Fun Hypothetical time,
we get the "What ____ should I buy" or "what the Best ____" questions all the time, answers are almost always different from every poster in the thread based on what they own or have used but one thing I noticed is the answers also have a lot of disparity in price or availability. Especially for someone starting out and looking for a call they can hunt now. A $300 box with a 2 year waiting list might not be remotely practical even if its the best call you ever heard.
So here's the hypothetical its March and your states season starts in 4 weeks, your buddy has every piece of gear he needs to hunt turkeys from guns, camo, even a vest but he doesn't own a single call (lets assume he has some basic ability to run calls). Armed with exactly $300 and 4 weeks until hunting starts what list would give him to buy? This would cover any call type - pots, strikers, boxes, mouth calls, trumpets, scratchers, ect even locator calls if you deem them necessary.
My choices were based on easy to get ahold of (website), ability to fill multiple needs from the same source, readily available or short turn around, excellent sound and playability to price value on the calls. Also went for range in call types and sounds although I didn't List wood combos or cuts because those can be tailored to the individuals tastes and I don't believer there's a bad offering from those makers.
SS Field Grade Box Short Box and Scratch Box - $95 readily available to a few weeks
Halloran Twisted Sister, one-piece yellowheart striker, and two mouth calls - $100 readily available
Houndstooth Cherry Ceramic and 3 mouth calls $80
A Single Locator call either Harrison Hooter or Gibson Crow $25 readily available (Midwest/Macks)
Total $300
1 Platz glass - $300
That's all you need :laugh:
1 Gooserbat Tom Swatter calls $10
1 Gooserbat Heckler call $10
Lonnie Mabry Chestnut slate with 2 strikers $30
Jeff White short box $60
Billy Buice trumpet $190
My list would be very similar to yours Tauntohawk.
I would probably go with a Gooserbat or Hooks mouth call though.
And truthfully, for someone just starting out, I would probably drop one of the pots and the scratcher until they got a season under their belt. Too many calls might present more problems for a hunter just starting out instead of adding versatility.
Save that money and put it into gas for scouting and boots on the ground info.
Loftis Crystal Double Barrel - $65
Fowler Snakewood, Mysterywood, and Black Locust - $75
Wendell Lancaster Box Call - $100
2 XT Havoc Pro - $20
$40 to buy us a good breakfast when we are done.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yeha the hypothetical was more under the assumption that the hunter can run whatevers on the list. And yes I would have went with some hooks but kept it to the multiple calls from one place.
Although I found scratch boxes to be one of the easiest to run calls I understsnd its not the same for everyone.
Quote from: kjnengr on May 04, 2018, 05:28:26 PM
My list would be very similar to yours Tauntohawk.
I would probably go with a Gooserbat or Hooks mouth call though.
And truthfully, for someone just starting out, I would probably drop one of the pots and the scratcher until they got a season under their belt. Too many calls might present more problems for a hunter just starting out instead of adding versatility.
Save that money and put it into gas for scouting and boots on the ground info.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 04, 2018, 03:14:50 PM
Fun Hypothetical time,
we get the "What ____ should I buy" or "what the Best ____" questions all the time, answers are almost always different from every poster in the thread based on what they own or have used but one thing I noticed is the answers also have a lot of disparity in price or availability. Especially for someone starting out and looking for a call they can hunt now. A $300 box with a 2 year waiting list might not be remotely practical even if its the best call you ever heard.
So here's the hypothetical its March and your states season starts in 4 weeks, your buddy has every piece of gear he needs to hunt turkeys from guns, camo, even a vest but he doesn't own a single call (lets assume he has some basic ability to run calls). Armed with exactly $300 and 4 weeks until hunting starts what list would give him to buy? This would cover any call type - pots, strikers, boxes, mouth calls, trumpets, scratchers, ect even locator calls if you deem them necessary.
My choices were based on easy to get ahold of (website), ability to fill multiple needs from the same source, readily available or short turn around, excellent sound and playability to price value on the calls. Also went for range in call types and sounds although I didn't List wood combos or cuts because those can be tailored to the individuals tastes and I don't believer there's a bad offering from those makers.
SS Field Grade Box Short Box and Scratch Box - $95 readily available to a few weeks
Halloran Twisted Sister, one-piece yellowheart striker, and two mouth calls - $100 readily available
Houndstooth Cherry Ceramic and 3 mouth calls $80
A Single Locator call either Harrison Hooter or Gibson Crow $25 readily available (Midwest/Macks)
Total $300
You forgot shells, gloves, mask, conditioning supplies or chalk, snack and water ugh.
Quote from: Bowguy on May 04, 2018, 08:35:11 PM
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 04, 2018, 03:14:50 PM
Fun Hypothetical time,
we get the "What ____ should I buy" or "what the Best ____" questions all the time, answers are almost always different from every poster in the thread based on what they own or have used but one thing I noticed is the answers also have a lot of disparity in price or availability. Especially for someone starting out and looking for a call they can hunt now. A $300 box with a 2 year waiting list might not be remotely practical even if its the best call you ever heard.
So here's the hypothetical its March and your states season starts in 4 weeks, your buddy has every piece of gear he needs to hunt turkeys from guns, camo, even a vest but he doesn't own a single call (lets assume he has some basic ability to run calls). Armed with exactly $300 and 4 weeks until hunting starts what list would give him to buy? This would cover any call type - pots, strikers, boxes, mouth calls, trumpets, scratchers, ect even locator calls if you deem them necessary.
My choices were based on easy to get ahold of (website), ability to fill multiple needs from the same source, readily available or short turn around, excellent sound and playability to price value on the calls. Also went for range in call types and sounds although I didn't List wood combos or cuts because those can be tailored to the individuals tastes and I don't believer there's a bad offering from those makers.
SS Field Grade Box Short Box and Scratch Box - $95 readily available to a few weeks
Halloran Twisted Sister, one-piece yellowheart striker, and two mouth calls - $100 readily available
Houndstooth Cherry Ceramic and 3 mouth calls $80
A Single Locator call either Harrison Hooter or Gibson Crow $25 readily available (Midwest/Macks)
Total $300
You forgot shells, gloves, mask, conditioning supplies or chalk, snack and water ugh.
Nope he's got all that lol
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
300 bucks, let me see.
SS scratcher
Atomic 13
McKamey or SS longbox
Harrison hootin stick
With this you can do it all imo
Think I might be over 300 but close. Maybe a few hooks mouth calls if possible.
Plus shells, gloves, mask, conditioning supplies, snack, water, binos. Some guys might be over 300 just patterning gun
My vest would have the following:
A Hollaran Purple Heart and cedar box
Hooks Heartthrob diagram
A Roberts brothers glass over slate wormy chestnut pot
A super yelper walnut scratch box
A Harrison Hootn stick
A warbird crow call.
That would be close to $300.00 give it take a few bucks. All of these above mentioned I have the utmost confidence in.
This is a neat thread it's cool to see what everyone's go to calls are
Quote from: ElkTurkMan on May 04, 2018, 08:59:25 PM
My vest would have the following:
A Hollaran Purple Heart and cedar box
Hooks Heartthrob diagram
A Roberts brothers glass over slate wormy chestnut pot
A super yelper walnut scratch box
A Harrison Hootn stick
A warbird crow call.
That would be close to $300.00 give it take a few bucks. All of these above mentioned I have the utmost confidence in.
This is a neat thread it's cool to see what everyone's go to calls are
I just thought a price point limit might be fun or for guys looking for calls are usually on some kind of reasonable budget but I see threads all the time like "want to upgrade my calls what are some good ones?" and the replies are like cordor, platz, Watkins, Basehore, Dawkins, ect and while those are all incredibls the guy asking for picking a new call advice probably doesn't have 2 grand and 3 years to assemble that kind of flock to hunt a 2 bird limit in many states.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
1. SS or Van Cise box
2. Stumpy ceramic - or - Wynne slate
3. Hooks or Shane Simpson's diaphragm (X2)
4. Yingling (choice of favorite surface)
5. Lyman Hickory striker
—————-
That would get you very close +/- $300
Well if you were relatively close to Lonnie Mabry somebody mentioned once that you could get a
Longbox
Short box
Slate
Glass
Other
Pot calls and strikers
For $270 total
And you know they all work good.
SS field box - $80
Halloran CM - $80
Wynne Slate of Lonzo Birdseye - $80
Handfull of mouth calls - $30
1-2 extra strikers - $30
.... dead turkeys
Halloran Crystal Mistress $75
Mac Walnut Slate $60
SS Kwila/butternut shortbox $100
Halloran Zebrawood Slate $65
Couple Hooks Mouth Calls just over $300 total
Wynne persimmon slate
Halloran twisted sister
Stucky macassar And ebony strikers
Lynch fool proof box
A Dustin jones glass glass in padauk
300 bucks and ready to kill any turkey walking.
Hanks Ceramic $75
Mark Cornelius 2 sider cherry glass over slate $65
Palmers hoot tube/ Synthetic Hoot n Stick $20
Tom Teaser Crow $25
Purple Heart Tom Teaser Box $60
I carry a couple of box calls, an SS and Pittman 2-face (together about $100)
Lonnie Gilbert scratcher at about $40; heck make it 2 at $80...
An assortment of mouth calls (I like Hook's and Gooserbat) for another $30-40
Gobble call at $15
Spend the other $65 on gas for scouting new areas....
Cody Woodsman Slate
Halloran Twisted Sister or Crystal Mistress
Enticer Rolling Thunder (Wet Call)
Hooks Executioner Mouth Call
Basehore Cedar scratch box
Mouth calls $25 I like lost lake or xt
$75 wing bone bent creek
$50 spring creek box
$65 ceramic flipsider misfire or olins
$35 Enticer feather touch glass
$15 Enticer double trouble alum
$35 power slate Enticer
Skip the locator
Basehore scratch box
Darren Dawkins plastic pots stoned aluminum and crystal
Whitt square box
Hooks mouth calls
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
With all due respect to the fine call makers mentioned, and to those not mentioned, I would take a completely different approach to this.
The first thing I would do is to find the nearest local source/store with an adequate assortment of turkey calls of various brands. Again, assuming that the hunter in question does indeed have a fundamental understanding of turkey calling and the sounds he is trying to achieve with his calls, and that the store would let him try out the calls available (excluding mouth-operated calls, of course), I would tell him to run calls until he found at least one box and one pot that he liked,...perhaps an additional pot call of a different surface. (anticipated cost of three chosen calls...$75 to $100)
If the store had a selection of striker types (wood, carbon, metal, synthetic), I would tell him to buy another half-dozen strikers of various types...(anticipated cost...$50 or less)
Friction call surface prep kit (or gather the different components)...$10
Crow call (prerequisite that it be loud)...$20
Tube call and spare tube call latex....$20
Mouth calls,...(if he has some experience using them and knows how to make reasonable turkey sounds),...buy a half dozen inexpensive calls of varying reeds and cuts....$30
...Buy an additional half dozen calls with no cuts (and learn how to cut/tune mouth calls),....$30
Mouth calls,...(if he does not know how to run a mouth call, or is not good with one)....make sure he has someone that can tell him what to buy to learn on, and then have him buy two or three calls (and tell him to never run the calls while hunting until he has developed some basic skills with them)....$15
Total cost: $250 (approx.) Use the other $50 to shop around for a "bonus" call or two.
Quote from: GobbleNut on May 07, 2018, 08:45:05 AM
With all due respect to the fine call makers mentioned, and to those not mentioned, I would take a completely different approach to this.
The first thing I would do is to find the nearest local source/store with an adequate assortment of turkey calls of various brands. Again, assuming that the hunter in question does indeed have a fundamental understanding of turkey calling and the sounds he is trying to achieve with his calls, and that the store would let him try out the calls available (excluding mouth-operated calls, of course), I would tell him to run calls until he found at least one box and one pot that he liked,...perhaps an additional pot call of a different surface. (anticipated cost of three chosen calls...$75 to $100)
If the store had a selection of striker types (wood, carbon, metal, synthetic), I would tell him to buy another half-dozen strikers of various types...(anticipated cost...$50 or less)
Friction call surface prep kit (or gather the different components)...$10
Crow call (prerequisite that it be loud)...$20
Tube call and spare tube call latex....$20
Mouth calls,...(if he has some experience using them and knows how to make reasonable turkey sounds),...buy a half dozen inexpensive calls of varying reeds and cuts....$30
...Buy an additional half dozen calls with no cuts (and learn how to cut/tune mouth calls),....$30
Mouth calls,...(if he does not know how to run a mouth call, or is not good with one)....make sure he has someone that can tell him what to buy to learn on, and then have him buy two or three calls (and tell him to never run the calls while hunting until he has developed some basic skills with them)....$15
Total cost: $250 (approx.) Use the other $50 to shop around for a "bonus" call or two.
Solid advise
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 04, 2018, 08:05:24 PM
Yeha the hypothetical was more under the assumption that the hunter can run whatevers on the list. And yes I would have went with some hooks but kept it to the multiple calls from one place.
Although I found scratch boxes to be one of the easiest to run calls I understsnd its not the same for everyone. Quote from: kjnengr on May 04, 2018, 05:28:26 PM
My list would be very similar to yours Tauntohawk.
I would probably go with a Gooserbat or Hooks mouth call though.
And truthfully, for someone just starting out, I would probably drop one of the pots and the scratcher until they got a season under their belt. Too many calls might present more problems for a hunter just starting out instead of adding versatility.
Save that money and put it into gas for scouting and boots on the ground info.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
Good thinking. And very valid points.
Lots of good info in this thread.
send him straight to Ernie Fetters and for $300 Ernie could make you several different calls!
Quote from: adkmountainken on May 13, 2018, 01:48:31 PM
send him straight to Ernie Fetters and for $300 Ernie could make you several different calls!
I got my first fetter coming
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk