Let's talk mouth calls

[Onpoint]

Alright let me for say that I am a mouth call junky. They have been my go to call since I was about 13 years old. I'm now knocking on 30 door. I have owned just about every big name brand of mouth call out there and in recent years have started getting some from the small custom builders. I have a few cuts that's really work for me and my style of calling.

One thing I've learned is that it's hard to get 2 mouth calls of the same model to sound alike. The first primos hook hunter 2" hooks ghost cut mouth call I ever bought had a sound to it that I hsve literally spent hundreds of dollars trying to replace. That call was amazing. I've bought probably 20 more of thr same call since then and have yet to find one that had the same sound. I've had some that sounded really good and even close but not quite that same sound I grew accustomed to. I also hsve had some that didn't appeal to me at all. That being said I think every single one of them would have called a bird in just fine.

If thr call you happen to like is from a big company I strongly reccomend you buy direct from the company, even though it may cost a couple more bucks and here is the reason why. I have bought no telling how many of the hook hunter calls trying to "chase" thr sound of thr original that started my obsession with the ghost cut and atleast 50% that I've bought from big name stores are dry rotted and cracking within a week. I'm not just picking on primos here, I've had woodhaven and others do it too. That being said I have never had a call dry rotted getting direct from the factory. The call may not have appealed to my ear but atleast the latex wasn't falling apart. When you buy from a big store there's no telling how old the call Is or how long it's sat on a shelf in a hot warehouse. I had to send 7 hook hunters back to primos thst were all less than a month old. They sent replacements along with a rude letter like i don't know how to care for a mouth call. The replacements have performed flawlessly. It's the nature of latex to break down over time. We all know keeping it clean, cool, and out of light prolongs the process.

Alright now let's talk consistency from call to call. If you are looking for a certain sound in a call I suggest that you start your search with a good custom maker, if not you'll experience the frustration I did, and you will find the call but spend all kinds of money on the same model and never find another one. Most of the small guys calls are very consistent from call to call. You've gotta think, you hsve one guy making calls the same way time after time instead of 20 Korean ladies stretching the latex to a mark on the jig and putting 20 different cuts in the call. I would be willing to bet that most big name calls are made by people that don't even hunt nor do they care what your csll sounds like. This is not fact, nor do I have anything to back this up, just an assumption. Where as if you buy assumption csll from a small guy then you know damn good and well its coming from a turkey hunter like yourself. That's not to say all the big name stuff is crap because it's not. There is alot of crap on the market though.ive had calls that sounded great but we're compete garbage, some of this is due to bad materials and the call not lasting due to bad glue or a bad batch of latex. I've also had an amazing quality call that was was a great call that just didn't appeal to me.   

I've not had calls from all the makers on here but with this addiction to mouth calls that I hsve I would say that over time, I probably will  at some point. 2 of the best quality calls I've ever ran across are calls built by Sadler McGraw and Lyle at houndstooth. These guys really know how to make a mouth call. Lyles Vixen is one of the best sounding calls I've ever heard in my life. Amazing call. If these guys don't offer a cut that ya like, give em a call and figure out what it is that you're looking for and buy a few. That way when you do find that sound that you're after, you have a guy that can build that call for you over and over season after season.

A lot of folks aren't as picky as I am and just want a good quality mouth call that sounds good. Well I can offer a little advice there. While not the most consistent calls by any means snd way over priced, the primos hook hunter series is definitely a good sounding call. (buy direct from primos if you go this route) We all know that woodhaven makes a good call, alot of their calls take a little more air pressure than most ehich doesn't bother me but I hsve found that the Scott Ellis calls require a lot less air than other models in the woodhaven lineup. I think my favorite production mouth calls out are the Zink line up. These calls are a bit pricey too but they are simply an amazing call. All in all if I were to reccomend a production call it would definitely be from zink. I wish they offered a 3 reed ghost cut but unfortunately they dont.

I know this was a long read and kind kind of pointless in alot of ways but if it helps one turkey hunter along the way it's all worth it. Anybody else with any info to help these guys feel free to chime on in.

Me being as picky as I am about mouth calls I can assure you I will definitely buy with confidence from Sadler and Lyle again. I will also buy zink mouth calls in thr future. I haven't decided if I'm going to buy any more primos products or not. I plan on buying a couple ghost cuts from XT. I've heard great things about them but never owned one so csnt offer an opinion at this point. Well, gotta go try to put one to bed.  Best of luck this spring.



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[WV Ridge Reaper]

Good post,like many I spent tons of money on mouth calls.Mostly from stores or the big name brand.

This year all my calls have been bought from Foot on da head,my calling has gotten way better and the sounds I can get are pure turkey.

Long story short,drew has a customer for life.

[Jbird22]

That sounds a lot like my story. I have to use small frame calls due to a narrow palette and 15 yrs ago finding a small frame call with a good sound was tough. Well, Preston Pittman made a few that I liked (lil Exciter and lil Diamond) but I literally had to buy 6-8 of each to find 2 worth taking to the woods. Fast forward a few years and I called Woodhaven. They sent me a few prototypes they had laying around but weren't enthused about building what I wanted. I did luckily find one out of the bunch that I liked but like I said I only had that one call. So after joining this forum I gave Scott Hook @ Hooks Custom Calls a call. He was eager to help from the get go. He builds calls that fit me like a glove. Also, they are consistent from one to the next. I find myself using his Jr Executioner II 90% of the time or more. For me, its's a stone cold killer! Also, I met Lyle @ Houndstooth through this forum and he was helpful from the beginning. He builds good stuff as well. So yeah, I've spent a pile of money over the years on various calls but it was worth it to find those two guys. I plan on doing business with them for as long as they're building calls!

[howl]

Good points. The problem I had to solve with mouth calls was finding different ones with different sounds that ran the same. I found some good turkey killing calls over the years, but they required practice to learn to run each one as they were different. Considering that their usefulness is limited in the later part of the season, it got to be more work than it was worth. I tended to only use one call and mouth calls figured less in my calling overall.

Now I have two models that run the same, but sound very different. That is a big deal to me; especially when working on older birds that require a few hunts to bring home.

[SheGotHoOks]

**onpoint would also like to mention Chad Morris with Rush Mouth Calls..


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[perrytrails]

Hooks custom calls, easy to run. Consistent from one to the next.

[DirtNap647]

ive been running a few local guys custom calls and I got to say they are the best

[Gooserbat]

Okay as a call maker I'll chime in.  99% of the op's statement is right on.  We small time call builders strive to be better because the mass market forces us to be better.  If we don't build the best calls then we pass by the way side, but if we do build the best then the consumer will seek us out.  I know I try hard, very hard to build a better than box store call.  In fact you might not believe me but a little story here.  I live about 45 minutes from Wal Mart's home office and I had a buyer from them ask me if I wanted my calls in their store.  I turned them down.  I want to build and sell as many calls as I can, but that's where it stops.  I don't want to have someone else building calls for me.  I want to do what I can because it has my name on it and the day someone else starts building them the quality will go down. 

[Y@]

Onpoint,

Try the legacy 3 reed ghost cut. It's a dynamite call. I use small framed calls and found that legacy and hooks are worth the money. Others don't hold up. 

[troutfisher13111]

Great thread! I am a mouth call man myself. I use one 99% of the time. I struggle with finding calls I like. Most I buy I don't end up using at all. I probably only use about a third of the diaphragms I purchase. Like another poster said, ultimately I would like about three different sounding calls that all run the same. My biggest problem is rasp. Every call I use as a lot of rasp. I want something clean and clear, but it seems almost unattainable. The only clear call I have is a Gooserbat PLS.

I often wonder if it's me and not the calls. Something in my technique that gives me too much rasp. 

If anyone has any suggestions, please give them.

[Hitman 23]

Dead end game calls or woodhaven for me. I have had a lot of differ mouth calls and them two companies calls have always been consistent.

[Marc]

I typically purchase from Wing Supply...  Cheap prices on some of the calls (like $3.95 for 3 or 4 calls)...  I always favored H.S. Strut and Primos for mass produced calls, but as mentioned, when I do find one, finding another can be difficult...

I have not had a problem with rotten latex as of yet...  But I am interested to step up the game with some higher quality calls for next season.

Had a hen talking right next to me this morning...  And earlier in the season, I was listening intently to some birds talking as well, and live Rio's I hear seem to have a much higher pitch than most production calls.

I have also found that birds just plain seem to respond to a higher pitch call (whether mouth, box, pot, whatever).

Then when I do find a good high pitch yelper, I find them more difficult to cut on...  Is this part of the design of a higher pitch call?

Any recommendations on a good higher pitch mouth call that cuts and purrs well?

[Tatr]

Great thread! I am a mouth call man myself. I use one 99% of the time. I struggle with finding calls I like. Most I buy I don't end up using at all. I probably only use about a third of the diaphragms I purchase. Like another poster said, ultimately I would like about three different sounding calls that all run the same. My biggest problem is rasp. Every call I use as a lot of rasp. I want something clean and clear, but it seems almost unattainable. The only clear call I have is a Gooserbat PLS.

I often wonder if it's me and not the calls. Something in my technique that gives me too much rasp. 

If anyone has any suggestions, please give them.

Quacker boy old boss hen.

[troutfisher13111]

Any recommendations on a good higher pitch mouth call that cuts and purrs well?

Gooserbat PLS

[Gooserbat]

Any recommendations on a good higher pitch mouth call that cuts and purrs well?

Gooserbat PLS

Terry if you really want clear then try the Southern Bell on the Web Exclusives page.