Box calls are primarly designed as either a single, or double, sided call using thin wood on the sides, so a lid (paddle) when scraped across the side makes a sound, hopefully the sound of a turkey. 

The thickness & height of the sides, the wood type, channel length, and wood hardness of the paddle, dictates how deep and rich the sound the call creates.  As you become more familiar with a box call, you can fine tune the call by adjusting the tip/tilt of the paddle or lightly sanding the sides of the call itself (not recommended by any call maker).  Box calls are made in one of two processes.

1.  The call is machined out of a solid wood billet and either have no extended base, or are glued to an extended base.

2.  Solid wood sides and ends are laminated/glued together, then glued to a base.

Both process produce excellent sounding, and looking calls.

Box calls have been around for many years, and are the staple of turkey hunters everywhere.  They are relatively simple to use, and have called many a turkey into close range.  There are many turkey hunters who will only use box calls and will tune calls to different pitches enabling them to find just the right call to get Mr. Tom into close range.

The nature of any call is how sound moves within the sound chamber (channel).  Any pressure or contact on the outside of the sound chamber will reduce the effectiveness of that particular call. Box calls, by their design, create a problem of how to hold them so your fingers do not touch the sides of the call (channel) and thus deaden the call.

When you properly hold a box call, so as not to deaden the sound, and the striker (paddle) is allowed to work for you, the sound created is like no other call in its ease of use, or when properly tuned, in the duplication of the natural sound of the turkey. 

Many mouth call users will disagree, that the sound of a mouth (diaphram) call is the most realistic, and if you can handle a mouth call and practice dilligently, there is no doubt that the sound is very realistic, but for the largest percentage of callers, a mouth call is hard to laster so the box call remains the primary turkey hunting call today.

I have designed my box calls based on 4 simple things.

     1.  Simplicity - form, fit and functionality

     2.  Quality - handcrafted

     3.  Sound - as realistic as it can get

     4.  Wood - rich, natural & woodsie

In order to get the best possible sound, I realized that I needed to keep my fat fingers off the sound chamber, and to do so I needed more room on the bottom of the call.  So, I made my calls with a larger base to allow for wearing gloves, or fat fingers like mine.

Being a wood worker and furniture builder, I realize that wood has an incredible ability to generate sound.  When you strike wood against wood, you can create soft, or loud noise.  Knowing that the paddle/striker is what generates the sound, I wanted to make the paddle heavy enough that the caller could generate sound with as little motion as possible.

Any, new or experienced, turkey hunter learns quickly that motion will not go unnoticed!!!  Turkey's have an uncanny ability to see movement, so generating sound with as little movement as possible is important.

As you look at the calls you will notice these design improvements:

  a.  larger base for fat fingers like mine

  b.  unique spur design to help hold the call

  c.  heavier paddle to allow for sound generation

There are two families of calls, and within each family are two calls.

     *  Double Spur Family - the "spur" not only speaks to the bird, but to the special

         extension on the paddle and base.  The base spur allows your to hook the spur

         into the base of the thumb allowing for easy holding of the call.  The spur on

         the paddle allows for easy, soft touch calling!

     *  Single Spur Family - the "spur" not only speaks to the bird, but on the paddle,

         allows for easy, soft touch calling.  The base, while without the spur, is still cut

         with a generous size that allows for a comfortable fit for large hands, or when

         you wear gloves.

Double Spur Calls:

Double spur calls have the unique spur on both the paddle and base.  These calls are made from solid walnut sides, ends and base.  The sides, ends and base are laminated/glued together creating a call that has a deeper more resinant sound created in part by the heavy bloodwood paddle.

The Double Spur Mature Hen - #(DSMH) ($32 - free S&H), or #(DSMH-1D which includes the shop talk dvd) ($36 at time of order and still with free S&H)

has that special sound of the dominant hen that every Tom is looking for.  Walnut has a special look and feel, and in these calls create an equally special sound.

The ability to keep your fingers away from the sound chamber by placing the call against the meaty part of your left thumb, and hold your fingers along the sides of the call, add to the ability to create, with relative ease, a great sound.

Single Spur calls:

Single Spur Mature Hen - #(SSMH) ($27- free S&H), #(SSMH-1D which includes the shop talk dvd) ($29 at time of order and still with free S&H)

These calls are made from a mix of solid maple (the sides) and solid walnut (ends,base and paddle).  The sides, ends and base are laminated/glued creating a call that has a rich look and feel, and one that creates a higher pitch than the calls made from all walnut.   

This call has that deeper sound Tom's love.  While the pitch is a bit higher than an all walnut call, the sound brings the birds in!  While the base is bigger it does not have the unique thumb locator as does the double spur, but the base is equally large for bigger hands, or gloved hands.

Paddles:

Bloodwood paddle- BWP ($8.50 - free S&H)

Walnut paddle- WP ($6.50 - free S&H)

As you can tell, walnut and bloodwood are pretty pieces of wood and each make excellent paddles for box calls.  While the Double Spur calls come with the bloodwood paddle, and Single Spur comes with a walnut paddle, you can order a paddle made of either wood if you choose.

You can also order a left handed paddle if you would prefer. 

All you need to do at the time of ordering is reference in the body of the order, or call me, that you want a LH option.  I will make a call for you.

Turkey Roost - #(TR) ($7 - free S&H)

All calls come with a turey roost (water resistant bag) designed to keep your call partially protected from inclimate weather.  While no wood call can handle steady exposure to water, these bags will keep ground moisture and some wet weather away from your call.