CODY Calls and My story

[MK M GOBL]

Take some time it's a bit of a read, hope you like my story

At this point I had been turkey hunting for a few years already and had been having some luck at it, I'd been using a few of the production pots we carried in the sporting goods (Gander Mountain) store I worked at and in the early spring of 1996 I was out to a local Deer & Turkey Expo with a buddy. We were there looking at/for the new turkey gear out, while walking through the aisles I heard this call, told my buddy we need to find out where that's coming from, he said what... I said didn't you hear that call, he didn't as there were a lot of calls being played. As we walked around I heard that call a number of times and could tell we were getting closer, yes it's sound stood out to me. Well we finally get in the aisle and to the booth of where this guy is running the call (Yes it's the CODY), so as this guy is running the call I tell him that's awesome, and the guy says yes makes it so you only need one hand to run your call, So I am listening to him run the call and (I am still pretty novice at this point) I have never heard a call like it before. I ask the guy "how much?" and think he said was either $9.99 or $19.99 and all I said is "I'll take one". The guy reaches back and hands me something, I looked at it and said "what's this?" He responds with... "It's a Muzzy Slatemate, it holds your call for you so you can run it with one hand", (this is the product he is selling) I look back at him and say "No the only thing I'm interested in is that call, I have been hearing it my whole way over here", guy says "Oh.. No I'm not selling my call", So I'm like "You don't sell calls?" He said "No, this is my CODY and I'd never sell it, kills way too many turkeys". So I get to talking with him and find out about CODY, where he got the call and how to contact them. I contacted Bill about the call and asked some questions (this call was $150) about his calls. I had tax return money saved for going to the expo and decided I was going to buy this call, at the time all my calls together didn't add up to the money I was going to spend on this one call. Ordered a CODY World Class Slate Call, a CODY video tape on how to run it and a Tupperware container to keep it in. Now Bill told me it would be a few weeks to get it out to me because he had to build and tune the call. The day finally comes and I get my order, I open it up and start looking at everything, I turn the call over and Bill had signed and dated the call (wish that had stayed but over time and use it has worn off) played that call and listened to the magic that came out of it, grabbed that tape and the call and watched everything he was doing. Don't even know how many times I had watched that tape but it was a lot. At this point I was ready for spring! Dad and I both killed gobblers that spring and brought them into a local store holding a Turkey Contest, I killed the day before and my dad the next, while we were in there getting dad's bird scored a few guys walk in and we begin to talk a bit, I was talking our 2nd bird in two days and these guys were not having luck. They were asking about how, when and what not and I was telling them how our hunts went. Dad was done getting his bird scored and taking it back out to the truck, I was still in talking turkey, dad asked if I was ready to go. Now back then Wisconsin had a 6 individual seasons broken down to a 5 day hunt for each, dad and I had the 5 days off and 2 birds dead in the first 2 days. I asked dad what were we going to do for the next 3 days, now our hunt hours ended at 12:00pm each day and dad and I were trout fishing after turkey hunting was over each day. Dad had asked why, I said these guys asked if I would call for them, they weren't having any luck and asked if I would try calling for them. Dad had said he was planning to stay and trout fish the next few days, asked him if he was okay with me turkey hunting with these guys, dad said sure and I told him I'd meet him for lunch and a bit of trout fishing after we were done hunting each day. Well during the next 2 days these guys filled their 3 tags with me, 2 one morning and another the next, each day we went back to that little store to add birds to the contest and the owner said "Well you have been having some luck!" One of the guys says "You should hear him, half the time you can't tell if it's him or a real hen". Now I was using diaphragms along with my CODY but he was talking about that call, that same guy asked me about the call and I told him about it, and how to get a hold of one. That Sunday after those guys filled their tags I spent a day at the stream with dad trout fishing...

I guess this is where my history with CODY calls started, over the years the amount of success I was having was just growing and bird after bird were falling to that calls sound. There has been a lot of stories like this ever since I bought my first CODY and they continue through today, I have tried a few other calls, some custom, some not but none have compared to the CODY. I guess you would say I am a little biased "hardcore" CODY fan but with the way the call has worked for me you couldn't blame me.

Part of this story goes on to other pieces of that history...
After the season was over our buyer Scott for Gander Mt. Was looking for a new higher end call to bring in to our stores for the following year (1997) and I was asked for a recommendation, along with a buddy of mine. I went straight to CODY and brought the call in for him to hear. Told him that I didn't know if Bill sold to any retail markets but gave him all the info, Bill's contact and that following year we had CODY calls in the store! Now it wasn't the World Class I had, but believe it was the either an Envy or the CODY II. Don't know for sure but always wondered if this was CODY's first step in to the "retail store" side of call making.

Even lost my call one year in the U.P. of Michigan... ended up having to buy another and then 2 years later I found it! Call was still in it's Tupperware and in perfect shape. We were setting up on a gobbler, a place we had hunted before and when I took my spot I happened to notice this light blue cover and I was all NO WAY, there it laid. I figured out what had happened, this last time I was at this tree I must have pushed the call out of my vest pocket when I was getting ready. Never knew what happened to it until that day, I ended up giving that call to my dad. He had used the call for several years until his passing and now that call sits in my "Collectibles"

The picture I post is one of a story of a bird named "Hook" I had some history with and I have posted that story here. I sent the picture out to CODY and talked with Donnie back and forth a bit, CODY ended up using that image for quite a long time as their Facebook "Logo" image and I received a little from Bill for it's use, he wrote me about how he liked the picture.

There are many stories I have with my CODY and I guess in the end I have had a lot of history with the company and I am just a dedicated patron of their product and have had so much success with my CODY it has always been just "The Call"

It's been a long read, and in some way hope you get a better understanding of my dedication, I do know there are a number of custom call makers that produce some great calls and I'm sure they have others dedicated to their calls just as I am to the one in my hand.

If you ever have a question PM me, more than happy to talk calls

MK M GOBL

[Spitten and drummen]

Man , awesome read. Thanks. I agree , my Cody world champion and spec 1 slate are some of the best sounding pot calls i have ever heard.

[Greg Massey]

Enjoyed the story of your Cody pot call and i'm glad you enjoyed hunting with your dad...all of this is just priceless and we should never take those times for granted..

[HookedonHooks]

Great reading about your experiences with CODY, and reminiscing on those times with your father!

[southern_leo]

Good story Thanks for sharing

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[BottomLand54]

I love it. Man when something works it works I have a blasted glass over glass Curley maple pot Jim Shelly made me last year. Persimmon hulls calls. It is loud and very very high pitch but last year when it seemed nothing else would work it brought em to the Gun. 2 gobblers faces their last day to that sound. I understand completely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[trkehunr93]

I got a Cody glass call a couple of years back, mighty fine sounding call IMO.  Loves a hickory striker.

[MK M GOBL]

Here's the story to my bird HOOK! a little shorter story on him.

Just thought I would share this with you!

Are you Hook'd!

I have had some history with this "bad" bird and have been hunting him for the past 3 years, he was the kind of bird who would always answer but never come in, seems he always had hens with him and 5 or 6 of them at a time. Well here we are in year #4 and have seen him out strutting with his harem of hens and have set-up on him a number of times this year already, actually killed a couple of satellite birds in his area during our first couple of seasons. So we are now into our 4th season and after a tough few days and a unsuccessful morning hunting with a buddy I was headed back to the house to mow my lawn that seriously needs it. My buddy says you can always mow lawn in 2 weeks when turkey season is over... Took his advice and went out to the blind, got the DSD's my Cody and BIG PUFFY out. Once I sat down this guy gobbles once at my hen talk and then shuts up, I gave him a few more calls and no response... Next thing I see is a head pop up in the field and disappear, the a fan appears and he is strutting in and doing the fast walk. Eleven minutes into it and he's down at 15 yards! This is the one I was after and he was lonely today. This is a bird that I knew all too well and finally taking this longbeard "Hook" was worth the wait! He weighed in at 23lbs 7oz, a 10 ½" beard and spurs were at 1 7/16"

MK M GOBL

[bghunter777]

I will take time to read the full story later. I consider myself a very avid turkey hunter and proficient caller especially on friction calls. I have tried dozens of custom calls over the years and nothing compares to the realism I get out of Cody Slate Calls. Guys who tell you the call doesn't make a difference are flat wrong. For some turkeys yes but for some it absolutely makes a difference and quite honestly is just fun to be able to tell zero audible difference between you and the turkeys around you.

[Spitten and drummen]

I will take time to read the full story later. I consider myself a very avid turkey hunter and proficient caller especially on friction calls. I have tried dozens of custom calls over the years and nothing compares to the realism I get out of Cody Slate Calls. Guys who tell you the call doesn't make a difference are flat wrong. For some turkeys yes but for some it absolutely makes a difference and quite honestly is just fun to be able to tell zero audible difference between you and the turkeys around you.

Well said.

[albrubacker]

Great read! Thanks for sharing!

[Waynesworld23]

Have always wanted a Cody glass call but never bought one do to not knowing anyone that owns one of their calls after reading this I may have to pick one up and give it a try

[Geechie]

I bought a Cody Envy glass had to been back in the early nineties. That call has killed a lot of turkeys and seems to find it's way into my vest quite often.

If I'm calling for someone else they always say that it sounds great and ask me what kind of call it is. I always say "just my old Cody"

[sbbow]

That was a great read thanks for sharing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Chad Snyder]

Thanks for sharing.    I think I have about every call Bill ever made and the World Class slate always ends up in my vest each spring