Eddie Salter shows how to use this revolutionary new turkey call from Hunter's Specialties. |
Squeal Appeal
If you’ve ever had a big gobbler hang up in the middle of the field and strut and gobble, you’ve understood the frustration of trying every call in your vest to no avail. There haven’t been any new vocalizations in turkey hunting for decades. All the new calls are different variants of a cluck, purr, yelp, kee-kee or gobble. Eddie Salter has been keeping this call a secret for nearly 30 years. It wasn’t until technology caught up to a point where this new call would work that Salter decided to unveil his creation.
Turkey Country has an exclusive interview with Eddie Salter, the inventor of Hunter's Specialties’ newest call.
Turkey Country: What is a hen squeal or hen whine call?
Eddie Salter: The hen squeal is the noise a hen makes when the gobbler is walking back and forth on her back during the breeding ritual. As you can imagine, having something two or three times your weight digging sharp talons in your back would not be a pleasant experience. The hen will often let out an almost painful high-pitched whine when he digs into her back.
Turkey Country: So this vocalization has been around for a while? Why did it take so long for a call to come out?
Eddie Salter: I used to fashion a squeal call out of snuff cans, but it was always difficult to get it just right. It wasn’t until recently, when we were making a variable pitch predator and elk call (the Mac Daddy) that I finally found the right platform to reproduce the hen’s call.
Turkey Country: Why does the hen whine work?
Eddie Salter: I think that the call works because the sound of a hen whine represents a direct challenge to a tom strutting in a field. While he may normally safely wait for hens to run to him in the field, another gobbler sneaking in and breeding hens is something he’ll come in looking for a fight. The other scenario is curiosity or even the flock dynamics, they may be responding to the distressed sounds of a hen getting hurt.
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Photo by Matt Lindler |
Turkey Country: Will it work all the time?
Eddie Salter: I’ve had positive results about one in four or one in three times during a hunt. It especially works on big dominant birds that wait out in the middle of fields. The ones you’ve thrown the kitchen sink at trying to get to gobble and strut, but they won’t budge. I’ve seen very promising results in 2009’s season testing the new call.
Turkey Country: When will the call be available?
Eddie Salter: We are unveiling the call at the 2010 SHOT Show and at the NWTF’s National Convention in Nashville. It should be available at retailers nationwide in time for the 2010 turkey season.
Look for Hunter's Specialties new call and meet Eddie Salter at the 34th Annual NWTF Convention and Sport Show, February 18 - 21, 2010, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Nashville, Tenn.
Editor’s Note: “I can attest to the effectiveness of the hen squeal. I took part in a very rare triple turkey kill with H.S. Strut Prostaffer Alex Rutledge near Springville Tenn. After shooting one bird, Rutledge coaxed four other gobblers using the hen squeal mixed in with fighting purrs. This allowed my fellow hunter Brian Dowler and I to shoot two more within minutes after the first bird was dropped.” — P.J. Perea, Senior Editor, Turkey Country magazine