Need advice on duck calls

GOUMFACH

GOUMFACH

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How many of you duck hunters use lower priced calls vs high priced ones and does it really make a difference? I am new to duck hunting but have been getting geared up quite nicely lately. I was persuaded to buy a high end,made in Quebec call when I first went out looking at calls. I must admit that once I started getting the hang of it, it did sound great. Unfortunately I seem to have lost it (insert face palm here ). I need to replace it and while I'm generally attracted to fancy, shiny, ###y things, I would like to go the economy route if I could find one that sounds good and is fairly durable. Any suggestions?
Thanks.
 
Calls are one of the many areas of the mental health issue known as duck hunting that can be as expensive or as cheap as you would like. I know my next calls would be coming from Valley calls here in NB if I was looking to add more. They're mid range as far as price goes and seem to have better customer service than some other Canadian call makers I've dealt with.
 
This is a good question actually. I see calls at walmart for $12, and I see calls at Cabelas for $200+. What is a reasonable price for a decent call? Are the cheap-o ones any good, or are they total trash? Alternatively, do the Cabela's ones do the calling for you for that price?! lol
 
Maybe Alberta ducks are stupid, but my brother and I use some cheap calls and we do very well all the time. Buck Gardner calls, maybe not the $12 one, but you don't need to spend more than $40 and if you wait for a sale even better. ...the only problem with the super cheap one is that they only spend about 10 seconds tuning them. If you know how to tune them yourself then give them a try. Get a couple so if one freezes up you can stick it down the front of your shirt to melt and switch to the other. Stick to the basics. 3 or 4 or 5 quacks with the correct cadence. Work on being soft or raspy, calm or excited...or desperate as a last resort. And soft happy calm feeding noises if they are circling straight over head. Please don't waste your time with crazy hail calls or super fast feeding calls. You ever hear a duck or group of ducks do that? Go listen to some ducks sometime and just observe, then try to have a conversation with one, watch how they communicate with other ducks flying around.

Otherwise, ducks come in fast. I would say your decoy spread is more important to make them comfortable landing. And when they look like they are coming in just shut up and let them come in. In fact, if their eyes are facing your direction you probably should be quiet...you know many ducks that sit up in the bushes making all sorts of noise while their friends are out in the water? If they look like they are going to land far away from you then give them a call, get more desperate sounding as they approach the water. Same if they veer off, give them a little call, if they keeping going get more desperate. ...once they land elsewhere, or fly away, you can't really do any harm. About the worst thing that can happen is if they choose to land a little distance away from you because they are far better looking than your decoys and sound much better than you ever will. ...but when you fool the next group to come to you instead of them, especially after they circle and change directions a few times then you will know you have figured out calling.

I love ducks, but I wouldn't appreciate them as much if I didn't hunt them. ...ah that whistle a landing ducks wings make before first light. Gives you chills.
 
Aside from the barrels and inserts the guts are all made with the same materials!! 99% use a mylar reed or reeds in the case of double reed calls with a plastic or wood tone board and wedge. Some of the custom calls use a cork wedge. Wood barrels and inserts give a different tone from plastic as does acrylic. Some plastic calls sound like hell because the plastic is too thin or brittle and you can hear the vibration in it but overall duck calling is 99% getting the cadence right which is another way of saying you have to get the rhythm right. Once you master that it makes no difference calling with a $20 call or $200 call. It becomes personal preference.
 
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Not Canadian, but Buck Gardner calls make some good and inexpensive calls... I have a bunch that I like better than some costing 5 times as much. Every trip out I make sure that my Gardner "Double Nasty Diamondwood" call is on the lanyard.
 
I didn't mean to sound like I was dismissing cheaper calls. I have an old Duck Commander and Faulks that are always on my lanyard.
I enjoy the increasing number of Canadian made calls, although most are in the 40-150$ range it seems.
 
I found the better i got at calling the more i leaned towards the higher end calls. I still have one or 2 $35 calls that i use but i find myself reaching for my "nice" acrylic call more often than not. I think the benifit of buying a nicer quality call is not only tone but also largely a higher build quality and longer lasting call. Of all my calls my zink duck call is the only one so far to not freeze up in any condition and that includes the time i dropped it in the water haha.
 
Tx guys. There are so many choices that it can get confusing and there is such a widee range of prices. I usually stand by the old saying that you get what you pay for and I already tossed one 15$ call in the trash but 200$ is a bit rich for me at this stage especially since I left a 150$ call somewhere in the swamp. I just want something that wont hurt so bad if I loose it. I'll jump back up to a nice custom call when I have a few more ducks under my belt.
Cheers.
 
I can't vouch for the Buck Gartner duck calls but I do have a Buck Gartner "Canada Hammer" I use for geese and it is certainly a good call..... Mick Lacy duck and goose calls have worked for me as well......
 
Here is a good story about the Buck Gardner company... a few years back I ordered four calls, when the order arrived one of the calls shipped was the wrong model. I called the company and informed them of the error. The customer service girl, requested that I return the whole order, which at the time I thought was a pain, but I didn't need them in the off season so I did as requested. When I got the replacement order back, I discovered that all four calls were done in matching custom wood with my name lazer engraved on the barrel of each call... I was thrilled... and it was then I realized why the girl had asked me if I would be the user of these calls.
 
hoytcanon said:
Here is a good story about the Buck Gardner company... a few years back I ordered four calls, when the order arrived one of the calls shipped was the wrong model. I called the company and informed them of the error. The customer service girl, requested that I return the whole order, which at the time I thought was a pain, but I didn't need them in the off season so I did as requested. When I got the replacement order back, I discovered that all four calls were done in matching custom wood with my name lazer engraved on the barrel of each call... I was thrilled... and it was then I realized why the girl had asked me if I would be the user of these calls.
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Well that is definitely one way to keep customers coming back!! Now that you mention it, maybe I should have my name and number engraved on my calls in case I loose one again and a trustworthy person happens to find it !!!! Lol. I will be giving Buck Gardner Calls a look. Thanks!!
 
I have never spent more than 60$, but my most effective calls are less than 20$. One is a wooden 'Hunters Specialties' abomination that has a great, soft rasp to it. The other is a plastic skinny tube of some unknown brand that I picked up in a bin somewhere and somehow allows me a higher cadence of comeback call than I can achieve on a regular 'fat' call. So I'm my experience, which is not expert by any means, don't be afraid to buy a cheap one for now to keep you hunting and buy yourself something else for Christmas! :)
Dave
 
the spank said:
You can have any BGC (Buck Gardner Calls) calls you order engraved for $5 extra. And by the way Buck no longer owns the company, he sold it a few years ago.
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Yes, but they did matching Diamond wood and engraving at no charge... just a nice customer service touch...
 
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