If you are an avid turkey hunter, you have probably heard of the wingbone call. It is a turkey call made up of the wing bones of a wild turkey. Over the years, I have tried using wingbone calls but discovered they were difficult to master. Being the turkey addict that I am, I decided several months ago that I wanted to get proficient at using the wingbone call so much to my wife’s dismay, I purchased an inexpensive wingbone call and started using it regularly around the house. After weeks of sucking on the mouthpiece of the call, it started to sound like a hen yelp.

Eventually I decided I wanted to do some writing about wingbone calls so I decided to interview a man many consider to be the Master of the Wingbone call, Parker Whedon from North Carolina. Whedon is getting up there in years and although he struggles with Parkinson’s disease, he hasn’t lost his love for turkey hunting or making wingbone calls. After several phone conversations, I decided to head south to meet Whedon and learn as much as I could about the call he loves to make. Whedon and his business partner, Gene Gardner own Old Masters Custom Call Makers. Whedon makes wingbone yelpers and Gardner specializes in suction yelpers made out of wood and other materials.

I visited and hunted with Whedon and Gardner in April. Over the course of three days, I got to see firsthand what goes into making suction calls from hand and got to sit in a turkey blind with Whedon for several hours one afternoon. Learning about suction calls was fun but seeing all of the different calls Whedon and Gardner own was amazing. Some of their calls are a few years old; others are decades old. One type of call that both men enjoy more than any other is suction call like the Wingbone Yelper or the Crown Trumpet.

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Both gentlemen enjoy making and using suction calls because they often work on call-shy gobblers better than a run-of-the mill slate call or diaphragm. “There is something about a suction call that a tom can’t resist. The tone is a little different and often it is the subtle difference that gets a tom to respond and come to the call,” Gardner explained.

After spending a few days with these two turkey hunting legends, I headed home and practiced on The Spirit wingbone call (the type that Whedon is famous for) for hours every day. I am far from being as good as Whedon or Gardner, but after practicing for weeks, I took my wingbone call to the woods with me. I used my wingbone call while hunting in Washington and at home here in Michigan. While taking a couple friends hunting in Northern Michigan, I experienced firsthand why Whedon and Gardner love suction calls.

I was calling alongside a friend when it happened. A long beard was in the woods in front of us, probably several hundred yards away. We knew he was there because we saw him cross a dirt road fifteen minutes beforehand. I called with my diaphragm and didn’t get a response. I called on my slate and didn’t get a response. After waiting several minutes, I tried the two calls again. Still nothing…. I pulled out my wingbone call that was hanging from my neck and gave a couple yelps. As soon as I finished calling, the tom gobbled off in the distance. From that point until the gun barked, I called primarily on the wingbone call. As the tom lay on the ground in front of me, I realized how deadly the ol’ wingbone call could be.

If you are a serious turkey hunter, do yourself a favor. Purchase or make a suction yelper. Learning to call on a suction yelper can be difficult - you suck in instead of blow out like most calls - but once you master the call it will be a secret weapon that you won’t enter the turkey woods without. There are several quality suction yelpers available on the market. Check out oldmasterscustomcallmakers.com to learn about Parker Whedon and Gene Gardner’s calls. You can also pick one up from a local craftsman in your area. You will be glad you did. The turkeys however, may not be as happy when you enter the woods next spring with a suction yelper.