Rick hall

William Reinicke

William Reinicke

Well-known member
Rick,
If memory serves, you were an RNT guy? Have you seen the new megaduk release and wondering your thoughts? I do love the daisy cutter early versions. Sometimes I find myself picking up my old gen 2 or gen 3 and just ripping on them in the man cave. if they werent worth so damn much, I would likely hike one to the field. Nothing of new has really impressed me all that much in the daisy cutter world. I have a 1/50 remake from 2016 that was supposed to be an exact copy of the gen 1 toneboard that I really like, but again, even the value on that guy has gone way up. I just cant bring myself to take to the field to muddy up and beat up.
 
I'm another who fell pretty hard for the early Daisy Cutter's unique sound. Had, however, seen its namesake's work up close, hated the implied comparison of bird hunting to warfare and that dumb-arsed duck skull and crossbones engraving enough that when I finally asked Jim to pick me out and tune one pre-engraving, it was of the half-scrolled, but still classic sounding, iteration. Still drove like a truck, too, even after removing enough of a hair to better suit my lungs than Jim's. But I loved my "Janis Joplin of Susies," and we killed a lot of ducks over it before its fingernail thin cork tab finally snapped. A new "as close as we can get it" insert from Cody? at the shop wasn't very, and the "just like's" I've owned since haven't struck me so, either.

But, IN MY HANDS, that early DC was never as effective (much less remotely as fun to run) over the seasons they shared my lanyard as was a shop-tuned (John or Butch only in those days) MVP that arrived in the same mail. So that old unengraved "half-scroll" iteration barrel and it's "as close as..." insert make up the only DC I've not sent on down the road and keep around for when I feel like talking dirty with a call.

Still hunt with that first, and still favorite, MVP or another Butch bored-out and filed a bit to be an extra loud hunting call but haven't bought an RNT since Jim left and don't forsee it. (Now use a SIngleton LA Cut, when I feel the need for trash talk in the field.) Did, however, get talked into listening to the Megaduck's promo by a fellow on another board who's smitten by his, and it sounds good to my gun-shot ear - but not like an OSDC.
 
Yes my half scroll and full scroll just are rotten sounding. Ive been offered ridiculous prices for my small collection, just cant seem to let them go and probably wont. Just not hurting in life enough I suppose.

The wood remake I have was supposed to be an exact copy of the skull (first gen) toneboard. Im pretty sure it was a 2016 run they did. Its probably the next closest that I really enjoy playing with ever so often. Before its release, John did a video picking up the original first gen skull cross bones and calling and then picked this one up and called and they sounded identical. I figured acquiring one of these wood remakes would be the closest I would ever get to the owning the original skull cross bones call. Again, all collector pieces and im too hard on stuff to take to the field.

I played around with LA cut singletons, and they are very nice. For the last 3 season though, I have carried around a Kent eason Langniappe, Duckstein, and my tried and true lares t1. Between the 3, I can hit just about everything I think I would ever need in the field. That langniappe is just pure bark, but has that smoot J frame run. I have 3 and the one I hunt is just a special kind of toneboard. It barks and gets after it the best out of the 3. I have turned so many mallard with it, became a believer in his toneboard very quickly. The duckstein has the most hold i have ever played with, in any call, but certainly more of a finesse call. It was the duck turner last season for some reason. T1 just has its own unique sound compared to most out there, and for some odd reason, late season ducks absolutely love it. never have the best luck turning birds early season with it, but late season it works best over the other 2 I have found the last 2-3 seasons.

When I feel like I need a screamer, well I had a real nice fellow send me a very nice purple stanley deceiver I get to ripping on. Rare I ever need to be that loud though, but its there at all times locked and loaded.

All my calls are running a special material for the reed material. have no idea what it was. I have sheets of it at this point, but a good friend of mine has access to it and told me to try it out in a call. has less sticking nature to it, its a .12 thickness vs .010 and I can run it a hair shorter than mylar and achieve the same sounds, making the calls just a touch easier on air pressure. Its really fantastic stuff, but I cannot figure out what it actually is and the agreement was he would send it to me, but I am not allowed to know what it is. I made that king eider decoy for him, with the trade agreement that I had a life time supply of it if I ever needed any at any time.

That megaduk caught my attention, and I always love the RNT sound in calls but seem disappointed everytime I get my hands on them in the man cave. Was curious about your thoughts around them or if this was going to be a hit or not. The last call that kind of impressed me from the RNT world was the 2b. I got one of their "first runs" with the colored bands and I really wanted a purple (of course my favorite color). Then it came, and sure as one could imagine, opened the box and hit the lottery and got the purple band I wanted. Its never made the lanyard though.
 
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Don't see him much anymore, but a fellow who guided with us used what I suspect is your "secret" reed material in speck calls he sold a mess of locally. Got sheets of it from a fellow who used to hunt with us and did custom display work for museums and such. Need to remember to ask him about it.

Re: calls in general, I'm pretty much convinced the vagaries of our history with them, no matter how happenstantial, has much to do with our future success with them, as well. Confidence is huge. Could very well be that simply being so nimble and fun to run has led to my long term success with that MVP and its "too high and clean" tuning against the many calls that have come and gone during its time. Dunno. But I've not been broken over by an itch to try something new since the Singleton took over that purple Deceiver's long distance duty - though its smoke mate still sports a teal-cut reed and holds down our September teal spot.
 
the secret reed material is white, not see through at all. Very interesting stuff. Its really brought a new playing field to all my calls, especially in my t1.
 
That's a relief. Dusty's is clear, so I'll not need to remember to ask him about it. Have found enough variances in mylar, whether spine from their place in the roll or ? to stay a bit bumfuzzled already. Hope what made my standard bore T1 special was the fellow it went to...
 
Rick Hall said:
That's a relief. Dusty's is clear, so I'll not need to remember to ask him about it. Have found enough variances in mylar, whether spine from their place in the roll or ? to stay a bit bumfuzzled already. Hope what made my standard bore T1 special was the fellow it went to...
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Ya this stuff seems to have no memory at all. if I remember, I will snap a pic of one my hunting calls, with it in it, and post it here. no idea what it is but it sure works. I had a gang of lares at one time, and now with all the crazy market on them, I sure wish I hung onto a few. Seems like they sell for higher and higher prices. Like the stock markets, they just seem to keep increasing in value over time. Oh well, I still have a few, and the t1 and hybrid were the only 2 worth using. Never got along with the A5 and Mag hen.
 
Had a Hybrid and ACH(?) on long term loan and would think the later $ on the collector's market, but I readily admit no real insight into what makes a call that may never toll a bird worth anything at all.
 
Collectors and demand. Considering you cant order a Lares through any website except upperduck and a few local shops in Cali, making them pretty hard to get, has caused a lot of demand. Who'da thunk Brett wanting to make calls and offload everything he makes to one main dealer would cause such a craze. Now he can make them when he wants and everything he makes goes primarily to one place and to a couple local shops. Easy for him and the craziness is all dealt with for others. Win for him for sure. I personally dotn understand it all though. I sure have quite a collection, but its mostly of calls that are no longer made and makers that have passed on.
 
This call discussion has resurrected a thought I had a while back... I used to be a regular participant in the THO Callmakers Forum, which was a fantastic forum and resource for call makers. It transitioned to FB and basically died (it is still out there, but as most things FB got overrun with advertisements the became buying/selling/trading-primary then spammed then stupid stuff). I still keep up with some of the old call makers, and for a while dropped in on a couple small, tightly managed private FB groups for discussion, but I just can't stand the other BS on FB - nor is it, in my opinion, a good place for sharing and storing information on the craft, as THO once was.

I see this site as a great place for craftsman and builders, with a minimum of trading/selling and off-topic BS, and have been meaning to ask if it would be appropriate to add a call makers subforum, similar to the carvers corner - and if there is interest in doing so. I know @FD Roe frequents this site, and I'd be happy to reach out to a few other makers I suspect would appreciate a place to share/discuss call making off FB.
 
HenryHawthorne said:
This call discussion has resurrected a thought I had a while back... I used to be a regular participant in the THO Callmakers Forum, which was a fantastic forum and resource for call makers. It transitioned to FB and basically died (it is still out there, but as most things FB got overrun with advertisements the became buying/selling/trading-primary then spammed then stupid stuff). I still keep up with some of the old call makers, and for a while dropped in on a couple small, tightly managed private FB groups for discussion, but I just can't stand the other BS on FB - nor is it, in my opinion, a good place for sharing and storing information on the craft, as THO once was.

I see this site as a great place for craftsman and builders, with a minimum of trading/selling and off-topic BS, and have been meaning to ask if it would be appropriate to add a call makers subforum, similar to the carvers corner - and if there is interest in doing so. I know @FD Roe frequents this site, and I'd be happy to reach out to a few other makers I suspect would appreciate a place to share/discuss call making off FB.
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I think this is a question for @Eric Patterson

I think it could certainly gain some traction, especially since Eric has stepped into the world of building MONDO calls. I would love to see a call making section on the forum and a place to discuss likes and dislikes in the call world.
 
Thanks for flagging me down. I used to participate at Custom Calls Online. I think it was the premier call maker site on the net for over a decade. Oddly enough, it's founder, Greg Hodges, is a friend and works in the same building as I do and we occasionally bump into each other. He shut his site down when FB zapped all his traffic. He went from big to gone is a relatively short amount of time. Have I mentioned lately how much I dislike FB?

If I add a call maker forum is anyone here willing to recruit members to populate and make it active? Are there too many other hangouts? Will folks come here to talk duck call making and collecting? Is the fact we don't shove ads down your throats, sell your internet habits and browsing history, or target you in any form or fashion enough to recruit call makers? Is anyone really looking for community these days or just a place to sell shit or get their question answered and never come back?

Who thinks it could work? I'm excited for the new content which I myself am into. But I am spread really thin at the moment and need you folks that want it to take on recruiting. Who is in? Who can you bring on board?

Hit me with ideas!
 
Eric Patterson said:
Thanks for flagging me down. I used to participate at Custom Calls Online. I think it was the premier call maker site on the net for over a decade. Oddly enough, it's founder, Greg Hodges, is a friend and works in the same building as I do and we occasionally bump into each other. He shut his site down when FB zapped all his traffic. He went from big to gone is a relatively short amount of time. Have I mentioned lately how much I dislike FB?
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Eric Patterson said:
If I add a call maker forum is anyone here willing to recruit members to populate and make it active? Are there too many other hangouts? Will folks come here to talk duck call making and collecting? Is the fact we don't shove ads down your throats, sell your internet habits and browsing history, or target you in any form or fashion enough to recruit call makers? Is anyone really looking for community these days or just a place to sell shit or get their question answered and never come back?

Who thinks it could work? I'm excited for the new content which I myself am into. But I am spread really thin at the moment and need you folks that want it to take on recruiting. Who is in? Who can you bring on board?

Hit me with ideas!
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Loaded question.... my thoughts on this:

1) I think most here dislike FB
2) I think it has potential. I really do. I know call makers on other sites, who have just gassed out and are over all of it but remain there because its good publicity for their line of calls. With that said, this forum is next level because of all the reasons you stated, no adds, no browser hx selling, and no targeting. That can certainly be very appealing for people to come join.
3) I do think it could work, and I dont mind sharing the site with the few I know, in the event we do start a call making section on this forum. Sounds like you all know some good call makers and I think someone like Doug Baum (duckstein calls), Brad samples, and even possibly Kent Eason would be fantastic to get to join on the forum. Brad and Doug would be awesome awesome for the site as they have done so much in the world of turning calls and are a WEALTH of information. All I have ever heard was how helpful Brad is and how he will spend ample amount of time with anyone and everyone willing to learn. I think he would fit right in here and have no issues.

I have worries though.....

1) The call world can be very much a chest pounding world. What I LOVE about this site, is no two people ever compete and say their work is the end all be all here and that is enjoyable on this forum. Just look at the "first decoy" thread in the carvers corner. @benp put up an absolute fantastic post generalizing everyones work here and no one here, not a single time, has put each others work down, even when its all so different. The last thing I would ever want is guys and fanboys to come onto the site and start bashing work or saying how there is only one right way. That happens time to time on another forum I was once on.

2) With more traffic comes the chance of more politics. I also enjoy the fact that politics are kept to a small minimum and borderline non-existent here. I dont mind some of it, but they can get ugly fast and I just dont want that if the forum in fact gets bigger with more call guys coming in.

I really dont mind reaching out to people I know and recruiting and seeing if they would want to come over and display their work and show off what they have going in their shops. I have kind of got out of the call world but I bet I could dig up some other call turners that are a little less well known to come over and help and display their stuff. I could even reach out to singleton and see if he has any interest. Ive had some good conversations with him over the years as well. Would be neat to even get some of the goose guys in here, I think I have some numbers saved. Id sure have to knock the cobwebs off the contact list and get to digging again though lol.
 
I'd be happy to reach out to some of the guys I know/knew, including Kent and Brad. The old days of THO were a lot more like this - more focused on sharing work and helping others than the current FB pages focused on selling, trading, competing. This site wouldn't provide a big or new market for these guys, so I'd bet the most likely to join/participate would be the ones who just want to share with like-minded folks. I'd wager a number would take interest in the boat-making and decoy carving components, too. I'll put a few feelers out, and happy to help further with recruitment if this gets rolling.
 
HenryHawthorne said:
I'd be happy to reach out to some of the guys I know/knew, including Kent and Brad. The old days of THO were a lot more like this - more focused on sharing work and helping others than the current FB pages focused on selling, trading, competing. This site wouldn't provide a big or new market for these guys, so I'd bet the most likely to join/participate would be the ones who just want to share with like-minded folks. I'd wager a number would take interest in the boat-making and decoy carving components, too. I'll put a few feelers out, and happy to help further with recruitment if this gets rolling.
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let me know how it goes. I can reach out and ask them as well and see if there is any interest depending on where you get with them. Maybe i could get kent to a tutorial on turning my purple barrel hes promised me for some time now 😄

I also know Kent was in the process of building a little mini shop for turning calls a few months back. Should be close to done by now and should have a nice new space for more call making stuff. None of these guys are hurting, and the second they post anything they all sell out in seconds. So they dont need to be on any new platforms, but it might be enticing to get in and around folks that enjoy the craft and they felt heard on their knowledge around their craft of making calls. That can certainly be provided on this forum.
 
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