By Philip Bourjaily

For one of the extra credit questions in April’s “Gobbler Exam” quiz, Senior Editor Colin Kearns asked me if I could make an improvised turkey call. I looked around the top of the landfill that is my desk, found a ballpoint pen, a 12 gauge hull and some duct tape and cobbled together the trumpet call you see pictured here.

A ballpoint pen turns out to be a perfect primer punch, so the first step is to pop out the old primer. Then you take the insides out of the pen, leaving a hollow plastic tube. Put the end of the pen over the primer hole – it doesn’t quite fit, but it doesn’t matter – just hold it in place and wrap the whole thing together with duct tape.

When I tried this, I had never done it before and had no idea what to expect, but it makes sounds which could, I think, call in a really, really lonely turkey. To run it, hold the shotgun shell in the web between your thumb and index finger. You can cup the other hand over that one to make a sound chamber and change tones. Put about a quarter of an inch of the mouthpiece between your lips and, keeping your lips pressed together, make a kind of kiss, sucking into the call. With a little practice, you can get decent clucks and yelps out of it.

Comments (14)

from spiaailtli wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

...and then run down to the creek and find a piece of slate and use it as a striker. It is a double duty call.

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from bluegraytx wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

... which end is the mouthpiece?

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from BowtechWVU wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

cool post about a decent turkey call

+3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from BowtechWVU wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

cool post about a decent turkey call

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from BowtechWVU wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

cool post about a decent turkey call

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jscottevans wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

Is Bourjaily French for "MacGyver"? Pretty quick thinking and wonderful use of everyday items.

+3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Dave DiBenedetto wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

Phil, Good stuff! The late Neil "Gobbler" Cost could sound convincingly like a turkey by blowing on a blade of fescue grass. I watched him do it once...unreal. His box calls weren't bad either...

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Beekeeper wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

Phil,

My Grand Pa made them out of reed cane (bamboo) assemble them on the same principle as either a 2 piece or 3 piece wing bone call. Trumpet, wingbone and cane calls can be deadly on an old tom that has heard everything.

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from Del in KS wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

The body of a government ball point pen will do the same thing. Just take it apart and kiss the small end like a wing bone call.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Sarge01 wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

Looks like a modern day wingbone call.

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from Elliott Balthazor wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

what about a really really really lonely turkey

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from halg wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

Of course, you accomplish the same thing using just the straw & the same kissing action. Cup your hands over teh end of the straw to make a sound chamber & vary the pitch my opening & closing the cup on your hands. A bar straw, like comes in your coktails gives better results, but a sodda straw will work

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from dale freeman wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

I have used the straw with sucsess.
try it.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from cosplay wrote 2 years 44 weeks ago

cool post about a decent turkey call

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

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from BowtechWVU wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

cool post about a decent turkey call

+3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jscottevans wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

Is Bourjaily French for "MacGyver"? Pretty quick thinking and wonderful use of everyday items.

+3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from spiaailtli wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

...and then run down to the creek and find a piece of slate and use it as a striker. It is a double duty call.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from bluegraytx wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

... which end is the mouthpiece?

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from BowtechWVU wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

cool post about a decent turkey call

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Dave DiBenedetto wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

Phil, Good stuff! The late Neil "Gobbler" Cost could sound convincingly like a turkey by blowing on a blade of fescue grass. I watched him do it once...unreal. His box calls weren't bad either...

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Beekeeper wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

Phil,

My Grand Pa made them out of reed cane (bamboo) assemble them on the same principle as either a 2 piece or 3 piece wing bone call. Trumpet, wingbone and cane calls can be deadly on an old tom that has heard everything.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Elliott Balthazor wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

what about a really really really lonely turkey

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from BowtechWVU wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

cool post about a decent turkey call

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Del in KS wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

The body of a government ball point pen will do the same thing. Just take it apart and kiss the small end like a wing bone call.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Sarge01 wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

Looks like a modern day wingbone call.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from halg wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

Of course, you accomplish the same thing using just the straw & the same kissing action. Cup your hands over teh end of the straw to make a sound chamber & vary the pitch my opening & closing the cup on your hands. A bar straw, like comes in your coktails gives better results, but a sodda straw will work

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from dale freeman wrote 3 years 10 weeks ago

I have used the straw with sucsess.
try it.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from cosplay wrote 2 years 44 weeks ago

cool post about a decent turkey call

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.