North vs South Sound

[culpeper]

Have you ever thought that a Southern sound in a Box Call tends to have a sweeter/clearer yelps & clucks, a moderate roll-over and not a lot of rasp, whereas, a Northern Box Call seems to have a harder roll-ver a deeper back end and thus more rasp to the yelps?  Where this line of demarcation occurs isn't important, the callmakers who build them isn't important, but over the past 14 years of building them, I have noticed what seems to be a trend that leans toward these characteristics.

Thoughts...

[Greg Massey]

Could this difference in sound very because of the geographic makeup of wild turkeys in the different regions of the species and states. I know some hunters like a clear yelp because of the region or state they are hunting. Others like a box with high pitch and heavy bark of the roll over with rasp. I think a lot of builder just try to hit a in between sound to suit most buyers. Older birds tend to have more vocal raspy and the younger hens tend to have a less rasp and clear voice. Interesting to say the least in the trends of what the builder is hearing and turning his boxes. Good post Scott...

[Tom007]

I am the furthest thing from a call maker, but could the region where the wood used has differing climates and weather exposure conditions? This could lead to differing tones on the boxes? Or is it just the way the call makers from the 2 regions tune and make their calls?

[West Augusta]

Scott,
I've always thought that there was a difference in what a southern turkey hunter and a northern turkey hunter wanted in a call.  BUT, I always thought it was the other way around.   

[culpeper]

I don't think it's a geographic variance or due to climatic differences, JMO.  I suspect it's connected to the bloom of call making in the south, not sure of the time frame and what, at that time, the calllmakers thought was a good realistic sound.  My understanding is the nothern callmakers 'lagged' behind those of the south in popularity, just be natural circumstance.

I actually find this interesting and also suspect it could be influenced by Neil Cost.  I have run 5-6 of his calls in the past, both Box Calls and Paddle Calls and all had a much "softer" sound than what most callmakers build nowadays.  Steve Mann, Lamar Williams, Darren Dawkins also seem to have similar southern clearer sounds in their calls.  Last, it may also have a lot to do with the amount of Eastern Red Cedar they use, Neil as well.  It's a lighter wood and almost every call I have heard with ERC, especially paddle calls were milder in sound.

[Yelper]

I am not sure that North or South has any thing to do with call sounds. Plenty of people in the south use raspy calls and plenty of people up north use the cleaner sounding calls also. I have been hunting turkey's for 27 years now and I do like a box call, pot call and my mouth calls to have a nice clean sounding yelp to them.

I have had most of my success using these types of calls and have tried the more raspy calls with little to no success, I will say that I may not have giving enough time to using the raspy calls, but I have a lot of confidence in the calls I have used and therefore will use them on a regular basis. But I will end with saying that either a clean call or a raspy call the main thing I look for in one is that it has a really good 2 note yelp.

I hunt North South & West and prefer the cleaner yelps without all the Rasp or Yalk as it is often referred to.

I mainly hunt Alabama, Texas and Michigan.

[Spitten and drummen]

Im in the deep south and I love rasp. If a call is not raspy I dont usually hunt it. From what I have seen , Northern turkey hunters for the most part has a faster tempo in their cadence , not all but the majority that I have listened to do.That beings said , maybe Southern hens talk like Southern people. A slow drawl. Lol.

[Happy]

I tend to like calls with less rasp than most. Most of the hens in my kneck of the woods aren't very raspy unless they are really leaning into their yelps. Doesn't hurt to have both options though.

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[culpeper]

Im in the deep south and I love rasp. If a call is not raspy I dont usually hunt it. From what I have seen , Northern turkey hunters for the most part has a faster tempo in their cadence , not all but the majority that I have listened to do.That beings said , maybe Southern hens talk like Southern people. A slow drawl. Lol.

Love your last sentence.

[larry9988]

Being from about as south as you can get, I agree with West Augusta. People from the south used to  prefer the Lynch  or Neil Cost sound in a box call. Most of the Northern callers I have dealt with liked that clearer sounding box yelp. I have seen a change in the last couple of years in that southern callers are liking more of the northern sound. I think the change is due to youtube and the internet giving us the chance to hear something else. Years ago most everyone from the south wanted the deep two note raspy yelp because that was the only box call we had ever heard, but now it's changing. The sound the regional call makers were putting out before there were so many custom makers were what influenced what we wanted.

[Spring Creek Calls]

I personally agree with West Augusta and Larry. I and most of the guys I hunt with  (MI) far prefer the higher sweeter "yelp" over the lower, raspier "yawlk".

[culpeper]

I personally agree with West Augusta and Larry. I and most of the guys I hunt with  (MI) far prefer the higher sweeter "yelp" over the lower, raspier "yawlk".

Well, Mike, you can just send back that Walnut box call...

[AppalachianHollers]

I prefer a sweeter yelp over the low "yawk" personally. And I feel I get the former more reliably with a walnut box. Even if the lid isn't walnut, it's more likely to be on the "Yelp" side of the scale. Makes me wonder if walnut was more common among northern box call makers than in the south. As someone mentioned earlier, lots of cedar gets used down here.


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[Bowguy]

Im in the deep south and I love rasp. If a call is not raspy I dont usually hunt it. From what I have seen , Northern turkey hunters for the most part has a faster tempo in their cadence , not all but the majority that I have listened to do.That beings said , maybe Southern hens talk like Southern people. A slow drawl. Lol.

The tempo thing I believe is correct. These northerners talk way too fast. The women cackle even faster. They don't shut up either. God almighty it's bad

[Spring Creek Calls]

Well, Mike, you can just send back that Walnut box call...
[/quote]

Not doing it Scott, that box (bloodwood/walnut) is the ideal combination of starting a bit high and sweet and finishing with the rasp. Best of both worlds.