Well, it is only a few more months until the contest season rolls around, and I'm starting to get pumped already. But the fact of the matter is, I have a lot of practicing to do. It appears that my first contest of 2012 will be the PA State Championship. Often top callers show up to this contest; Josh Grossenbacher, Matt Van Cise, and Pat Strawser placed last year in this contest, as well as a few others. Just one week after that I will be competing in Harrisburg, PA at the 37th Annual NWTF PA Calling Contest. I will start breaking out the calls a few days a week for the next few weeks, and then progress to hopefully over an hour of practice every day by the second week of December. It does appear that there will not be a US Open this year in Harrisburg, so that is disappointing. But why not make the best of it!
While in the midst of all this practicing, I need to remember several things. First of all, I want to win. Plain and simple, I want to do my very best and win. But to me it is obvious that I am not going to win many contests, and placing in them is doubtful. Some of the biggest names in the calling circuit appear at these contests. Something else that I need to keep in mind is that I need to sound natural, like a hen, not someone calling. And thirdly, I need to have a blast on stage! One might ask, "How can I accomplish these three things, and become a better caller myself?" Let me help you out with that.
First of all, in order to keep a winning spirit, confidence is key. While I doubt that I will win or even place in these contests, I need to go up on stage and give it my all, and not be afraid to lose. One of a callers biggest problems can be nerves, or a lack of confidence, and that transfers to his air flow and his hands. In order to have this confidence, I need to practice, practice, practice. Hours of meaningful repetition can be the difference between 1st place and 5th place. When hunting, a hunter needs to be confident in his calling and woodsman-ship abilities. Just like hunting, confidence and practice is key to a successful day.
Secondly, natural hen tone, rhythm, and cadence is very important. Now I could practice for months and have complete confidence in myself, but sound nothing like a turkey. The fact of the matter is that no good soldier goes into battle without knowing how to properly operate all of his weapons and gear. Well, in order for me to be able to do well on stage, I need to sound just like a hen turkey. Sadly, I will need to sound better than a hen turkey. I recommend buying a good CD with wild turkey recordings on it. This enables me to practice my calling, while listening to other birds. Obviously, nothing is better than being in the woods with the birds and observing their mannerisms, but this is excellent, not to mention convenient, practice.
Lastly, having fun on stage is possibly one of the most key elements of turkey calling! The day that I don't enjoy competitive turkey calling, is the day that I need to step back and see why I'm there in the first place. Obviously, to have a good time I'm going to need to have a great attitude and a high level of confidence. Plus, if there is some good food around, that can always help lighten the mood! There is something that I haven't mentioned yet. In Pennsylvania there is a good group of regularly attending callers. The more contests I attend, the more I develop friendships with these great guys. Before the contest most of us are looking pretty serious (or maybe I'm just stressing out) but at the end most of us are talking and having a good time. This can really help one finish off their day with some fun.
With these three tips, I hope that you can become a better turkey caller on stage, and in the woods. Feeling good about your calling, sounding like a real hen, and having a good time can definitely improve anyone's overall experience in a competition. I hope to keep my readers updated on my progress in the months to come!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
How to Condition a Slate Style Turkey Call
You've spent days planning the perfect opening day. Each and every single one of your calls is working exactly how you want it to. With confidence and courage you enter your favorite gobbler hunting area and sit down at an optimal tree. Now nothing can be perfect, and we all know that there is no such thing as a perfect morning in the turkey woods. No matter how textbook a hunt can be, something, big or small, can always go wrong. Suddenly, a gobbler sounds off just one hundred yards down the hollow. What is the first word that comes to mind? "Perfect" is what comes to mine. You pull out your favorite anodized aluminum call. You know, the one that can do soft tree yelps and hard biting nasty yelps and cutts? In an excited turn of events, you apply the striker tip to the call to make a series of beautiful, mellow tree yelps, sure to make that gobbler want that submissive hen he is hearing. Instead, a horrid screech comes from the aluminum surface as your striker skips across the anodized aluminum. I highly doubt that this would have much of an effect on the hunt, as all hens sound different. But such an event as this can ruin one's confidence! This has happened to me and has definitely, though wrongly, ruined my confidence in the morning. "How can I prevent this?" you ask. Well, in this video that I made, I will show you just how I condition slate, glass, blasted glass, and anodized aluminum calls. Thank you and have a fantastic day!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Labor Day Weekend
If you do not have the weekend off, I am quite sorry! I always enjoy getting a break, even though school started just last Tuesday. Apart from a chemistry quiz to study for and a paper to type up, I am just participating in family activities and spending time with them. To be honest, I have not had time to practice my calling, and I have an order I need to ship out for a call once the post office opens back up. But a few days off can be good for any hobby. Thankfully, I don't have any calling contests for months from now, so I can afford to take a few days off.
One of the questions that came up this weekend was, "How did you learn how to call?" There is definitely no simple answer to such a question as this! I started five years ago by practicing with my father's A.M. Coiner slate call, much like a Lynch Jet slate. From there I bought a M.A.D. aluminum pot call, and my brother gave me his old, worn out box call. Worn out may not be quite the word for it, almost decrepit. Both of the side rails had been previously broken off and glued back on! I later managed to break off one of the side rails again. Of course then the diaphragm call craze hit me, but I talked about that in a previous post. After that, I bought locator calls, box calls, pot calls, strikers, and finally a wood lathe! I make pot calls and strikers on the wood lathe, and I have made a few scratch boxes by hand as well. This is abstract, but the other day my soccer coach said, "Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect!" Obviously he quoted that from another, but I am unaware as to who said it first. What I am saying is that I could run a turkey call for ten hours a day and be an absolutely terrible caller! Whereas if I try to correctly mimic the wild turkey hen, I may get better and better by the week!
Part of perfect practice is finding that call that fits me. I cannot run a V-Cut call at all, for a batwing is my call of choice. My second favorite call is an inverted V combo call. Between those two calls, I can do all of the required vocalizations in a contest. I used to kee kee run on a ghost cut, but now I find it much easier to kee kee run on an inverted V combo call. Other than turkey calls, I run crow, gobble, owl, coyote, and squirrel calls. This amazes some people, but I am by no means a fantastic caller. In order to practice to become perfect I recommend this list.
1. Buy a CD that has recordings of REAL wild turkey hens. I recommend http://www.treetopturkeys.com/index.html
2. Depending on the type of call that you want to learn, you should buy several different models of the same type of call. For diaphragm calls, buy a batwing, a v-cut, and an inverted V combo cut. The inverted V looks like a half batwing/half v-cut. With pot calls I recommend buying a slate, a glass crystal or bronze glass call, and an aluminum or ceramic call. I highly recommend the Hook's Assasin line of pot calls. I compete with the bronze glass and the aluminum. Hook's Friction Calls In all honesty, I do not recommend buying more than one or two box calls to start out with. I really like a purpleheart lid over a cedar box and a walnut lid over a poplar box. Those two calls will give you distinctly different tones.
3. Practice with that call almost every day. At times listen to the turkeys on the CD and try to mimic a certain hen with that call. Learn to manipulate it and make it sound like a few different turkeys.
4. Try new things. I was guilty of trimming calls before I even let them get broken in. A diaphragm call often needs to be broken in for a few days.
5. Find a call that fits you. Many diaphragm calls have tape on the frame. Depending on the size of your mouth, you may need a larger or smaller tape size. Trimming them down can be done with a pair of sharp scissors, but cut small amounts at a time!!
6. Record yourself calling. My camera has still picture, video, and audio recording modes. I often set it to audio mode and I'll set the camera down outside about 5-10 yards from me. I will then proceed to call and walk around as a turkey would in the woods. I do not advise doing this indoors as the acoustics of the room can really change the natural sound of a call. Once you listen to yourself, listen to your turkey CD. Often I can see what I need to change in my calling.
I hope that those tips help you become a better caller! I was hoping to not have to post videos of hens that have human calling in them, but unfortunately some of them will. In this video, the calling is not exceptional.. But listen to the hen. The first 2:03 is fantastic! It has really helped me become a better caller. The good footage starts up again at 2:30 when a hen comes into his setup.
Hooks Executioner Mouth Turkey Call
One of the questions that came up this weekend was, "How did you learn how to call?" There is definitely no simple answer to such a question as this! I started five years ago by practicing with my father's A.M. Coiner slate call, much like a Lynch Jet slate. From there I bought a M.A.D. aluminum pot call, and my brother gave me his old, worn out box call. Worn out may not be quite the word for it, almost decrepit. Both of the side rails had been previously broken off and glued back on! I later managed to break off one of the side rails again. Of course then the diaphragm call craze hit me, but I talked about that in a previous post. After that, I bought locator calls, box calls, pot calls, strikers, and finally a wood lathe! I make pot calls and strikers on the wood lathe, and I have made a few scratch boxes by hand as well. This is abstract, but the other day my soccer coach said, "Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect!" Obviously he quoted that from another, but I am unaware as to who said it first. What I am saying is that I could run a turkey call for ten hours a day and be an absolutely terrible caller! Whereas if I try to correctly mimic the wild turkey hen, I may get better and better by the week!
Part of perfect practice is finding that call that fits me. I cannot run a V-Cut call at all, for a batwing is my call of choice. My second favorite call is an inverted V combo call. Between those two calls, I can do all of the required vocalizations in a contest. I used to kee kee run on a ghost cut, but now I find it much easier to kee kee run on an inverted V combo call. Other than turkey calls, I run crow, gobble, owl, coyote, and squirrel calls. This amazes some people, but I am by no means a fantastic caller. In order to practice to become perfect I recommend this list.
1. Buy a CD that has recordings of REAL wild turkey hens. I recommend http://www.treetopturkeys.com/index.html
2. Depending on the type of call that you want to learn, you should buy several different models of the same type of call. For diaphragm calls, buy a batwing, a v-cut, and an inverted V combo cut. The inverted V looks like a half batwing/half v-cut. With pot calls I recommend buying a slate, a glass crystal or bronze glass call, and an aluminum or ceramic call. I highly recommend the Hook's Assasin line of pot calls. I compete with the bronze glass and the aluminum. Hook's Friction Calls In all honesty, I do not recommend buying more than one or two box calls to start out with. I really like a purpleheart lid over a cedar box and a walnut lid over a poplar box. Those two calls will give you distinctly different tones.
3. Practice with that call almost every day. At times listen to the turkeys on the CD and try to mimic a certain hen with that call. Learn to manipulate it and make it sound like a few different turkeys.
4. Try new things. I was guilty of trimming calls before I even let them get broken in. A diaphragm call often needs to be broken in for a few days.
5. Find a call that fits you. Many diaphragm calls have tape on the frame. Depending on the size of your mouth, you may need a larger or smaller tape size. Trimming them down can be done with a pair of sharp scissors, but cut small amounts at a time!!
6. Record yourself calling. My camera has still picture, video, and audio recording modes. I often set it to audio mode and I'll set the camera down outside about 5-10 yards from me. I will then proceed to call and walk around as a turkey would in the woods. I do not advise doing this indoors as the acoustics of the room can really change the natural sound of a call. Once you listen to yourself, listen to your turkey CD. Often I can see what I need to change in my calling.
I hope that those tips help you become a better caller! I was hoping to not have to post videos of hens that have human calling in them, but unfortunately some of them will. In this video, the calling is not exceptional.. But listen to the hen. The first 2:03 is fantastic! It has really helped me become a better caller. The good footage starts up again at 2:30 when a hen comes into his setup.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Lies Lies Lies!
It suddenly hit me today! How many people turkey hunt and have NO IDEA what a turkey sounds like, in respects to rhythm and cadence? Very few do! They can pick a turkey out and even can call one in sometimes, sure. I was like that at one point. In fact, I have a video of my first calling contest, and I had no idea what a turkey sounded like. Now this post tonight is NOT made in any way to belittle those who are, with all respect, clueless. To be honest, I am clueless in some aspects of the vocabulary of the wild turkey. My cutting sequences need work, my flydown needs improvement, and my yelps have a bit too much front end. This is exactly why I absolutely LOVE to call and compete. Every competition is a learning experience, whether on stage or in the woods. I have heard a few great callers, but when I go to the woods and hear a live hen I just marvel at how awesome she sounds. It is the life in her yelps, cutts, cackles, and clucks that truly inspire me to become a better caller. This year I called a hen into my setup, and she clucked and purred within fifteen yards of me. It was an awesome experience! First of all, it was my first time hearing a live hen purr. The staccato, rolling aspect of the purr really helped me realize what I needed to improve. Secondly, this proves my and many others point of view that listening to REAL wild turkeys, and not others calling, is SOLELY the BEST way to improve one's calling. I listen to other callers to see what I am going up against and what the judges like to hear. Other than that, I have been listening to several different cd's of REAL wild turkeys. I suppose that I am rambling, but what I am trying to say is that most callers are blind, and following the blind! Instead of listening to turkeys and how they call, they're watching hunting shows, or having their buddies tell them how to call! Information like this can be dreadful and greatly misleading. Now getting tips from a buddy, a judge after a contest, or even a video online is all great and fine! I am getting help from Scott Hook and Tom Byle, two great men and men who know what a turkey sounds like. But the problem comes to be when someone who knows very little about the vocabulary of a wild turkey instructs another. Even I am wary of giving large amounts of advice, solely because I do not want to give the wrong advice! All of this goes to say that if one is looking for tips on how to sound more like a turkey, listen to wild turkeys. There is no better teacher, especially when it comes to rhythm and cadence. I know for sure that I wouldn't like to try to teach that to someone! I can show one how to run a call, and how to sound like a turkey with that call. But once again, rhythm and cadence are something that a human cannot teach.
Watch and listen to this hen today, courtesy of Shane Simpson, another fellow prostaffer. Pay specific attention to her pitch and cadence. Y'all have a great day.
Hen Talk 2
Watch and listen to this hen today, courtesy of Shane Simpson, another fellow prostaffer. Pay specific attention to her pitch and cadence. Y'all have a great day.
Hen Talk 2
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Just a Little Bit about Me
Hi, my name is Mike Longnecker, and I am addicted to turkey calling. Okay, so what if there really was a TCA (Turkey Callers Anonymous)? None of us would go to it, we all love it too much to be ashamed of it! I'm a seventeen year old Christian man who happens to love to replicate the call of the wild turkey. Well, calls, because everyone knows that their is more than just one call that a turkey makes, or do they? I am afraid not. Most of the human population that has ever seen a turkey just thinks that they gobble. This is not true! There are at least 26 different sounds in a turkeys vocabulary! Sorry, I do randomly rant. Anyway, I am a pro-staffer for Hook's Custom Calls, just got signed on a month ago. Scott Hook is one of the finest gentlemen I have ever talked to and I am extremely proud to represent him and his company, as well as my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. At the age of 12 I heard my first wild turkey gobble. I am sure that y'all do too, if you have been blessed to hear that magical sound. Of course, as any cliche turkey hunting story, I became addicted. I bought calls; I practiced; I drove my parents absolutely crazy. Then, I bought my first diaphragm call, A Primos 2 reed. That was a disaster, but a practiced one. It became a novelty to be able to make turkey *like* sounds come out of my mouth. It took me forever to figure out just how to blow it. I guess that is pretty cliche too, as almost every one has difficulty at first. Well after 2 years and 20 mouth calls, I thought that I was pretty hot stuff on a mouth call! I thought that I would enter my first turkey calling contest. I wore my turkey vest, but it didn't have any calls in it. Also, I used just one call for all three calls. The cluck, the plain yelp, and caller's best call. Which I decided was the cutting of an excited hen. That did not go over well. I did all three calls on a FOUR reed CUTTER call, what a disaster! I ended up in last place...one of the most humiliating points in my life, losing to a five year old with a box call that his dad just bought for him. I called 11/20 on average, which as any contest caller knows, is absolutely horrendous! To say that I was motivated to become a better caller would be a monstrous understatement. The next year I came back with an aluminum pot call that I made and took first place, winning a 20 gauge shotgun. Since then I have greatly improved in my friction and diaphragm calling, and have won a few contests and placed no lower than fourth in every contest. I love to call, hunt, and compete, all for the love of the wild turkey. I will be posting random videos/sound files of my calling, tips, and also just the happenings in the life of a turkey caller.
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