Storage

[napier011]

Never seen this topic before, but How does everyone store their calls through the off season? I put all my custom calls, pots, boxes and strikers in my gun safe with one of those dehumidifier rods. Mouth calls are more or less a one season and done, really not concerned with them. Tho I have tried to save em, just with no luck. How does everyone else store their calls?

[Greg Massey]

I use Silica packets with all my calls. For storage - drink koozies for pot calls, tupperware and plastic storage containers... You can do a search on the forum and find other ways of storing your calls etc...

[bigdrumnc]

Pot and box calls I put in a taper ware storage box with silica packets.  My mouth calls at the end of the season I soak in non alcohol mouth was for a few minutes then dry them out and put in a ziplock bag.  Then I store them in the freezer. 

[napier011]

And the freezer doesn't hurt/effect the stretching on the latex any?

[Zobo]

I just leave them in the bookshelf out of direct sunlight.

Sent from my SM-G975U1 using Tapatalk

[Loyalist84]

My pots and strikers go into 1060 Pelican cases, while my Box and Jordan sit on the shelf next to them.

[mountainhunter1]

I have two diaphragms in the fridge that are eight years old and they still sound great. But not all will last that long. Just wash them out good every time I use them and keep them in the fridge. Unless you hunt every single day for two to three months, you can get a whole lot more than one season out of a mouth call.  Keep them in your mouth while hunting and they don't dry out anyway. I usually have one on each side of my mouth the whole day while hunting and that keeps them moist until I can get home. In the woods, ifi I take them out of my mouth, I always just wash them off with a little bottle water to clean then enough to wait til I get home and can wash them much better in the sink.

As far as your wood calls, definitely keep them out of the direct sunlight. Don't store any in an unacclimated environment if any way possible. Good to have them where they can get a little air even then. For example, if you put them in a plastic storage been in the closet, make sure it has some holes on all four sides where it can breath. As suggested, silica packets are valuable when you are talking about possible 100-300 box calls sitting there in flocks of whatever you happen to own.

[mountainhunter1]

It is not quite what you asked, but the best advice I can give anyone about pot calls is to ALWAYS have the playing surface covered while carrying them in the vest in the field. The Woodhaven covers work good for most pots, even though there are a few builders' pots that the lids do not fit. A daisy sour cream cover will fit most as well if you are on a budget and don't want to buy the Woodhaven's. I use both and paint a bunch of the sour cream tops up (To get rid of that white) during the off season and give them away to guys I see in the woods who do not have them. Even if neither of those two fits perfectly, they will stay in place good enough over the surface once you have them placed in a tight-fitting pot call pocket on most all vests and do the job of keeping your playing surface in pristine condition. 

I have seen far too many a great calls ruined by sweat and by the playing surfaced being continually polished against the clothes a hunter wears to the point that the call loses it quality of sound. Covering the playing surface while in transport will make a good call last for a long time and then some.

I