Do you get what you pay for in duck calls?

[Go Big Red!]

As an advanced beginner in the "ART" of duck calling, what is better to use?  A $25-$50 call such as a R-N-T or Foiles or the $100+ Zink or high end R-N-T?  I run with a Quack Stacker and Buck Gardner currently and have the quack, greeting, and some feeding down pat.  Thoughts?

[PJ Maguire]

Try a bunch of them at a store like Cabela's or whatever and buy the one you can handle the best. I have a Big Guy's Best duck call that is very easy to use.

[Duckslayer]

I use nothing by Haydels.  Very good sound and very easy to blow.  Won't break the bank if you slam it in the tail gate and have to replace it!    Probably as many "correct" answers to that question as there are guys out ther to respond!  Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[finch]

to me, my $15-25 primos calls sound better than some of the wood and acrylic calls I hear people blowing into at the stores.  I don't think the ducks care too much, either.

[Cody Gruchow]

well 25-30 dollars is all im willing to spend on a call so the primos ones have to do, if not ill just wait for them to land it the decoys on there own.

[Go Big Red!]

A good friend of mine does very well with a Primos so maybe I'll give that a chance.   Thanks!

[SMIGRATOR]

You get what you pay for, i use the higher end calls and have great luck. If i were you i would go the local sporting good store and give some a try, the acrylic call sound ALOT better than any plastic call for sure.

[Go Big Red!]

I figured that.  What % do you feel that the call has to do with the overall sound between call and caller?  I would say no more than 20% for the call itself as the caller has to know what he/she is doing.

[Cody Gruchow]

well im still a beginner caller for ducks and geese so it dont sound to pretty, thats why i like the primos calls there so easy to use, plus i even bought one of the calls that had an instruction CD with it, but that didnt help out one bit, i just treat it like deer calling, just trial and error but this year it dont seem to matter alot of the ducks are responding to the calls very well so they either dont care or im getting better

[Go Big Red!]

I know the feeling.  My feeding call sounds like repetitive fart more than anything.  My hunting buddies are sure to remind me of that so I rarely use that in the field. 

Practice, Practice, Practice.  I leave my calls hanging from the rear view mirror and I call when I'm driving.  I can still keep eyes on the road and it's safer than using a cell phone!

[guythathunts]

The call matters. It matters a lot! You do need to practice, but if you go with a cheep cal it is harder to get the right tones and sounds out of it. If you are going to spend $30 for a P.O.S call this year and $60 for a decent call next year, save yourself $30 and go with the better call. If you go to the sporting goods store and say "I have $50, give me the best call for that ammount of money" they will do it. Try come Califf calls. They are middle of the road, ez to blow, and sound great. Zink makes an awesome call, but there are calls that will work that don't cost $125. The $15 calls sound like $15 calls, every time!

[02mini stockr]

if any of you guys out there are terrible callers, or have a buddy who sounds more like a dying animal then a duck you should check out that primos feeder call all you have to do is shake it in your hand and it sound like music to your ears! Great for kids and like I said terrible callers check it out on the primos web site it looks like your average short reed call but its got funny looking rubber thing hooked in it. Its pretty cool

[ChrisWallace]

Spend what your allowed to spend...Dont cut corners with your calls. There is a night and day difference between poly and acrylic. I use Death Row Calls for ducks and honks, before them I was a Foiles/Zink guy. Loved the money maker, power hen, xr2, dead meat mallard, high plains. There isnt a bad company out there in the call world...Calls will get people riled up on any waterfowl forum...Take what ya like and what ya can afford...

No matter what calls you buy, check out spending 20 bones on Scott Treinens Bad Grammar 2 on dvd and cd. Watch that video and it will take a crapty caller to an average caller, everybody can learn from Scotty T.

For ducks, I like RNTs calling ducks series.

[dj]

I have to disagree with higher price is better.  I use the cheapest Lohman wood call.  I've used this for over 40 years.  My initial one finally split so bad I had to replace it a couple years ago.  I'll out call anyone in the area I hunt.  Practice is what matters.  You have to start with a call with decent sound.  Then just blow it year around, mimicking the ducks.  After shooting hours, around camp, list for the mallards calling, and just try to do exactly what they are doing.  On the water, you'll hear a "quack, quack".  Give it back the same way and you've got their interest.  But it all comes down to practice. 

For divers, I've got a wooden call also, paid maybe $10 for it.  Best buy I've ever made.  It took practice, but I've learned it, and still am learning.  Just one little brrrrrrr.  It's amazing what that will do.  It seems they'd never hear it 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile away, but they do, and turn instantly.  That just goes to show you how you've got to keep quiet.  They can hear! 

A word of caution.  My hunting partner, (we usually set up in different blinds), really wants a diver call, as he's seen my results first hand over and over again.  He stopped at a shop last week and finally found one.  He asked if he could blow it first, before purchasing and they let him.  It was a teal call mismarked in the package.  So, blow it first, before putting down the cash. 

I've tried the plastic and acrylic calls that I've gotten as promo's and just don't care for them.  If that's the way you want to go though, Haydel seems to be the best sounding to me. 

[ChrisWallace]

lets hear a soundfile dj...

[dj]

A sound file  .  I have no idea how to go about doing anything like that. 

[guythathunts]

I am interested to hear it also. If it is as good as you say it is, I would get one just to have a good inexpensive back up! See if you can put a sound file on here!