How many turkey calls?

A sampling some key turkey calls I’ve used for years. How many do I have?

It's been troubling me. The question concerns how many turkey calls I own. Got no clue so the only resource is to count them.

I went through the diaphragm calls, the owl hooters, wingbone yelpers, box calls, crow calls, push-pull and all the friction and slate calls.

Take a guess. How many turkey calls do I own?

Almost everything I do goes to one extreme or another. Too many? I personally think, like with fishing or hunting books, one can never have too many turkey calls. I doesn't help that I seem to lose a few each hunting season, try to find them, give up and wind up buying more.

There was a preliminary guess that I made before going through my turkey hunting vest and all my spare calls, and I was off by a good bit. Nope, I'm not going to tell you whether my guess was high or low.

Instead, I choose to make it a guessing game for readers. How many turkey calls do you think I own? Email me at <dave@daverichey.com>, and give me your total count. Leave your name abd address with your guess, and a week from now, I will see who guessed closest to the total of all turkey calls.

I will pick two winners, those that guess exactly the total number or are the closest to the total number. Each one will receive a free autographed copy of my book "Hunting Michigan Whitetails." It will take just a minute to guess the number of calls, and send me an email with your name. Put the word "Calls" in the memo line of your email.

Keep in mind, this includes all locator calls (be it a crow, owl or screaming peacock or whatever). It also will include box calls (including my working calls and collector models that are not used).

This question involves all types of turkey calls.

Also included will be my wingbone calls, and here I'll give you a hint. Wingbone calls are fairly scarce in my collection, and I've never practices each with them to be proficient at calling birds.

Then there are the box calls, in all shapes and sizes, and some are decorated with actual drawings and signed by the maker. One little hint: My collection includes at least one call made by the late but legendary turkey hunter, Ben Rogers Lee of widespread fame.

Then there are the aluminum, glass, slate, etc. calls that are used. Some calls have a single surface while other calls  have as many as three or four different surface materials that make different sounds.

There also are rubber shaker calls that can produce a reasonable facsimile of a gobbler, but I seldom use them except when hunting private land.

Last, but certainly not least, are the push-pull calls that are great for working birds that are heading toward your calling location. Some hunters tape them to the forend of their shotgun, and can activate the call while the shotgun is shouldered across your knees. This is a very versatile call, and one that I use often when birds are close.

Note that some of these calls are rather unorthodox in appearance and how they function. There are snuff can calls, scratch box calls, and diaphragm calls with, double and thriple reeds.

Frankly, I use perhaps six or seven calls in a season although there have been a few times when I've used a dozen different calls on any given day. Why, you might ask.

I've gone after a gobbler, get fairly close, and use one or two calls. If the bird keeps moving away, it becomes a run-and-gun chase and I often keep moving, trying to get ahead of him, and try a different call. If that doesn't work, there may be another foot race and two or three others calls will be tried. I've found, that on any given day, the birds will respond to one call but ignore all others.

E-mail me your guess plus name, address & phone, & two will get a free book.

That means a turkey hunter must be versatile in his hunting techniques and the calls he uses. I once used an old box call that seemed to be on its last legs, and it made a squeaky sound like an old rusty gate being opened. On occasion it would work when everything else failed. Sadly, I raced to a spot to get ahead of the bird, sat down and crushed the call.

Here are other clues that may help. I have calls signed by Greg Abbas, the late Roger Latham,the late Ben Lee, Harold Knight & David Hall, the late Dick Kerby, the Birdman, Paul Butski, Primos, Pro Automatic,  Rick Reid, Dean Stratton, and Woods-Wise to name just a few. Some dandy calls are well worn, and names or companies are no longer legible, but it doesn't stop the birds from coming to them.

Look through your own turkey calls, and see how many you have. Ask yourself: does Richey have more or fewer than me? I'm asking for the total number, not just how many I will use during the season.

I have wingbone yelpers and box calls that will never be used. They are simply too beautiful, and too expensive, to risk damaging. Those calls are included in the total amount.

So, take a chance. It's not a big deal. All I need is your name, email address which will be provided when you email me, and your closest guess as to the total.

Two winners will get a free book, sent postpaid. Just one guess per email, but all family members can guess. Who knows, you may win.

If you don't win, we'll have another contest some other time. It's one way to spend a few minutes as we wait for turkey season to arrive in April. Take a wild flying guess, and perhaps you'll win.

It will be fun, and I'l report the winners, their guesses and the exact number of turkey calls I own. You can't win if you don't put in.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors