Turkey call device

Abstract

A turkey call is formed as a box-like enclosure with a closed bottom and an upwardly open chamber. An actuator lid is pivotally secured on top of the enclosure, the lid being pivoted about a pivot pin secured to one of the end walls. Sidewalls of the housing carry an insert made from a material different from the material of the housing to facilitate adjusting vibrations produced in the resonant chamber when making pot calls or box calls.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Ser. No. 11/121,627 filed on May 4, 2005, entitled “Turkey Call Device,” the full disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein and priority of which is hereby claimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hunting accessories and more particularly to a turkey call device that can be used by hunters, photographers, and nature enthusiasts to attract wild birds into view of the device user.

Turkey call devices are used by sport enthusiasts, nature lovers, and other individuals to imitate or mimic turkey calls to attract a live bird and cause it to respond and move closer to the hunter or the caller. Wild turkeys are elusive birds and the art of turkey calling has been practiced by many hunters with varying results. Generally, the hunter has a choice between a box call and a pot call. Both such types of calls produce different sounds or tunes when manipulated by the user. Conventional box call devices makes noise by sliding the top of the box against the sides of the box, while the pot calls use a striker which is manipulated to produce the sound that simulates the hen turkey mating call or the gobble of a mature tom turkey, all with an intent to attract a wild bird towards the place where the user is hiding. The vibrations created by the user by rubbing or striking the sound board, are transformed into sound waves. Conventionally, the game call devices are made out of wood or plastic that tends to dampen the sound.

Additionally, since the box calls and the pot calls are designed to imitate different sounds, the user often feels it necessary to carry various types of call devices. Considering that the number of items a user can carry into the woods is limited, there exists a need for a call device that would combine the features of various types of call devices in one unit. The present invention contemplates provision of such all-in-one device that would have the features of both box calls and pot call and can be easily manipulated to produce alternating sounds with improved sound qualities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a turkey call device which combines the features of a box call and a pot call in one device.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wild bird call device which can be manipulated with one hand producing the sounds to attract the wild bird.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a game call device that has improved sound qualities.

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a provision of a turkey call device, which comprises a box-like enclosure having a closed bottom and an open top. A resonant chamber is formed within the enclosure. An actuator lid is pivotally secured on top of the enclosure, the lid being pivoted about a pivot pin secured to one of the end walls.

One of the end walls has an opening to removably receive a striker member therein for producing pot calls. One portion of the striker member is located inside the resonant chamber, while another portion of the striker member extends outside through the opening. A hook-shaped latch secured the striker in relation to the box-like enclosure. One of the sounds produced by the device is created when the user strikes a striker against the sidewall of the enclosure, specifically against an insert secured on the sidewall, producing a pot call.

The wooden enclosure is preferably made of wood, for instance cedar. An outer insert made of different material is positioned within a recess formed in the outer surface of each of the sidewalls. The insert is made out of material having different sound-transferring characteristics than the wooden sidewalls; this material can be glass, slate, metal and the like. When the user wishes to make a box call, the user moves the actuator top against the top edge of the box-like enclosure, contacting the wooden layer and producing sound vibrations that are partially absorbed by the thickness of the insert, thereby producing higher quality sounds than box calls with just one layer of a sidewall made of wood.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals and wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the turkey call device in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detail view illustrating a portion of the sidewall with an insert.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the wild bird call device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is perspective view of the turkey call device in accordance with the present invention showing user's hands positioning the striker in the housing.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the turkey call device in accordance with the present invention showing user's hands holding a striker and striking the insert positioned on the sidewall to produce a pot call.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the turkey call device in accordance with the present invention illustrating the user moving the actuator lid against the top of the enclosure to produce a box call.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning now to the drawings in more detail, numeral 10 designates the turkey call device in accordance with the present invention. The turkey call device 10 comprises a generally rectangular acoustic box 12 having a closed bottom 14 and an open top 16. A first end wall 18 is secured to the bottom 14 and extends upwardly therefrom. A second end wall 20 is secured to the bottom 14 and extends upwardly therefrom, opposite the first end wall 18.

An opening is formed in the first end wall 18 for accommodating an outer portion 22 of a striker member 24. An aperture 26 is formed in the outer portion 22 of the striker member 24. A securing latch 28 is attached to the end wall 18, detachably securing the striker member 24 to the end wall 18.

The acoustic box 12 further comprises a first upwardly extending sidewall 40 and a second upwardly extending sidewall 42 oriented opposite the first sidewall 40. The outer surface of the first sidewall 40 is provided with a cutout for receiving a high-resonance sound-enhancing insert 46, which is made from a material different than that used for making the enclosure 12. The insert 46 is made from a high-resonance material, such as glass, slate, metal or other suitable material. The second sidewall 42 is likewise provided with a cutout for receiving a high-resonance insert 48 therein. The insert 48 can be made of the same material as the insert 46 or of different material to facilitate production of a box call that simulates, or closely mimics a variety of sounds made by wild birds, such as gobblers when attracting hens.

The inserts 46, 48 can be glued to the outer wall surfaces of the sidewalls 40, 42, respectively. The vertical dimensions of the inserts 46, 48 are slightly smaller than the vertical dimensions of the respective sidewalls 40, 42, such that the top edges of the inserts 46, 48 do not reach the top edges of the sidewalls 40, 42. The vibration-producing and sound-producing inserts 46, 48 add an additional thickness to the sidewalls 40, 42 and tend to absorb the vibrations created by the resonance box 12 when the actuator top 50 is rubbed against the sidewalls' upper edges, producing high quality turkey sounds.

The turkey call device of the present invention further comprises a lid, or an actuator top 50. The actuator top 50 is generally paddle-shaped and is pivotally secured at one end thereof to the top of the end wall 18 by a screw 52 or other suitable arrangement. The screw 52 provides an axle about which the actuator top 50 can be rotated in the direction of arrows 53 in FIG. 6. The undersurface of the actuator top 50 that comes into contact with the top edge of may be made convex; the underside is adapted to come into contact with the top edges of one or another sidewalls 40 or 42. By pressing the grip 51 of the actuator top 50 downwardly and swinging the actuator top 50 slightly about its pivot, a user can easily scrape the section underside of the actuator top 50 against the top edge of the sidewalls 40, 42 and thereby produce turkey call sounds.

With the sidewalls 40, 42 fixedly mounted to the bottom wall 14, any vibration of the sidewalls not absorbed by the inserts 46, 48 is transmitted to the acoustic chamber formed by the enclosure 12. The end walls 18, 20, the bottom wall 14, the actuator top 50 and the sidewalls 40, 42 are made of wood. When combined with the vibration-absorbing characteristics of the inserts 46, 48, the sound produced by the device 10 can be adjusted in pitch to closer simulate the call of the wild bird.

When the user wishes to imitate a pot call, the user releases the latch 28 and removes the striker member 24 from the box 12. The user then repeatedly rubs the striker member against the outer inserts 46 or 48, as shown in FIG. 3. The end of the striker member is made of wood. The produced sound simulates a wild turkey cluck similar to a pot call. When not in use, the striker 24 is positioned in the box for storage, secured by the latch 28. An additional advantage of securing the striker 24 with the latch 28 is that no elements of the device can rattle or make undesirable noise when the user moves through the woods. As a result, the wildlife is not alarmed when the hunter moves closer to the target.

Many changes and modifications can be made in the design of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I therefore pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wild bird call device, comprising:

a housing having an upwardly open resonant chamber formed therein, said housing comprising a pair of opposing sidewalls, each sidewall having a top edge, said housing being adapted to producing pot calls and box calls;

a vibration-absorbing and sound-producing insert secured on an outer surface of each of said sidewalls; and

an actuator lid pivotally mounted in relation to the housing top, said actuator lid being positioned to frictionally move against a top edge of the first sidewall to thereby imitate wild bird calls.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each of said inserts has a top edge located below the top edge of a corresponding sidewall, on which the insert is mounted.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said housing has a generally rectangular configuration and comprises a first end wall and a second end wall.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said actuator lid has a proximal end configured and dimensioned for manipulation by a user and a spaced distal end.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein a pivot pin is engaged between a distal end of the actuator lid and a first end wall, said pivot pin forming an axle about which the actuator lid pivots.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein an opening is formed in the first end wall, and wherein a striker member is removably inserted into said opening.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said striker member comprises an outer portion extending outwardly from said opening and a second portion, positioned inside the resonant chamber.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein said striker member is adapted for striking an insert secured on the sidewall to produce a pot call.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein each of said inserts is made from a material different from material of the housing.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said housing is made of wood.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein each of said inserts is made of glass.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein each of said inserts is made of metal.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein each of said inserts is made of slate.

14. A wild bird call device, comprising:

a generally rectangular housing having upwardly extending sidewalls, a first end wall, a second end wall, and a closed bottom, said housing forming an upwardly open chamber defining a resonant chamber therein for producing box calls or pot calls;

a vibration-absorbing and sound-producing insert secured on an outer surface of each of said sidewalls, a top edge of each of said inserts being located below a top edge of a corresponding sidewall;

a striker member removably positioned within the housing; and

an actuator lid pivotally mounted in relation to the housing top, said actuator lid being positioned to frictionally move against a top edge of the first sidewall to thereby imitate wild bird calls.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein said housing, said striker member and said actuator lid are each made of wood.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein each of said inserts is made of glass.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein each of said inserts is made of metal.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein each of said inserts is made of slate.

19. A method of producing a wild bird calls for attracting a wild bird, the method comprising the steps:

providing a housing defining an upwardly open resonant chamber, said housing adapted to producing wild bird calls, said housing comprising a pair of opposing sidewalls, each sidewall having a top edge;

providing an insert for each of said sidewalls, said inserts facilitating quality and versatility of sounds produced by said housing;

providing a striker member and removably positioning said striker member in the housing;

providing an actuator lid and rubbing said actuator lid against top edges of the housing sidewalls, thereby producing box calls.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising the step of forcibly contacting an insert mounted in the sidewall by the striker member to thereby produce a pot call.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said housing is made of wood.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each of said inserts is made of glass.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein each of said inserts is made of metal.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein each of said inserts is made of slate.