Trumpet Playing The Journey

[Greg Massey]

I have a pretty good collection of boxes and pot calls and over the years I've really enjoyed playing and hunting these calls. My trumpet journey started back several months ago and after talking with people on the forum, I acquired several trumpets from different builders and started learning and asking questions as i was in the process of learning all about these air calls as i play them. I've learned about air draw, hand placement, back pressure, ease of play and just plain old relaxing as you play these calls. The importance of adjusting your lip stop and just how important a lip stop design is to my overall playing. Oval shape, flat top and size of the overall lip stop play a part for myself in playing these calls. I'm amazed by the pitch / tone and sounds of these calls. I have for the last several months met some awesome call builders of these calls and how they have shared information. The different materials used for mouthpieces, the trumpet material / tone woods and Delrin used are amazing with these calls just to name a few of the materials. I know from seeing other materials used it's pretty amazing the sound quality these calls produce. I feel these trumpets / air calls in my opinion are a lot less finicky than say a box call or pot call. So I'm just sharing my journey and what i have learned from playing these awesome calls. The old saying is that you never get too old to learn. I give a lot of the credit to the air call builders on this forum for helping me enjoy the journey along the way. So if your undecided on getting one of these type calls, I suggest you do and take the journey of learning and playing these calls. IMO... Share with us about your journey of learning and playing these instruments.

[outdoors]

Several years ago

[Sir-diealot]

Trying, I seem to have problems with all the wind instruments of turkey calling as I like to call them but I am trying to learn, trumpets, wingbones, yelpers, tube calls even diaphragms, I am not doing well with any of them but I am trying. Not a problem with the quality of the calls, problems with me it seems, wish I knew somebody in my area that was good with them that I could sit with one on one and get some instructions, tried all the videos but very little luck. I am glad you are doing better than I am.

[ScottTaulbee]

I got my first one in 2019, it was an all walnut deal, fixed lipstop, etc. I don't remember who made it. I'm pretty sure I got it off eBay for 20 or 30$. I had made and used my own wing bones since about 2008 or 09 and apparently I had been playing them wrong because I've never used the lip kissing method on the wing bones and I got the trumpet about a month before season. It wasn't anything fancy and it would only do soft stuff. The first morning I used it I slipped in to a roost and was tree yelping at hens, they flew down and marched right in to me, unfortunately there was no gobbler with them. I saw the draw power of them then and about 3 days later I lost it out of my vest pocket. I never knew "call makers" made those and thought that was some off the wall design that I fell in to. Well around the beginning of 2021 I saw Daryal Gosey post in the classifieds that he had some made up and bought one. It had a lot better tone and sound than the first one, and I had used it with good success that season. After using it more I fell in love with that style call. I've always carried the standard box, slate, mouth calls, and a wing bone but that trumpet was something different to me. The mouth call has always been my number 1 and if I ever forget them at home I'd turn around and get them before I hunted with a pot call or box call only. Well now the trumpet call is on that list with my mouth calls. I got a Corian trumpet from Kenneth Mullins, then his boss lady Jordan yelper, then a ABW from Irving Whitt, a cocobola with snow goose mouth piece from Mike Robare, and a walnut one with copper mouth piece and a deer antler top I don't remember who made, and on Permar's list for a delrin .45 and have Daryal Gosey making me another. I enjoy playing them all and they all have their different tones and pitches. You'll find me without a box call or pot call fairly often but you won't see me without a trumpet or my mouth calls. They're not magic, but just like a mouth call, you can put hours upon hours of practice in to them and learn something new every time and they work!.


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[Meleagris gallopavo]

I agree with what's been said thus far.  Each trumpet of mine, for the most part, has a different sound, especially pitch.  Lipstop placement is different for each one and some were really hard to play until I modified the lipstop.  One trumpet in particular I hated to use until I changed the lipstop and now it's 100% easier and more fun to run.  I've learned that the angle and lip placement is important for me between clucks and yelps.  Balancing yelp cadence with air flow is tricky for me but I'm getting there.  I have not field tested a trumpet yet but I will this year. 


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[Ranger]

Mercy

[Gobbler428]

I agree with everything said thus far. I started my trumpet journey in 2018 when I got a Bocote T6 from Anthony Ellis. I thought I would never learn to get turkey sounds out of that thing but six or seven months later I finally did.  I took that call to the woods the next spring and killed a longbeard with it from start to finish. I was then sold on trumpets and had to have more of them. I guess you could say I became addicted to them and now have more of them than I'll ever need. I have found that they all sound a little different depending on what their made of, how long they are, internals, lip stop, barrel size etc.  Some are easier to run for me than others but with practice and persistence you can learn to play them all once you figure out how they like to be played. I have found that trumpets are a lot like turkeys, they all look similar but they all have their own unique likes and dislikes when it comes to being played or called to the gun. Just like turkeys, they take a lot of patience and persistence and the more you run them the more you learn about running them.

[cannonball]

I got my first Trumpet back in 2011 from Jack (Pappy) Lewis on this forum. Pappy was one of the finest gentlemen you could ever meet and I feel honored to own one of his calls before his passing. I was on the first Old Gobbler all trumpet hunting contest team back in 2012, The Trumpet Thumpers. The next call I purchased came from a Trumpet Thumpers team mate, Brian Mero. I really liked the trumpet that Brian made for me. A nice eastern gobbler also liked the trumpet and I put up a score for team Trumpet Thumpers (pic below). Shortly after that I ordered a trumpet from Billy Buice and it's a dandy as well. This year my goal is to take another gobbler with a trumpet, I'm still trying to decide which one to use. I'll probably order another one before season starts since I like to complicate things. 

[Zobo]

Very cool^!!!

[outdoornut]

I got hooked on trumpets back in 2006. My first few were Bob  Buckners.I been collecting and hunting them every since.I would feel "naked " if I went in the woods without  one.

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[paboxcall]

I've been hunting with a trumpet or wing bone at least 20 years. I've owned, traded, or sold a number of different trumpets during that time, from the likes of Watkins, Buice, Hegler, Permar, Bott, Constantine, and several others. Trial and error, my ear and turkey responses have settled on Permar and Bott.

I also hunt a Jordan style made by Sharpe and Ezolt, and a wing bone my Ezolt.

I've come a long way, been successful in the woods, but recently shared a couple of sound files with renown suction callers for help getting those fine tuning issues resolved. Its a long road, but the journey has countless rewards for the effort invested.

It was two years before I felt confident to hunt with one, but since that first successful hunt I've carried one every day afield since.

[Ondavirg]

I started down this path about the same time as Greg did.  Greg Gwaltney made me a beautiful trumpet a few months ago and I started playing it everyday on my way to work.  There's a learning curve, that's for sure!  I struggled to make consistent sound, much less turkey sounds, due to my inconsistent lip placement and tension.  I believe I was struggling because I was focused on where I placed my lips, but the focus should have been on consistent lip tension (or lack of).  Regardless, after a few months of playing the trumpet, I have become pretty confident with it. I picked up a couple others as well.  The first hunt of the year found me calling for my son.  I was anxious to try it out, but I found it more difficult to consistently play than it was in my truck.  We were lucky enough to find one gobbling mid day, and I got him to gobble a few times with a trumpet.  I predominantly used my traditional calls to close the deal and get him to the gun.  But that gave me confidence for the next trip, and after fiddling with this bird for 45 minutes with my pot calls, I switched to the trumpet. This time I made it sound like I wanted to, and the difference in sound was obvious to me and the old gobbler.  He about faced and marched into range for my other son.  The next day another bird, this time for myself.  I didn't play another call on that hunt, just two trumpets.  Fast forward to last weekend, and I repeated the same feat again at my camp.  I can't make all the sounds I want to learn, but the sound you can make from these calls is just different.  I can't believe how confident I have become with these calls over my tried and true favorites, but the results speak for themselves.  It helps that I have lots of time in the truck to practice.  Now I want to try different makers and different woods.  I'm already on a few waiting lists!

[fordhunt]

Greg, hard to believe you're just now getting in to air operated calls ,let the fun begin this spring. I've been a air type caller for 35+yrs one thing I can tell you definitely don't have to be the best caller to make that bird respond,its just something different to the bird .some people don't use a lip stop ,I myself play a call way better with one .hope you have a great season this year hunting a Air call ..

[ScottTaulbee]

Greg, hard to believe you're just now getting in to air operated calls ,let the fun begin this spring. I've been a air type caller for 35+yrs one thing I can tell you definitely don't have to be the best caller to make that bird respond,its just something different to the bird .some people don't use a lip stop ,I myself play a call way better with one .hope you have a great season this year hunting a Air call ..

Greg, Kenneth is as good as they come, if you don't have one of his get one!.


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[Spring Creek Calls]

My path has been fairly short so far as I recently started playing the trumpet game. Bought a used 2017 Lewis Inzer osage trumpet a couple years ago and practiced on and off with it for a year. Decided last year to give it a try in the woods. After a couple days of chasing public land out of state gobblers around some high ridges and multiple close encounters, I pulled out the trumpet and was able to draw out a near perfect 4 or 5 note yelp when I knew they were within hearing. 3 mature toms crested the small rise between us within a couple minutes and one stayed with me. I now have 2 trumpets (Greg Gwaltney) and a Black Falcon on it's way. Got a feeling there will be more.