Turkey Call Evolution: From D.D. Adams to the Deception Chamber
Looking through my father’s gun cabinet brought me joy as a child. I loved to ferret through all his belongings, and imagine the stories that the knives, shells, guns and other trinkets could tell. However, there was one item in the gun cabinet that always intrigued me more than the rest, and that was an original turkey call from D.D. Adams. This call was crafted from an old flower pot bottom with slate glued into the top, and had a custom striker forged from a broom handle. It was not appealing to the eyes, but boy did it have a great sound to it. My father used that call his whole life and even called me in my first bird with it. That call is older than I am, and when reflecting onto its design and functionality, not much as been changed in the last 30 years or so in the industry.
I thought about how the standard friction call could be changed, improved, or even modified to provide a higher output of functionality. We all know that the unexpected will happen while hunting, and being able to adapt in a blink of an eye is the most critical aspect to success. Thus, the Deception Chamber was born.
A friction call with more than one surface is not a new idea. All the big-name companies have come out with their version of them. Some are a double-sided friction call and others are segmented into slices. In my experience, I have found that they are difficult to call on. That is because they require smaller inserts for the space provided. This can muffle your call volume, and they tend to have a higher pitch to them. But they do work, and they do kill turkeys and in the hunting game that is all that matters.
The Deception Chamber uses 3 independent calling surfaces that can be swapped out by simply unscrewing a lid. This is critical in my opinion because it gives the hunter 3 full sized calls in one. Because of its dynamic design, it can be tuned by how tight the lid is screwed on. Higher pitched calling can be achieved by tightening the lid, while more raspy calling can be achieved by loosening the lid. It is 100% up to the user on how the call is tuned. Just remember, as with any call, the Deception Chamber needs to be practiced on. Tightening and loosening the call needs to be perfected to get the desired tones. But once it is figured out, the call will never let the user down.
In a world where everyone and their brother makes custom turned friction calls, it is hard to differentiate. That is not an excuse but rather a solution. Cro-Mag Outdoors had provided a product that has its own segment in the turkey hunting community. A tool for ALL novice hunters as it provides them with 3 calls in one, and a tool for the most advanced callers because it gives them more versatility. The Deception Chamber is a call that WILL kill turkeys. There is a learning curve due to its design, but when practiced on it will be one of the most useful tools in the hunter’s arsenal.