Proper care of mouth calls

[Jgarrett]

Hey guys,
Just seeing what everybody else did for proper care and storage of their mouth calls.

[TauntoHawk]

50% water 50% non alcohol no dye mouth wash in the fridge. when hunting its a skoll can with a sponge soaked in mouth wash.

[Jgarrett]

50% water 50% non alcohol no dye mouth wash in the fridge. when hunting its a skoll can with a sponge soaked in mouth wash.

Thank you.  How many seasons do you typically get out of them?

[TauntoHawk]

I started this 3 year ago and haven't had to throw out a single call. I have one that the tape is starting to come apart but thats because its used so heavily and I have extra just waiting for when it gives out.

before that i was always ruining calls. Plus clean minty fresh mouth calls are always more pleasant dried out spit

[deerbasshunter3]

Please do not take my advice, but I just let them sit in the open case until it dries and leave them on my dresser. Of course, I have only been practicing with them for about a month and they still sound good, so...like I said...please do not take my advice.

[flockbuster]

sponge soaked in mouthwash in a dip can and I will usually get two seasons out of a call. I practice with them often during the off season so it's probably more like three or four seasons worth of use.

[stone road turkey calls]

Throw them in the trash, every weekend you spend $80.00 on gas, $50.00 on food, another $20.00 on some fresh mouth calls sounds reasonable.

[TauntoHawk]

Throw them in the trash, every weekend you spend $80.00 on gas, $50.00 on food, another $20.00 on some fresh mouth calls sounds reasonable.

If you're just letting them sit around and get nasty then yeah but with proper care they last a long time, I have some calls that sound better now than when I purchased them 3 or 4 years ago. There is no promise that even the same call  from the same maker will sound exactly the same. I dropped my original hooks executioner in a swamp right out of my mouth and have never found one to sound like that first one did.

Just letting them air dry and sit at room temp really promotes bacteria growth in between the reeds, whenever they aren't in my mouth I want them being sanitized.

[Sadler McGraw]

I agree with sanitizing a call every now and then.  I give a quick dip in scope mouth wash every every so often then rinse it off with water.

But what works for me in keeping my calls lasting is tooth picking the top reed and letting them air dry for a little while before I put them back into the container.   I also have pieces of paper towel cut the same size as my case that I keep in there to absorb any spit.  I will throw those away a few times a year.

I have a set of contest calls that have 2009 and 2010 written on them.  they have called in every contest I have been in since they were made .  5-6.5 years worth of contest in those calls.  They have been babied, but with proper care you can get a year out of some calls.

My hunting calls aren't taken care of near as good, but I will start the year with 5-6 calls and most will make it through a hunting season.  But the key is swapping them out during the morning and letting them dry out.   If you slop a call around in your mouth for 45 minutes every morning, its going to do die faster and probably the tape come off.

I prefer plastic toothpicks or dental picks under the top reed in mine.  a ton of guys use  matches or wooden toothpicks whittled down.

Either store the calls in the refrigerator or freezer.
Sadler

[turkeyfanatic]

They make plastic paperclips that are thin and flat. I love these for separating the reeds. They are in the shape of a triangle and i place the wider part in first to allow for more air flow.

[WildTigerTrout]

I rinse them off with water, let them air dry, put them back in their case and place them in the frig. I have calls that I have used for years that still sound good and work perfectly.

[nyhunter]

soak them in mouth wash for an hour or so wash them off with water let them air dry under a folded paper towel and store them in the fridge.

[MDSTRUTNRUT]

I've been getting 2 to 3 years out of my calls  storing in non alcohol mouthwash all year in frig but then the tape gives out, I'll try the 1/2 water 1/2 mouthwash a try.   Years ago I noticed that I would get a sore throat every turkey season until I started on the mouthwash trick, read about it years ago from a turkey hunter that was a dentist and tried to see what his mouthcalls would grow in a petri dish HE SAID YOU DONT WANT TO KNOW!   Need to replace some tape have to look into getting some.

[Gooserbat]

Toothpick, wash in water, store in a cool, dry, dark place.  That's not the fridge because I think the humidity is hard on them.  I don't like the mouthwash bath storage thing but a dip in mouthwash to sanitize isn't s bad thing. 

[blkpowder]

I started this 3 year ago and haven't had to throw out a single call. I have one that the tape is starting to come apart but thats because its used so heavily and I have extra just waiting for when it gives out.

before that i was always ruining calls. Plus clean minty fresh mouth calls are always more pleasant dried out spit

Pert near the same as this gentleman. With the open end of the reeds facing up,I hold them under running cold water from the sink. Pat them dry,swirl them in non-alcohol mouthwash,shake the excess off. Then put them back into the original case lined with paper towel. Stored in the fridge.