Any member here have LEON JOEHNNINGS book--- THE TURKEY HUNTERS DIGEST? I tried to practice that call. It is used with FALL GOBBLERS in mind. I tried pulling a peg slowly from slate tip to slate tip to get the sound that the authored spelled out in large letters.It sounds to me like 2 slowed down KEE KEES. I am going to try this in mid-Oct when NEW YORK opens and then New Jersey as well while gobblers are still roosted (somewhere). Hey--- they might here it and fly over. Almost done with his book. Any member here who read it?
The one I have is called The Turkey Hunter's Guide. Good little book!!
Yup-- it is (guide)--my mistake and it is a good little book.
The Wildcat Call is a strange animal. When I have heard what I believed to be the Wildcat Call the turkeys seemed to be extremely alert and cautious. I never had any success upon hearing it. On the other hand, another turkey hunter whom I greatly respect claims to have success using it occasionally. I have a recording of Leons which is a little different from what I believe the call is. My version and Leon's are similar, but there are differences. It is not a call in my repertoire.
I have never heard a recording of the --wildcat call. I sounded it out and practiced some on a Knight and Hale--Old Yeller pot going slowly from pot edge to pot edge-twice. Did not do any scouting for my NY opener this SAT- but I have a very-high area in mind that every Fall has tons of wild turkey sign. I don;t know if I will ruin my hunt- but want to try this call out before flydown. If gobblers are roosted somewhere on this medium mountain- they will hear it.
My Easterns make a sound that sounds like a wildcat. Really like a wild cat. My friend who has raised Easterns for decades tells me this is the wildcat call. The first time I heard it there was a wild tom breeding a hen 60 yds from the pen. Several of the jakes were making the sound I now know as the wildcat call.
I have practiced this with just my voice. It takes the right situation to get them to do it or react to it. At times it can really fire them up. They are highly excited when making this sound. Ready to fight sound IMO.
I was out this morning and I tried out the wildcat call as nothing was roosted near me. Again-- I sounded out what Leon Joehnning wrote in his book-- The Turkey Hunters Guide. I used a Knight And Hale- OL Yeller pot and a rosewood peg. I gave the wildcat call twice and got some deep clucks in reply. Moved in the direction of the clucks and saw where turkeys had just flown down and were now gone. I don't know what type of flock it was- but I think it was gobblers as I heard just 1 bird giving deep clucks. I am going to use this again!
Good replys here about this subject. Ferocious Calls has an interested post about the wildcat call. I never read about this before in any mag.
Can anyone post a sound file of what this sounds like? I'm not scared of reading but I'd rather not buy a book just to hear about one particular call. Kind of interested in it myself.
When I got this book from Jim Casadas turkey book site-- I had no idea that this wildcat call would be wrote about. It is a rather great and rare book though--The Turkey Hunters Guide. Now I have been getting Turkey And Turkey Hunting since it came out in 1991. I have the first one still! I don't remember reading about the wildcat call in all those years--1991--2013 when the mag cancelled. I think in one of my books-- I read about the wildcat call.
So WVmntnhick-- I was so curious as you are about this call that I could have ruined my 1st Fall Turkey hunt this year. BUT I GOT A DEEP GOBBLER CLUCK IN REPLY. I heard those deep clucks over 3 minutes or so--maybe 5 of them. That was a first for me as I only hear gobbler clucks when they are right on top of me in the afternoon. These Deep clucks were before sunrise- so I think the gobbler flock was still roosted. I am sold and will use it again--epithany, I think the word is as I was not going to check that area at all until I heard the gobbler.
Here is how LEON JOHENNING wrote when writing about the wildcat call. 2-lonsome- but high-pitched whines. He did not write-Kee-Kees. QUE-E-E-E--ICK---QUE-E-E-E--ICK hE WROTE IN BIG AND BOLD BLACK LETTERS AS YOU SEE HERE. I practiced by going from pot rim to pot rim- not too fast and bearing down with peg. I know the book is rare- so I repeat the call here. Jim Casada has some I think.
Never heard of it. Would be neat to hear what the call actually sounds like, maybe I have heard it and just did not know it.
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I'm still trying to figure out how to practice a sound that I guess I've never heard. How will I know when I have it right?
Quote from: guesswho on October 19, 2016, 03:59:56 PM
I'm still trying to figure out how to practice a sound that I guess I've never heard. How will I know when I have it right?
I guess that depends on the birds reaction. If they come looking for a fight, you've mastered it. If they pay it no mind, you'll still need to practice. If they give you a glance and then run for the hills as fast as possible, you may want to stop letting me call birds for you.
I'll only break out the wildcat call when I'm calling birds for someone else.
See if this link works.
https://soundcloud.com/user-788295847/leon-johenning
It contains Leon's rendition on his caller.
It works.
Sounds sort of like a drawn out wood duck call. Can't say I've ever heard a turkey do it. If I did, I didn't associate the sound with a turkey.
When I think of running the wildcat I think of Tim Tebow..... and I don't run the wildcat.
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That's about a good of a gobble as I have ever heard made on a turkey call.
I have a fairly large collection of wild turkey books--around 25 or so. I did go through them to see any mention of the WILDCAT CALL. The late Lovett Williams wrote about the wildcat call on page 141 of his book-- Wild Turkey-Hunting And Management. He mentions Leon Johenning's--calling manual of 1962. That must be the Turkey Hunters Guide as that was his only book. He also sold -The Caller Learning Record and a turkey call. Now Williams also wrote on page 141--To my knowledge, nobody has attempted to describe what the call sounds like other then to claim it sounds like a wildcat. But Johenning did describe the wildcat call on page 34 of his book. I sounded it out--practiced some and got some deep gobbler clucks in reply as I already wrote. A good 5-6 of them over 5 minutes. I just got there too late to get a shot. I had no idea a gobbler flock was in that area. I intend to use this call again right before sunrise before my season is out.
The Wildcat Call, whatever it is, will be heard so rarely during any turkey hunter's career that is would be very difficult to catch it on a recording and one hearing it would have great difficulty reproducing it from memory. I have heard on three occasions in over thirty years what I think may be the Wildcat Call, but I am certainly not going to declare that what I heard was that call. What I heard was a "Wheeeee-up" given several times. I was certain that the call was made by turkeys, probably gobblers. I think of the call as a curiosity and I can think of no value the call would have in a hunting situation. It is just one of those "damned if I know" things.
Quote from: silvestris on October 20, 2016, 01:02:59 PM
The Wildcat Call, whatever it is, will be heard so rarely during any turkey hunter's career that is would be very difficult to catch it on a recording and one hearing it would have great difficulty reproducing it from memory. I have heard on three occasions in over thirty years what I think may be the Wildcat Call, but I am certainly not going to declare that what I heard was that call. What I heard was a "Wheeeee-up" given several times. I was certain that the call was made by turkeys, probably gobblers. I think of the call as a curiosity and I can think of no value the call would have in a hunting situation. It is just one of those "damned if I know" things.
I've heard that "wheeeee-up" sound before. I assumed it was from turkeys being we was in the same block of woods but I never gave it much thought. Very interesting. I read your post on another site. What you say about turkeys makes sense to me and I can believe it and relate to it. I'm from la.
Hear you Silvestris. But right before sunrise that morning-- I had no idea where any flock was. I was willing to possibly ruin my first Fall turkey hunt of this year. I must have sounded it out pretty good as finding the location of roosted gobblers is a --Gold Mine! So- I am willing to give the wildcat cat call another shot for sure.
That --"wheeeee-up" that was decribed in above posts must be the same call as Joehnnings-"QUE-E-E-E-E--ICK---QUE-E-E-E-E--ICK. The way I sounded this out was by saying the word (quick) and stretching it out from --pot rim to pot rim . Took some time- but that is the sound I kind of get. Knight And Hales-- Ol Yeller gives me the best sound for this with a rosewood peg. It sounds nothing like a kee-kee and Joehnning mentioned 2 lonesome-- but high pitched whines.
I do quite of bit of hiking year round at sunrise and might take the pot out with me sometimes. Like alot of members I am curious and would like to know more. I do suspect that a number of old-timers knew about the wildcat call and did not pass that knowledge on.
Interesting call to discuss and learn about but do not think it is a call that will improve my hunting success. Hope it works out for you.
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The sound my Easterns make is very catlike. Like the sound we hear when 2 cats are sizing each other up and trying to scare off the other. A rolling type sound that is medium pitch at the start rolling higher and tapering to a growl ending. They need to be fired up, really fired up to make this sound. It is not difficult to produce with our voice and practice.
I want to try a few more pots for the wildcat call. Very interesting subject. Who knows--maybe some call companies will try to cash in on this wildcat call and create callers for its use.
I still favor that Knight And Hale --Ol Yeller though. I am going to use other pegs besides rosewood. I just really dig that peg in and pull it to the far rim. I don't think a horseshoe caller would sound as good for the wildcat call.
Quote from: silvestris on October 19, 2016, 06:05:09 PM
See if this link works.
https://soundcloud.com/user-788295847/leon-johenning
It contains Leon's rendition on his caller.
I have heard that sound in the woods during the spring several times. The times I have been able to see the critter making the sound has always turned out to be a barred owl. Not saying turkeys don't make the same sound, but I know barred owls do.
I do plenty of hiking year round--often at sunrise. I might play around some with the wildcat call. The 2nd way, I run the call on the Knight And Hale Ol Yeller pot is by circling the rim clockwise going from 12 oclock to 8 oclock. Trying to sound out that call on the pot by stretching out--"quick".