Springtime Gobblers
***1/2 (out of 4 stars)
A Tru Texan Production release written and directed by Charles Foster Sr.
Cast features:
Charles Foster Sr., Charles Foster Jr., Bruce Gaylor, and some wild Rio Grande Turkeys.
Running time 50 minutes.
No rating (sensuality, some violence).
Brush aside all the hype you may have heard about Springtime Gobbler Hunting for the Rio Grande Wild Turkey in Texas. Don't consider the movie what it isn't.
It isn't overly sexual, although sexuality plays a big part in both spring gobbler hunting and this Texas-made how-to video. Produced, directed and starred in by Charles Foster Sr., a Houston-based manufacturer of turkey calls, there is naturally some wild turkey "pillow talk" in Springtime.
Turkeys only breed for a few weeks a year, and the toms are rabidly polygamous to boot, which means there's an urgency to their ardor. There is nothing subtle about a gobbler's gobble.
The hen's response, on the other hand, is soft and rhythmic as a love song - which is exactly what it is.
Springtime Gobbler Hunting is about the quaint art of luring a gobbler into shotgun range by sounding like an available hen. More than imitating nature, it is bending nature, for the hen normally goes to the gobbler.
In a homey setting before the fireplace, Chuck and Charles Jr. demonstrate three basic calls used in luring wild turkey gobblers: the "yelp" the main ready-or-not sound made by the hen; and the "purr" and "cluck" which are confidence noises made by both sexes.
The calls are produced by three different methods. One is the cedar box, which has a paddle-like lid pinned at one end so that its chalked underside may be lightly rubbed against either of the tapered rims of the box, producing a rich squeak that is amplified by the hollow box like an acoustic guitar.
Another call is the diaphragm, a reed call that disappears in your mouth (and down your throat if you don't learn to bite down when you inhale). Unlike the box call and Chuck Foster's speciality, the slate call, there is no way to show someone how to use it. Chuck tries gamely anyhow, demonstrating with his finger how your tongue is supposed to move against the latex reed.
The slate, which is easily demonstrated (and surprisingly easy to use), makes the most realistic sound when compared to the real yelps clucks and purrs in the turkeys-in-the-wild scenes later in the video. It's a small rectangle of natural slate glued to a cedar box with an acoustic chamber. It operates much like a hard piece of chalk on a dusty blackboard, except that you rub gently with a dowel "striker".
The Fosters also discuss locator calls like the owl hoot, used for triggering gobbles from birds yet on the roost.
In addition to the how-to scenes with the various calls, there are segments of real Rio Grandes in their natural habitat, hens, and jakes (young Gobblers) and long-bearded old toms, all producing their normal springtime sounds.
But this is not a video designed to hone your skills for the turkey calling nationals. With the three basic calls covered, the video moves onto basic aspects of turkey calling, tactics, camouflage, shotguns, etc.
Another thing Springtime Gobbler Hunting is not is overly violent, although some violence is inherent in hunting. The Fosters explain how to check your gun's performance ahead of time, what ranges are appropriate and what loads are best. Charles Jr. demonstrates the best method to bring a shotgun into play without spooking the wary and extremely fleet birds. "The one thing you aren't going to do is outdraw a gobbler", says Charles Jr.
The three actual kill scenes are included to demonstrate proper shot placement and range, which are critical when hunting turkeys with a shotgun.
There are valuable tips in tactics such as how to see without being seen. While head-to-toe camouflage may not be necessary, Chuck stresses the importance of Caucasians masking the pinkish flesh of face and hands.
In the field, Charles Jr. shows us how to make sure the gobbler will come out in front of you and not behind. The birds are "lek" breeders, meaning they put on a visual as well as vocal display. Basically, they need room to strut their stuff.
So if it's not a sex film or a snuff flick or a crash course in talking turkey, what is Springtime Gobbler Hunting? It is a how-to video by Texans for Texans covering all of the basics of not just spring turkey hunting, but spring hunting for Rio Grande gobblers in Texas.
With turkey season only 24 days away, the video is available over the counter in Houston, about $20, at Academy and Carter's Country stores.
For a live seminar on calling and hunting the Rio Grande gobbler, call Chuck Foster at (281) 568-7299.
Back at the ranch....