Wild Turkey Call

Abstract

A turkey call comprising: a resonating chamber defined by converging top and bottom walls; triangular sidewalls; a rectangular, perforated rear wall, said bottom wall having, between the apices of said sidewalls, an arcuate cutaway portion; a vibrating band secured to said bottom wall and overlying that part of the cutaway portion adjacent the edge of said front wall, and a lid hinged to said bottom wall to protect said band.

Description

This invention relates to game calls which are energized by the breath of the user.

The game call disclosed herein is intended for calling wild turkeys, a task itself which requires considerable versatility on the part of the instrument. As will appear hereinafter, the instrument disclosed herein not only possesses the characteristics of versatility by reason of its construction but its range and variety of sound are the subject to considerable variation by sheer manipulation on the part of the user.

It is an object of this invention to produce a call as aforesaid which will be compact, of low cost, and versatile in its performance.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a call as aforesaid which may be activated by the breath of the user whether he is exhaling or inhaling.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a call as aforesaid in which the vibrating element may readily be replaced or adjusted even in the field.

The above and other objects will be made clear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the annexed drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device emphasizing the bottom panel;

FIG. 2 is a reversed perspective view of FIG. 1, showing the protective lid in closed position;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the device with the lid closed;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of the device;

FIG. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the device arranged for activation by exhalation; and

FIG. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 1, the device has a top panel 10, a bottom panel 12, side panels 14, and a backwall 16. A protective cover 18 is hinged at 20 to a pintle 22 held in brackets 24 which are secured by screws 26 to the sidewalls 14.

The bottom wall 12 adjacent its leading edge has an arcuate cutout portion 28. A reed or diaphragm 30, preferably formed of rubber, extends across the panel 12, covering all but the outer portion of the cutaway 28. The rubber strip 30 is secured to panel 12 by adhesive areas 32, such as Scotch tape to facilitate removal, replacement and adjustment. The tone, pitch and quality is adjusted by the tension under which the strip 30 is placed, and its position in relation to the arcuate opening 28.

The rear wall 16 (FIG. 4) has groups of perforations 34 and a central perforation 36. The perforation 36 is used to secure a cord 38 by which the device may be attached to an appropriate part of the wearer's apparel.

The lid 18, when the device is to be used, is folded back to the position shown in FIG. 1. Its function, of course, is to protect the reed and in addition minimize the ingress into the interior of the device of lint, tobacco and other particles which might enter through the exposed portion of the cutaway 28.

In this specification, the panel 12 is referred to as a "bottom" panel and the panel 10 has been referred to as a "top" panel. In field use thus far, the call seems somewhat more effective when the device is placed between the lips of the user with the lower lip completely encompassing the opening 28 to provide an air seal. If then the user inhales, a particular sound is produced. The triangular sounding chamber, defined by the tapered sidewalls and the rear wall, magnifies the sound. The call will be effective, however, if the position is reversed with the upper lip in contact with panel 12 and in either position the sound may be modified by varying lip pressure and through manipulation of the tongue and cheeks, changing the shape of the mouth cavity.

Wild turkeys in particular emit a wide variety of calls under varying circumstances, virtually all of which may be accurately copied by proper manipulation of this device.

An equally effective call can be made by rearrangement of the diaphragm 30 so that the call would be actuated on exhalation rather than inhalation. This arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 which, so far as the body of the call is concerned, are unchanged from the form previously discussed, the only change being the positioning of the diaphragm 30.

In these figures, the diaphragm 30 has been shifted so as to overlie the leading edges of both the top panel 10 and bottom panel 12 and to leave exposed the innermost arcuate portion of the cutaway 28. With this placement of the diaphragm, it matters not at all whether the bottom wall 12 is placed in contact with the lower lip or the upper lip of the user. The only essential is that the lip should form an air seal around the cutaway portion 28 during exhalation or "blowing." The portion of the diaphragm 30 which overlies the cutout portion 28 will vibrate and produce a sound which may be modified by altering the position of lips, tongues and cheeks so as to alter the mouth cavity.

Since the diaphragm 30, by means of the adhesive portions 32, is readily removable and replaceable, only a few seconds are required in which to shift from excitation of the diaphragm by inhalation to excitation by exhalation, as just described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

While certain specific details have been disclosed herein, it is not intended to limit this invention to the precise details disclosed since various changes and modifications will suggest themselves to anyone skilled in the art who may peruse this specification.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. A turkey call comprising: a resonating chamber defined by converging top and bottom walls; triangular sidewalls; a rectangular, perforated rear wall, said bottom wall having, between the apices of said sidewalls, an arcuate cutaway portion; a vibrating band and means adjustably to secure to said bottom wall to overlie a desired part of said cutaway portion.

2. The device of claim 1, including a lid hinged to said bottom wall to protect said band.

3. The device of claim 1, in which one margin of said band overlies the adjacent edge of said top wall.

4. The device of claim 1, in which both side margins of said band are adhesively secured to the portions of said top wall adjacent said cutaway portion.