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March 2006 NewsletterJim Casada
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www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com The Virtues of Versatile Turkey Calling That annual time of magic, the greening-up days of spring, lies close at hand. Already here in the Southland redbuds are showing color and the first violets sport blooms. Just this morning, while running some errands, I passed half a dozen hens with two gobblers in tow. The dominant longbeard gobbled several times while I watched from my truck, and that sight excited me as few things in the outdoors can. In a couple of weeks I’ll be down in Florida, hoping against hope I can get within shooting range of an Osceola. One thing I know for sure, I’ll take a batch of different calls with me on the trip. Why? For the simple reason that lots of years in the uneven quest for His Majesty, the wild gobbler, have convinced me of the virtues of versatile calling. Let’s take a closer look at the types of calls and what they can mean to successful turkey hunting, beginning with a hunt a couple of decades ago. The experience was a real eye-opener for me. I was hunting with a friend who, while he had killed a few turkeys called in by others, was nonetheless a real novice in the sport. Since he had already taken a bird that season, I figured it was the ideal time for him to start doing some calling on his own. Accordingly, after I had called a few times from our set-up spot on the edge of a lovely hardwood swamp, I whispered to him: “Robert, make a few yelps with your box call.” The result was an arhythmic, screeching sound which made me involuntarily cringe – but – a gobbler bellowed out a response not 200 yards away. After a quarter hour of silence I offered a few yelps on a wingbone, then tried a slate, diaphragm, and box call in turn with exactly the same response – silence. Finally, in exasperation, I nodded to Robert. Once again he called in what I thought was horrible fashion, and again the turkey responded immediately. We didn’t tote that tom back to the truck, but the morning’s experience did remind me in pointed fashion of the fact that there is no way of knowing just what call, or what type of calling, will flip a gobbler’s vocal switch. One thing is certain, however. The hunter who limits himself to a single call or only one calling format has placed major restrictions on his likelihood of working a bird. It is a mistake of major proportions to become a creature of habit in any aspect of turkey hunting. Those who do the same things every hunt, every day, every year are doomed to be far less successful than hunters who are willing to experiment and change tactics as they face different circumstances. This is true whether the matter at hand involves choice of listening spots, where you set up, the moves you make when you hear a gobble, or calling sequence. In particular, hunters should never rely exclusively on one type of call. With that statement in mind, and I strongly believe in its wisdom even though I personally use a wingbone call probably 70 to 80 percent of the time, let’s take a close look at the various types of calls and their use. Through understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each basic class of call you will be able to grasp more fully the value of mastering several of them. Wingbones and Related Suction-Type CallsSince I have already indicated that I have a distinct preference for the wingbone, let’s begin with calls which operate through suction. I like the wingbone for several reasons. It is difficult to master, and that means few folks use it. As a result, turkeys hear its distinctive sound less frequently than is the case with other types of calls. Then too, I like to think that as I yelp the spirit of turkeys past, embodied in the wingbones which made the call, drifts through the spring air. Those thoughts, and particularly the latter one, may be the product of little more than an overly active imagination, but there is little doubt that suction calls (which include not only wingbones but those made of wood, cane, and other materials) have several distinct advantages. They are high-pitched, a factor which many experts believe correlates closely with the responsiveness of gobblers. It also means their yelps carry for long distances. Wingbone calls are not adversely affected by bad weather, unlike many box and friction calls. Also, thanks to just how difficult it is to master the wingbone call, you probably won’t find one hunter in 25 who considers it his primary calling instrument. That, to me, is a real plus. Of course there are numerous disadvantages to suction calls as well, and the one just mentioned – difficulty of use – comes at the top of the list. Likewise, the vast majority of wingbones I have encountered over the years are quite unsatisfactory in sound. It takes a hen’s bone joined with that of a gobbler to make really good yelps and clucks, and most of the calls you encounter use only gobbler bones. Two hands are required to operate a suction call properly, and that is a real problem when a bird gets in close. Finally, for those who want the kee-kee as a part of their calling repertoire, this is especially difficult (though by no means impossible) to produce with a wingbone. Friction CallsThe range of friction calls is incredibly varied, but the most common are those which feature slate or a substitute such as aluminum. Perhaps the greatest strength of friction calls is just how much they sound like a turkey. Ask almost any competition caller what type of call produces the truest turkey notes, and he will say a slate. This is especially true when it comes to soft, seductive stuff – the clucks, purrs, and whines sometimes needed to lure a reluctant gobbler that last 10 or 15 critical yards. Indeed, that use alone justifies honing ones skills when it comes to operation of friction calls. Another distinct advantage is relative ease of operation. With minimal practice almost anyone can produce reasonable yelps and clucks from a slate, and the sounds of purrs and kee-kees are not all that much more difficult. Disadvantages include, particularly when real slate is being used, a tendency to break easily and ineffectiveness during humid or rainy weather. Modern technology is rapidly overcoming such problems though, and I think hunters can look for an ever-widening array of friction calls using suitable substitutes (such as aluminum) for slate. Friction calls require some movement, though not a lot, in operation. Old hands with a slate have learned to hold the call between their legs, keeping the operational movement hidden, and be ready to drop the striker and move into shooting mode with little likelihood of being detected. Finally, traditional slates do not offer the volume of some other types of calls, although new-fangled friction calls such as Mark Drury’s Aluminator can be heard at great distances. Tube CallsOn a personal basis, tube calls are the one category of calls I do not use. Somehow I have never been able to overcome the tickling, Novocain-like numbness my lips experience when air moves across the latex at the tube’s top. Nonetheless, there is no doubt about their effectiveness. When used by a skilled caller, tubes can be incredibly loud and as a result are especially useful for locating distant toms or getting “shock” gobbles. Indeed, they probably run neck-in-neck with wingbones when it comes to being the top type of call for locating turkeys. The compactness of the tube call is another advantage, as is their imperviousness to adverse weather conditions. Also, the nature of the sound produced by any tube call can be altered, quite dramatically, through adjusting the latex which is stretched across the top of the tube. That same consideration is also a weakness in some senses, for tube calls necessitate near-constant “fiddling” with the latex to ensure proper tautness and sound. Diaphragm CallsIn today’s turkey hunting world, probably more hunters use diaphragms more of the time than any other type of call. There are numerous reasons for the diaphragm’s popularity. It is a comparatively inexpensive call, although in this context it must be remembered that a properly cared for box call will last a lifetime whereas you will do well to get a full season of hunting out of a diaphragm. Learning to use a diaphragm is also not too difficult, provided one can get past the gagging sensation the call brings to some users. Diaphragms require no hand movement in usage, although the hands can come into play in terms of “throwing” sounds or changing pitch. The calls are capable of producing a wide range of sounds from the wild turkey’s vocabulary, and thanks to the many formats – stacked frames, various numbers of reeds, slits and cuts in the latex, and the like – in which diaphragms are available, their popularity is understandable. Almost all entrants in calling contests use diaphragms, unless the contest is one devoted exclusively to one particular type of call. Yet all these seeming advantages may actually add up to one of the diaphragm’s biggest disadvantages. Namely, turkeys, especially those in areas which are hunted hard, hear too many of them. For all their variety, there is an inescapable degree of sameness about diaphragms, and I am convinced that sometimes turkeys hear so many calls from diaphragms that they almost automatically tune them out. Nonetheless, every hunter should carry and be able to use a diaphragm. I constantly have one in my mouth when afield, although I do not use one all that often. It is ideal for that final cluck or putt when you want a turkey within range to lift his head, and you can also use a diaphragm in conjunction with a slate or box call to sound like a group of hens conversing. Box CallsFinally, there’s that old reliable, the box call. Over the history of sport hunting for turkeys, probably far more birds have fallen prey to the sweet, seductive notes of box calls than any other type of calling instrument. Boxes come in an incredible variety of forms – those with clapper-type lids, scratch boxes, push-button boxes, and others. Their cardinal virtue, without much question, is ease of use. With a bit of instruction and reasonable practice, even the tyro can elicit decent yelps and clucks from a box call, and as we saw at the outset, even sounds which seem indecent can get responses. Every hunter should carry at least one box with him, and many savvy hunters take along two or three – maybe a boat-paddle type for long-distance work, a small scratch box for calling when a bird is close, and even one of the push-pull type boxes which can be affixed to one’s gun barrel. When it comes to disadvantages, there are several. The larger box calls, those of the type sometimes described as “boat paddles,” are awkward to carry and have an uncanny way of making unwanted noises as you try to slip silently through the woods. Most types of box calls require full use of both hands to operate effectively. They are negatively affected by dampness, and once you are in a steady rain a box call becomes virtually useless. Nor should the fact that box calls come unglued and are easily broken be overlooked. The majority of experienced hunters have, at one time or another, known the heartbreaking sound of a box crunching beneath them as they unadvisedly sat down in a hurry. Such shortcomings notwithstanding, box calls belong in every hunter’s vest, and in all likelihood more toms have died thanks to the tones of the venerable Lynch box than any single make of call. Then too, as with slate calls, modern technology and callmaking innovation are producing boxes which minimize the problems of dampness or open up new calling possibilities. In the final analysis, every hunter inevitably is going to have one type of call which becomes his favorite or his “ace in the hole.” That is to be expected, but the fact remains that you will be a better, more successful hunter once you achieve reasonable proficiency on at least three of the basic classes of calls mentioned above. Being able to use four or all five of them is even better. Turkeys are notoriously capricious creatures, and the call which sets their gobbling alarms off one day can quite possibly be totally useless the next. The obvious answer is for you to keep trying until you find something that works. By all means begin each hunt using your favorite call or the one you believe you are most proficient with, but that doesn’t mean you should stick with it come hell, high water, or total silence. The wise turkey hunter needs to have a veritable bag of calls and calling tricks up his sleeve (or in his vest). Versatile calling should be a part of every turkey hunter’s make up. Or, to put it bluntly, if you are relying exclusively on one call, you are shortchanging yourself as a turkey hunter. The virtues of versatile calling focus on a greater degree of success, and that is something each of us strives to attain. The Pros and Cons of Various Types of Calls
Should you be fortunate enough to bring home a fine specimen of the great American game bird, some festive dining on exceptionally fine fare is in the offing. The breast is simply superb, and don’t overlook uses for the dark meat (legs, thighs, wings, and neck) and giblets (heart, liver, and gizzard). The former makes a fine base for soups and pasta dishes or can be minced for sandwiches or spreads, while wild turkey pate is a first-class culinary offering by any standard of measure. Here are a few recipes, all taken from a new cookbook my wife and I wrote for Remington, for enjoying the great bird. Incidentally, the cookbook, and it is a thing of beauty, will be out any day now. I’ll let you know as soon as it arrives. TURKEY SCALLOPINI WITH ASPARAGUS SAUCE1 package Knorr béarnaise sauce mix Prepare béarnaise sauce according to package directions. Cook leeks in microwave for about one minute. Chop half of asparagus and add to sauce along with leeks (reserve the other half of the asparagus spears for another use such as inclusion in a green salad). Set sauce aside. Pound turkey fillets with a meat mallet to tenderize. Melt butter in skillet and add olive oil. Lightly flour breast fillets and brown on each side until golden brown. Put breasts in shallow greased 9 x 13-inch casserole. Spread asparagus sauce over each breast. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and brown lightly under the broiler. Serve at once. Do not try to cook ahead and reheat. Serve with wild rice and a squash medley. RANCH TURKEY STRIPS1 teaspoon of a pack of Ranch Original
Dry Salad Dressing Mix Combine Ranch dressing mix with olive oil. Marinate turkey strips for 15 minutes. Grill for 10-12 minutes in fry pan, grilling pan, broiler, or outdoor grill. Serve immediately. Serves two, but you can double (or triple, quadruple, etc.) this recipe. It makes a great hors d’oeuvre. TURKEY PARMESAN QUESADILLAS4 flour tortillas Lightly coat cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place two tortillas on cookie sheet. Spoon two tablespoons of the marinara sauce on each tortilla. Top each with slivered turkey. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the mozzarella and ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese on each tortilla. Top with two remaining tortillas. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until crisp. Cut into wedges and serve immediately. Thank you for subscribing to the
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