55 on the fly

Called in this nice 8" long beard using my Scott Witter box call and one of my own DK trumpet calls. This fine bird closes out my Spring season... Lots of good eating and fly tying materials for the future.

Opening Day of Turkey Season. I called in four hens a Jake, this gobbler and another long beard. I shot the strutter a big old bird with a double beard. A great morning for sure.

Nothing like good old turkey soup after Thanksgiving.... It's a task I enjoy each year.

 After a very tough week of hunting these magnificent birds in terrible weather I was lucky enough to take this fine gobbler. I used a Scott Witter Box Call to bring him to the gun. Now I have lots of nice tail feathers for tying my turkey tail nymphs.... right on!

Here's a new DKW Custom Trumpet with removable mouth piece I made recently that's for sale at my web site, see below.  It's made of Stained Maple and has the optional removable mouth piece system. Different mouth pieces can be obtained to produce old and young hens and even gobblers. http://drkorn55.wix.com/dougkornsworkshop  for Turkey Trumpets and more.....

Well the NY Spring turkey season is in the books.  Myself and my hunting partner Jim hunted hard this Spring but it was all in vain as we saw and heard very few gobblers.  In fact, we didn't even see that many turkeys.  Our hunting area has always been great and has had a good population of birds.  But, in 2015-16 it's been hit hard by whatever is taking the toll on turkeys across NY.  Last Fall was bad and frankly I was worried about this Spring's season and the lack of birds and I was right...  I'm hoping the population bounces back soon, but I'm not counting on it and I don't think the NYS DEC has a clue. How was your season in NY? Scott Witter box call and one of my own DK Trumpet calls.....

Hi folks - I'm happy to share a recently turned Persimmon Trumpet Turkey Call with .410 brass and a Delrin mouthpiece. She's up for sale at $97 delivered in the USA. You can purchase it here on my web site: http://drkorn55.wix.com/dougkornsworkshop#!turkey-calls/b0vvn

Hey folks, I've been in the shop doing some turning. Knocked out this trumpet of 100 year old oak, copper ferrule, Delrin mouth piece and bead on the lanyard... This one is a gift for a new friend and fellow turkey hunter and call maker. Thanks all for giving it a look, Doug.

from my workshop comes this Model DKT-1 in Ebony, faux ivory spacer, copper ferrule and Delrin mouth piece. This one is sold and headed for GA... thanks for looking....

Had a great time hunting with friends this week. The three of us all took birds, 4 total...... here are my two. Bird #1 - Bearded hen, some people might balk at taking a hen in the spring..... But, I consider a bearded hen a rare trophy. We hardly ever shoot hens on the property even in the fall. This is the second one I've taken in 40 years of turkey hunting.  Bird #2 - Gobbler  my buddy Jim (left) and I with my gobbler.... tools of the trade - Richard Hudson Hen Box (the turkey's love this call) and my own homemade Ebony Trumpet Call.... Jim's bow killed gobbler...

Hi folks - turned this turpin style trumpet today. Ebony horn with an ivory spacer, copper ferrule and Delrin mouth piece. thanks for checking it out, Doug.

I made this call today..... Osage with stacked leather mid section and a Delrin mouth piece... thanks Doug.

I went for a scout today to check out a new piece of land to turkey hunt. I took along some toys to play with,  from top to bottom: Richard Hudson Hen Box Snakewood over Spalted Pecan and my own Osage Trumpet and crow call... What a great morning I had. Sunny and almost 65 degrees.... I was scouting a new area and slowly worked along the edges of it, lots of glassing the fields and looking for sign, but not seeing much.... I got to a likely looking corner of the field and woods and crow called into the woods.... nothing.... So, I sat down and had a snack and a cup of coffee, just enjoying the day. I had been sitting there about 30 minutes or so and decided to give my Hudson box a run and sent out a series of sweet old hen yelps.... A couple of clucks was my reward, from a hen not very far away..... I sent out a second series of yelps and got a reply yelp and then spotted the hen coming down the edge of the field coming right to me. I froze with no mask or gloves and a steam...

This is my first crack at making a crow call..... I used some beechnut and a plastic reed assembly. I'm not sure I like the shape of the call, but it sure sounds great...

My son Scott and I hunted down in Cherry Creek, NY this weekend..... Scott shot this big old field gobbler on Saturday.   Nothing like a hunt with your son, quality time in the woods and the bonus of some good eating..... 8 inch beard, 3/4 inch spurs and one very, very wet turkey  ;-) Even though it rained non-stop all weekend we saw several more birds and a bunch of deer as well. 

Here's my latest: Red Oak Delrin mouth piece 38 special brass This trumpet has the slender shape and call tone that I have been striving for.  I really like the way this one came out.  Now I will try to replicate it and be consistent from call to call...  thanks for taking a look.... Doug

More practice on the lathe.  I turned this trumpet of Spalted Maple in a more classic style...

Hi folks, just thought I'd post a couple of photos of the first trumpet turkey call that I made yesterday on my lathe. I turned it out of red oak. It has a PEI mouth piece and a cork stopper.  She's a sweet talker!

May first was opening day of the turkey season here in NY and I was in my blind for a whole 40 minutes before I shot this gobbler.  Here in NY we can take two birds so I like to put one in the pot as fast as I can and then hunt for a "big boy" long beard... We did see some long beards (far left tom strutting ) but they were too far for a shot and had lots of hens already, so our calls went unanswered. The jake had a 4 3/4  inch beard and I called him in with a Marlin D. Watkins box call. Cleaning the bird. We also found a woodcock's nest with 4 little eggs in it.  I snapped a picture while momma timber-doodle did her best to divert us by playing hurt and injured.   

Yesterday was opening weekend for turkeys in NY and my buddy Ben and I both took birds.  Ben shot his in the morning and I took mine in the afternoon... This was my only weekend to hunt with my knee surgery scheduled for October 30th.  The doctor says I'll be down and out of hunting and fishing for about 4 weeks... Even so I am planning to hunt opening day of the gun deer season on Nov. 17th.  Lucky for me the birds were working the fields and I could drive the four wheeler right near my blind. Ben with his bird, a double bearded gobbler 7" and 2". I took this hen at 5 pm. in the pouring rain at 48 yards.