If I had to rely on one call I would take a pot call, I've tried my trumpets on every hunt, but don't have that confidence that I need to carry alone. A thermacell is must!
I would have to agree that a turkey might not gobble to a Trumpet or WingBone caller as well as other type callers. Plus with a Pot call ( and others ) it's easier to snatch a gobble by cranking it up with yelps and cuts. In that respect a Pot call is great choice.... at least you know or can find where a gobbler is.
I asked the late Parker Whedon a long time ago why the trumpet or wing bone callers worked so well, when "other" type callers seemed to sound more like a turkey? ( not to mention how bad some sound on one and still consistently kill birds...lol )
His answer was, it must be the fact the sounds are made by the vibration of your lips and magnfied through the trumpet and controlled ( or altered ) by your "grip" or hands. This seemed to be the best answer that reproducing the sounds with your lips were "organic" and that all the sounds we are making or trying to make ( reproduce) is Bioaccoustical ( just like the human voice).
What that means is, the turkey Voice is made up of a complex wave form and variable harmonics. I was able to confirm that while to my ear other callers sounded Turkey ( or more Turkey ) that the Turkey was the judge of what sounded Turkey. Then talking to Billy Buice who has been making trumpets for some 45 years now........ said most hunters don't know how Turkey it sounds in the woods 100 yards away.
I have posted some of this before. There is a great story told by Tom Turpin in his book where he had an epiphany while hunting...... which led him to the air (lips) operated callers.
To sum this up for now....lol. In the Old days they judged how good a turkey caller was by dead turkeys. It's the modern hunter who judges a caller by Gobbles. I can't give you or anyone else confidence in you calling ability or the "sounds" you are making and what you hear. My bet, given such great instruments made today, that you are no where near the worst caller out there....... and those guys are slaying turkeys.
