What's with the trumpet bling?

[Brillo]

I have noticed that people making trumpets and wing bone calls like to embellish their work with metal or beads or a glossy finish, etc.  Considering a turkey's keen eyesight I would think that some designs would be adding an element of risk.  Where would you draw the line on this or am I paranoid?

[Greg Massey]

I think if the gobbler can see my trumpet / wingbone, then I should pull the trigger and make him flop... IMO .. It's no different than a glass pot call flashing ... IMO

[Sir-diealot]

I think it goes back to the way Native Americans and early trappers would decorate their gear with beads, feathers, skins and so on.

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[Zobo]

I love the artistic touches that call makers add to trumpets and pots and boxes too. There is a limit for me of what's acceptable, for example I'm not wearing a bright red or blue trumpet around my neck in the public woods. I once saw a box call that was the exact same shade of gobbler blue, no thanks.
My favorite trumpets are made of very grainy woods like ironwood. Cocobolo and b+w ebony etc. They provide a natural camo effect that's not necessary but kind of cool.

[EZ]

I have noticed that people making trumpets and wing bone calls like to embellish their work with metal or beads or a glossy finish, etc.  Considering a turkey's keen eyesight I would think that some designs would be adding an element of risk.  Where would you draw the line on this or am I paranoid?

Speaking only for myself and my wingbones and yelpers, the glossy finish comes from the epoxy finish I use. I didn't always use it because of exactly what you speak of, but the lacquer and other spray finishes just never held up to heavy use. I guess if the call spent it's life in a glass show case, that would be ok, but I want my calls to be used and I want them to hold up.

I do coffee stain my wingbones (unless requested otherwise) and I was reluctant to go to the epoxy finish, but I can say with absolute certainty that I'm glad I did. I makes the call much stronger, protects the thread wrapping and I actually think it adds to the resonance of the call.

[eggshell]

Blinking eyes will spook more birds then any bling ever will. Like someone said , if he's that close shoot him.

[paboxcall]

Blinking eyes will spook more birds then any bling ever will.

I resent that comment.

[Zobo]

I have noticed that people making trumpets and wing bone calls like to embellish their work with metal or beads or a glossy finish, etc.  Considering a turkey's keen eyesight I would think that some designs would be adding an element of risk.  Where would you draw the line on this or am I paranoid?

Speaking only for myself and my wingbones and yelpers, the glossy finish comes from the epoxy finish I use. I didn't always use it because of exactly what you speak of, but the lacquer and other spray finishes just never held up to heavy use. I guess if the call spent it's life in a glass show case, that would be ok, but I want my calls to be used and I want them to hold up.

I do coffee stain my wingbones (unless requested otherwise) and I was reluctant to go to the epoxy finish, but I can say with absolute certainty that I'm glad I did. I makes the call much stronger, protects the thread wrapping and I actually think it adds to the resonance of the call.

Tony's calls give you everything in one package. I LOVE the coffee stain so it's not bright white. Sound is always great. And you get the bling in the artwork and design, but it's not overdone. Shiny earth tones do exist in nature, think wet leaves, so as long as youre still it shouldn't be a problem.

[Yoder409]

Blinking eyes will spook more birds then any bling ever will.

I resent that comment.

Pull your facemask up, Marvin !!!!

[davisd9]

If he is close enough to spook by what my trumpet looks like as long as it is not a reflection of light, then he is close enough for me to kill.

[Meleagris gallopavo]

I have noticed that people making trumpets and wing bone calls like to embellish their work with metal or beads or a glossy finish, etc.  Considering a turkey's keen eyesight I would think that some designs would be adding an element of risk.  Where would you draw the line on this or am I paranoid?

I do coffee stain my wingbones (unless requested otherwise) and I was reluctant to go to the epoxy finish, but I can say with absolute certainty that I'm glad I did.

I was wondering what the dark color was from.  Looks cool.


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[Meleagris gallopavo]

I also agree that if he can see the bling on a call he should already be dead.  I'm more concerned with movement, my face, and to some degree my gun.  If I'm calling super close, like a bird right on me but we still can't see each other, I'm using a diaphragm or maybe my new pushpin. 

On another note, I prefer a coat of finish on a call that makes the wood grain pop!  I don't like it when I get a call that looks like a piece of wood right off the Lowe's rack. 

[Zobo]

I don't know exactly how far a turkey can see a trumpet strung around my neck, but I'd bet it's farther than the distance I can effectively shoot and kill them at. I always think of Doug Camp's observation that a turkeys eye sockets are bigger than his brain cavity.

[eggshell]

I agree with most that the finish or bling on any call is not going to spook a turkey. My truck is bright shiny red and I often park in the woods (I actually live on a farm and my house is in the woods edge) or a field edge. More than once I have watched turkeys strutt right beside it with no concern. Like I said before it's movement that spooks them. They know the woods they live in very well. Sometime when your hunting with someone else look at them sitting by that tree, to me they do not look like part of the tree. I suspect the turkeys already know it's something different and as long as it doesn't do anything threatening they ignore it. The biggest thing with shiny or unnatural colored items is it gives them a focus point. If they watch that spot long enough they catch a movement and prior experience alarms go off and he's gone. When I mentioned blinking earlier I was serious. I almost always avert my eyes and only watch a bird in my peripheral vision. My gun is solid black and I suppose over the years it has cost me a few birds but it's never cost me a season's bag limit. I know a guy that never wears camouflage, just natural colored clothes. He killed a bird a couple seasons back wearing a flannel shirt in brown, green and some patches of creme color. I know another guy that wears buckskins. Again, it's movement not bling. 

[crow]

Of course it matters, haven't you people watched westerns with Apaches flashing mirrors  from ridge to ridge. You  would never know they were there without mirror glare.