Such thing as a bad call or maker?

[West Augusta]

Yes there are bad calls and callmakers.  That being said, the hardest thing for a call maker is to match the turkey sound in your head.  That's what you want the call to sound like.   And a call that you hate, another hunter may think is the best sounding call he's ever heard. 

[mtns2hunt]

Yes there are bad calls and callmakers.  That being said, the hardest thing for a call maker is to match the turkey sound in your head.  That's what you want the call to sound like.   And a call that you hate, another hunter may think is the best sounding call he's ever heard.

x2

[Snood Life]

Yes there are bad calls and callmakers.  That being said, the hardest thing for a call maker is to match the turkey sound in your head.  That's what you want the call to sound like.   And a call that you hate, another hunter may think is the best sounding call he's ever heard.

Yep, that is why there are so many transactions in the classifies. One mans squawk box, is another mans perfect hen.

[RiverBuck]

Funny part is every year I use my worst sounding box or pots.. mainly a old short "custom" box because it's loud off my back porch.. I do this every year a few days before season.
Actually, been doing it the last couple evenings. My season opens Saturday but this routine has become an annual event for me.
This box sounds horrible, inconsistent, high pitch, like throw it away type call... But every year I get a pile of gobblers surrounding my place before season. I went out on the porch at first light this morning and just smiled.

Hate to break it to you, turkey aren't that smart.
Call buying from the outside looking in is a hobby.

[Sir-diealot]

If I made them there would be!

[EZ]

If I made them there would be!

That made me laugh!!!!

[Old Gobbler]

The main problem with came call business and hunters is they habitually 99.9% of the time never try to listen to recordings of actual wild turkeys ..but instead try to mimic other guys running a call ...think about this , never does a gobbler hear a hen and say to himself "naw" natural hen calling is very convincing,  some guy squaking unrealistically in the woods doesn't


Is there,  has thier been , and will there be substandard quality game calls made ...you betcha! This also applies to waterfowl calls ..but thats another painful subject for another time ...with that said a a expert caller can make a horrible call sound very realistic...and a terrible caller on a fantastic call can sound horrible.

It is no accident there is a "youtube" video section here on oldgobbler to demonstrate game calls ....

My motto is my turkey calls do all my talking hence the video section , it helps people sell calls , it also helps people who purchased calls sound as good as the maker

This may ruffle some feathers ...so be it , if you ever want to meet the largest collection of tone deaf individuals,  go to a turkey convention and listen to not only the people running the calls (customers) but even some of the ones manufacturing ....

Lots of opinions on calling , but I will say that find the call that is most realistic in your hands and work with that

[Sir-diealot]

The main problem with came call business and hunters is they habitually 99.9% of the time never try to listen to recordings of actual wild turkeys ..but instead try to mimic other guys running a call ...think about this , never does a gobbler hear a hen and say to himself "naw" natural hen calling is very convincing,  some guy squaking unrealistically in the woods doesn't


Is there,  has thier been , and will there be substandard quality game calls made ...you betcha! This also applies to waterfowl calls ..but thats another painful subject for another time ...with that said a a expert caller can make a horrible call sound very realistic...and a terrible caller on a fantastic call can sound horrible.

It is no accident there is a "youtube" video section here on oldgobbler to demonstrate game calls ....

My motto is my turkey calls do all my talking hence the video section , it helps people sell calls , it also helps people who purchased calls sound as good as the maker

This may ruffle some feathers ...so be it , if you ever want to meet the largest collection of tone deaf individuals,  go to a turkey convention and listen to not only the people running the calls (customers) but even some of the ones manufacturing ....

Lots of opinions on calling , but I will say that find the call that is most realistic in your hands and work with that

I spend a lot of time listening to Lovett Williams CD's as well as the Spitt'n Feathers CD's and they help me a lot, especially when it comes to cadence.

[rodney gillikin]

 I think should try to support the sport of hunting turkeys, I have more respect for a call builder telling me about what he / she is not hearing in my calls. But some people think their god gift to turkey hunting and there not. So there are a great many variables in call making until you have experience trying to build a call you will never know. But some people think they can run their keyboards and that makes they a great turkey caller, not. Try being nice help your friend right or wrong support them it their quest to build. If you don't like don't buy , but just think birds are smart and hear the same old thing year after year, you have to change it up some so he will think its a new bird in the area.

In high school you can be walking down the hallways and be 100 people walking down them everyday but let a new boy or girl show up and everyone notices why? Something difference... 

[mmclain]

It's more than simply good or bad.  It is experience and the experience of years of failure and learning from those failures to develop consistency.  There are call builders, call makers, and then you have the ones that are talented and experienced enough to think of new ideas on design and bring them to fruition.   If you make hand made turkey calls and never failed you didn't learn a damn thing.


Years ago there was no YouTube instructional videos or CNCs to easily turn a call out.  It was all learn by fail.  That instruction is shortening the learning curve but at the same  it has caused a lack of fail experience which is highly important to the art of learning.   

[culpeper]

Well stated Matt!