Trip down memory lane

[Yoder409]

When I started turkey hunting..........a long time ago........there were only 3 brands of calls to be had anywhere in my end of the state.  Of course, Lynch, which was the least commonly found, Quaker Boy, which held a good bit of the market, and Smith's Game Calls (Jim Smith of Summerville) was the most prominent and most commonly found.

The Smith name had been sold to another callmaker several years back.  Mr. Smith passed away last summer at the age of 89.  The grapevine had it that a family member of Jim Smith's had the last remaining calls that Jim had made himself.  I contacted the guy and paid him a visit yesterday.  The remaining calls are in two boxes that you could stack both and easily carry.  I was pressed for time.  But I did bring home an example each of boxcalls I did not already have and a duplicate (the Sweet Butternut.....Smith's "trademark" call) of one I do have.

The calls will make a nice addition to the Pennsylvania callmaker section of my accumulation.

[paboxcall]

That's really cool, Yoder, well done. I had a Smith call just like the all butternut on the left, used it to call in my first fall bird on my first fall hunt.

Thought this turkey hunting stuff was easy!

Congrats!

[Yoder409]

That's really cool, Yoder, well done. I had a Smith call just like the all butternut on the left, used it to call in my first fall bird on my first fall hunt.

Thought this turkey hunting stuff was easy!

Congrats!

There's a WHOOOOLE LOT of fellows in this state whose first turkey call said "Smith Game Calls, Summerville, PA" on 'em.   Yep.

[paboxcall]

The others are purpleheart lids over butternut?

[Yoder409]

The others are purpleheart lids over butternut?

Some over butternut.   Some over quaking aspen.

I was only dimly aware that Jim had made the No 7 and No 8 calls.   I was most familiar with the Sweet Butternut and the ST-17

[bobk]

 The Sweet Butternut call was a  genuine turkey killer.
In my area they would be for sale in the local barber shop which was also a sporting good store.

[Yoder409]

The Sweet Butternut call was a  genuine turkey killer.
In my area they would be for sale in the local barber shop which was also a sporting good store.

Just outta curiosity as to how far the Smith calls were distributed...........where was that area ??

I was raised in Indiana County.  Smith's was by FAR the most prevalent brand in Indiana and surrounding counties.

[bobk]

They were available  in both Elk and Cameron  Counties. My relatives in southern Somerset County could get them in there area.

[crow]

Just crow hunted yesterday with an old Smiths crow call, it still sounds good.

I'm at the bottom of York co., picked it up at the Harrisburg show in the late 1980's along with a slate/glass 2 sided pot call that still gets used occasionally.

[Yoder409]

Yep.   The Smith's crow call was a real keeper !!!

[Turkeyman62]

Jim made great calls. I had one of his crow callers and let it slip through my hands foolishly.

[gobblers roost]

Wow, all nice

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[larry9988]

Great collection, always fun to collect from makers that live close by. One of my favorite calls is a scratch box call made by Deacon Smith formerly of Fort Gaines Georgia. I saw one of his calls many years ago in the hardware store in Fort Gaines. The store used to sell his calls and it was the last one they had so they had held on to it for many years and would not sell it. The store owner let me look at it and take a few measurements from the call. That began my call making. That was thirty years ago. A friend of mine knew his son and told him that I really wanted one of his Dad's calls. Deacon had just passed away and he had just been going through his stuff and found a box of calls in a closet. His son sent me one, and it is my most prized call. (And I have a lot by the way) Your collection is a great tribute to the call maker. Congratulations

[larry9988]

 Stamped on the side of the Deacon Smith scratch box were the words " Make a young hen leave it's mother." He used to do a lot of fall hunting in Alabama when it still had a fall season.

[coyote1]

Those are all very nice calls.