Leon's turkey caller

[Herb McClure]

When I pulled up Leon's thread and see there are over 1700 views or hits, I realized that many turkey hunters are either interested or curious; about the Leon Turkey Caller. Over the 50 years; I have used this caller; I have only known of no more than 10 or 12 turkey callers; who could really use this caller. However, those few were very great turkey callers; judging from the number of gobblers they regularly killed.
I feel very for chant, to have been tooter-ed by Leon himself, which was by the telephone. I learned how to hold the caller, how to draw breath-in from deep down in the throat and how to keep the caller in top-notch shape for calling.
Yes, like all turkey hunters, I tried and used everything that I could find that would make a turkey sound. But, for me, nothing called gobblers like the Leon caller.
It's no secrete, to anyone, who knows anything about Herb McClure; how addicted he became hunting remote high mountain gobblers on the Blue Ridge WMA; located in North Georgia's mountains. After 20 years hunting the Blue Ridge and lots of other places, I settled on just Blue Ridge gobblers, because my desire in turkey hunting; was not; to see how many gobblers I might kill, but the hardy hunting was what I enjoyed.
Why would I want to hunt in a more differ-cult place? To get away from lots of hunters, because of my lack of hearing; other hunters will and do take advantage of you without hearing and there are thousands of places to get away. I even wrote a book   about my life as a turkey hunter and using Leon's turkey caller.
Herb McClure

[ElkTurkMan]

I was lucky enough to  find a Leon's Caller and purchase it. I am tickled to death to own such an awesome piece of turkey hunting history. I would love to learn how to use it and take a bird with it one day. We will see.

[earl9932]

As a kid I always saw this call on my dad's work bench. I can't say that I every saw him use it and I believe it may still be intact in the original box; I'll have to inquire the next time I visit. What are these calls valued at now?

[Herb McClure]

 :turkey2:Would like to say again, how impressed I am at all the hits that Leon's Turkey Caller has generated; over the last eight months. Ovhttp://oldgobbler.com/Forum/Smileys/classic/turkey2.gifer 3,250 hits showing, the last post was posted in May-20http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/Smileys/classic/turkey2.gif18. 

[Herb McClure]

Still amazed at the number of hits this old thread still receives. Saw on another turkey forum where a guy in Virginia is making and selling replacement rubber diaphragms like the original diaphragms Leon Johenning made. Go to GON's turkey talk for information.

For call makers. I have a home-made version of Leon's turkey caller, which was made by a late friend from black walnut wood many years ago. To tell the truth, I like it every bit as much as the originals I have. The walnut wood gives the call a different tone than the originals have, and that's good with me as turkeys have different tones in their calls.

[Yoder409]

Funny thing.......  Just this past weekend, I happened across a Leon's 45 RPM instructional record .

[Herb McClure]

This will be a call that will very hard to reproduce the 3 metal parts will have to be stamped and to make the dies will cost more than you could ever sell enough to re coupe your cost and if you hand made them the cost would be so high you could never sell them.

Mr. Bob. thank you so much for the Leons turkey caller you made and gave me at Unicoi. I would like very much like to send you a personal message through old gobbler if I can.
Herb McClure

[Austy]

Knowing that Ol Bob made you one I am sure it is about as close a reproduction to an original as one can get.  You being a master of that style of call I know that you will appreciate all the work that Bob put into that call for you as your Post here already signifies.  Would love to see a picture of what Ol Bob was able to do for you.  Enjoy and AWESOME job Bob.

[Herb McClure]

Thanks, Mr. Austy for your request to see Mr. Bob's Leon's caller he made and gave it to me. It is a work of art.
I have never learned the ropes of putting a photo on a form, however, I will try to get some help and have it shown in the near future.
Herb   

[Herb McClure]

This is a reference post to pull back up and show the history and the information about Leon's Turkey Caller, which I have nearly sixty years using this caller.
Herb McClure

[Spitten and drummen]

That call is a real piece of history.

[CrankyTom]

 This is the patent...

https://patents.google.com/patent/US2833086A/en?oq=Us2%2c833%2c086+turkey+call