During the spring mating season, when tom turkeys are hot on the prowl for hens, hunters take to the woods bearing an array of turkey
calling devices for imitating the putts, purrs, clucks, and yelps of the hen turkeys. The traditional spring turkey hunter’s challenge
is a combination of being in the right place at the right time and sounding like a hen turkey. When all things come together, the
hunter has a fair chance of luring a love-struck gobbler within shotgun or arrow range.
Through the years, turkey calls settled into two basic groups; friction calls including box calls, slates, and plungers, and mouth calls including diaphragm calls and trumpet yelpers.
Antique and rare turkey calls are considered as American folk art and are highly collectable. Calls produced by many of the famous makers are valuable, but the friction box calls made by Henry Gibson top the list.
The Tukey Call is the centerpiece of Len Guldman’s extensive collection of all things turkey, right up to and including the weathervane
from Neil Cost’s barn. A personal gift to Guldman by Cost, the large silhouette of a wild turkey wears the soft green patina that
metal gets after years of exposure to
Another name on the shortlist of most-valuable turkey calls is the Fat Lady. The Fat Lady is the last box call produced by legendary call maker Neil Cost. After writing a short farewell and signing the call, Cost enlisted artist Paul Yong to etch the paddle with the figure of an opera singer with her arms stretched outward and wearing a Viking outfit. Cost died in 2002 and the Fat Lady exchanged hands at auction for $11,000.