Do you notch any of your calls?

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Cut N Run
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Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by Cut N Run »

One of the old time turkey hunters I met back in the early 80's would carve a notch in his turkey call for each bird he called in & shot using it. I picked up his tradition, though I haven't exclusively used the same call every time, like he did. I have a couple calls with many notches and three more with just a few on them. My most productive call is a mass produced HS 360 SL slate I bought in the 90s that has drawn a bunch of birds into range.

I know another old guy who hunted off the Roanoke River swamps that used to notch his shotgun butt stock.

Just curious, do any of you mark any of your calls to signify successful hunts?

Jim
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

I started to, but after a couple years the call fell apart as their was no wood left. Lol
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by guesswho »

Years ago (1960's) I would cut a line in my knife sheath. I quit that after slashing my left thumb joint for the one time. Never notched calls or guns.
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Dr Juice
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by Dr Juice »

Negative. It never crossed my mind to do it.
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Grumpy
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by Grumpy »

NO,,,I kill so many I would just have a handful of sawdust.............
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Cut N Run
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by Cut N Run »

I asked the same question on another forum about 5-6 years ago and one of the responders was a call maker, who acted like notching a call was the same thing as carving my initials into a fine violin with a carpet knife. Sheesh...

I don't hunt with any fancy, collectable, or high dollar calls. I also don't get the chance to kill so many turkeys where I might turn the calls into toothpicks... I mainly hunt a ten county radius in one state with a two bird limit. I'm proud of the notches I've had the joy of adding to my calls. I hope to keep getting the chance to do it for a long time. I also wish each notch could tell the story of the hunt that went with it.

Jim
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GLS
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by GLS »

I hunted with a man recently who notches a quality box. He has 60 notches in it for kills with it alone, but he doesn't notch it if he uses another call during the hunt and he is good with a mouth call. Gil
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howl
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by howl »

I tried to do that in the early years with a shotgun. Never could keep up with it. A full course load, a full time job and chasing coeds may have distracted me somewhat. I do remember an aquaculture professor who would shake his head whenever he saw me slipping into class in full camo.

I couldn't tell you how many I have killed. The only measurement I remember is because it was over 14"; which is a puzzle to me. It was an old Sandhill limbhanger carrying several sizes of shot, but the beard should have worn off at the ground. I quit measuring anything years ago.

I've settled on the idea that the number, or even the most recent turkey, killed is not what matters. It is always the next one that counts.
jhogue
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by jhogue »

I'm relatively new in my turkey hunting career and at this point can still remember every turkey I killed. The problem with notching calls or guns stocks for me would come to which one I used for a particular bird. I do the majority of my calling with a diaphragm, so notching just wouldn't work for the calls. All birds killed prior to this year were with one 870 (with exception of first bird killed with my Dad's gun). But this year I changed the stock on the 870 and bought several other guns that I want to kill birds with. I've heard lots of hunters that wish they had chronicled their hunts from the beginning, so I may do some writing this year to catch up and that could be my method to remember birds and hunts going forward.
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by phutch30 »

Seems like every time I do that I never get the same sounds outa my mouth calls
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aristico
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by aristico »

I only put notches on the bed post....
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by ylpnfol »

aristico wrote: April 2nd, 2018, 3:56 pm I only put notches on the bed post....
I sure hope thats not an annual thing brother.....
never occurred to me to notch anything, too late in the game to start now....
you never know, unless you go

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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by hobbes »

I'm using a mouth call 99% of the time, so definitely couldn't notch my calls. I never had the desire to notch my guns.
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OLE RASPY
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by OLE RASPY »

Nope but good topic. Whatever floats ya boat.
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Longspurs
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by Longspurs »

I have the first boxcall I started hunting with,and called my first gobbler with. I put a notch in the lid for every gobbler I killed. I don't use the box much anymore so it hasn't added any new notches lately but it's been on every single hunt since the first years ago.
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Jaybird
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by Jaybird »

NO. I plan on leaving my calls to my boys in good condition. Plus, none of us care about how many we've shot. We even didn't score them in early years. We hunt to fill tags.
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Cut N Run
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by Cut N Run »

Jaybird wrote: April 4th, 2018, 11:35 am NO. I plan on leaving my calls to my boys in good condition. Plus, none of us care about how many we've shot. We even didn't score them in early years. We hunt to fill tags.
Hunt to fill tags? What's up with the trophies on your post? Seems to me if filling tags was all you cared about, you wouldn't give a flip about keeping score.

Was the NO in caps necessary? You don't need to shout. I asked a simple question for the sake of discussion about a tradition I enjoy and was curious if anyone else here practiced it. Your post insinuates that my calls aren't in good condition and that I'm worried about keeping score. I have no idea how many turkeys I've killed since I started hunting them in 1982. More than some, not as many as I want to is the only count I can come up with. I just like to credit to the calls that helped me succeed in my hunts. I learned the practice from an old turkey hunter who I idolized and sought to emulate. You also indicate that you speak for the board and appear to want to exclude me or put me down by going with "We" in your post. I'm not trying to start anything with you, but your response was a little over the top for what I was after.

Good luck this year. I hope you get what you seek. You do you & I'll do me.

Jim
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GobbleNut
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by GobbleNut »

Easy boys. As an unbiased observer over the years, I know that both of you have been around here long enough that no ill will was intended on either side. Now kiss and make up.

As for the question, I used to put a notch in my "gun" every time I scored. I would put one about every quarter of an inch. Unfortunately, two things happened that made me stop. First, after about sixty notches, I ran out of "gun",...and second, it got where it wasn't worth the pain to keep track. ....Oh, and third,...the volunteers to participate became more scarce. Nowadays, I don't even need the knife... :mrgreen: :angel4: :toothy7:
timbrhuntr
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by timbrhuntr »

NO I DON"T !!!!!



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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by Tail Feathers »

I have an old Lynch Foolproof that I notched a few times. I thought it would be tool to run your hand down the side of the base and feel the memories.
It has four or five very small notches but I don't carry it much any more so it never got to full potential.
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Jaybird
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by Jaybird »

Cut N Run wrote: April 5th, 2018, 8:26 am
Jaybird wrote: April 4th, 2018, 11:35 am NO. I plan on leaving my calls to my boys in good condition. Plus, none of us care about how many we've shot. We even didn't score them in early years. We hunt to fill tags.
Hunt to fill tags? What's up with the trophies on your post? Seems to me if filling tags was all you cared about, you wouldn't give a flip about keeping score.

Was the NO in caps necessary? You don't need to shout. I asked a simple question for the sake of discussion about a tradition I enjoy and was curious if anyone else here practiced it. Your post insinuates that my calls aren't in good condition and that I'm worried about keeping score. I have no idea how many turkeys I've killed since I started hunting them in 1982. More than some, not as many as I want to is the only count I can come up with. I just like to credit to the calls that helped me succeed in my hunts. I learned the practice from an old turkey hunter who I idolized and sought to emulate. You also indicate that you speak for the board and appear to want to exclude me or put me down by going with "We" in your post. I'm not trying to start anything with you, but your response was a little over the top for what I was after.

Good luck this year. I hope you get what you seek. You do you & I'll do me.

Jim
Let me help you with this. Of course, being on many Turkey teams, I had to score my Turkeys. That is how these contests work. I did not score them in "early years". I have 4 boys that Turkey Hunt, which the reference "none of us care about how many we've shot" refers to. "We hunt to fill tags" again refers to my boys, and myself. The emphasis "NO" on notching calls is, some of my regular calls are pretty pricey, and just the thought of notching them up on purpose gives me the shivers. As far as what you do, I could care less, but you seem a bit defensive on your actions.
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by drenalinld »

depends on how the season is going. Somnetimes I put a notch on a call if a turkey answers me. Some days if I make a call that doesn't sounds more goose than turkey. If I called one up and killed it would probably just build a shadow box and retire that call.
Cut N Run
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by Cut N Run »

i hope you, your boys, & your team had a great season Jaybird. Wish I did. I used to love to participate in contests when I had a great lease to hunt, but the small farms I'm hunting on these days are unpredictable, heavily pressured, and they kicked my @$$ this year. I hunted as much as I could, heard a lot of gobblers on other properties I couldn't chase, and didn't get to add any notches.

Even though some folks cringe at me notching my calls. For the most part, they're utilitarian tools and I don't have any kids to leave them to. I completely understand not wanting to mark a expensive or fancy call, I've never bought any premium box calls because I accidentally broke my old Lynch crossing a creek back in the early 80's and that made me feel awful for a long time. I couldn't find another with the exact tone I wanted, so I switched to slate for 10-12 years. I can't imagine how long I'd feel bad about losing or breaking an instrument quality box call. I have exactly one fancy pot Ricky Padgett made me and I haven't hunted it yet.

The points of your original post weren't clear & I returned the same fire I interpreted. Thank you for the clarification. Good luck to you next year.

Jim
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Re: Do you notch any of your calls?

Post by misfire »

I don't notch them, I wind up selling them during the year and hunt new calls the following year
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