a named hard material, an acrylic barrel with a Mylar reed.

What holds it back is the same thing that holds back every call on this page: no lanyard, no published weight, and in Quaker Boy's case no published warranty and no instructions listed with the call. None of that stops it working. It does mean you should plan where it rides in your vest.

Owl or crow: which one first?

If you'll only buy one locator, buy a crow: the Crankin' Crow is the top score here, and neither crow maker ties its call to first light the way WoodHaven does its owl. Primos goes further about its own Power Crow: “If you have room for only one locator call, this should be it.” That's Primos talking about its own call, so weigh it accordingly.

If you'll buy two, add an owl for first light, because that's the job its makers build it for. The two owls here are 0.1 apart, so choose by the ground you hunt:

• The WoodHaven Ninja Owl (6.6) is a barred-owl hooter designed by champion owl hooter Scott Ellis. WoodHaven calls it “easy-to-run,” says its rubber body gives “a slightly muted, natural tone” for “close-to-mid-range locating at fly-down or in tight terrain,” and rates the body “built for all-weather hunts.” WoodHaven publishes no warranty and doesn't accept returns.
• The Quaker Boy Owl Hooter (6.5) is what Quaker Boy calls “the classic, easy to use, can owl call,” with “a two-tone pitch for greater response,” and it's “lightweight and pocket-sized.” Quaker Boy calls the body “Molded” but doesn't name the material, which costs it build points.

Choose the Ninja Owl for tight woods and birds that are probably close. Choose the Owl Hooter if you want a simple call with a pitch change built in, and no worries about a no-returns policy.

Three sounds in one, and the loud crow

The Phelps Triple Locator Composite Call (6.8) puts three locator sounds in one acrylic body, one per groove, and Phelps prints how to blow each one: the owl scream from the middle groove (“Begin blowing with light air pressure slowly building the air pressure, then keep a steady airflow”), the pileated woodpecker from the groove farthest from the tip (“Blow 10-12 short fast bursts of air into the call while saying the word ‘TICK’”), and the hawk scream from the groove closest to the tip (“Blow 1 fast quick burst of air”). Phelps calls the design “user friendly.” Two things to know: its owl sound is a scream, not the classic hoot, and Phelps makes no volume claim, describing the sounds as “high frequency.” The version scored here is the Composite; Phelps's matte-black acrylic version was sold out on its site when we checked.

The Primos Power Crow (6.4) makes the strongest volume claim on the page: “The LOUDEST crow call available.” Primos calls it its “#1 turkey locator” and explains the technique: “You control how loud you want to call by the amount of air you blow into the call. Pitch is determined by how hard you pinch the end of the call with your teeth.” That's a skill to practice, not a feature, so it scores lower for ease than the Quaker Boy crow. Primos publishes no material or weight, and its product page and warranty page state different coverage. Buy it if loud is the one thing you want.

What we left off, and why

WoodHaven's Ninja Hawk (6.6), a hawk-scream locator that WoodHaven says can also “speak Pileated Woodpecker and Peacock,” is in our registry but not on this list, because the Phelps Triple Locator covers the hawk and the woodpecker at a higher score. We also left off gobble calls. A gobble imitates a tom, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission's warning applies with extra force to a call that sounds like the bird other hunters are after: “Movement or sounds you think are a turkey may be another hunter.” Electronic locators aren't in our registry either; see the state-rules note below.

Buyer's guide: your first locator call

Match the call to when you'll use it

The simplest guide is the makers' own framing: WoodHaven builds its owl around first light, and Primos and Quaker Boy sell their crows as turkey locators on volume and realism. That's the argument for carrying one of each. How often to blow a locator, and when to put it away and pick up a hen call, is in how often to call turkeys.

Decide between reach and control

The locators split into two camps. The crows are sold on volume (“extra loud,” “The LOUDEST crow call available”). WoodHaven pitches its rubber-bodied owl the other way, as “slightly muted” and “close-to-mid-range.” Big, open country favors reach. Tight woods and birds you think are close favor control.

Check how much technique the call asks for

All five are blow calls. Quaker Boy and WoodHaven say theirs are easy; Phelps prints the technique for each sound; Primos says volume and pitch come from your air and your bite on the tip. If you want the least practice, note that every call here except the Power Crow scores 8 of 10 for ease.

Plan the carry

None of these calls lists a lanyard. A locator you can't reach without digging is one you won't use at the right moment, so give it a dedicated pocket or add your own lanyard. Vests with call pockets are ranked in our best turkey vests.

Locate, then set up. Don't chase

A shock gobble tells you where a bird is. It's not an invitation to sneak in on him. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is blunt: “Never stalk a turkey! Movement or sounds you think are a turkey may be another hunter.” Once you've located him, pick a tree, sit down and switch to hen calls. If you haven't chosen that hen call yet, the best turkey calls for beginners ranks every type.