Hey guys. I've been posting on the deer, muzzleloader, and varmit board but now that turkey season is right around the corner I'm back over here for some topical turkey discussion. I tend to post on the board that's in season.

My 12-year old son and I attended the NWTF convention again this past weekend in Nashville. It is amazing how that thing has grown. I distinctly rememberattending the NWTF convention in 1981 because my turkey hunting buddy andgood friendwas in the Grand National Finals of the Senior division. That entire meeting and calling contest was held at the Fairfield Glade resort near Crossville, TN in a room that would be hard pressed to hold 200 people. There were only 4 or 5 exibitors selling calls or hunting gear. Now this conventionfills the entire exibit hall at the Opryland resort and thousands upon thousands of people attend Thursday through Sunday. Amazing the growth in the NWTF, which reflects broadly the explosion inturkey populations and turkey hunting in general.

I really didn't need to buy anything but came home with $300.00 worth of stuff. The prized find was the best friction pot call I have ever heard from Lon Trice (Lonzo's custom calls) in Bronwood, GA. It is a custom made pot call with a wood called Zircote which is from South America I believe. He uses a very hard bronzed glass for his calls and a different glue according to him. With a custom laminated one-piece striker that thing sounds more like a turkey than any friction call I have ever heard, and I've heard and own a bunch of them. It was $70.00 with the custom striker and since Saturday I have shown it to three of my hunting buddies and they all immediately ordered one from him (he should pay me on commission!). He makes them from any exotic wood you can think of including Purple Heart, Cocobola, Bocote, Curley Maple, Walnut, Osage Orange,Acrylic, etc, etc. That Zircotecall was georgousand just happened to sound the best to me at the moment but frankly they all sounded great to my ears.

Picked up a couple pairs of half-priced bibs from the booth ofOl' Tom out of Olive Branch, MS. They brought all their Mossy Oak Breakup stuff the the convention and sold it at half-price. These are fantastic, lightweight bibs that are obviously designed by a turkey hunter because that are loaded with features such as pockets for diaphram calls, strikers, pot calls, and box calls, two hidden lanyards for locator calls, waterproff from the knees down and in the seat. For $50.00 apiece my son and I both left with a pair.

Anyway, I look forward to posting and interacting with everyone through this turkey season, my 30th year to chase these crazy things.

Huntsafe

Mouthcaller