| Turkey calls:
You can just sit and hope a turkey walks by or you can call
one and tell him to come on over for dinner. The methods and
devices vary by hunters, some are homemade and other can be
purchased, but all require a lot of practice if you want to
sound authentic. Some calls imitate the hens in hope that a
bearded gobbler will come to check her out. Hens make a yelp a
cutt and a purr and are the most desirable to learn. Most of
these are reproduced by friction calls meaning you drag one
piece over another and the resulting vibration creates the
call.
Which ever way you choose you will have to good at it because
a turkeys hearing is very good and they can easily detect a
poorly issued call. Unlike some other birds like Grouse and fool
hens, turkey are very wary of anything that seems to be out of
place. They are curious just to a point. Once they have
determined something is not right they don't stick around. We
are not aware of any locations that permit you to use a recorded
call for anything other than practice back at home.
Some of the most popular calls are the Box
call, the Slate call,
the Scratch Box call, and the Diaphragm
call. Each one has it's distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Some talented hunters that have a perfect pitch ear have
been able to imitate the call of the turkey with nothing other
than their own mouth. However this and all calls have got to be
accurate or you will just drive the turkeys away; however you
might attract a coyote who thinks he is about to cash in on a
wounded bird.
Box call:
Very good for beginner and can make 3 of the primary calls. It
has an acoustic quality to it because of it's box shape that
imitates the turkey's own resonance. One drawback of the box
call is that it is not waterproof and the wood must be dry to
get the correct sound.
To create a yelp you swing the paddle off to on side, press
down and slide while lifting. For a cutt sound you clack your
paddle on the side of the box as you move across it. A purr is
similar to a cutt except there are more of them and closer
together. You have got to hear the differences to really
appreciate them.
You are probably best to buy your first one but you can make
your own if you are familiar with them. These are often made
from cedar like the type you use for lining closets. The natural
oils in cedar help to keep it from wearing too quickly. This
kind of box call seems to get better with use, that is until you
wear it out but by then you should taken many turkeys. You can also
use any of several fine grained woods such as maple, walnut,
cherry, mahogany, poplar, and basswood.
The call is used by sliding the paddle across the sides. To get
the correct sound you must slide it with the correct pressure
and correct speed and for the correct length of time. Practice practice
practice.
Slate call: this is usually
a round disk of slate that you drag the end of a stylus over.
Kind of the same effect as chalk on a blackboard except it
doesn't make your blood run cold. The stylus has funnel like
contraption on one end kind of like a megaphone to enhance the
quality of the sound. The styluses also come in a couple of
variations to help in creating differing sounds.|
Again the call depends upon pressure on the stylus, the speed
that you move it across the slate and the duration.
Scratch box : similar to Box
call but a bit more limited in its range of calls. not as
popular s as the others.
Diaphragm: This little device
fits in your mouth and once mastered will permit you to utter
call while your hands are free to draw a bead with your rifle.
This is a valuable technique to learn because once the bird is
in sight you will want to remain as motionless as possible.
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