what's hanging on your lanyard?

I have an Echo Trash Talker double reed mallard call, a Foiles "Legend" single reed mallard call, a H.S. Hitman goose call, and a Flextone wood duck call. I can use the 3 duck calls decent but the geese probably won't be close to my spread this year!
 
Boy, I had a custom call habit for a few years and spent some real money. I had calls turned from stabilized exotic woods by several makers, but ended up selling them on eBay.

Now I have duck calls by Wayne Betts single-reed timber call, Gaston single-reed timber call and an Iverson African Blackwood pintail/widgeon/teal whistle. I have run through a series of goose calls, but came back to the Foiles SMH short-reed.

By the way, Hayes Longneck is an inexpensive and easy-to-blow-for-a-short-reed-goose call.

Preston
 
I can't believe nobody has recommended the Primos Wench yet. It is the best inexpensive call I have tried. I have several of the originals along with a blue fusion wench, that's as close as I get to call bling. I ain't into having $100+ hanging around my neck while I'm walking through muck, nothing wrong with it I'd just rather spend it on something else. I think most new callers are best off trying calls like the Wench along with several by Haydel before putting too much into a call. I have a lower end Echo call that I like too. If you can find one with a CD all the better.

Tim
 
A duck call?

Seriously, though. Right now I'm carrying an original Olt D-2 and an Echo poly timber call (cheapie), along with a teal/pintail/wigeon/mallard drake whistle. It's time to pull them out, tune, and start practicing again.

I love the old Hambone calls (Amaden out of Lonoke, AR...but collector's calls now) for soft work. I have an African Blackwood RNT (I liked it better when it was Rich-n-Tone, by the way) that is an open water, screaming, Main Street call, and have used Ditto, Chick Majors, Rich-n-Tone, Thurman McCann, Dan Sprague, and Hohn's Choice calls in the past.

It's about finding the right call for the conditions you hunt and how you like to call. I used to like a call that took a lot of air to push...now I like one that is more subtle. I used to like a lot of volume and hunted a lot more open water. Now I like a little less volume and a little more rasp.
 
Rick

Are you still keeping an eye out at garage sales for a Hambone for me? Have you seen what they are bringing on ebay these days? I know a guy that has an entire collection, about 25 calls mostly original never used in the box, complete with correspondence from CH Amaden. He listed it on ebay for 17k. I don't know if it sold but he was only going to sell it as a whole, no breaking it up.

I've got a Thurman McCann call too. it was a gift from a guy at Kimble Piano in Arkansas where Thurman go maple scraps to make his calls. I think he worked there too if I recall correctly.
 
I guess since i asked i should post up what i have. 1 Primos wench it's white, the duck commander that started it all, DC brown sugar, jase's duck picker, haydel's wood duck squealler, on my goose lanyard i have a quackhead goozilla,and a 3$ flambeau flute everyone says it's the best they've heard. all my calls except the goozilla came off of ebay. i don't carry much air anymore so i have to lean towards calls that "break" easy. Maybe i said that right.the duckpicker and brown sugar calls i really dont care for. thus the reason i am looking for something else. i also would like to know of any sea duck calls if any???? those calls you guys posted look awesome. though i will probably stay below the 50$ mark until i hear or find one that i know is IT. I said earlier i had the grounds supermag but i don't have the air to blow it. should've tried one before i jumped. interesting choices you all have showed me.
 
That supermag can be tuned very light. I had one which was tuned too light for me. I had to stiffen it up. Does it have a shaved reed?

You should call Tim Grounds and ask him to tune it up for you.
 
andrew, i have absolutely no idea about shaved reeds or tuning. i'm afraid to take it apart because i am the only person i know within 30 miles that "hunts" geese. i know a few people have shot them just because they came in but that's it. My wife bought this because i went to missouri on a goose hunt and one of the guys there had one, and he could really blow it.
 
I use to buy a call a call a year. Still looking for that perfect call. During the 80's I spent every noon hour by a duck pond and listened to the ducks and tried to imitate them. Learned a lot. Ducks don't all sound the same , just like people. They seem to make different sounds at different times during the day. The rhythm of there calls seemed more important than the sound. One call that I kept coming back to was an inexpensive Lohman call. I can sweet talk them with that call. Another call that I use is the Illusion call. I use that call for just one call that of the hen Mallard " this is the place" Three short blasts of the right rhythm a finishing call.

For drivers I presently use an Illustion diver call or the Lohman call or just my mouth or nothing.

A couple of goose calls I depend on my partner Mark for calling geese. I just fill in

Last call in the arsenal is a whistle. I watched a couple of fellows successfully call ducks all morning and after dispatching one of their ducks I brought it over to them. They regularly used a whistle for Mallards.

Last year some duck hunters were using a real decent sounding call about 300 yards a way from me. I wanted to find out the name of that call but they pulled out before me. Still searching for the holy grail.
 
Pete,I have a call put away somewhere in a storage box,but I dont recall the name.It Maybe an OLT.I have this pair of
tame Mallards that follow me everywhere.I wonder IF.................Hmmmmm
 
If you're interested in making your own lanyards, here is a good tutorial;
http://www.thogamecalls.com/_mgxroot/page_10824.html

lanyard.jpg

 
Eric, I keep looking, but with the prices they are bringing...hell, I've put mine in the cabinet. I thought I might pick up an extra Alvin Taylor "Taylor Made" a while back....uh...no.

I saw a heck of a collection of Arkansas calls at the grocery/gas station in St. Charles years ago. There were several Hambones, and I asked the people about whether the owner would sell any of the calls. Guy wanted to sell the whole thing only, and wanted $5000. Guess I should have taken him up on it, but that's a lot of money to bet on collectibles...

Almost all of my wooden calls are on the shelf now, even though I'd rather blow a wooden call than plastic. Would still like to find one of McCann's shotgun shell calls - turned out of bois d'arc, walnut, etc. to look like a large shotshell. Didn't pick one up when I picked up the one he made for me, and he passed away not long after...stupid, stupid, stupid...

That generation of callmakers had some great stories...could be cantankerous old farts, but boy were they good with a lathe.
 
Small world, I've spent a lot of time in that grocery store and he does have a good collection. If you are in that area and interested in call collections, stop by the Agricultural Musem in Stuttgart. Mrs. Pat Peacock, Chick Major's stepdaughter and champion caller in her own right, will give you a guided tour.
 
The best call collection I've seen is Barry McFarland's. He is a well known carver (his calls have been on the front of DU several times) that lives in the bootheel of Missouri in a town called Hornersville. It's a one stop light town and if you poke your head in the door of the natural gas station that he owns he'll give you a look at his collection. The last time I was there he must have had 25 Stones (he was a student of Stone), Beckharts, and Turpins. Super nice fella. Next time I'm in the area I'll drop by for the third time.
 
It is a small world. I know that store was out of business for a while; don't know if they reopened or not, but it was a good breakfast/lunch/dinner place...about the only one in the area. Ran into Zettie Jones and her husband having breakfast there one morning - neat lady, great wildlife artist. Farmers, hunters, you name it could walk into that place.

I know that museum well, and Ms. Pat is a wonderful person. One of my father's decorative wood ducks - a piece commissioned for the museum - is right in the entryway to the waterfowl wing.

Oh, and as more evidence of small world...one of the Majors calls I have is a "Princess Pat" model.
 
Beckhart, Jolly, Pickle, Bowles...all calls I'd like to have in the house, but a little too much for this young man to spend.

If you decide to come to central Arkansas this year, let me know. Always room at the house for you.
 
Oh I'll be there come heck or high water. A lot of good call makers from that area. As I sit here I'm looking at three Alvin Taylors, three Thurman McCanns, one Hambone, one Weedy's, and a Dixie Mallard. Good calls you can still get from area makers are one of Billy Ray Stark's "Rebel Calls" or one of Grover Knoll's "Duckkall". It's an addiction.
 
I carry a Paul Kingyon. A friend talked me into getting one. You, know, you can't let a huntin buddy get ahead of you!! Anyways, I like it and the tape Paul made to go with it is worth as much as the call.

Tom
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top