Slayer Calls launches six turkey mouth calls in time for spring hunting
Company CEO Bill Ayer shares his passion and inspiration for the new product offerings, as well as manufacturing challenges and victories.
Featured Photo by Josh Montgomery
EAGLE, Idaho — For many folks, spring is synonymous with only one meaningful outdoor activity: turkey hunting. Nothing beats the exhilaration of letting loose a set of calls across the spring woods and listening for their reply. Now, one Idaho company best known for its waterfowl calls is getting in on the action with a brand-new lineup of turkey mouth calls, designed by outdoor enthusiast and company CEO, Bill Ayer. The best part? They’re available just in time for the spring season.
“I’ve been chasing toms since I was 8 years old,” says Ayer, describing his passion for both the bird and the hunt. “I don’t think I’ll miss a season until the day I’m in the dirt.”
Across the country, turkey season generally starts in mid-April, though some southern states start in March, while a few northeastern neighbors don’t join until May. Spring hunts target gobblers, while fall is the season for hunting both sexes.
There’s a great deal of fun to be had in spring turkey hunts, since that’s the time when toms are most eager to hear from a willing female. Most toms will perk up at a decent call, be it a hen’s cackle or the startling impression of a crow or coyote. But let loose a highly realistic cutt, purr or yelp, and hunters may be startled to find the gobblers literally come running. A good call can be a game-changer for avid outdoor enthusiasts, which is why Ayer is so excited to share his brand-new turkey mouth calls with the world.
“Our slogan here at Slayer is ‘Call the wild’,” explains Ayer. “All of our calls, whether it be turkey, waterfowl, elk or predator, are built the same way. We pay attention to quality first. And quality, to us, means a call made here in the United States — a call that will endure both the elements in the field and the test of time, while still making the truest sounds that produce results.”
Manufacturing a turkey call that would perform up to Slayer’s standards wasn’t easy for Ayer and his team, despite the fact Ayer has been making his own turkey mouth calls for over 15 years. “We started looking into it a few years ago,” says Ayer. “But in order to mass produce and create a scalable process to deliver the best calls on the market, we had to look at better ways to manufacture the calls.”
In the end, Slayer’s team found both the right processes and parts to create the desired results. “All our turkey calls are made here in the United States, using materials and machines that hold each call to very tight tolerances. We’re able to replicate exactly what latex stretches we have on each call over and over again to make identical cuts in the latex — cuts that we know produce the best sound.”
Ayer’s appreciation for turkeys and their unique calling repertoire started young. He grew up in California, in an area frequented by wildlife. “I had about 20 to 50 turkeys that would go through our backyard almost every day,” he says. “We had an apple tree in the back of our property, and each evening they would fly up to eat the apples.”
In their lust for a sweet meal, the turkeys would often knock down fruit, much to the enjoyment of the local deer who’d show up afterward to clean up. “I sat for hours watching them interact and listening to how they vocalized to each other,” says Ayer. “This experience alone has helped me tremendously in being a better turkey hunter and making calls that produce the quality sounds necessary to be more successful in the field.”
Now, Ayer says he can’t wait for this spring’s hunters to put Slayer’s new turkey mouth calls to the test. “We’ve always helped waterfowl hunters be more successful in the field,” says Ayer. “Now we’re helping turkey hunters do the same, and that’s very exciting.”
About Slayer Calls: Slayer Calls was founded by CEO Bill Ayer in 2018 in Eagle, Idaho. The Slayer team are outdoor enthusiasts obsessed with handcrafting the best hunting calls, backed by a lifetime guarantee, and providing unmatched customer service. Slayer gives back to conservation efforts by donating 10% of every purchase.
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