$$ duck calls vs inexpensive calls

[norwall]

I gotta quick question for ya'all, the other day my buddy was telling me about a new call he had bought. Well heres the kicker it was $$. My question is for yrs Ive used inexpensive calls n had success weather it be a Primo, duck commander,echo whathave you. Sure there not acrylic n have there moments in the cold n when wet but I have leaned to adjust n adapt. I realize the ol saying ya get what ya pd for but these $$ call arent magic either. Just wondering what everyone else opinion is . Thnx

[Seabass77]

I used inexpensive calls for years and just upgraded to all acrylic 2 years ago. They both call ducks, just a better sound out of the acrylic, more crisp, louder. I got sick of the reverberation on the cheap calls. I am a fairly big guy and put quite a bit of air through a call.

[broken_line]

not sure about duck calls but a canada hammer2 in my opinion will do the same as a zink that costs at least 3 times more.. if it sounds like a duck it will work..

[Set n Hooks]

Same as brokenline said.. If it sounds like a duck it'll work.

[Surface Tension]

I still have a Faulk's WA-33 from 30 years ago that I still use today. I also had a Mallard Tone that was a very good cheap call but blew the guts out of it and lost them in the slough.

They were inexpensive when I bought them. Sure I have "better" calls but I can't not help taking it out.

Both good for Quacks, Single and Double Feeding Clucks, Hail, Greeting, and Come Back calls but won't get a Double Bounce out of them.

In a nutshell with a lot of practice you can get pretty darn good with any "good" call but a better call can take you over the threshold of a "cheap good" call.

[norwall]

not that I need another call but any reccomendations for a good quality call in the 30$ range that will hold up in cold wet cond.

[chub]

They'll all stick if you blow enough spit through them.

Best bet is too try out what you can and go from there. I've seen cheap calls that some can make sound good, while others can't, and expensive calls that no one can make sound decent, and everything in between.

I've got some Winglock double reeds in the less expensive line, that sound pretty good and don't seem to stick for me too bad. I know Echo has some poly calls on the shelf that sound good too. Haydel's DR-85's work good for many, but I can't make one of them work for the life of me.

If you have the basics down, it boils down to trying out a bunch to see what fits your style and particulars. With the 8 million different brands and manufacturers out there, your likely to get about as many answers as to "which is good, or the best".

So far I've bought and tried about 4 million of them.......LOL

[Surface Tension]

I wish I had the opportunity to try more calls out.

Taking that into consideration, I don't mind recommending Buck Gardner's Fowl Mouth.

[dan z]

anything that you can make sound like a duck will kill ducks. However the cheaper calls dont have the right pitch and I cant get them to make different sounds. so IMO the higher end calls work better. you can buy 3 $20 calls and make the sounds the ducks want to hear or 1 $60 call to make the sounds the ducks want to hear. its amazing when you can call them right to you with very loud quacks and hails. it just has to sound perfect to them. but then somedays a couple good quacks will do the job... I could talk for pages about this topic just like everyone else just tyr a bunch of calls out of the premium case at your local retailer and pick the one that sounds perfect. If you can blow a call you will know instantly which one you like. I used many cheap calls and when they broke or I lost them I went to go buy a new one. and over time I just realized the more i spent the more i cared about the call... how many calls have you lost or dropped and didnt look for? trust me you will not loose a expensive call because you will care about it and you will always know were it is............

[Ufatz]

I'll second the Gardner calls. The Double Nasty is a good solid call-got several of them along with about half a gunny sack of others, including some old Olts,Faulks and others.

And then I also remember the time I used just my voice to call two bunches of mallards from a couple blocks down the timber right into our decoys. While the other guys were standing there with their mouths open I dumped a pair from each bunch.

They didn't think I could do it.

[Muthagoose]

Its not the call its the caller..

Some guys feel the need to hang big bucks on their neck and swing a high end gun the olts,haydels ect work just as well as a mossberg 500 or a 870 in the right hands..........

Many types of calls, many types of people ..

[cutter08]

well i have alot of high-end duck and goose calls. But also have some cheep ones to. your best bet is like others have said go try as many as you can. I personally like a double reed. Sounds real ducky and doesn't stick as much.

[Bdog]

I mostly agree with Muthagoose, Its the caller not the call. I was lucky enough to tag along to Arkansas one year, our guide was a tremendous caller. He pulled in most of what he called to, sounded super ducky. When I asked him if he was using a high buck acrylic call, he smiled and pulled out a DR-85 and drawled "Wal Mart, $9.95." I do however think call selection can help us less than expert duck callers sound more ducky. I prefer Haydels Redleg, to me it sounds like a hen mallard should without breaking the bank.

[Laska]

not that I need another call but any reccomendations for a good quality call in the 30$ range that will hold up in cold wet cond.

Duck Commander duck picker its orange in color, its worth the $30 just gotta tune it for how you blow, you can get a veriety of sounds outta that call, high low, doesnt matter it works and the reeds stick very seldom

[Roosterslayer05]

Best call I ever had cost three dollars, it would never stick, and I called in many ducks with it. Too bad it got stolen out of my car....