Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Heirloom Custom Turkey Calls

Brian Warner started making turkey calls as a therapy to help stay focused while suffering from esophageal cancer and recovering from a six-bypass heart surgery.

Brian’s love for wood working, his creative mind and knowledge of turkeys was the perfect combination to make, what today are, truly remarkable turkey calls. Brian Warner offers custom turkey calls and then he offers customized turkey calls– let me explain.

Custom Turkey Calls

Brian Warner uses different types of wood, knowing that each wood sounds a little different. From this wood he cuts and carves the body of the call. Depending on the sound he strives for the pots are larger or smaller, thick walled or thin. The pot then is covered with a special glass disc that Brian has cut to exact specifications. The final moment comes when he uses different wood strikers to produce the sound. This is called hand tuning - a long process - until the perfect match of striker, glass and call pot is found that produces the exact sound Brian wants.

It is a process of one handcrafted, hand-tuned call at a time. Not unlike the mass production of commercial calls produced in a factory where workers, without any clue about turkeys or turkey hunting, assemble these items. The glass Brian uses is either natural see-through or stained in different colors to add a special touch. Some of the calls come with two different surfaces: on one side the call sounds raspy and on the other side higher pitched. Every hunter that has been hunting turkeys for a year or two knows how important it is at times to sound like two or even three different turkeys. Brian includes that multi-sound option into one call.

Customized Turkey Calls

Many seasoned turkey hunters have very special requirements about their calls and Brian is the call maker to fulfill these special needs. Then there are hunters who simply want a very unique turkey call, perhaps even a picture of a family member, friend or their trophy tom incorporated into the call. Again Brian is the man who can do that.

I have known Brian for some time now and when he sent me a set of turkey calls to field test I was eager to try them out. When the parcel arrived I was very impressed with the craftsmanship and the obvious dedication to detail. The calls looked simply stunning; they were pieces of art. But did they sound right? As a hunter of many years I had pessimistically come to the conclusion that something that looks very good often lacks elsewhere, or the other way around: what works well usually looks ugly. Happily this was not the case! The moment I set the striker on the call to produce a soft yelp I knew I had a winner in my hands. Further field tests convinced me that this set of turkey calls was simply the best glass friction call I have ever had the pleasure to use.

As a turkey hunter my priority is to imitate calls that sound just like real turkeys. Over the years I have tried many different calls -some good, some bad. Since trying Brian’s Heirloom turkey calls I have to say that I would not leave home without one in my turkey hunting vest. The phrase “It sounds just like a real turkey” can certainly be said of Heirloom Custom Turkey calls! In fact I am so convinced by these calls that I readily accepted an offer from Brian Warner to join his Pro-Staff Team.


Here is the latest design from Heirloom Custom Turkey Calls.

This "Powder Keg Call” is made form Walnut, Mahogany and Oak. This is the very first call we have made using natural slate as a striking surface. Wow are we pleased! The striker comes apart and stores INSIDE the barrel and is fully adjustable. The striker is made of Oak dowel and carbon composite. This is one sweet sounding call.












I leave with a few customer comments:
“Brian has sent me some calls and different strikers to field test. I have not yet had the time to write my findings but it is save to say that it has been a very long time since I had a turkey friction call in my hands that felt so good and sounded just perfect. In fact they sound so good not even a turkey will be able to tell the difference and that is what matters most. I wish I could say the same of other calls I had field tested in the past, but I cannot.”
Othmar Vohringer
Outdoor Writer and Seminar Speaker


“There's something awfully special about handling a custom call. These not only have great sounds, but he [Brian Warner of Heirloom Custom Turkey Calls] puts a little something else in them that NOBODY else does. I've been turkey hunting for over twenty years and have hundreds of calls and Brian's the first call maker to come along that's not satisfied with making them like everybody else. They look the same, but he's got a special resonator inside the pot that makes a real difference.”
Toby Benoit
Outdoor Writer and Novelist


“I have one that I had him put a picture of my kids in. It's under the slate and in the handle of the striker. It’s a beauty.”

“Brian, that call that I got from you when you visited here last month is AWESOME!! I've been talking to the turkeys here most every day and the deer hang around also when I use the call!! Wonder if they can tell the difference? Thanks for a GREAT call and I can vouch for you.”


General Information
Heirloom Turkey Calls
Calls: 80 varieties
Cost: around $50.00
To order a Heirloom Custom Turkey Call or get more information contact Brian Warner by Email
or call (318) 949-9008

NEW for 2007
A new turkey call from Heirloom read more about here. This is the first call of its kind that does not first need to be treated with chalk to make it sound. this is the call avid turkey hunters are talking about.










Brian Warner also makes custom fishing lures that not only look outstanding but also catch fish. You can read more about Brian’s Fishing Lures here:

3 comments:

Editor said...

Beautiful turkey calls.
Do you want to come down here and use it?

Othmar Vohringer said...

Yes these calls are very beautiful but they sound really good to. When Heirloom sent me the first calls for field-testing I was tempted to hang them on the wall as pieces of art. Then I tried to produce a simple yelp and was immediately convinced of the sound quality too.

Thanks for the invitation to chase some gobbles with you. I gladly will take up on it, but at the moment I am not able to say anything concrete. We’re moving but we still wait on the exact date that our new house will be ready to live in. It's very frustrating!

-Othmar Vohringer-

Anonymous said...

If Othmar can't make it, I can try....;-) I'm glad you folks like my calls. I have some thoughts on some new models that will be coming out in time for next season. I hope you find the time to take a look at them. I have had alot of compliments on my calls. The ones I really look forward to are the ones from regular folks who hunt with them.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...