When I started turkey hunting..........a long time ago........there were only 3 brands of calls to be had anywhere in my end of the state. Of course, Lynch, which was the least commonly found, Quaker Boy, which held a good bit of the market, and Smith's Game Calls (Jim Smith of Summerville) was the most prominent and most commonly found.
The Smith name had been sold to another callmaker several years back. Mr. Smith passed away last summer at the age of 89. The grapevine had it that a family member of Jim Smith's had the last remaining calls that Jim had made himself. I contacted the guy and paid him a visit yesterday. The remaining calls are in two boxes that you could stack both and easily carry. I was pressed for time. But I did bring home an example each of boxcalls I did not already have and a duplicate (the Sweet Butternut.....Smith's "trademark" call) of one I do have.
The calls will make a nice addition to the Pennsylvania callmaker section of my accumulation.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7872/33536930328_40e18b60ee_b.jpg)
That's really cool, Yoder, well done. I had a Smith call just like the all butternut on the left, used it to call in my first fall bird on my first fall hunt.
Thought this turkey hunting stuff was easy!
Congrats!
Quote from: paboxcall on March 18, 2019, 01:41:43 PM
That's really cool, Yoder, well done. I had a Smith call just like the all butternut on the left, used it to call in my first fall bird on my first fall hunt.
Thought this turkey hunting stuff was easy!
Congrats!
There's a WHOOOOLE LOT of fellows in this state whose first turkey call said "Smith Game Calls, Summerville, PA" on 'em. Yep.
The others are purpleheart lids over butternut?
Quote from: paboxcall on March 18, 2019, 01:46:29 PM
The others are purpleheart lids over butternut?
Some over butternut. Some over quaking aspen.
I was only dimly aware that Jim had made the No 7 and No 8 calls. I was most familiar with the Sweet Butternut and the ST-17
The Sweet Butternut call was a genuine turkey killer.
In my area they would be for sale in the local barber shop which was also a sporting good store.
Quote from: bobk on March 18, 2019, 03:02:28 PM
The Sweet Butternut call was a genuine turkey killer.
In my area they would be for sale in the local barber shop which was also a sporting good store.
Just outta curiosity as to how far the Smith calls were distributed...........where was that area ??
I was raised in Indiana County. Smith's was by FAR the most prevalent brand in Indiana and surrounding counties.
They were available in both Elk and Cameron Counties. My relatives in southern Somerset County could get them in there area.
Just crow hunted yesterday with an old Smiths crow call, it still sounds good.
I'm at the bottom of York co., picked it up at the Harrisburg show in the late 1980's along with a slate/glass 2 sided pot call that still gets used occasionally.
Yep. The Smith's crow call was a real keeper !!!
Jim made great calls. I had one of his crow callers and let it slip through my hands foolishly.
Wow, all nice
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Great collection, always fun to collect from makers that live close by. One of my favorite calls is a scratch box call made by Deacon Smith formerly of Fort Gaines Georgia. I saw one of his calls many years ago in the hardware store in Fort Gaines. The store used to sell his calls and it was the last one they had so they had held on to it for many years and would not sell it. The store owner let me look at it and take a few measurements from the call. That began my call making. That was thirty years ago. A friend of mine knew his son and told him that I really wanted one of his Dad's calls. Deacon had just passed away and he had just been going through his stuff and found a box of calls in a closet. His son sent me one, and it is my most prized call. (And I have a lot by the way) Your collection is a great tribute to the call maker. Congratulations
Stamped on the side of the Deacon Smith scratch box were the words " Make a young hen leave it's mother." He used to do a lot of fall hunting in Alabama when it still had a fall season.
Those are all very nice calls.
What a great piece of history.
Those are nice callls and its great that you have a collection of calls from the PA callmakers. We have over the years many great ones and these call are a big part of that history. :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:
Quote from: silverspur on March 20, 2019, 07:16:02 AM
Those are nice callls and its great that you have a collection of calls from the PA callmakers. We have over the years many great ones and these call are a big part of that history. :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:
The Pennsylvania portion of.my collection/accumulation is mostly production calls from some of more historic callmakers.......... Smith, Gray, Stevenson, Hall, Rohm and others. Not high.dollar stuff. Just really NEAT stuff.
As far as the area of distribution, I know they spread as far South as one can go in Virginia. I have two of them. My late brother-law, passed in1996, He gave me one of the "sweet butternut" calls a year before the tragic accident. Some time after that I called Smith and ask Him for a higher pitched one of the butternut calls and He sent it to me. Nice little call.
Quote from: Takeaim1st on March 21, 2019, 07:02:22 PM
As far as the area of distribution, I know they spread as far South as one can go in Virginia. I have two of them.
Excellent info !!!
Thank you !!!
Nothin like readin about a good piece of history!Think you should go by the handle of Yoda ;)
Lol !!!
I probably have the belly for it.........but I'm a little too tall.
Since you asked........I don't remember Smith Calls growing up in Berks county 70's early 80's. We mostly used lynch. Later I learned of them.
Berks county, starting in the 80's, was probably Joe Hall / Hally Caller country.
Good job !