Who and why????

[gobblerhunter]

Pappy,

I could not have said it any better.

However, I looked into the cost of making calls/strikers the other day.  My wife keeps telling me I can make more at walmart.

Here is some simply cost analysis.  As I am writing this, I am looking at a piece of exotic wood that cost $4.99 for a twelve inch piece.  This will make one striker.  I will take this piece of wood and place it on one of my two lathes (each cost between $350 - $500).  I will take one of my cutting tools which cost between $30 - $70 and turn the striker.  It will take me 30 to 40 minutes to turn the striker.  Minimum labor cost $5.00 (walmart pays $10.00 per hour).  I have not included electricity,  finishing materials, shipping, etc.  I hope someone is getting the picture.
Once done, this striker may not give me the turkey sound I want, so it goes into the trash bin and I start over.

Why I still make turkey calls.  Earlier this year, I had a turkey hunter call me and wondered if I could make him a couple calls for his sons for their birthdays.  He wanted pictures of the boys in each call.  One of his boys was paralysis-ed from the waist down due to a car wreck.  I made him the calls and he called me after the birthday party.  He said the boy in the wheel chair played his call for hours.  By the time we finished our call, I had tears in my eyes.

The main reason I make calls is due to the great people I meet, surely not to make money. 

[.308]

I started doing this as a hobby and have no idea how someone can profit from it or simply cover start-up costs.  A $10-$20 striker is a bargain in my book.  Even if the wood was free, there has to be 1/2 an hours labor in just turning and finishing it (double this for me  ).  Add in some sharpening time for your tools, wear and tear on the equipment, clean-up cost and time, sandpaper, etc.  I have often looked at prices that calls sell for and think that the buyers are getting a heck of a deal. 

Just my 2 cents, but there are many overpriced things in this world - $20 custom strikers aren't one of them. 

[pagunslinger]

Shipping is another story,dang usps!

Boy you really know how to step from one pile of doo to another pile of doo.  What does the cost of shipping (USPS) have to do with being another story in this discussion?  Do you think that the USPS will ship your items for free?  I don't think so pagunslinger.  This whole discussion has to be one of the silliest conversations that I have ever seen on OG.

Shipping is another story!! Of course usps is rapin us!!! Now i'm feelin some call makers r gettin greedy!! That's what this is about!!

[mmusso]

 

It would really make you upset to find out how much a diaphragm call costs to make, but companies have NO PROBLEM charging people paying $10-$15 for some. And if people will pay it, good for the company. At your job, I assume you do not give goods or services away for free, do you? To each his own. I'll gladly keep buying $20+ strikers and $50 calls. These guys are doing something that most can't do. It's the same as anything else, be it calls, strikers, dinner, vehicles, etc... You either do something yourself or pay someone else to do what you can't do, don't want to do, or don't know how to do. It's simple really...

[ccleroy]

My opinion is strikers are more time consuming than pots.....I make a one piece matched striker for each call I ship......trust me until you get into this don't judge what a callmaker charges.

Ricky