Planning to make a wild turkey scratch box? Read on to discover how you can make a left-handed or right-handed wild Turkey scratch box…
When you’re using different turkey close call outs you’ll want to keep in mind the location of the hunt that you are taking part in. A wild turkey scratch box comes in very handy in the dark and foggy hunting grounds or the swampy and marshy Florida hunting areas and rural pastures in America.
From the rugged mountains in Virginia to the foggy hollows in the Ozarks, a good wild Turkey scratch box will make your hunting experience more rewarding. Local hunters from these areas use basic designs and materials, which are easily available to create functional and interesting products.
The wild turkey scratch box close call out is one such interesting creation. All you need is a little shaped wood, which can be glued together in a unique design which is handed down, or you can experiment to create your own pattern.
Description of the Wild Turkey Scratch Box
The wild Turkey scratch box is also called a striker or scraper call. It is essentially crafted out of two pieces of wood which have a solid and hollow wood chamber each that is fitted with the striker lip and has a wooden striker piece attached to it. The shape of the wild Turkey striker boxes can be rectangular, tall and narrow or flat and almost square.
The different kinds of wood which are used to craft the wild turkey scratch boxes actually are chosen because of the pitch that they deliver. Normally cherry and cedar wood give a higher pitch and a sweeter note resembling a young hen. Conversely walnut wood gives a deep and rougher tone which can be compared to that of a gobbler or a yelping and raspy hen. When you can create the cluck on the scratch box it is quite similar to the cluck on a slate call.
Methods of Using Wild Turkey Scratch Boxes
Simply hold the box in your right hand with the striker lip facing downward and outside of the box, facing away from the caller. Place the thumb on the inside of the box at the lower side with the back of the thumb facing you. Extend your index finger out along the bottom of the box. Bend the forefinger at the knuckle and place it on the outside of the box. Your grip should be gentle on the box. The striker should be held in the left hand and gripped firmly between the tips of your forefinger and thumb and not resting on the palm.
The rounded side of the striker should be away from your left palm and while you hold the striker rigidly, place the central part of the box where the striker lip is, in a perpendicular angle to the striker.
You simply need to draw the striker lip of the box along the striker surface to create a yelp. Use your wrist action to twist the box lip upward to create a double note for a yelp. Make sure you maintain a slight downward pressure to get an authentic sound.
You can experiment to create a purring sound which can be accomplished by dragging the striker lip gently across the striker. If you put a little more downward pressure then louder calls can be created.
