Youre getting lucky in the woods because of condoms. Not because they’ll keep you from making questionable life choices at elk camp (though Ive admittedly been at a few camps that were far more risky by the fire than on the ridge), but because without prophylactics, diaphragm calls as we know them probably wouldn’t exist.

　　That thin piece of latex you shove in your mouth every spring and fall? It owes its existence to the same material that’s been awkwardly handed out in high school health class for decades. Hunters call it “proph” for short, and it’s the reason you can sound like a lovesick cow elk or a riled-up hen turkey.

　　Some brands still source their latex directly from the party hat makers. Thats right, folks, youve very likely walked around in the woods with a little piece of love glove on your tongue.

　　So, before you lick it clean, shove it in your mouth, and give er a good blow, lets have some fun diving into the history of calls and condoms.

　　From Wingbones to Reeds

　　(Photo/Amon Carter Museum of American Art) Hunters have been mimicking animals for centuries. Indigenous hunters used turkey wingbones to create suction calls and held leaves between their lips to whistle out soft yelps, call birds, and mimic calves. These early tools were simple, but they worked.

　　Samuel McClains 1867 patent for the first mouth call he simply called Whistle, and H.P. Bridges 1921 patent for his Sound Producing Device (photo/USPTO) In 1867, S. McClain filed a patent for a whistle that used thin skin or bladder stretched over a frame. That invention carried the basic design of a mouth call, though it looked different from what we use today.

　　By the 1920s, H.P. Bridges of Baltimore began selling a sound-making device that used thin rubber in a frame. It represented the start of diaphragm-style calls that hunters could hold in their mouths.

　　The first diaphragm call ad featured in Field and Stream 1923-02: Vol 27 Issue 10; (photo/Archive.org) By 1923, he was running ads in Field Stream that called it “the best imitation of a turkey call in existence.”

　　Radcliff and the New Orleans Ventriloquist Jim Radcliff of Mobile, Ala., is often credited with moving the diaphragm call into the mainstream. According to accounts, Radcliff met a street ventriloquist in New Orleans who used a thin latex reed mounted in a lead frame to mimic bird sounds. Radcliff took that idea home and built calls from similar material.

　　For years, he kept the design secret, but hunting lore says that in 1953, an unidentified national hunting magazine ran a story that revealed it, and it caught on in ways that Bridges calls just hadnt.

　　From that moment, diaphragm calls began spreading fast through the hunting community or so they say.

　　The Modern Condom Call Connection

　　KLUK Recon Red Turkey Call; (photo/KLUK) Condoms hit the sweet spot because they offer ultra-thin latex, often 0.002-0.003 inches. That range is exactly what reeds need to be to vibrate with very little air pressure. That thickness creates crisp turkey notes and convincing elk sounds.

　　Most commercial diaphragm calls after the 1930s were made from condoms. Larger brands such as Primos, Phelps, and Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls now buy specialized latex, yet the word “proph” still hangs around. It’s shorthand for prophylactic, and it’s a nod to that history.

　　Old-school call makers still cut reeds directly from condoms. You can easily make your own from the lid of a chew can or a tuna can and a non-lubricated condom (unless youre looking for fun flavors in the field).

　　There are step-by-step instructions on how to do it all over the internet, though they typically lean toward using latex gloves. Just remember: youre not going to get the same crisp sounds from thicker glove material. Condoms are still your best bet.

　　Elk, Turkey, and the Universal Diaphragm

　　(Photo/Shutterstock) Elk hunters hate to hear it, but the act of hunting elk and turkeys has a lot of crossover. Its some of the only hunting that involves trying to communicate with the animals and call them in to you.

　　Turkey hunters rely on diaphragms for yelps, clucks, and purrs. Elk hunters use them for cow mews, estrous whines, and full bugles. The design of all of them remains essentially the same.

　　Phelps Signature Bull Call; (photo/Phelps Game Calls) A frame holds one or more reeds of latex. Air passes across them, and tongue pressure changes the tone. Elk calls often use thicker latex or multiple reeds for volume and durability. Turkey calls usually use thinner reeds for sharp, crisp notes. Precise cuts in the latex can help add raspiness and tone changes.

　　External Mouth Calls

　　(Photo/Rachelle Schrute) Even for those who prefer an external mouth call for ease, or if they happen to be like me and have torus palatinus and cant use a standard diaphragm call, the reed portion remains relatively the same.

　　Im a big fan of the EZ Sukr for cow locator calls and distressed calf calls. For bugling, its the EZ Bugler and a Metal Tube for me. Though the mechanics are different, the latex reed setup is essentially the same.

　　Hunter’s Safety Meets Safe Sex Modern calls are pretty hardy, but handling them right can certainly make them last just a bit longer (insert winky face). Taking care of a diaphragm call is not much different from caring for other latex products. The parallels write themselves, folks.

　　Wrap it up. Keep calls in a case instead of a pocket. Latex is delicate. There are countless call case options. Expiration dates matter. Old calls dry out, stretch, and tear. Its just safer to keep a new one handy. Size matters. Thin reeds deliver soft calf mews. Thicker reeds deliver raspy gobbles and strong bugles. Think outside the box. You can also use condoms in their whole glory to keep your gun barrel clean and dry. To Wrap It All Up

　　The idea that condoms and hunting share common ground may sound ridiculous, but it is a fun part of hunting history. Without prophylactic latex, diaphragm calls may never have taken hold.

　　So, the next time you slip a diaphragm into your mouth and sweet-talk a bull across a ridge or a strutting Tom into range, remember that you just got lucky, thanks to a condom.

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