Josh Grossenbacher is a very accomplished turkey hunter and competition caller. Josh is originally from Seville, OH and now lives in Port Clinton, OH where he designs and builds turkey calls for Zink Calls. He was also featured in Zink Calls’ “Turkey Time” video released earlier this spring.  

First off Josh thanks for taking some time out of your busy turkey season to chat with us today. I know you’ve been traveling to hunt and film this spring, how are things going for you and the crew this year?

Josh: So far we are off to an awesome start!! Number 15 hit the ground this morning in southern Michigan. We still have over a month to go and the birds are just starting to get right. I’m excited to see how we finish up.

What states have you been to so far this spring and where are you off to next?

Josh: So far we’ve hunted Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan

Tell me about the best hunt you’ve had so far this season?

Josh: Walt Gabbard and I competed in a turkey hunting challenge last week in Indiana; it was part of the Campbell Outdoor Challenge. In the challenge the footage is scored, overall bird size is scored, as well as, shot placement. It was an archery only challenge to boot! We competed against 15 other teams. The land we hunted was drawn from a hat; we had never seen it before. So with a day and a half to scout, we definitely had our work cut out! After covering the farm, we found an area covered with sign and knew we were in a great spot. It was a 3 day hunt and after 2 days with one close encounter, we still had nothing, we roosted some birds and got our blind setup close to ‘em in the dark and were on them first thing the last day. At 6 am that morning, I made a perfect shot at about 12 yards on an absolute stud of a gobbler. He had over 1 3/8 spurs and a 12 ½ beard! It was the biggest gobbler killed in the challenge and my first bow killed turkey! The footage was the highest scored as well! It was a great hunt and we had worked very hard to be successful…we did it as a team!

Do you feel any added pressure hunting on video?

Josh: Last year - YES! We had a ton of pressure last year to be successful and get good kills on film; we had success and a ton of failure! This year though, everyone is a lot more comfortable with the equipment, as well as, hunting with each other. We are really having a lot of fun this season, which is what it’s all about!!

So what is it like working for Zink Calls - designing and building turkey calls, filming turkey hunts and anything else you may do at the shop?

Josh: It’s a lot of fun!! I’m very fortunate to be in the position I’m in. It definitely gets hectic sometimes just as any job does, but I get to talk to people everyday about something I love and want to see grow. Turkey Hunting and Zink calls!!

Prior to coming to Zink Calls to work, what did you do for a living? How did you hook up with Fred Zink in the first place?

Josh: I worked for my dad’s Masonry business, laying block and brick; I also had my own taxidermy business for 7 years. I met Fred a long time ago at an outdoor show, but it wasn’t until the summer of 2007 we were reintroduced. A friend of mine named Mark Six, who is also a competitive turkey caller grew up with Fred and was a close friend of Freddie’s. They had been throwing the idea around about making and selling turkey calls and they approached current World Champion turkey caller Shane Hendershot and myself to see if we were interested in coming aboard.

Now how did you come to start building your own turkey calls? In designing mouth calls (diaphragm calls) how do the different cuts, number of reeds, thickness of the latex and tightness all play into the sound of the call?

Josh: I started building my own mouth calls when I realized that the calls on the shelf weren’t going to cut it anymore in contests the better I became. With different cuts in the reeds they allow the caller to get high clear notes and low raspy notes. The number of reeds will determine the amount of air pressure needed to blow the call, the tightness of the stretch will also help with the achieving your desired pitch. The tighter the stretch the higher the pitch, looser you will get a lower pitch.

I know you have your own signature series mouth call through Zink Calls. How is that call’s design and function different than other mouth calls on the market?

Josh: My signature series call is different from the others because of the differences in the latex. The top reed is heavy latex, the bottom two are very thin prophylactic reeds. The difference in the thickness’s allow for light soft calling to hard deep raspy calling. The cut in the top is a cutter style cut, which is good for producing cuts and cackles as well as yelps. It is what I prefer to use in competitions, as well as, the woods.

So now that we’ve got calls covered, let’s talk a little about calling. I know you’re a very accomplished contest turkey caller. How long have you been contest calling and many contests would you say you’ve called in? Which is your most memorable contest calling experience?

Josh: I started contest calling in 2002, when a friend talked me into it, I was a nervous wreck to say the least! When I walked off stage, I knew I was hooked! Over the years, I have called in probably close to 150 contests. My most memorable contest calling experience was really good and really, really bad! In 2005, my second time calling in The National Wild Turkey Federation’s Grand National Calling Championship’s, I made the finals of 12 callers out of 57. I was pumped, but extremely nervous about the guys I was calling against! So in the finals cluck and purr was one of the five calls drawn to do and I couldn’t cluck and purr on a mouth call to save my life!! Instead of using a friction call and knowing I wouldn’t place, I decided to do it on a mouth call. Well when it came down to the cluck and purr, I couldn’t get a purr out, and I was standing on a well lit stage in front of hundreds of people. It was the most alone feeling I’ve ever had in my life!!

I’m not familiar with the routine or format of a turkey contest. Can you describe the format or routine you have to use in a contest? How much time do you have on stage?

Josh: In a contest you usually have to do 4 or 5 calls. The calls that are asked to be made are drawn from a hat out of 13 different calls. For each call that is asked of you, you let the judges hear 2 or 3 series of that call or up to one minute per call being made. The judges are usually located in front of the stage under a curtain or off to the side behind a curtain.

Jumping back to hunting… how long have you been chasing turkeys? Do you just hunt them in the spring or do you get out after them in the fall as well?

Josh: I have been turkey hunting since 1992, it wasn’t until 1994, when I heard my first gobble that I became completely addicted! I have always hunted in the spring until a few years back a friend of mine started running turkey dogs in the fall. It is a completely different approach to hunting turkeys and an absolute blast to watch the dogs work. Getting out in the fall is also a great time to hear a lot of hen vocalization, which is a great help being a competitive caller.

What states and other countries have you hunted turkeys in? Do you have a favorite?

Josh: Besides Ohio, I have hunted Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida and Ontario, Canada. Out of all of them Kentucky is probably my favorite, I have hunted down there for the last 10 years, mainly public ground, and had a lot of success. Something about those mountains and hard gobbling Eastern’s! You just can’t beat it!

How many different species of turkeys have you harvested?

Josh: I have killed mainly Eastern’s, but I have taken a Rio in Kansas and took my Osceola in Florida. One of these days, I would like to go after my Merriam’s to complete my Grand Slam.

Outside of turkey hunting, do you hunt anything else…deer, waterfowl, upland game?

Josh: I grew up mainly a deer hunter, turkey hunting was just something I did to fill the void between Deer season. I used to hunt a lot of squirrels and rabbits as well. Mainly deer though.

Well thanks for all of your time Josh. Just one last question before I let you go, a tip of sorts for our readers. For the new turkey hunter, what is the best type of turkey call to start out with or easiest to become proficient with, in your opinion?  

Josh: The new Zink Power Hen Slate call is a very user friendly friction call, with the slate its striking surface is the easiest to condition, which makes it easier to produce turkey sounds. As for our new line of mouth calls, the Wicked lady is extremely user friendly, the Wicked Lady is a two reed diaphragm, which takes less air pressure to blow and with two reeds it’s very easy to control. 

Again thanks for your time and best of luck with the turkeys the rest of this season.

Josh and a great Spring Bow Kill....

For more information about Josh Grossenbacher, check out the Zink Calls website: www.zinkcalls.com or pick up a copy of Zink Calls’ Turkey Time.

For Some Spring Turkey Hunting Tips from Josh, check out our GHHC Fowl Article:
Tips For Hunting Spring Tukeys