AUGUSTA — What makes for a good turkey call? What works best to lure the treasured game bird during hunting season?
For competitors in the kids turkey calling contest Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center, mastering the sounds that attract a turkey is just as important as the ability to shoot the bird itself. And the only way to master those sounds is to put in the work.
“You’ve just got to try and try until you get it (right),” said 9-year-old River Vigue of Winslow, who won the Jake (ages 10 and under) division.
“(The secret) is practice. Practice, practice, practice, until you get good at it,” said Quincy Emmons, 15, of Richmond, who won the Gobbler (11-16) division.
The contest, held in the Augusta room on the second floor of the ACC, was part of the 43rd annual State of Maine Sportsman’s Show. Visitors braved the snowy conditions to pack the arena, filled with different exhibitors, demonstrations and seminars.
The contest, as well as a 30-minute seminar before the competition, was run by local hunting author Blaine Cardilli, as well as certified Maine Guide and longtime hunting columnist and author Bob Humphrey.
“Kids are our future (in hunting), and we want to keep them interested,” Cardilli said during the seminar.
Humphrey gave words of wisdom to turkey hunters before the competition.
“The biggest mistake you can make is calling too much. But you can also make a mistake in not calling enough,” Humphrey said. “You’ve got to find that middle ground (in call frequency). You learn more from your screw-ups than you do your success.”
Judges for the competition stood behind a screen as each competitor did their best call, each making noises that sound familiar to that of the animal. Contestants used two devices to call: A diaphragm mouth call, which looks similar to a reed on a saxophone, and a box call, which is a wooden box with a paddle attached. As the paddle is pressed across the box, the friction creates a similar turkey sound.
“(The mouth call) is like playing the saxophone, I’m blowing air into it to make noise,” said Emmons. “(The box call) has chalk (on the paddle), and that chalk just scrapes across the box to (make the noise).”
“My favorite (device) is the box (call), but I wanted to try a new one today,” added Vigue, who has been practicing turkey calls for two years.
Contestants were asked to do four different calls (or sounds): A mating yelp, cluck and purr, fly down cackle and cutting.
Each winner received their choice of a turkey call, while second- and third-place finishers received a ribbon.
“It feels good (to win), it’s something I’ve always been working for,” Emmons said. “I’ve been trying since I was 9, I’ve always had a call in my mouth. Turkey calling is one of my biggest (hobbies).”
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