05/16/2023

How do I choose a duck call?

Do I need a specific model of your duck call for a specific place I hunt? I get this question constantly. I should say yes to this question since I make a living off building calls, but the answer is no. The best call for you to use every single place you hunt is the call you operate the best. Does this mean you should have only one call? No, it does not. Duck calls are tools to help you have the best hunt possible, and having more tools in your toolbox is never a bad thing.

On our lineup of calls, I would recommend basing your call choice on volume, back pressure, and barrel size, rather than the terrain you hunt. We offer six models of duck calls, plus the 5n1 whistle. Three models have the small barrel platform, and three models have the larger barrel platform. Inside these two barrel platforms, we offer three unique bore sizes, which vary the volume and back pressure. This allows you to find the best call fit. You can also tailor the sound with our laser-cut reed system. We believe that a properly fitted and tuned call is one of your best tools to finish birds, help stop cripples, and make your hunts as good as they can be.

To explain my opinion on call setups, let me go over what I personally use and why. Please keep in mind that I only run one duck call and my whistle at a time. I choose the duck call I think fits the best for that day.

My go-to everyday call is an LT Hand Cut with a #3 or #4 Core reed engraving down. This is my workhorse. It makes zero difference which part of the country I am hunting. It doesn't matter if I am on a small farm pond in Kansas, hunting the Missouri river up north, or in some flooded woods down south—the LT Hand Cut is my number one call. The next call I keep in the blind bag is the LT Mammoth Cut with a #2 Dagger cut reed. This call runs like a cut-down, giving me that deep coarse rasp with a very choppy feed. It provides the ducks with a different sound compared to my LT Hand Cut. My third choice is the Fuze Hand Cut with a #2 Bullet reed. It has about half the volume of my other two calls, but that is not why I choose it. The smaller bore offers more back pressure. The combination of the smaller bore and the bullet reed creates a very whiny call with lots of hold.

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