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#51

General Forum / Re: Happy New Year!

Last post by Tom007 - January 01, 2026, 09:48:02 AM

Be safe, be healthy. Happy New Year!

#52

General Forum / Re: Trumpets???

Last post by GobbleNut - January 01, 2026, 09:25:18 AM

I suppose I fall into the BullTom camp regarding my opinion of the sound and realism of a trumpet...or any  other type of suction call.  From my personal experience in hearing (conservatively) many hundreds of hen turkeys in the woods, there has only been ONE time that I have heard a real hen turkey sound like a suction call to MY ears...or at least the sound of the suction calls I have heard from the great majority of hunters I have heard using one of them.  That bird was not in sight when I heard it, and I concluded that the sound was coming from someone using a trumpet/wingbone/etal. I admit I was shocked when the hen making the sound came into sight. 

On the other hand, I have heard those same hundreds of hens "out there" that sounded either like a friction call of some sort...or another form of air-operated call (mouth call/tube). I won't even get into the discussion about how, out of those hundreds of hens, the "noises" they make have varied from the classic "box-call yelp" to everything all the way down to that of a braying donkey.

Regardless of my personal opinion, however, if somebody wants to pursue becoming proficient enough with any type of suction call to regularly kill gobblers with them, more power to them. Furthermore, if that somebody has convinced themselves that they killed a particular gobbler due only to their mastery of a trumpet, then even more power to them. I admire that dedication to our pastime. However, my own opinion on the matter is that 1) I will never be convinced that a gobbler that is killed by someone using a trumpet could not have been killed by someone using another type of call, and 2) that a gobbler that did not come to that suction call someone is using would not willingly come to a hunter that chose, at that moment, to use another type of call.

In summation, a guy is much better off hitting on whatever sound/calling sequence a gobbler wants to hear at any given moment than he is swearing by any particular type of calling device (which, by the way, is curious of me to say since I use mouth calls almost exclusively  ). Yes, that preferred calling device may, in any given encounter with a gobbler, be a trumpet...or it may, in the next encounter, be the call you have that sounds like that braying donkey.   

#53

General Forum / Happy New Year!

Last post by DLPetrey - January 01, 2026, 08:50:27 AM

Happy New Year, turkey hunting friends. May this year bring us all many encounters with the grand old King of the Gamebirds.

I haven't posted a lot since I joined here last Spring, but I look to change that this year.

It's cold and windy today in the northwestern corner of North Carolina. I'm currently enjoying a cup of coffee, while watching the sun come up over the ridge, waiting on perhaps a last-day-of-the-season buck to appear. However, my thoughts are already in April, when I'll be back, Lord willing, in these same woods, listening for a longbeard to sound off.

Blessings, friends. Let's make this our best year yet.

#54

General Forum / Re: Trumpets???

Last post by bbcoach - January 01, 2026, 08:14:58 AM

Gentlemen, this is the type of responses I expected to hear.  I personally have come to the same conclusion that trumpets really don't have that hen sound, that we hear from other calls, even played by those we hold in HIGH regard as GREAT trumpet players.  Maybe it's my ear or my lack of experience with the trumpet, but as many have said, they definitely get responses and they definitely bring birds to the end of the gun barrel.  I don't want this thread to get into a P------ contest but the trumpet has its place and DEFINITELY fools birds.  So why the response, in your opinion?  Wavelength as EZ stated?  Just questions to mull over and talk about sensibly until we can ALL get in the woods.  HAPPY NEW YEAR to ALL!

#55

General Forum / Re: Word Association Game

Last post by Lcmacd 58 - January 01, 2026, 07:48:40 AM

Dominant

#56

General Forum / Re: Trumpets???

Last post by EZ - January 01, 2026, 06:40:28 AM

Some good points brought up. Everyone's experiences may vary. I remember decades ago, famed turkey biologist, Lovette Williams, studied the sounds made by turkeys and sounds made by turkey calls using equipment that measured sound wavelength. Wingbones and trumpets were nearly identical to that of real turkeys.

#57

General Forum / Re: Word Association Game

Last post by captpete - January 01, 2026, 06:30:32 AM

winner

#58

Welcome Posts for new members /Introduce Yourself / Re: Hello from Kentucky

Last post by Turkeybutt - January 01, 2026, 03:56:36 AM

  Sit back and enjoy!

#59

General Forum / Re: Trumpets???

Last post by BullTom - January 01, 2026, 01:16:39 AM

Some of you all must be  hanging with the wrong type of trumpet players.
I've heard some yelper men that sound all turkey to my ear.

I've also seen success rate go up with yelpers on hard hunted public land compared to other types of calls.


But that's not stopping me from working on a lightweight call that sounds like a sack of corn being poured on the ground, I'm getting close.

That may well be true!

However, I will say that even the most highly regarded trumpet players dont sound super realistic to me. Dont get me wrong, they sound dang good and it inspires me to get better every day. I have listend to the popular sound files from these guys on repeat for years. But, compared to the most highly regarded mouth call guys, it's not even close. I think the trumpet has all the elements of realism, its just very difficult to put them together in a compelte, realistic package (if that makes any sense). The roll over isnt quite right and its very hard to get the shrill front end with a throaty, raspy, honky back end and then put it all together with the correct cadence. A handful of guys get close (I like to think myself included), but never as close as even just above average mouth callers.

Thats pretty sweet that you have a public land secret weapon! The majority of birds I hunt are on public land. Unfortunately for me, that hasnt been my experience. I have killed or almost killed birds on public that I dont believe I would have if not for the trumpet. That said, generally the realism and versatility of the mouth call wins for me. If i could only take one call to hunt heavily pressured public land birds, its gonna be a mouth call almost all of the time. Certainly open to the fact that this may change in the future.

Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk

#60

General Forum / Re: Trumpets???

Last post by crow - January 01, 2026, 12:38:08 AM

Some of you all must be  hanging with the wrong type of trumpet players.
I've heard some yelper men that sound all turkey to my ear.

I've also seen success rate go up with yelpers on hard hunted public land compared to other types of calls.


But that's not stopping me from working on a lightweight call that sounds like a sack of corn being poured on the ground, I'm getting close.