Turtle Shell Turkey Calls
By Nate Matthews

Walking through the woods near Turkey Creek last Saturday, I stumbled upon the dried up carapace of an old box turtle. The shell was bone-white and half-buried in a tangle of leaves and twigs. Only one of the hexagonal keratin scales that give turtle shells their color still clung to its chalky surface.
 

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I remembered hearing that turtle shells make good turkey calls, so I scraped out the leaf mold and pocketed the little reptile's remains. The next day, looking through some old files, I found this handy set of directions, written by Rob Keck, the NWTF's CEO.

A novel, yet effective, friction-type caller you can build is the box turtle or terrapin shell call. The sounding chamber is an empty, dry terrapin shell topped with a sheet of slate or red cedar. The striker is a red cedar or hardwood peg topped with a corncob.
 
Materials
• One empty and dried terrapin shell
• One piece of 1/8-inch red cedar or slate for the sounding board (approximately 3" x 6", depending on length and width of shell)
• One five-inch long piece of 3/8-inch hardwood or red cedar dowel rod for a striker
• One dried corn cob
   
Procedure
• Cut and sand the sounding board into a shape that fits the length and width of the shell. Round or oval shapes work well and look good.
• Lay the sounding board across the open underside of the shell and mark the points where the sounding board rests against the shell - the contact points.
• Dab epoxy at three of these contact points and press the sounding board to the shell long enough for the epoxy to set.
• Taper the corn cob with sander or sharp knife.
• Trim the cob length to about 4 1/2 inches.
• Drill the center of the cob and drive the dowel rod peg into length of the cob, leaving about 2 1/2 inches of peg exposed. The fit must be snug.


Note: Length and weight of peg and cob can be altered, resulting in tone variation. Try several lengths and weights.

If you plan to use this call for hunting, painting the shell in dark colors and making sure not to leave any exposed white will reduce the risk of another hunter mistaking your call for a turkey's head. Operate your call like any slate and peg caller. Make sure to utilize the forward part of the call for the best sound.

Editor's note: Check local and state regulations regarding the use and/or possession of turtle shells before making your call. Box turtles are listed species in some states and it may be illegal in your area to possess their shells. Never kill a box turtle for its shell; you should only use the shells of turtles killed by natural causes.