Few materials known to man are as variable as a block of wood. Over nearly half a century of producing turkey calls hewn from single blocks of wood, Neil D. Cost mastered the variables of wood. He learned how to analyze and recognize quality wood, and he learned what must be done to a block of wood to produce a turkey call without equal (unless it was another call of his own making). He learned and understood the interrelationships among factors such as hardness and softness, density and grain, the presence or absence of natural oils, length and thickness and the mating of one wood type to another to produce sounds that are the essence of the American wild turkey. Further, Neil exhibited the skills and abilities of an artistic genius as evidenced by the masterful woodworking that adorns his callers.

    In the text of three books, Neil attempted to convey the tools, techniques and means whereby one could produce an instrument of deceit. Still, within those works, two aspects of his wonderful calls remain veiled – the unequaled wild turkey sounds they are capable of evoking and the striking beauty of his calls. While the reasoning behind the absence of the former is readily apparent to the reader of his books, the absence of the latter is not so obvious. Neil was more interested in conveying the techniques for making a functional, good sounding, hunt-worthy turkey call within the limitations of the written word than the appearance of the finished call. Thus, he opted for black and white photography.

    This work erases the visual shortcomings of black and white photography. In it the reader is treated to not only the details of Neil’s meticulous workmanship but also to the magnificent aspects and nuances of the woods he hand selected for his calls. Through great and tireless effort Mike Marks has produced a work which not only fills a void pertaining to Neil’s excellence in call making, but also gives a deeper perspective into the insight and understanding of woods chosen by America’s legendary turkey callmaker, Neil D. Cost.

Scott Branton