Heeding the Call

Corey Ellis is the owner and operator of Conviction Turkey Calls.

Corey Ellis works at a local steel mill in Lowndes County, Mississippi. He loves his job, but it’s fair to say that his real passion is that most American of species - the wild turkey.

Ellis has been hunting the wild birds since he was 15 years old. Nearly ten years ago, he began making his own turkey calls. From there he founded Conviction Turkey Calls, a company that hand makes turkey calls and turkey hunting apparel.

“It’s the sound of the turkey diving in the woods that gets me,” said Ellis. “It’s a rush like no other.”

In 2014 Ellis was named the Rookie Callmaker of the Year. This past year, he was awarded the Corporate Partner of the Year award from the National Wild Turkey Federation.

“It blew me away. The NWTF does so much to help conservation and helpthe turkey population. To get recognized by them was the highlight of my year.”

Ellis has hunted for birds all over the southeast. He has hunted in Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Georgia. However, most of his time hunting is spent in his native Mississippi.

Of the four major species of turkey - Merrium, Eastern, Osceola, and Rio - Ellis has bagged all but the Merrium. He was planning a trip to South Dakota to hunt the bird, but like so many things, the COVID-19 virus has changed his plans.

“We usually go all over, but the virus has got us all shut down. Everyone’s a little afraid to go out, and I don’t blame them, so this year we are sticking close to home.”

Ellis hunts with a 20 gauge Benelli shotgun. On the land near his home, he stalks the Eastern turkey, which is native to Mississippi.

When he’s not hunting the birds Ellis can be found in his shop where he and his small team hand make his award winning turkey calls.

“I’m a perfectionist,” he said. “It all starts with the tree. We cut the wood, we dry the wood, we hand grind the wood. I like a dense wood to make a turkey call out of, but everybody’s different.”

Ellis also helps people who are new to turkey calling get a feel for it and is often asked for advice by beginners.

“You are trying to mimic a turkey. You want to do what they do from midday to afternoon, and you are trying to fool a long-beard into thinking, ‘there’s a hen in there that I didn’t hear.’ It’s a game and you are doing your best to win that game.”

For beginners, Ellis recommends getting a wooden slate call, because it’s the easiest to use. He also says two common mistakes he sees in would-be-turkey-callers are a lack of patience and overuse of the call.

“Don’t call too much,” said Ellis. “I’m a firm believer in that once the turkey knows you’re there, and once he gobbles at your call, put your call up. Let him search for you. Don’t overcall, because that will scare him away.”

Ellis clearly knows what he is talking about as he regularly brings home the big big birds.

“We eat a lot of Thanksgiving at my house,” he said.

You can learn more about Conviction Turkey Calls here.