The Grand National Turkey Calling Contest

jesse martin, age 36, Mount Sterling, Kentucky

Why did you take up

turkey calling? I was about ten, and my aunt and uncle had some turkeys out in the yard. I got obsessed with trying to sound as much like a real turkey as I could. I’ve practiced three hours a day for the last twenty-some years.

For people who have never heard you—or a turkey—can you

describe a call? Kee is a sound the turkey makes when it has been separated from the flock, kind of like a kid at Walmart screaming for his mama. They cluck and purr when they’re eating their favorite foods and they’re happy. Every hen sounds different, just like humans.

And you do this all just with the sound of your

voice? No, you place what’s known as a call in your mouth. It contains latex, and the tension is what will make it sound like different turkeys. The tighter you stretch the call, the higher the pitch. Looser tension will sound like an older hen.

Why do you think you

won? The judges said it was the most realistic they’d ever heard. You need to be your own hen, not like somebody else. That was my tenth Grand National, and I finally won. It was a dream come true. The National Wild Turkey Federation’s Grand National Calling Championship is held every February. There are nine divisions, including owl hooting and a team challenge.