Eddie Salter, from Evergreen, Alabama, took a keen interest in learning turkey vocabulary from an early age, and he killed his first wild turkey when he was just 10 years old. That success sparked the flame of a lifelong passion that led him to become "The Turkey Man," and he's our guest on The Michael Waddell Podcast, presented by Spandau Arms and in partnership with Folds of Honor and Cigars International. America's turkey hunting community is a tightly knit group, especially those members who have called competitively, and that's immediately obvious in this lively conversation between Eddie Salter and Waddell. Born and raised in Southcentral Alabama, where he was taught to turkey hunt by his grandfather and father, Salter learned to master a variety of turkey call styles and techniques and was an early adopter and innovator of diaphragm mouth calls, in particular. Salter started his own game call company in the mid-1980s and won numerous turkey calling championships – including World Turkey Calling Championships in '85 and '89 – before famously joining the Hunter's Specialties Pro Staff in the early '90s and beginning an extensive career in video and outdoor TV, which ultimately led to his appearing in his own "Turkey Man" television program, among others.
The Michael Waddell Podcast is produced by Outdoor Sportsman Group and is available widely on Outdoor Channel YouTube, MyOutdoorTV, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and OutdoorChannel.com, to name a few.
In this episode, Eddie Salter has much to say about the early days when he was running in the same circle with many of the early call makers, especially Ben Rodgers Lee, and helping to develop the first stack frame diaphragm mouth call. Ben Lee is widely considered the father of modern-day turkey hunting and calling, and he was a larger-than-life individual. "Oh, Ben could call so well with his natural voice," confided Salter. When conducting turkey calling seminars, Ben Lee liked to have fun with folks. "He'd tear off a piece of toilet paper and stick it in his mouth and call," Salter explained, "but he was just using his voice. …He was good, Old Ben, old snuff can and all."
Salter shared another funny story from early turkey hunting seminar days: "I was up in Greenville High School," Salter continued, "which I live in Evergreen, and it was just about 30 miles up there, and the high school had invited me, and they had invited Ben Lee to come do a seminar, and he was talking about this and that, and he said, 'Boys, let me tell you all, if you really want to kill turkeys, get you a pair of tennis shoes and go buy you a can of green spray paint and spray those white tennis shoes green, even the bottoms, because that red, you don't want that shining, and then when you see a POSTED sign, Boys, that's telling you there's a lot of game in there and that's where you want to go hunt!' The head of Alabama's DNR was there and got mad and stormed out, cussing all the way," finished Salter. "But, Ben was just entertaining folks!" Things could get a little raucous in the early days, but it was all in the name of having fun, generating enthusiasm and growing the sport.
Making turkey calls required extra effort back then, and might've been dangerous too. "It's a wonder, way back, these old guys like me, didn't die," continued Salter, "from lead poisoning!" Early call makers like Salter would repurpose lead from roofing materials. "It was real soft lead," said Salter, "and you could fold it over and you could bend it really good, and what you'd do is fold it over and make it fit your mouth and then take your knife and cut the horseshoe out, open it back up and take a little punch and put your latex in there…and you'd go to the filling station – that's what I did – and buy condoms for the latex. But, the first turkey I ever called up on a call that I had built myself was with an orange balloon because I was too embarrassed to go buy a condom."
When the early turkey calling pioneers got started, everything was based on trial and error, and they learned about turkeys by being around turkeys. "We raised turkeys," Salter explained, "and that's where I learned to call, actually following turkeys around. They'd make specific calls. Way back, when I first started, you never heard anyone talk about 'cutting.' They talked about 'cackling.' They'd do different cackles, but then all of a sudden 'cutting' popped up and people got to talking about it and labeling what we were actually doing with the call," Salter said. "…I knew how to make those calls, but I didn't know the proper name for them. But I'd hear the hens, and I'd apply [those calls] in the woods, and I was killing turkeys out there," finished Salter. He confided that he has been ribbed over certain calls that he learned from observing turkeys but others hadn't heard, like his 'squealing hen' call. Salter still firmly believes that if you really want to get into it, get some turkeys and listen to them.
"Boy, a lot has changed from when I first started," said Salter. "It has been a good experience for me. But the most rewarding thing was getting the opportunity to meet a lot of folks. …I think I've killed turkeys in about 33 states now, but I think I could go up this East Coast all the way to Maine, and if I broke down on the interstate I probably could figure out someone to come pick me up, because I've got friends all up and down, across the whole nation really," he continued.
When asked about folks criticizing certain turkey hunting tools and techniques – like the use of decoys, blinds, superior new ammo – Salter offered, "I think you just need to go do your own thing and enjoy it. You're going to have people criticize what you say or what you do, anyhow. I say, don't be scared of some of these new things. Hey, try them out. Learn to run multiple calls. Run a mouth call or slate at the same time. Or if you've got a hunting buddy, both of you call," Salter continued. "You want to be completely different. That's why you want to use a slate versus a mouth call, or a box call. And, especially in the South, if you get to working a turkey and you know for a fact that turkey is coming to you, take those calls and throw them about 10 yards away and you'll kill a lot more turkeys. …Let 'em come on in there."
In closing, Salter emphasized the importance of giving back, of mentoring young people, women hunters and seniors, and giving them a chance to experience some of the enjoyment you've had. "I love to see kids get involved in it, because they're our future and if we don't train them up and get 'em away from some of these games and stuff, get them out in the woods, and get them out there and teach them about chickens and picking peas and eating something fresh out of the garden…and if you don't have a kid, go borrow one and get them in the woods and let them enjoy it!"
"Uncle Eddie Salter has been a mentor and a friend, and he has been a real blessing in my life," said Waddell. "He has been one of my heroes since I was a kid – we first met him when I was just 12 or 13 years old – and he was making calls and winning turkey calling contests and killing turkeys all over the South. I consider The Turkey Man to be right there with all the pioneers of turkey hunting, and I want to make sure everybody knows how kind he was to me and that I deeply valued that encouragement. I love Eddie Salter, but I invited him to come over here before turkey season for a good reason…
The Michael Waddell Podcast releases new episodes every other week.
Waddell's story began in the backwoods of Booger Bottom, Georgia, where he grew up surrounded by nature, family, and a love for the outdoors. A self-proclaimed "rowdy redneck," his passion for hunting and storytelling led him to win a Realtree turkey-calling contest, which launched his career in the outdoor industry. From guiding and filming hunts to creating hit shows like Realtree Road Trips and Bone Collector, Waddell has become a beloved figure in the outdoor world.
About Outdoor Sportsman Group: Outdoor Sportsman Group is comprised of the world's foremost media and entertainment brands for outdoor adventure enthusiasts. It includes four leading multichannel networks: Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, and GAME & FISH TV, a dynamic new Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) channel dedicated to sports enthusiasts and outdoor lovers. Additionally, Outdoor Sportsman Group operates Sportsman Channel (Canada) and MOTV, the world's leading subscription streaming platform created for outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts. The Group also consists of numerous established publishing assets, including 14 outdoor magazines such as Guns & Ammo, Game & Fish, Petersen's HUNTING, and In-Fisherman, along with 20 top websites. Outdoor Sportsman Group also includes television production operations through Winnercomm. For more information, visit www.outdoorsg.com.