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Photo by John Trout, Jr.
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Strike one, two, three Most hunters carry several calls in their vest each time they head afield. The same should apply to strikers. I always carry three — a graphite and a wood striker, and an extra because I'm notorious for losing them. — J.T.
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Friction Talk
The author reveals why friction calls have a special place in his turkey vest.
by John Trout Jr.
Opening morning in Oklahoma started well as Michael Waddell and I set up in the twilight along a tree line near a few serenading gobblers. One hour later, we found ourselves leaving the area, wondering what went wrong. Although toms had answered calls, it seemed as though the wide-open country had swallowed them.
We covered ground in the hours that followed, but didn't hit the jackpot until we walked to the top of a hill and pulled out the trusty box call. With the call held high and pointed towards the blue sky, I cranked the lid harshly. As the yelps echoed through the valley, Michael heard the faint gobble of a distant bird.
The gobbler went down about 45 minutes after the box located it.
The box has not always been my favorite call. It's cumbersome to pack and never easy to lay aside at a moment's notice. But it produces volume when necessary, and often sounds good to a tom turkey.
No limits
Friction calls have no limits other than they tie up your hands. When it comes to hen talk, they are capable of producing both subtle and high-volume calls. They also can produce aggressive sounds, from rapid clucks and cutts to the sounds of fighting hens.
I won't say that any friction call can do it all. I've carried small box calls simply because they fit easier in my turkey vest, but found they cannot provide the volume that a bigger box is capable of producing. It's hard to beat an easy-to-use push-button box, which is great for beginners learning the ropes of calling.
I jumped on the aluminum call when it was introduced. It is capable of not only volume, but also the high-frequency sounds that gobblers can't resist at times. An aluminum call also is effective at close range; with a slight change in pressure, I can reduce volume and produce the most gentle clucks and purrs.
You can't beat the pot-type slate and glass call when it comes to raspy friction talk. What they lack in volume, they really come through when you bump heads with a gobbler, or need to mimic the sounds of a raspy boss hen.
Every call seems to have a specific purpose.
Different strokes for different folks
Every hunter has a favorite call — and so does each bird we hunt. What one bird likes, another may not. That's why when I head to the woods this spring, my vest will carry several friction calls, various strikers and a few diaphragms. I'm not sure which call will come out first, but I can tell you that each will enter the playing field sometime during the season. It's all part of the on-going conversation that keeps turkeys talking, hunters guessing — and both coming back for more.
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Photo by Matt Lindler
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Protect your calls in the field
Call care is little more than commonsense and a bit of extra effort.
It's about as depressing and disheartening a sound a turkey hunter can hear — second only the thunder of wing beats as a spooked gobbler suddenly recalls urgent business in another zip code. It's the crunch of splintering wood. What used to be your favorite turkey call is now only fit for kindling to start a fire.
In a hasty rush to avoid being seen by a turkey drumming just over a ridgeline, you dropped to the ground — right on top of your treasured call, which now has been relegated to the scrap heap of your personal turkey history in a moment of carelessness.
Let's take a deeper look at the important but often overlooked subject of caring for and protecting your calls in the field.
Box Calls and Boat Paddle Boxes
Box calls are perhaps the most likely type of call to suffer damage in the field thanks to their wood construction, size, difficulty of storage and vulnerability to inclement weather. A sturdy holster, preferably with reasonably stiff or rigid sides, can offer some protection and allows you tote the call outside your vest by wearing it on a belt. Include three or four heavy-duty Zip-loc bags in your vest on a rainy day. Not only do they protect calls from wet weather, you can even run a small box inside one.
If you prefer to carry your box call in your vest, never place it in the large rear pocket. It is for carrying a dead turkey, not crushing a call the first time you forget where you stuck it.
Most turkey vests aren't designed to hold boat paddle boxes in their front sections because of size limitations, but smaller boxes and scratch boxes fit in them quite nicely. For an extra element of protection from inclement weather and accidental smashing, place the call in a small plastic container found in the food storage section of a grocery store.
Slate and Other Friction Calls
Slate calls and their friction call brethren can have a number of potential problems in the field. Calls contained in a wooden pot face the same issues as box calls, and the necessary precautions to protect them are much the same.
If the call doesn't come with a protective covering, purchase a plastic container for carrying it in your vest.
Keep oil and water away from slate. The former can ruin a call while the latter will render it temporarily inoperative.
Also, take care of your strikers. They aren't particularly fragile, but have a way of falling out of a vest or getting left behind.
Suction Yelpers
Wingbone calls in particular, and suction yelpers in general, are easy to break or lose. Some suction yelpers fit nicely into homemade carriers made from a section of cane, although the curvature of three-piece wingbone yelpers poses a problem.
A lanyard is a must for those who don't want to be troubled with a carrier. It should be long enough to let the yelper nestle in a shirt pocket. Wingbones, Jordan yelpers or other types of suction calls should not be stored inside a vest. No matter, most wingbone yelpers are unaffected by rain (at least the ones not made of turned wood).
Diaphragms
Diaphragms are less expensive than other types of calls, and their life expectancy is much less. Still, they merit some care afield, such as proper storage in a pouch or other type of carrier, keeping the reeds on multi-reed calls separated, and keeping mouth yelpers away from exposure to direct sunlight (such as the dashboard of a truck), maintaining call latex moisture, and occasionally soaking them in mouthwash to keep germs at bay. — Jim Casada