Duck Calls

[CBH]

Hello,

I am looking at purchasing a new duck call and am wondeirng if anyone has any insight on which call to buy. Unfortunately, we can not try each call in the store to see which one sounds the best. I mostly hunt for mallards with decoys over water. Any and all information would be much appreciated in helping me choose the best call.

Cheers,

CBH

[field marshal]

Blacktail on this site makes really nice calls at a very reasonable price!!!----Cheers---Field Marshal.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Blacktail on this site makes really nice calls at a very reasonable price!!!----Cheers---Field Marshal.

You bet I have bought 4 3 for myself and my partner "stole" 1. have a couple on order. These are without a doubt the best calls I have ever owned at a very reasonable price they come full tunes and sound great. Contact blacktail http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?85894-More-Waterfowl-Calls you cnt go wrong and wont be sorry.

[Tanya]

I am no expert, but I do know from experience the all wood ones have a limited life if you hunt in the westcoast rains a lot.

[longshot]

I LOVE my RNT Short Barrel in cocobola wood. Sounds like a nice plumpy hen mallard and has convinced many of ducks to the money hole... No bs advertising with it either, just an all around good ducky single reed call.

[bandit]

Dont make the same mistake I did and buy some cheapo Primos from your local store, they dont sound like they are supposed to!

[Foxton Gundogs]

I am no expert, but I do know from experience the all wood ones have a limited life if you hunt in the westcoast rains a lot.

True but if you treat them right and dont leave them in a wet gear bag re-treat them from time to time a good one will dound as good in 30 years I have an old hand made wood call that was my grandfathers and it still fools ducks pretty well.

[NitwiT]

x2 for RNT, but look forward to trying a Blacktail call some day

[fowl language]

i have a buddy that blows an olt 66 and to me it doesn,t even sound like a duck but man does he pull ducks,best i,ve seen..learnt from the bog father ,one bill johnson.....fowl

[Sako 75]

RNT Quack Head duck call works for me. It cheap too around $25.00.

[Dutch]

Yeah he was a Magician wasn't he Fowl, I have my original RNT wood that is pushing 23 years still works great ,( can't let them dry out and crack) but my fav. now is my RNT Daisy cutter, really happy with that one.Hey fowl had 2000 waveys come across me pheasant hunting off 112 scratched 2 down all dressed up in my orange blaze ,made my day, those tungsten really stretch put of that old model 12 :)

[longshot]

I have never had good luck on local stores and calls. Lohman calls sound like a deer grunt call, cheap primos sounds like your plastic decoys are quaking with plastic lungs, Knight and Hale just sounds god aweful (I modified a one to sound like a teal... then gave it to my little brother as a toy).

There are good cheap calls out there, but unless I dont know how to use the internet, I have always ordered them thru Canadian Waterfowlers Pro Shop, or Cabelas in the states.

A good one I have in my hunting storage area boxed up somewhere is a RNT Quackhead Timber. A single reed polycarb call that I got for 19.99 years back now. Sounds like a tamed version of the RNT Shortbarrel, with less volume and less tone range and less rasp. But that was my first duck call that actually sounded like a mallard!! I went from sounding like a duck-onkey, to actually making mallards come and take a visit. Very easy to use too! So if you are looking for a call that wont break the bank, that is one of I am sure many calls that are good sounding and easy to use.

Remember a lot of these higher end calls out there take a lot of practice and instruction for you to really understand the science behind it. When dealing with higher end calls, I would recommend getting and instruction DVD or CD. Seriously, you would be blown away of the different things you can do with a call!!! SOOOO much more than just simply blowing in it and making sounds (which is totally fine, but mastering an instrument is awesome to me). And it pays off in the field as you will what to use, and when to use it. I have a Carlson Championship Calling CD collection I got as a gift from Jason Ofner... Best gift ever for learning to use a call. It really came in handy when I stepped up to the RNT Shortbarrel, which is my 4.5" long duck killing machine.

It just depends how far you want to go with it. I didnt invest into these calls because it makes them all come in, but it is just another thing to master at this never ending hobby. :)


~Longshot jr.

[cbb]

I prefer the old wood calls. most of the plastic one's I've heard sound too high and 'plasticky'. Plus it's way cooler using old nostalgic shit that someone probably shot ducks with 60 years ago. It is good to have a couple though as yes it is wet here on the west coast. Just keep one warm and dry till the other gets too wet. I like the old "olt's" and i have a little "faulks" call that i especially like.

[cbb]

My little wood 'faulks' call from Louisiana I've had since my 16th christmas, this year will be my 41st. I used it to turn ducks today.

[Nickchee]

I second the Faulks! 14 bucks and it's better then my other calls.
I like that high end highball with it there's a very smooth transition up and down.
Also the guy who taught me, a 40 year duck hunting veteran still swears by them.


But you could always suck at calling with any call.

[MFERGIE]

Primos PHAT LADY, works like a charm!

[Cariboo Game Calls]

Hello,

I am looking at purchasing a new duck call and am wondeirng if anyone has any insight on which call to buy. Unfortunately, we can not try each call in the store to see which one sounds the best. I mostly hunt for mallards with decoys over water. Any and all information would be much appreciated in helping me choose the best call.

Cheers,

CBH

There are some pretty nice old vintage/collectible calls still out there for sale. Some of those old style calls like the P.S.Olt and Faulks have been resonsible for more duck fatalities than any of the calls made over the last 20 years ever will be. You can find several websites online that have a variety of old vintage calls dating back from the 80's to the 30's, 40's and earlier. Just plug in "Vintage Game Calls" or "Collectible Game Calls" etc and you will find all kinds of vintage duck and goose calls for sale. A number of them are old store stock items that are still new in there original boxes.

Some of those reliable old calls that sold for $2-$3.00 in the 40's and 50's are selling for 10, 20 and 30 times that price today and will continue to appreciate in value because call collecting is becoming more and more popular all the time. Some of the rare old items are bringing thousands of dollars at auction. For $15.00 - $25.00 you can buy a real nice old Faulks call or $25 - $40 will get you a P.S. Olt D-2 Duck call or a W-12 Pintail/Widgeon whistle. Don't rule out the vintage stuff until you've checked out what's available. :-D

[KTownKiller]

I'm a carpenter that likes wood. I think wood calls give a much more realistic sound. The trick is to let them dry slowly after each use. Even if they do split, they are easy to repair. I have a hand made deer call from Wilson Game calls that split.( These calls are deadly on bucks, with metal in the reed it gives a ticking sound like no other call I've seen. And deer make this ticking sound as they grunt. I have pulled bucks away from does and they come right in, not even bothering to circle downwind!) I gently opened the split with a putty knife, and worked in a little epoxy. Wipe off the extra and wrap with tape till set. Good as new. I use a walnut goose call from Wing Lock, and cocobola goose and duck calls from Feather Duster, online. Most calls from local stores are crap! How can they sound good when they're massed produced in China!? Those calls from blacktail look really nice, I might have to try one of his! I like hand made calls that are designed, made and used by the same guy.:mrgreen:

[shotgunjohn]

One more vote for the Faulk's. Have killed the odd duck with one. I carry two in case one gets too wet. Sometimes you just need to tune them a little.
Move the reed in or out and check the difference. Make sure you tie your lanyard to both pieces as they sometimes come appart when drying.