First Good Calls

[Sir-diealot]

JLH, Neal here both make very nice strikers. I am found of Stuckey strikers but only because of hand problems, they seem to be the only things I have found that does not bother my hands to use and sound good and I like his mushroom tips.

That brings up another thing you need to think on, do you want a straight tip, flarred tip or more of a Mushroom tip like Stuckey or Halloran put on theirs?

Here is a picture to show some different tip type.

[Tom007]

Nice job Sir. You really are helping this young man get off on the right track. Wish I had that guidance.....Nice striker pics. Thanks much....

[Sir-diealot]

Nice job Sir. You really are helping this young man get off on the right track. Wish I had that guidance.....Nice striker pics. Thanks much....

Thanks, I do what I can, there are those with much more knowledge than I have.
Glad you like the pics, they came off my crummy cell phone.

[Greg Massey]

You get what you pay for in strikers, so my suggestion is buy quality ones....

[Loyalist84]

JLH, Neal here both make very nice strikers. I am found of Stuckey strikers but only because of hand problems, they seem to be the only think I have found that does not bother my hands to use and sound good and I like his mushroom tips.

That brings up another thing you need to think on, to want a straight tip, flarred tip or more of a Mushroom tip like Stuckey or Halloran put on theirs?

Here is a picture to show some different tip type.

Thanks for the tip! I have a bit of tendonitis left over from tree planting so I might take your tip on the Stuckey creations. Is there really any difference in acoustics with the different tips or is really just a matter of aesthetics and calling style/hand position? I'll probably get a couple different wooden strikers and a waterproof one (Dymondwood would function for that, correct?) and try to keep the whole kit fairly lightweight so I only go hunting with my one pot and two strikers in addition to a box and a mouth call. Thanks again for the help everyone!

[Sir-diealot]

JLH, Neal here both make very nice strikers. I am found of Stuckey strikers but only because of hand problems, they seem to be the only think I have found that does not bother my hands to use and sound good and I like his mushroom tips.

That brings up another thing you need to think on, to want a straight tip, flarred tip or more of a Mushroom tip like Stuckey or Halloran put on theirs?

Here is a picture to show some different tip type.

Thanks for the tip! I have a bit of tendonitis left over from tree planting so I might take your tip on the Stuckey creations. Is there really any difference in acoustics with the different tips or is really just a matter of aesthetics and calling style/hand position? I'll probably get a couple different wooden strikers and a waterproof one (Dymondwood would function for that, correct?) and try to keep the whole kit fairly lightweight so I only go hunting with my one pot and two strikers in addition to a box and a mouth call. Thanks again for the help everyone!

I personally think there is a difference in the sound each makes, if you do decide to go with a Stuckey I would highly suggest his tulipwood striker, plays wonderfully on just about everything I have put it to. As to how to hold and that sort of thing here is a thread I made last year asking how people hold their strikers and there is a comment there on how to hold the pot too. Primos has a good series on how to run a pot and how to hold a striker, I think it is mentioned on that thread but I will go get you a link to the first one and you can watch them through yourself.

As to if diamondwood is waterproof or not I am not positive on that so I will let somebody that knows more than me answer that question for you, as the saying goes it is better to stay silent and let people think you are ignorant than to open you mouth and prove you are ignorant.

Here are the two links. http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,85014.0.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELL6l_t9zUQ&list=PLbF6qMoJbTLzkdmzIrqSSxeTkJKKmXVg8&index=15&t=0s

[Greg Massey]

Some strikers , depending on the tips are more realistic in producing the best sounds from the call surface. The better the quality of the striker will usually determine how good the call sounds. It's like the glass a builder uses on the pot surface , the higher the quality of glass for example, matched with an average striker, your going to get a sound that is average or passable.  So that's why you want the best quality and assortment of strikers. So look for custom strikers that are pleasing to the eyes, but more importantly pleasing to the ears, you will know or find your sound your looking for in hunting your birds in your area.  Wood tip strikers on those wet, rainy or high humidity become useless in most cases so yes get you waterproof tip striker just for those occasions. Density and weight of strikers make a big difference in the sound or tone of your pots.  No wood striker tip is waterproof in my opinion .. some are just harder in density... Flare tip or round tip, some of these are more forgiving to mistakes you may make in using your pots. My suggestion is practice to see what's best for you and your pots for the sound your looking for with that pot call.

[Loyalist84]

Thanks for the insight Greg! I'll probably order a few, but I'd like to try and keep the excess strikers to a minimum since I'll only ever carry two, and ideally keep my total to that many. I definitely prefer a rounded tip, but in my limited calling experience (that is, limited to what was available 6 or more years ago at Cabelas) I haven't had the opportunity to try out flare tip strikers.

I might be jumping the gun a bit anyway since my call isn't here yet, but is there a guide as to which woods work best on black slate so that I don't end up buying a bunch of strikers I'd have to re-sell? Admittedly I'm being a bit frugal about it since I'd have to pay shipping to Canada, and then the rate of exchange of 73 cents American puts a half dozen of, say, Derrick Stuckey's strikers, around the $240 dollar mark before tax 'n shipping, only to keep one.

Or is this like fly fishing where you might as well give up on the idea of cheaping out if you want good equipment?

[Sir-diealot]

Here is a list with the attributes two different makers give to some woods. The ones marked H are ones I have and the ones marked W are ones I want. Oh the two makers are Stuckey and Cox. The description in brackets are Stuckey and the others are from Cox

Macassar Ebony Striker -H- (Macassar Ebony is an exotic wood with heartwood that is reported to be strong, very heavy, and very hard. It is from Indonesia and has a Janka Hardness rating of 3220. This is my best selling striker, it more than doubles the number sold of any other wood type I offer.) A very dense wood that is great on glass and aluminum. Raspy yelps and aggressive cutts.

Tulipwood Striker -H- (This is a custom turned striker made from Brazilian Tulipwood. Tulipwood is an exotic wood native to the tropical region of South America, mainly Brazil. It is a hard and heavy wood, with a rather fine texture. has a Janka Hardness rating of 2560 and work great on any surface.) My favorite striker of all that I sell. This is a medium density wood that works on any surface. This wood is quickly become extinct and very hard to find. Yellow and pinkish stripes make this one very appealing to the eye.

Hickory Striker -H- ( Runs on any surface, I especially like it on aluminum. Hickory has a Janka Hardness rating of 1820. Satisfaction guaranteed.) Very dense wood that works best for aggressive calling on glass and aluminum.

Purpleheart Striker -H- Very dense wood that is really good on glass and aluminum. Cutts, cackles and loud, raspy yelps are best achieved with this striker.

Jatoba -H- (Jatoba is an exotic wood that runs from salmon-red to orange-brown and is from Central and South America with a Janka Hardness rating of 2690. Jatoba makes a great striker that sounds great on all surfaces.)

Bubinga Striker -W- (Bubinga is a beautiful wood with a Janka Hardness rating of 2628 that makes a great striker that sounds great on all surfaces.) A very dense wood that, in my opinion, works best on glass and aluminum. Raspy and loud are two of the features of bubinga.

Cocobolo Striker -W- (Cocobolo is an exotic wood native to Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica. The wood is very durable and strong, with a fine texture. It is extremely beautiful, ranging in color from dark red to reddish brown, with an irregular grain pattern. Cocobolo has a Janka Hardness rating of 2960 and work great on any surface.) A prized wood for its tonal qualities, cocobolo is great on all surfaces. I prefer it on glass for its raspy yelps and aggressive cutts.

Wenge Striker -W- (Wenge is an exotic wood with a natural growth range of the species is reported to be the open forests of Zaire, Cameroon, Gabon, the southern regions of Tanzania, and Mozambique. It is also found in the swampy forests of the Congo region. I sold several of these at NWTF 2015. Wenge is a dense wood, while at the same time being lite in weight, it makes a very good striker. These work well on slate.) Wenge is a very hard, dense wood. It is grainy and grips any surface well.  I prefer it on glass and aluminum.

Bocote Striker -W- Dense wood, blonde and blackish-brown stripes, with a super rasp. Works great, especially on slate.


Dymondwood Striker -W- This striker is very dense and hard. It works best on glass and aluminum and produces raspy yelps, cutts and cackles.

Persimmon Striker -H- (Runs on any surface, kee kee's and yelps great.)

Ipe -H- Ipe, also known as Brazilian Walnut is from Central and South America. Ipe heartwood can vary in color from reddish brown, to a more yellowish olive brown or darker blackish brown; sometimes with contrasting darker brown/black stripes, it is rated 3600 on the Janka Hardness scale. I ran this striker on 6 different calls and it sounds great on every surface.


Black and White ebony -W-  (Black and White ebony is an exotic wood with color that is reported to vary with species, usually uniformly black with light-colored bands, pale to medium brown zones, or with marked contrast between almost white and black wood. black and white is from Southeast Asia, Myanmar, and Burma and has a janka hardness rating of 1780. No 2 pieces of this wood ever look the same, it has beautiful grain patterns and color. Makes a great yelping and cutting striker.)

Oh and yes you normally get what you pay for but there really are SOME exceptions but they are few and far between from what I have seen.

[Loyalist84]

I don't suppose you offer other miracles in your repetoire, do you?

That's honestly amazing, thanks so much - I realized now that I probably have to look at Canadian import regs as well since I might not be able to order certain species like Macassar Ebony or Rosewoods and make half the list moot anyway.

[Sir-diealot]

I don't suppose you offer other miracles in your repetoire, do you?

That's honestly amazing, thanks so much - I realized now that I probably have to look at Canadian import regs as well since I might not be able to order certain species like Macassar Ebony or Rosewoods and make half the list moot anyway.

Sorry, I just tend to keeps lists because I take Fentanyl and Oxycodone and I forget a lot of things because of them. I am not sure about the regs, I know that Canada is stricter on some things than The United States. Go here, scale down and there is a map for Canada, pick your Province and it will show makers in your area. https://www.callcollector.com/turkey-calls.html

[Loyalist84]

It's a pretty good indicator of the amount of turkey hunting that goes on in this country that there are only 3 custom makers listed there - one passed away, the other without a presence since 2011 and possibly passed away, and the other, Recall Designs, has a box call in my father's turkey vest that is their only offering aside from two acrylic pots! For my two cents their box, a walnut/sycamore, isn't a step up from a Primos at all.

[Sir-diealot]

How about outside your province?

[Loyalist84]

That's in the whole country according to the website!

[Sixes]

Don't just automatically rule out certain businesses. Places like Macks Prairie Wings and Midwest Turkey Call have very good collections of what are really custom/semi custom calls from the likes of Halloran, McClain, Hooks, Hanks, etc, etc.

These businesses have probably dealt a lot more with Canadian customers.

Also, as far as strikers go, one of the best that you get and is available at a lot of places is the Woodhaven Strike 3 Birch. It will run on any surface and plays very easily. I've got tons of custom strikers, but the Woodhaven seems to make the cut every year.