http://youtu.be/0L99qKjFGuMHave you ever purchased a call that sounded *awesome* in the store, killer in your home, but stunk in the woods??!! Yep, ME TOO!! It's *very* frustrating to spend $10-50 on a call that ... sounds like junk on a hunt.
The *ONLY* way that I've found to defeat this is to do what I call "field testing" your call; setup a camera (on your smartphone, using a digital camera, etc. - doesn't have to be fancy) and walk about 50 yards or so INTO THE WOODS & record yourself calling on the call. Take the cam inside & listen to it on your computer, using GREAT speakers (or headphones). Pull up videos of REAL HENS on YouTube & compare/contrast your call to the real deal.
If you're close, then you've got yourself a good call. If not, try again. Trust me, I've WANTED to love a particular call, esp if I've spent a lot of money on it (several friction/pot calls that are always in my closet come to mind), but ... your confidence & results will be MUCH higher if you're taking a call into the woods that you KNOW 100% sounds very close to the real hen vocalizations in your neck of the woods.
Is this a little ... obsessive? Perhaps; but, do you want to "burn" a hunt to find out that your call sucks??
If you believe in "patterning" your gun, consider this method "patterning" your calls.
Good luck, guys!
BGD
