I bumped into my old friend Eddie Salter for a few seconds at the 2010 SHOT Show in Las Vegas.  He was much more frantic than is usual for this super-cool good old boy…  on the run between appointments and booths. As we hesitated in the aisle another one of his friends (he may have more than six million “buddies”) rushed by and offered Eddie congratulations on his new turkey call, which I instantly recognized was dangling from a lanyard around his neck. He shouted to the passerby that sales for the new device were brisk. An order had recently been placed for 17,000 of the little gems.

The shape of the call left me with the impression of a miniature still, as in a tiny whiskey brewing device. It appeared fairly complex, but he didn’t seem to want me to get a great view of it. Anyway, the sound that came from the instrument when Eddie demonstrated it to me was a plaintiff, long, high-pitched shriek not unlike the wail of a rabbit-distress  predator call,  but much softer and with unique textured, most of which was probably lost deaf to my shot-out and uneducated ears.  “It’s the sound hens sometimes make when aggressive gobblers are atop them breeding, Eddie said. “I’ve been holding on to it for years, as a sort of secret professional hunting edge. You won’t believe the video.”

And then with the signature Eddie Salter twinkle of eye,  he wished me well and was gone to the coming din of people flooding the exit doors for another day at the Mecca of traditional outdoors selling.

Subsequently, I've learned that Salter will officially unveil the call at next week’s NWTF convention.

Here is an excerpt from a recent interview with Salter by P.J. Perea, Senior Editor of the NWTF’s Turkey Country magazine that I ran across during my follow-up effort for this post:

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.

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.

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: No self-respecting turkey hunter should be without an NWTF membership. Check out the group at www.nwtf.org.