The first one I saw was one my uncle made and used back in the 80's. He made me one and we practiced and I'm fairly good with it, but far from competition ready. I wanted to use them because of my uncle.
I never gave it any thought about using something rare, but once you start talking to other turkey hunters they will give me wierd looks when I tell them I use one. I just thought everyone used them.
My personal opinion, I think a trumpet style call just sounds different from what the turkeys are used to hearing, and maybe this has something to do with their effectiveness. The fact that they sound really good and like a turkey helps too, DA!! Don't underestimate a trumpet, just because they aren't being used on the calling circuits means nothing. I carry a couple everyday, and use them everyday. Especially when running and gunning. I'll do some cutting and excited yelping trying to get one to answer, and it works often enough I'm still using one.
Softer calls, I don't but that is just me. I do have one made of bamboo with a turkey bone mouth piece that is pretty mellow and softer calling but I can call far softer with a slate call, and even with most mouth calls. Perhaps it is just me. I guess a lot of it depends on what you consider soft. To me, a slate call can call softer and still maintain that turkey sound better than a wingbone or trumpet.
I've gotten pretty aggressive with my wingbone and had it work like a charm. Excited cutting and yelping with it works well if the gobbler likes it too. But it's just like any other call to an extent, it all depends on what the gobbler wants to hear. I for the most part do not get real aggressive with gobblers unless he is some place where I cannot hunt, and he's hot, and then what do I have to lose? Let'em rip and who knows, he may come your way. It's worked enough for me to try..
I hope I've helped you some. I use trumpet calls that I make myself, or my buddy makes out of turkey wingbones, or piece of the turkey bones. I've found hen's bones give me the best sounding call, while my buddy seems to prefer jakes. We ask the local hunters around our area during the fall turkey season and they save us their wings of any turkeys they kill. We clean them and make our own.
My favorite wingbone is one my uncle made from a jenny hen. It is one sweet sounding call, but I've hung it up since my uncle died. I'm afraid I'll fall on it or lose it. My favorite one now is one my buddy made, and it has a turkey bone mouthpiece, a turkey bone trumpet and a 410 shotshell in the middle. I've got a couple made from bamboo that are sweet little callers, and they are much more mellow in tone than one made out of bones. They don't carry as well, but on a windless day I generally use them while running and gunning. We're constantly trying different materials while making them, but the wingbone mouthpiece pretty much stays the same. What the middle and trumpet is made out of really makes a difference in the sound quality of the call. Maybe one day I'll build the perfect one, until then, I'll keep messing around making them. We have a ball doing it. Good luck if you try them.. My last piece of advice is wingbones, or trumpet calls are wonderful calls, but you shouldn't rely on them soley as sooner or later there comes a time when you have to put the call down, get the gun up and get ready. You still need a mouth call, or your natural voice sometimes to close the deal. Learn to use a trumpet call with a mouthcall in your mouth at the same time. It is harder than you think to call with the trumpet while holding that mouth call in your jaw, but once you get it down you'll appreciate it when you need to seal the deal..
