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I always heard hen bones make the best call!  Now I'm being told Jake bones make the better call!  So which is it? And why.  Thanks

Depends on whether you want to sound more like a hen or a jake?

Quote from: 1iagobblergetter on May 09, 2020, 10:49:46 PM
Depends on whether you want to call a hen or a jake?

Being I don't  :z-guntootsmiley: either of those id say a  :turkey2:

I meant hen bones to sound like a hen. Jake bones to sound like a jake,gobbler to sound more like a gobbler.
I have tree yelpers that have Jake bones in them though.
I have alot of trumpets that have hen radius(the small thin bone in wing) bones for mouthpieces.
I use to only target mature Toms in the fall until i got into trumpets and like sending them off and having my own mouthpiece from a hen i killed in the fall.
As far as Wingbone calls I only have one and that's made out of a hen Wingbone and makes great hen talk.

    Use a hen bones for the mouth piece.
    Use a jake or an adult hen bone for the mid-section
    Use a gobbler bone for the bell....

Quote from: boatpaddle on May 10, 2020, 11:04:11 AM


    Use a hen bones for the mouth piece.
    Use a jake or an adult hen bone for the mid-section
    Use a gobbler bone for the bell....

Is this the combination to use to call in one of those mixed up "super Jakes" people sometimes talk about?   :newmascot:

Depends, really. i've run some hen bones that were too small.

There's really no perfect answer to the OP's question. It's really hard to say how many Wingbones I've made over 30+ years but the only answer I can give is "it all depends". The Wingbones of turkeys vary so much even among the same sex and age class.

Assuming most folks are looking for a good hen sound, it's very possible to make a great call out of ANY turkey bones, but not necessarily ALL turkey bones. Some hen bones are too small and sound "tinny", but stick the radius (mouthpiece) bone in an old gobbler bone and you get one heck of a call.

Sometimes you get some big old gobbler bones and think, no way will that make a good hen call, but then you cut off the ends and see that the inner diameter is very small, which translates into an easy running, high pitched call.

Length of each bone plays a big part in the sound also. The shorter the bones, the quicker the roll over and higher the pitch. The longer, the more mellow, deeper pitch.

Bottom line, I can usually make a great sounding call out of any sex or age of turkey bones, but may require some variations (and a few secrets, lol).

Quote from: crow on May 10, 2020, 11:11:21 AM

Quote from: boatpaddle on May 10, 2020, 11:04:11 AM


    Use a hen bones for the mouth piece.
    Use a jake or an adult hen bone for the mid-section
    Use a gobbler bone for the bell....

Is this the combination to use to call in one of those mixed up "super Jakes" people sometimes talk about?   :newmascot:

Maybe....

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I was hoping for a little more commitment on your part.

I've about heard more grouse drumming this spring than gobbling, and there hasn't been all that much grouse drumming going on either.

Quote from: boatpaddle on May 10, 2020, 11:04:11 AM


    Use a hen bones for the mouth piece.
    Use a jake or an adult hen bone for the mid-section
    Use a gobbler bone for the bell....

Is poaching include  :TooFunny:

Quote from: crow on May 11, 2020, 09:12:33 PM
I was hoping for a little more commitment on your part.

I've about heard more grouse drumming this spring than gobbling, and there hasn't been all that much grouse drumming going on either.

Sorry, but I'm in a non- committed state of mind...  lol

It seems, that is the normal...Quiet !!

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Quote from: outdoors on May 11, 2020, 09:15:54 PM

Quote from: boatpaddle on May 10, 2020, 11:04:11 AM


    Use a hen bones for the mouth piece.
    Use a jake or an adult hen bone for the mid-section
    Use a gobbler bone for the bell....

Is poaching include  :TooFunny:

No, Sir

In Pa., you can kill either sex during our fall season...

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Quote from: EZ on May 10, 2020, 03:00:44 PM
There's really no perfect answer to the OP's question. It's really hard to say how many Wingbones I've made over 30+ years but the only answer I can give is "it all depends". The Wingbones of turkeys vary so much even among the same sex and age class.

Assuming most folks are looking for a good hen sound, it's very possible to make a great call out of ANY turkey bones, but not necessarily ALL turkey bones. Some hen bones are too small and sound "tinny", but stick the radius (mouthpiece) bone in an old gobbler bone and you get one heck of a call.

Sometimes you get some big old gobbler bones and think, no way will that make a good hen call, but then you cut off the ends and see that the inner diameter is very small, which translates into an easy running, high pitched call.

Length of each bone plays a big part in the sound also. The shorter the bones, the quicker the roll over and higher the pitch. The longer, the more mellow, deeper pitch.

Bottom line, I can usually make a great sounding call out of any sex or age of turkey bones, but may require some variations (and a few secrets, lol).

Just cleaned up some bones a buddy brought over, an adult Mt. gobbler from northern Pa. had smaller outside diameters and were shorter than a southern Pa. Jake

I have seen the same from certain parts of Md. also, where more mature gobblers are smaller than jakes from other areas of Md.

I have both and prefer the hen wingbone ....

I have hen and Jake wingbones and like them both. I think you can make hen or Jake sounds out of both it just depends on how you play them. I think some guys just prefer the typically thinner mouthpiece of a hen bone over a Jake bone but both are great playing and sounding.

Jake is my personal favorite call that I make

I don't have any experience with a jake now I do have about 5 different hen bones some are inside an old shotgun shell others I made a wooden bell you won't catch me in the woods without one It's what I grew up turkey hunting with that's the only call my grandpa would use and he gave one to me he had been carrying it since the 80s if only it could tell me the stories on a side not I have herd of people using a goose bone I don't know how it sounds/compares to a hen or Jake