Ash Turkey Call

[Woodman]

Over the years I accumulated about 250 calls made by customers. Lately I've been selling them off mostly at shows and craft fairs because after I'm gone there isn't a family member who hunts turkey or ducks. I'm down to about 50 boxcalls, scratchboxes and one Smoketree/Cocobolo duckcall that I will finally part with at the next show. A buyer was coming to the house this week to buy a hewnout call so I was going through the boxes separating the hewnout from the glued-up calls. This Ash/Walnut glued-up call got my attention. I used to ship out quite a bit of very special Crotch Ash and asked that the callmakers send me a few calls in return for discounted pricing.
A recent thread talking about the demise of the Ash due to the Emerald Ash Borer motivated me to show how beautiful it can be. I hope someone enjoys seeing it.
I always asked for the turkey calls to be sent to me unfinished. I would then apply a few coats of Minwax Antique Oil. I asked that the duckcalls be finished by the maker.
http://i594.Rule #2/albums/tt28/lakeridge3/CrotchAshTurkeyCall.jpg

 

[Nature Man]

Spectacular 3D effect. Beautiful call. Let's all hope that the ash tree survives for future generations to enjoy. Chuck

 

[CWS]

Did you feel the earth quake the other day in your neighborhood. Beautiful call!

 

[Bigdrowdy1]

Really pretty call. I had to take an Ash tree down last year at my dads. It didn't have the curl but some really nice colors to it. It had stood dead for about a year and a half.

 

[ironman123]

Very nice looking box call. Nice ash.

 

[Kevin]

That's a beautiful call Kevin. If it's not out of line to ask, what would you expect to fetch on that call at a show? I'm only asking because I have no idea.

And I have never heard how a hewnout call sounds (but I bet they are much more intensive to make) can you sure enough turkey experts tell the difference between a glued and a hewn?.

 

[Woodman]

I had nine of these Ash calls at one time and because of the extreme figure they sold for $40-45. Normally I sell a good sounding boxcall with decent wood for $25-30 such as these in the first photo taken a while back, some are possibly sold. I supply the wood for the calls but I don't make them. The Chinaberry call at the top right has sold and so has the Red Elm under it and the Apple under it. I do have another Red Elm call in storage.

I have some Oak with butternut lid hewnout calls that sound good and sell for $25 like in the second photo but they are not hewn by hand.

I have other handhewn calls such as the shirtpocket call in the third photo that I sell for $50-60. These sound very good.

I'm not an expert at judging the sound of calls but I personally feel that a hewnout call has a richer sound. However, I have called in lots of turkeys with glued-up calls that sounded good but not great. I think turkeys are curious and they will answer to some weird sounding stuff. I used to sit on the deck of my weekend cabin in Pa. and run my finger around the rim of my wine glass and get toms to gobble. I called it a wine glass locator call!
http://i594.Rule #2/albums/tt28/lakeridge3/TurkeyCalls10001_zps3dfa09f1.jpg

http://i594.Rule #2/albums/tt28/lakeridge3/OakButternutCall001_zpsafa98bc3.jpg

http://i594.Rule #2/albums/tt28/lakeridge3/100_1201.jpg

 

[Jim Beam]

That is some truly amazing wood!