Remotely Controlled Turkey Calling Device

The turkey is one of the most astute, keen-eyed game birds in the world. Thus, in addition to its source as a food product, the turkey is a popular target for hunters since it has proven to be among the most elusive, and thus difficult to shoot.

To assist the hunter in locating a turkey, resort is often had to a turkey-calling device which is operable to emit a sound simulating the gobble of a turkey. Hopefully, the turkey is lured toward the hunter by the sounds produced by the calling device. Once in range and assuming the turkey has not spotted the hunter, the hunter is able to fire a shot at his prey. Owing to the keen eyesight of the turkey, however, the hunter is often spotted by the turkey before the hunter can locate and fire upon his target.

The present invention relates to a remote control for a turkey or other game calling device. By using the invention, the hunter can camouflage himself at a remote location from the calling device, preferably a location having good sight lines to the calling device. Upon operation of the caller, a turkey may be drawn into the caller area, with a lesser chance of the hunter being spotted. Thus the hunter has an increased chance of getting his prey.

Turkey calling devices are well-known in the patented prior art. The Malone U.S. Pat. No. 2,573,856, for example, discloses a turkey caller including a housing, a trigger-type actuator, and tone-producing means for producing a sound within the housing resulting from friction of a reed which is vibrated upon movement of the trigger. The caller is not operable from a remote location.

Also known in the art are remotely operated decoys. In the Stager U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,223, for example, there is disclosed a muskrat call and decoy wherein air pressure is used to operate the calling device and also to move the forelegs on decoy providing the effect of movement of the decoy to attract another muskrat. This device does not provide the push-pull movement for operation of turkey callers. Moreover, because the device generates only a limited amount of air pressure, it is unsuitable for operation more than a few feet from the decoy.

The present invention was developed in order to overcome these and other drawbacks of the prior devices by providing a remote control actuator assembly for a turkey caller which is operable at locations of fifty feet or more from the calling device.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a device for remotely operating a game-calling device such as a turkey caller having a fixed housing, and a movable actuator for producing a sound from the housing. The invention includes a flexible push-pull cable including a hollow outer sheath and an elongated inner core member axially displaceable within the sheath. At one end of the flexible push-pull cable, the sheath is connected with the game-calling device and the core member is connected with the actuator of the device. At the other end of the cable is connected a pistol-type displacement mechanism operable to displace the core relative to the sheath. Upon operation of the pistol, the actuator of the game-calling device is operated to emit sound therefrom.

According to a more particular object of the invention, the pistol includes a spring biased trigger pivotally connected with the pistol housing. The trigger is connected with the core member of the push-pull cable, so that the trigger is manually operable against the force of the spring biasing means to displace the core in one axial direction with the spring biassing the core member in the opposite axial direction to provide the push-pull displacement necessary to operate the turkey caller.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a representation of the remote control device according to the invention for operating a turkey caller;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through the push-pull cable of the remote control device of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a detailed sectional view of the pistol-type displacement mechanism for operating the push-pull cable of the invention of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional turkey calling device 2 is provided including a housing 4 and an actuator 6 which is laterally displaced relative to the housing 4 to operate a reed-type mechanism 8 within the housing. Vibration of the reed 8 produces a sound which resonates from the turkey caller housing 4 and simulates the sound normally made by turkeys. Connected with the turkey calling device 2 is the remote control apparatus according to the invention. This apparatus includes a push-pull cable 10 having an outer sheath 12 and an inner core 14 as shown more particularly in FIG. 2. The push-pull cable is flexible in nature and may have a length on the order of 50 feet or more. The outer sheath is preferably formed of a synthetic plastic material and the inner core is formed of any suitable flexible material such as metal or synthetic plastic which does not stretch along its length. The inner core is axially displaceable relative to the outer sheath.

Referring once again to FIG. 1, the outer sheath is preferably connected directly with the housing 4 of the turkey calling device 2, with the inner core 12 being connected with the acutator 6 of the turkey calling device. At the other end of the push-pull cable 10, there is provided a pistol 16 which is operable to displace the inner core member 14 relative to the outer sheath 12 of the push-pull cable 10.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the preferred construction of the pistol displacement member 16 will be described. The pistol includes a trigger 18 which is connected with the pistol housing via a pivot pin 20. The outer sheath of the push-pull cable is connected with the pistol, and the inner core 14 is connected with the trigger 18 as shown in FIG. 3. A spring 22 is arranged between the housing pistol 16 and the rear surface of the trigger 18.

In operation, the hunter grips the pistol in one hand and depresses the trigger 18 relative to the pistol by pushing on the trigger with his finger. Depression of the trigger causes the trigger to pivot about the pivot pin 20 and to push the inner core member 14 toward the far end of the push-pull cable relative to the outer sheath 12 which is fixed. Thus at the turkey calling device where the outer sheath 12 is fixed to the housing of the caller, the inner core 14 pushes the actuator 6 inwardly with respect to the calling housing 4 to vibrate the reed 8 to produce sound. Release of the trigger 18 by the hunter's finger enables the spring 22 to bias the trigger about the pivot pin 20 whereby the trigger 18 pulls the core member 14 relative to the sheath 12. At the calling device, the actuator 6 is drawn outwardly of the housing 4 of the calling device to again vibrate the reed 8 and to produce a further sound simulating that of a turkey. Repeated manual operation of the trigger 18 and the biasing movement of the return spring 22 provides the push-pull movement necessary to repeatedly operate the turkey calling device 2 as desired.

Because the pistol 16 may be located a significant distance (i.e. on the order of 50 feet or more) from the location of the turkey calling device, the hunter is able to position himself at a remote location from the calling device, thereby minimizing the chance that the hunter will be spotted or sensed by his prey.

While the invention has been described with reference to a turkey calling device, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the remote control operator of the device may be used for any suitable game-calling mechanism requiring push-pull movement for operation.

While in accordance with the provisions of the patent statute the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without deviating from the inventive concepts set forth above.