April 2023,

 

It's a perfect spring morning for wild turkey hunting. A light breeze, a warming sun. The last mounds of snow on the ground reveal fresh tracks. Confident, I sit at the foot of a large oak tree, motionless and silent. I wait a moment to make myself invisible. The wild turkey isn't fooled, so caution is advised. Perfectly camouflaged, I take out my call and begin my first sequence of calls.

 

iyack - iyack - iyack- iyack - iyack
cut!
cut - cut!
cut!

 

Then I listen, I am invisible. Lulled by the sounds of the forest, hoping to hear the long-awaited gobbling in the distance, I carefully observe the box call in my hands.

 

It's a beautiful and fascinating instrument that requires practice, and I study it extensively. The friction call is full of details necessary for the realistic sounds it reproduces. The wood species used, grain orientation, curves, angles, sizing, and surface treatment will all affect the desired tone.

 

Ideas were racing through my head when suddenly a response rang out from the woods, bringing me back to the present moment. A surge of adrenaline flooded through me. So that was why I was up before dawn with only a few hours of sleep disturbed by the familiar excitement of pre-hunting. He's approaching, I'm invisible...

 

That morning, a new passion was born. A work based on experience began and took hold with growing intensity.

Marco Landry
Artisan hunter