Nature's Noisemakers

by Dickson Stauffer and Ralph Duren
illustrated by Mark Raithel

Can you call a turkey with a turkey?

Master this ancient call and you can sound exactly like a turkey at home, school or in the woods. Think of the possibilities.

Turkeys originally were found only in North and Central America. The birds were as tasty to the early American Indians as they are to present day Thanksgiving diners. But early hunters also had the same problem as modern bowhunters-how to lure the wary wild turkey within reach of an arrow.

The earliest humans made bone flutes or whistles. Perhaps the idea for the turkey call we call the wingbone yelper came from these. Archaeologists have evidence that this noisemaker has been used for over 8,000 years by the Indians. The idea was imitated and modified by later settlers.

The earliest calls seem to have been simply the small radius bone with the ends cut off. Later, the ulna and humerus bones or short pieces of river cane were added, which worked like the bell or flare on the end of a horn to make the call louder.

Wild turkeys make many sounds, like the yelp, cluck, putt, gobble, purr, cackle and kee-kee. The yelp, though, is the basic call. The wingbone call imitates the yelps made by any turkey that is lost or trying to locate another. Hens yelp in spring to let gobblers know where they are and in fall to call their young. Although plastic and wood imitations are available, hunters still make the traditional call because it sounds perfect.

Art Editor Dick Stauffer has two noisy kids who tested and approved these calls and are now a big nuisance with their yelps. Public relations specialist Ralph Duren is a world-champion turkey and quail caller.

Champion caller Ralph Duren says the wingbones of fresh adult hen wild turkeys make the best calls because the radius bone is smaller and thinner than those of males. In Missouri, wild turkey hens may be hunted only during the fall turkey season, so these wings will be a bit scarce. Fresh domestic hen turkeys sometimes are available from grocery stores, and you can ask for turkey wings at the meat counter. That's how I got mine.

1. Clean the meat from the uncooked wing and separate the bones.

Wrap the ends of the bones in masking tape so they won't chip when they are cut. Support the end to be cut on a block of wood. Carefully cut the ends off with a fine-toothed hacksaw. Don't apply pressure. Just move the saw back and forth, and let it cut through by itself.

2. Use a piece of coat hanger wire, a pipe cleaner or a small file to push and clean the marrow from the inside of the bones.

Let the bones dry for two to three weeks.

Use a small file or carefully scrape the ends of the bonesjÝj'Ýnife so thatjûp ends of the smaller ones fit into the larger ones.

3. Once the bones are dry-fitted perfectly, glue them with five-minute epoxy. Hold the bones in position with masking tape. You may use white or carpenter's glue, but the call won't be waterproof.

4. After drying, fill in the gaps from the first glueing with additional glue.

To make soft yelps, cup your hands in front of the call, purse your lips, and suck or "kiss" air sharply through the small oval end bone. This call takes practice to master, so be patient. It also helps to know how a real turkey sounds.

Most of us can't get into the woods with an experienced caller to learn to call, but we can get video tapes of wild turkeys. Turkey calling and turkey hunting tapes usually are available for rent or sale from gun shops and stores with sporting goods sections. Some video rental stores have them, and your local librarian may also be able to help you. Study these, practice and, soon, you'll be talkin' turkey.