How to Make Turkey Calls Out of Paper

The first turkey calls made by native Americans were done with leaves and birch bark paper. Using regular paper, you too can make a turkey call. This is a fun thing to do with a scout troop or a party of kids.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scissors
• Paper of various thicknesses

1. Cut a strip of paper about 3 inches long by ½ an inch wide.

2. Place your hands together as if you are praying. Your thumbs will be touching side by side.

3. Position the paper. Where the tops of your thumbs touch to where the bottom of your thumbs touch, there will be a slight gap in the middle of your thumbs. Take that piece of paper and hold one end at the top of your thumbs while holding the other end at the bottom of your thumbs.

4. Tighten your thumbs. Press the sides of the thumbs together as much as possible.

5. Blow through your thumbs. Place your mouth in the middle of your thumb separation, and blow gently through the paper---which is now acting like a reed from a woodwind instrument. The paper will vibrate and make noise. It might take a bit of practice to do this, but it will work.

6. Try other widths and lengths of paper as your reed. By varying the sizes, you will get different tones. By puffing or blowing, you will get different rhythms. By doing this, you can approximate any call that a turkey makes.

Tips & Warnings

• Blades of grass, birch bark paper, even very thin pieces of wood will work when suspended in your thumbs this way, and are blown on.
• Do not stick your tongue out or you could get a paper cut on your tongue.

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