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Reminiscing on being a youngn' and when I first learned to use my dad's "backup" calls.  I do believe it was an old Quaker Boy, slate on one side, glass on the other, and a black polymer striker. We couldn't ever figure out how to play the slick glass surface, makes sense looking back now. All we ever had was a piece of scotch brite pad, whoops! :TooFunny:
Also stole an Ol' Boss Hen from him that was going unused. I sure enough figured out how to make that thing sing, and would recommend that one to any beginner.  It's amazing how forgiving that call was to use.

What was y'alls first?

My first call was a Lynch World Champion box call.

My 1st was a quaker boy single reed mouth call.

My first call was a Quaker Boy Grand Old Master. I think I got it around 1989.

Paul Butski two-sided glass over slate and a Butski Quad cutter mouth call.

My first all by myself bird was with one of those QB 2 siders, had to be maybe 84-85, slate side. Mike

My first production slate pot call was Lohman Thunder dome ...

Started when I was 14 with a MAD Smokin glass pot call and a quaker boy easy yelper.
Can remember my first morning ever. Walked a half mile to a property I had permission on, wearing realtree hardwoods coveralls tucked into 18in lacrosse burly boots, calls in the cargo pockets and no seat or vest. Had a remington, winchester and federal turkey load in a Mossberg 600 (not a typo) with a fixed full barrel.
My 14yr old self would tell me I don't need all the custom calls and gear I got now.

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First call was a Primos Power Chrystal. Used it for years and took several gobblers with it. Carried that and my Grandfather's Lynch Fool proof box. Good memories for sure..

My first call was a H.S. Strut Lil' Deuce slate. I killed 5-6 birds with it before buying a Woodhaven Cherry Classic slate call.

My first that I can remember was a H.S. Strut Lil'Deuce slate. To this day, it's still the best sounding slate I have or have heard


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H.S. Grand National double slate with glass. Hoping to find it in my stuff somewhere.


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Quote from: callmakerman on April 21, 2024, 01:43:50 PMPaul Butski two-sided glass over slate and a Butski Quad cutter mouth call.

Dag on, when I graduated to a quad I was in over my head.
How tough was it to learn on a 4 reed?

Quote from: RustyBarrels on April 22, 2024, 11:08:38 AM

Quote from: callmakerman on April 21, 2024, 01:43:50 PMPaul Butski two-sided glass over slate and a Butski Quad cutter mouth call.

Dag on, when I graduated to a quad I was in over my head.
How tough was it to learn on a 4 reed?

Well first off I didn't purchase the calls, they were gifts for my birthday. Being this was to be my first season going it alone and they were all I had to use I just practiced until I thought that I sounded like a turkey. It also helped that I would try the mouth call calling to turkey's on birds I couldn't hunt. The quad just seemed to be a good fit for me.


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This one.  Made it when I was, I think, 13 years old.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52463797037_7ccd55073c_c.jpg)


Killed my very first turkey using it.  Killed another one fall before last (2022) with it.  44 years between the two birds.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52478545341_430e9aa7cb_c.jpg)

I still have one, a friend ruined the original by conditioning it against the grain I had already established, it never sounded right after that.

 (https://i.imgur.com/P3kHMbEm.jpeg)

Tough to beat a box call for a beginning hunter....  There is not an easier call to sound like a turkey on with almost no skill...  Push-pin might be a bit easier, but not much, and a box call is a lot more versatile...  Both are easier than a pot call or mouth call...

I carry a box call with me every hunt, that just seems to elicit a response from birds.  They just seem to like that sound.

Quote from: callmakerman on April 22, 2024, 11:33:47 AM

Quote from: RustyBarrels on April 22, 2024, 11:08:38 AM

Quote from: callmakerman on April 21, 2024, 01:43:50 PMPaul Butski two-sided glass over slate and a Butski Quad cutter mouth call.

Dag on, when I graduated to a quad I was in over my head.
How tough was it to learn on a 4 reed?

Well first off I didn't purchase the calls, they were gifts for my birthday. Being this was to be my first season going it alone and they were all I had to use I just practiced until I thought that I sounded like a turkey. It also helped that I would try the mouth call calling to turkey's on birds I couldn't hunt. The quad just seemed to be a good fit for me.

Started using the Butski "Cuttin'Caller IV" (the four-reed cutter he made) back in the 1980's when Paul was on his winning streak in the national calling contests. It was a great call and not at all hard to use. The reason was because it was constructed of thin latex/proph material rather than layers of thicker material. That makes all the difference in the world as to how difficult a multi-reeded call is to use. Beginners, in particular, who want to try those types of calls, would be wise to stick with calls constructed primarily of thin reed materials.

Another note: "The problem" with those types of calls with several reeds is that with each additional reed added, the harder it is to make the final product have a consistent sound from one call to the next.   

Quote from: GobbleNut on April 27, 2024, 09:31:28 AM

Quote from: callmakerman on April 22, 2024, 11:33:47 AM

Quote from: RustyBarrels on April 22, 2024, 11:08:38 AM

Quote from: callmakerman on April 21, 2024, 01:43:50 PMPaul Butski two-sided glass over slate and a Butski Quad cutter mouth call.

Dag on, when I graduated to a quad I was in over my head.
How tough was it to learn on a 4 reed?

Well first off I didn't purchase the calls, they were gifts for my birthday. Being this was to be my first season going it alone and they were all I had to use I just practiced until I thought that I sounded like a turkey. It also helped that I would try the mouth call calling to turkey's on birds I couldn't hunt. The quad just seemed to be a good fit for me.

Started using the Butski "Cuttin'Caller IV" (the four-reed cutter he made) back in the 1980's when Paul was on his winning streak in the national calling contests. It was a great call and not at all hard to use. The reason was because it was constructed of thin latex/proph material rather than layers of thicker material. That makes all the difference in the world as to how difficult a multi-reeded call is to use. Beginners, in particular, who want to try those types of calls, would be wise to stick with calls constructed primarily of thin reed materials.

Another note: "The problem" with those types of calls with several reeds is that with each additional reed added, the harder it is to make the final product have a consistent sound from one call to the next.   

Mine was the quad IV and man did I like that call.

Lynch World Champion Box and Quaker Boy Old Boss Hen diaphragm were my first calls when I was 9 years old circa 1990. Almost got the quaker boy taken away at school several times for clucking on it in class.

Quaker boy double reed
Lynch one sider
Paul Butski double glass.

Paul was at a local seminar back in the early 90's
Had a box full of double glass pots and a box of strikers.
He picked a pot going through several and matched a striker to it, signed the back of the pot. $20

Unknown how many birds were called in with that pot, I was offered a lot of money for it many times.

Primos Ol Betsy with the laminated striker.  Still my favorite.  It has been the demise of countless gobblers and is responsible for my Grand Slam.

Lohman turkey tracer was my first I believe. Followed by a lohman scratch box and a quaker boy old boss hen diaphragm

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I can't remember the brand or model as I gave it away to a new hunter many moons ago, but it was a slate in a plastic pot. Thing sounded great. Kind of wish I still had it


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Lynch box, bought in the 80s, think it had a battleship on 1 side of box? Lost in woods, wish I still had. Bought another and never had same response from birds as original. 

Mine was a Primos Power Crystal. Killed well over 20 birds with it. Was walking on my sidewalk at the house digging it out of my pocket for some reason and dropped it and broke it. Never was satisfied with another one like I was that one. Great call

Quote from: JeffC on May 24, 2024, 08:07:20 AMLynch box, bought in the 80s, think it had a battleship on 1 side of box? Lost in woods, wish I still had. Bought another and never had same response from birds as original. 

The original Primos Battleship was no joke.

That call will bring gobblers in open country from farther away than you can hear them gobble back.  Watched it happen twice in two days on west Texas Rios.

Morgan Caller, I think it was in 1975.

My first call was a Lynch World Champion box call. I actually called in my first turkey with it by accident playing around.

Lynch Foolproof Box and a Larry Norton Shark diaphragm