New scratch box... Any hints?

[Marc]

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Just got a new scratch box from Lonnie Gilbert...  I am going to attempt to use it for my last hunt of the season tomorrow.

Cutts and purrs are pretty easy, but I am finding it difficult to get a good and consistent yelp...

I looked at a couple youtube videos, and I think I have some of the basics down...  But it there a particular area on the scratcher that I want to roll the striker against?  Anything to help with consistency and a nice yelp???

Also my yelps sound a lot deeper than I would like on this...  If I move off to the side, I cannot seem to make it yelp as well...

I am sure some practice is in order, but any hints would be appreciated...

Marc

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

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I like to start near the edge and finish closer to the center.  This means the stroke is at a slight angle to the striker.  This gives a higher front end and a deeper back end.  You can also relax the striker hand to get more rasp as you finish the stroke. 

[Marc]

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Thank you...  Cutts are great, and purring is good, but my yelps are too deep for my liking, and much deeper than the hens I am hearing...

Your technique helped out, but when I do that, high end of the call starts of high and too quiet, but ends loud and deep...

I suppose it will take some practice, and I will have to learn to yelp more near the edge of the call...  Last day of the season is tomorrow, so I have some time to practice before next season…  I will almost certainly add another scratcher to my aresonel.

Very fun call to use...  As I got back to the car this morning, I decided to sit under a tree and practice for a bit...  Low and behold, I had a bird answer...  He was way off the property and across a major (well-used) road, so I really did not think much of it, besides the fact that it was cool to get a response late in the morning with my fancy new call...

Then I hear cars honking down below me on this major road (foliage is blocking my view of the road which is some distance away).  I take a quick break from my new toy to eat a snack and take a drink...

As I start to call again, the bird is about 100 yards away (judging by the sound)...  I nearly crapped my pants I was so surprised.  I start doing some purring and softer cutts, and the bird just goes nuts...

And then...  My phone rings!  Apparently the ringer got turned back on by accident (which happens all too frequently)...  As I try desperately to silence the phone, I look to see who is calling, and it is Lonnie!  I hung up on him (I am sure he will understand), and tried to drum up the bird again…  Sat there for 40 minutes and never heard a peep.

I always seem to have weird misfortunes while hunting (many of which I cause myself)…  My morning hunt was ruined by my own doing, in trying to shoo off some cattle (that were false charging me and my calling while a bird was coming).  He was right below me in a depression, and I just knew he would not come in with those cows false charging me….  I get up to shoo them off quickly (calling aggressively and waving my hat at them), and hear the putting of the bird that has now come in…  He runs right near the cattle, and I cannot shoot for fear of hitting the cattle (second time this has happened to me)…  As it turns out, he was not the bird gobbling, and I catch a glimpse of the bird I was calling at high-tailing it out… 

But the deal with Lonnie (the call maker) taking the time to call me, while I happen to have a bird come from an unusually long distance, and crossing a major road to do so, is too funny… 

Now, it is possible, that this was a different bird that came in, but I never heard him gobble previously, and I did hear the bird across the road getting closer…  For the sake of story-telling, I am going with the fact that the bird crossed the road.  In a few years there will be 10 birds, that caused a traffic jam crossing, and two of them will be smokies.

And next year during duck season, my ringer will be a duck quacking…  During the turkey season, I am going to see if I can download a turkey purring for my ring-tone.

[buckeye b]

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Sorry for the interruption Marc. Good story

[drenalinld]

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Get higher pitches with scratch box sound board almost at a 90 degree angle to start the yelp. As you pull or push you change the angle slightly leaning it away from the direction you are moving the sound board on the striker. This will change the pitch from high to low. It also tends to be a little higher near the ends of the striker and gets deeper in the middle.

[gergg]

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Get higher pitches with scratch box sound board almost at a 90 degree angle to start the yelp. As you pull or push you change the angle slightly leaning it away from the direction you are moving the sound board on the striker. This will change the pitch from high to low. It also tends to be a little higher near the ends of the striker and gets deeper in the middle.

Good explanation, I was trying to think of how to explain and then read your post...perfect...lol...I build my own scratchers, so I will say that some just sound/work different (deeper tone as in the OP's case). You can also alter the tone by the striker, a call that plays with a deeper tone can be brightened up with the proper striker, unfortunately when I build them I need to have the scratch box in hand to tune to different strikers.....maybe the gent who made yours can send a striker to brighten it up. I also notice that deeper tones in the house/yard tend to sound brighter in the big woods, so if you haven't played it in the turkey woods give it a try.

One other thing....I will often times play the call supported between the left index finder(striker in the same hand being held by the thumb and middle finger....and then the other side of the scratcher being held and pivoted/rotated by the right hand. Basically just twisting my right thumb/first/middle fingers on the top corner of the scratch box on the striker.....OP, if it would be helpful, PM me your cell# and I will text you a 5 second video on how I hold/play it.

[Strick9]

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Thats a really neat story! It seems we must be related as to creating our own turkey hunting turk ups lol.

I also just received a scratcher from Lonnie and man I have to tell you , having run scratchers for only about a year. Lonnies will do it all and well. Just keep practicing but obviously your not to far out of the box already !

[coyote1]

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Cool story!  The guys above have covered any advice I can give. It sounds like your getting the hang of them. Scratchers are fun little calls to run and Lonnies is fantastic. I just got mine in the mail yesterday.

[Marc]

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Thank you all for the kind responses.

It has become apparent that I will utilize scratchers a lot more next season...  I will also probably add at least one more to the arsenal.

Very versatile call with the only limitation being volume (on the yelps), and that probably has a lot to do with experience and practice...  The cutts and clucks are loud and sharp...

Very fun call to play with.

[Bowguy]

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They are a very fun and realistic sounding call. Got my first one last spring and have a bunch now. Not that hard to learn but does take a little practice. Best of luck w it

[wvmntnhick]

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Thank you all for the kind responses.

It has become apparent that I will utilize scratchers a lot more next season...  I will also probably add at least one more to the arsenal.

Very versatile call with the only limitation being volume (on the yelps), and that probably has a lot to do with experience and practice...  The cutts and clucks are loud and sharp...

Very fun call to play with.

I've found that the volume of a good scratch box is on par with that of a box call. You can lay on a box call a bit and get some more out of it but not enough to matter IMHO. The biggest difference to me is that the bigger box call eliminates a lot of the human element since its hinged together where as the smaller scratch box relies more on your ability to be consistent. I'm not by any means but the good news is, neither are a lot of wild hens. We (myself included) get so caught up in what we think it should sound like that we fail to realize that often times the worst sounding hen calling we hear is from the real deal. Don't over analyze it man. If you're getting turkey sounds, you're going to kill birds. Good luck and have fun playing with it.