First of all, I just wanted to say :thanks: for all the awesome info on this site. I hunt eastern turkeys in Georgia and I am wanting to get a new pot call and I was hoping y'all could help.
The only 2 pot calls I have now are a Knight and Hale Yella Hammer and a Primos Power Crystal (I know...rookie selection haha :help: ) But I want my next one to come from a custom or semi-custom maker. The only thing I might add is that I have a little trouble being consistent with my purrs, so if y'all can recommend a call that can also help me purr better.
I have the hardest time making a decision and when I look at all the calls on this forum they all just look so sweet! But I am just not sure which surface and wood will fill my need best (I guess Im the only one that can figure that out!) ....but I figured, why not ask for help??
Thanks!
I would look into a cherry bronze glass from WillowRidgeCalls or a sassfrass slate from MarkJM. Both these calls sound great and make all the calls with ease. You will end up buying more because I have never seen anything so addicting. I know I have problems. The cherry bronze glass was my first custom call and I killed a bird with it the first season using it.
I would recommend a slate call. Slate is very user friendly and easy to keep conditioned
for purrs and clucks cant beat a woodhaven cluck n purr pot. as far as the rest there are alot of talented makers around this site.
Don't worry about the surface or wood. Decide on a builder, tell them what your looking for sound wise and let them do their thing. You'll end up happier then trying to spec the call out yourself.
M, Yingling makes a heck of a call. Slate is one of the easier surfaces to use and as dirt road ninja said the wood is just for good looks mostly.
IMO- The bronzed glass pots are the best sounding and easiest to run. Many of the call makers on here make them... also The Hooks Assasin (bronzed glass) is hard to beat
There is a passel of good builders in GA that you could visit. Where in GA are you?
Just a few GA makers off the top of my head, which is not complete:
Misfire above is a Ga maker.
BeardHunter of Buford.
Waddle Whacker of Dallas.
Lonnie Mabry of Waleska.
Lonzo's of Bronwood (2 recent awards for glass calls)
Bud n Betty (Russell Lynch) of SC--award winner for pot calls
Dominator (Chad Hutcheson) of McRae/Helena GA
Tom Teasers
Dad's Custom Calls, Hazelhurst, GA
New Moon Calls (Alan Sentell) Summerville, GA. He sells his crystal pot with two custom one piece strikers for $50 delivered.
There is a bunch of good makers on this site.
Someone has a LightsOut slate call in the classifieds for sale right now for $35, which would be a good deal.
Wow, I was totally clueless of all the call makers in GA, thanks! I am actually in the Powder Springs and Hiram/Paulding County area
And I have seen that LightsOut slate in the classifieds, and it seems very tempting..
No problem with those calls you listed, some of the very same calls I started with and killed birds using. But they dont hold a candle to some of the customs I have now
IMO the Hooks assassin in anodized aluminum http://www.mackspw.com/Item--i-HOOSMSS is one of the best bang for buck out there at a sale price of $30 (regular 45). Its an extremely user friendly surface with plenty of grip to help with your purrs and takes almost no conditioning.
the lights out slate in the classifieds is a good deal too, I have one his slates as well. My only dislike about slate is that its moody based upon weather and my aluminum is not
I liked the Hooks crystal and bronzed glass that I ran at the show last year. I almost bought the crystal, but already had so many calls and additional items bought at the show. The aluminum is very tempting at that price.
Slate is not good in the rain, but one can dry it out from time to time by holding a lighter a couple of inches under it and watching the moisture evaporate in a ring from center to edge.
I like the pot calls from Gooserbat. Either the slate or anodized aluminum with a hickory striker!
I've been using Lights Out slates & aluminums for many years.
I like them all, but slate over glass is my go to call if it's not raining.
I think the key is the striker. I carry 4-5 different ones and end up using all of them on most hunts.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v712/mudhen/turkey2027.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v712/mudhen/turkey033.jpg)
I'm fond of Kaiser Kalls too: (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v712/mudhen/2011turkeyall024.jpg)
Good luck with your search!
mudhen
bud & betty slate call would be hard to beat for new turkey hunter and purr are great so are the yelps and cutts. You can get one for 55.00 on ebay from him. david halloran makes great call as well. I love he's crystal mistress ($65.00) and cherry slate call ($45.00) both are easy to play. only thing about david halloran if you order from he site it might take few weeks before he mails it.
Good luck get ready spend some money lol.
There are a lot of great call makers on this site and I havent tried the majority of them....yet. But if I had to make a choice and go with only one call in my vest it would be an anodized aluminum calling surface. I have two from Wendall Rye at Lightsout calls and couldnt be happier.
I think Aluminum is about as user friendly as slate but is more versatile with the range of sound it can make from soft subtle stuff to extremely loud and everything in between.
David Halloran Twisted Sister or Crystal Mistress
Being a beginner, I would gravitate to a slate call for you. Joe Slaton(aka TRKYHNTR) owns motherlode calls makes a very nice slate over corion that is the bees knees! Great call, very easy to do clucks, cuts and purrs on, and she yelps with ease!
Lightsout also makes a great slate call, and shouldn't be overlooked.
Again, the only downside to slate is once wet, you're done. If I know it's going to be a rainy day, I will be in a blind anyway, so it doesn't really concern me too much.
Now, as you get more confident, I would go to glass or crystal over whatever soundboard the call maker suggests.
Good luck with your search, and good luck this spring!
I'll throw my 2 cents in-
It's pretty tough to beat a double-sided aluminum over slate call for versatility. That's a call that will pretty much do everything and will be very easy to play.
When it's all said and done, you'll have a copper call, a nice slate, and a nice glass call and with good reason- each surface definitely gives a different sound.
Ceramic is out there too, but there's no need to run out and grab one when you already have that Yella Hammer. Maybe down the line if you just want something new.
Thanks a lot guys. So, am I correct in saying that the Yella Hammer isn't really a slate, but actually a ceramic call??
I actually find my Power Crystal easier to play than the Yella Hammer. And the striker of the power crystal sounds better than the yella hammer striker.
You are correct.
As far as strikers, I think that's where custom calls really shine. Any callmaker worth his salt will take the time to match a striker to the call you are buying. There is still some mixing and matching that can make calls sound different or make tough calls easier to play so it isn't a bad idea to accumulate a good collection of strikers. There are woods that you will never find in a production call striker like padauk, zebrawood, kingwood, osage, etc. etc.
Probably the fastest and cheapest way to get a bunch fast is to buy some pegs and tops from Brookside and make your own- just a matter of gluing and finishing. He also has some cheap one piece strikers, but I personally find it distasteful to use something machine made that looks handmade.
Quote from: redleg06 on March 07, 2012, 05:57:46 PM
I think Aluminum is about as user friendly as slate but is more versatile with the range of sound it can make from soft subtle stuff to extremely loud and everything in between.
Agreed.
When I started turkey hunting years ago everyone told me to get a slate so I went out and bought a production slate. A few years later I bought a production glass. The slate worked OK and I killed several birds with it. The glass just plain sucked. When I started making calls I fell in love with the first glass over glass call I made. A while later I tried a couple of aluminum over glass calls and today that is my go to call when I am using a pot. When I have someone buying their first custom call I will usually try to encourage them to get an aluminum call with a one piece striker and a carbon striker. If one won't bring em to other will.
For the money check with Gary at Magnolia Game Calls. His slate or aluminum signature series are both very easy to use, sound awsome, and only run around $40
Hooks Glass call...get the Yellowheart striker while you are at it...you won't regret it I promise!
I just got a Lights Out anodized aluminum call in yellowheart. This is a fantastic call and very easy to run.
There are several good call makers here.