Expensive Goose Calls. Are they worth it?

[jimbo80]

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Long Honker Goose Flute by Big River!!!! $20. Comes with a tape. Me and my 4 buddies have been using them for over 10 years. If you want I can add pictures to back that up. I'm sure the $100 and some dollar calls will work just as well though

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Thats great and all, but what about when geese are tough and need more aggressive, louder calling? Can you do spit notes and quick spits on your big river? Your not gonna get it with a big river! Acrylics last forever and are truly a custom call. They can be tuned to fit any callers style. Well worth it.

[Down2Earth]

I'll be heading to Canada Oct 6 for a week of hunting. This will be I believe my 10th or 11th year. I'll post the pics when I get back. I guess I'll just have to proove what a $20 call can really do. I'm also not saying a $150 call can't so the same thing.

[Abrams]

Down2earth - No offense intending with this but going to Canada and doing well is very different than calling in late season birds in Minnesota or Iowa. In Canada you calling can sound more like a kazo and I'm sure the birds will react. A similiar statement could be made with geese this weekend, especially Saturday. They will wise up, otherwise they'll be dead.

[Down2Earth]

I used to hunt Lac. Me and 2 others that now go to Canada. Every time we went out there we got our limit (granted that's only 3 birds). But I would argue that those geese are the most shot at, called at, geese in MN. 5 Dozen deeks and the $20 call worked every time no matter how late in the season.

[Nova]

I bought a Tim Grounds call 3 years ago, around $100. The next year a bought another around $50. I would buy another $100 plus call in a second if I needed to. I have used the big river flutes, and still carry one, but there is only so much you can do with a flute. The short reed calls are way more versital. I am saving up to buy a Tim Grounds acrylic call one of these day. they are worth every nickle in my opinion.

[honker23]

In my opinion there is NO comparison between an flute and a short reed call. I believe I once heard a pro say he can make twenty some different sounds with a short reed vs 12 or so with a flute. If you put a short reed calll in the hands of a good caller, he can make a 20 dollar call sound pretty close to 100 dollar call, but the 100 dollar call will be easier to blow and a little more versatile

On a public lake my calls are more important to me than anything. That's saying I'm not sitting with the wind in my face on the worst spot on the lake. But given one of the top 4 spots with the wind at your back, the calls make or break the hunt. You need to be loud and good to pull birds to your spread. It most definately turns a 50 yd shot into a 25 yd shot, ducks included. I also laugh when people have rule about calling only when they are flying away and get quiet when they are getting close. I call until the feet touch the water, and the calling gets faster and more aggressive the closer they get. But I remind you this is on a lake with competition, in a field where the birds have been dumping into for 4 days...it can be a different story, stay hidden, and don't screw anything up.

[hanson]

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I bought a Tim Grounds call 3 years ago, around $100. The next year a bought another around $50. I would buy another $100 plus call in a second if I needed to. I have used the big river flutes, and still carry one, but there is only so much you can do with a flute. The short reed calls are way more versital. I am saving up to buy a Tim Grounds acrylic call one of these day. they are worth every nickle in my opinion.

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Nova- Which Grounds call(s) do you have?

I've been on the lookout for a high quality "bang for the buck" type of call and have really been looking hard at a Super Mag- Poly & Cocobola. $80 is kind of middle of the road on pricing. Its not dirt cheap and its not a $140 acrylic either. I like traditional wood as well and have really heard good things about Super Mags.

[Rost]

Down2Earth-

They are not arguing that the Big River won't call geese in. What they are saying is that a short reed call has a wider range of sounds, is easier to blow (less air), faster, and flat out sound better.

4 years ago, I felt the exact same as you about my Big River. Now, I wouldn't even consider bringing it out in the field.

[Down2Earth]

Rost, Sorry if I sounded like I think the big river call is better. I don't think that is true at all. I'm positive you can do more and call better with an expensive call. If the original post was "what's better? An Expensive call or a cheep one" I wouldn't have said a thing. But the question was "Are They worth it?" So IMHO if I go out almost every time and get my limit with a $20 call. No it's not worth it. Now if I just go to Canada (which according to most I could just stand out in the middle of a field in Blaze orange ,Swinging a stick, and get geese to come in) then an expensive call is for sure not worth it. But the one poster who was hunting on water or in a field with other hunters, in competition for geese. Then I'd change my opinion and say call type and call skill would make it worth the extra cash. But hunting in a field where birds have been piling in for the last few days doesn't take an expert call or an expensive one.

[Abrams]

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Rost, Sorry if I sounded like I think the big river call is better. I don't think that is true at all. I'm positive you can do more and call better with an expensive call. If the original post was "what's better? An Expensive call or a cheep one" I wouldn't have said a thing. But the question was "Are They worth it?" So IMHO if I go out almost every time and get my limit with a $20 call. No it's not worth it. Now if I just go to Canada (which according to most I could just stand out in the middle of a field in Blaze orange

,Swinging a stick, and get geese to come in) then an expensive call is for sure not worth it. But the one poster who was hunting on water or in a field with other hunters, in competition for geese. Then I'd change my opinion and say call type and call skill would make it worth the extra cash. But hunting in a field where birds have been piling in for the last few days doesn't take an expert call or an expensive one.

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Very true . . . You can kill geese blowing a Big River. It's part of being a Minnesotan, IMO. Just about everyone has hunted with one at one time. They still work, and probably will always work. With a short reed you can just do more. But they do take a bunch more work to get them to: cluck, honk, moan, double-cluck, murmur etc.

[Rost]

D2E-

There are a ton of inexpensive short reeds out there that you can pick up for $20-$50. You should try one out. The RNT QuackHead, RNT Hunter, Zink Poly Power Clucker, Buck Gardner Hammer etc.. These calls are usually the exact same calls as the expensive acrylic calls, only they are poly carbs.

[Nova]

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I bought a Tim Grounds call 3 years ago, around $100. The next year a bought another around $50. I would buy another $100 plus call in a second if I needed to. I have used the big river flutes, and still carry one, but there is only so much you can do with a flute. The short reed calls are way more versital. I am saving up to buy a Tim Grounds acrylic call one of these day. they are worth every nickle in my opinion.

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Nova- Which Grounds call(s) do you have?

I've been on the lookout for a high quality "bang for the buck" type of call and have really been looking hard at a Super Mag- Poly & Cocobola. $80 is kind of middle of the road on pricing. Its not dirt cheap and its not a $140 acrylic either. I like traditional wood as well and have really heard good things about Super Mags.

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I have the long mag coca bola(wood call) which I use almost exclusively $100 when I bought it. If I had to buy another call and couldn't afford acrylic, I would buy this call again and agian. Really nice call, great sound and tone, and never needed to be tuned in the 3 years I have had it. Then I have the Half breed( plastic) which I am not real crazy about. seems to loose tune very fast and is worthless in real cold weather. My sons both have the half breed to with the same results. He does make the Half Breed now in acrylic, which should be 10 times better.

[BobT]

All I can say is that dollars, quality of design, and quality in function are all different things. Don't let yourself get caught in the trap that the more you pay for something the better it is or must be. Maybe it just takes a long time to produce but in reality is not a better product.

Bob

[slimngrizzly]

I love Zink calls. I actually like the $25 Power Clucker better than the expensive calls but they are all very nice!

Its all about being on the "X", you cant kill birds if your in the wrong spot and not well concealed!!! Thats first priority!

Also, I believe some people just suck at calling and no matter what they put in thier mouth, it is NOT gonna sound good! Hope that your not one of those people!!! Short reeds are hands down better than a flute, but they take patience and practice to learn. If your gonna do it wrong, DONT DO IT!! ...... unless your in the field across from me!

[slimngrizzly]

If you dont have either, I would invest in a low profile blind (for example a "Finisher") long before I would worry about calling!!! Those blinds were the best thing ever to come along offering comfort and concealment like nothing before..... anyone agree?!?

[BobT]

I agree that if you don't call well, you're better off staying quiet.

What does this say about my calling? A couple years ago we had about 50 geese circling overhead. I kept calling and they just kept circling and wouldn't come in. When I finally shut up, wham! they dropped right in. I guess I'm just not a goose.

Bob

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'm not going to jump out and say that makes a dude a bad caller. If you talk to 20 different guys you will get 20 very different opinions. Personally, I feel geese play follow the leader big time. If I'm honking and I get a flock to start comming to my decoys, I shut up. Maybe they will get a couple honks from me, but that's it. I've been with guys that honk them all the way in, and with guys that honk like one time and that's it.

As long as you end up with some geese on the grill that's what counts.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

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I bought a Tim Grounds call 3 years ago, around $100. The next year a bought another around $50. I would buy another $100 plus call in a second if I needed to. I have used the big river flutes, and still carry one, but there is only so much you can do with a flute. The short reed calls are way more versital. I am saving up to buy a Tim Grounds acrylic call one of these day. they are worth every nickle in my opinion.

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Nova- Which Grounds call(s) do you have?

I've been on the lookout for a high quality "bang for the buck" type of call and have really been looking hard at a Super Mag- Poly & Cocobola. $80 is kind of middle of the road on pricing. Its not dirt cheap and its not a $140 acrylic either. I like traditional wood as well and have really heard good things about Super Mags.

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hanson; ive got a hedge (wood) tim grounds supermag for sale; its never been out of the house. $70 shipped to your door.

[Fish&Fowl]

Hanson,

If you're looking at Tim Grounds, I would highly recommend looking at the Real Thang. It is acrylic and $135, which is spendy no doubt, but a very nice call that can really make some noise. If not that, it's hard to find TG that lands between $60-120, only more or less than that. Whatever you choose, if you ever have any problems you can call and usually Hunter or Tim are right there to talk and answer any questions. Great customer service.

[Down2Earth]

Rost,

I took your advice. While at Fleet today buying a case of shells they had the Hammer2 on sale for a $10 spot. So I figured what the heck. I tell you what it was a shock in a half when I got to the truck. I can make my Big River sound like a high school orchestra (notice I didn't say a professional symphony), but with this call I couldn't call in a goose that's been inbread a 100 times over. IMO it takes just as much air if not more just to make it do the regular old honk.

[Rost]

Yep, I sounded the same when I made the switch. I thought about throwing that short reed out the window 100 times. However, keep practicing, it will come to you. Do you have a tape or instructional cd?

[Down2Earth]

I had a tape with the Big River but after i mastered that call it's long gone. I read in previous post of some suggestions but really don't know. I was hoping someone who had used it and was no longer using a dvd could send it to me for a couple days and I would return it plus pay for the shipping both ways.

[jiggin' fool]

Rost had it in the bullseye!!!!!

That Canada Hammer call from Buck Gardner is awful hard to beat. I have a handful of $150 calls hanging from my lanyard, and I am here to tell you, there is not a big difference.., and yes folks, I know how to blow a goose-call. From double-clucks to the lay-down murmur, I can blow it, and blow it well. Not too toot my own horn, (no pun intended), I work for a very established outfitter here in Rochester.

Now, having said that, this is the only call I have that is a "cheapie".., and it was given to me. So I cannot say that all the low-end calls sound that good, but this one does..., and it does it all.

If the poster that bought a Hammer feels that it takes more air then a flute, and was very disappointed in the call, I can say with about 90% confidence it was the way you were blowing the call, not the call. You DO NOT blow through a short-reed goose-call like you do a flute. You "address" the call with air, similar to fogging a window. The air must come from the diaphragm.

This board prohibits me from making any "promotions", but if you are wondering my credentials, let's say that if you have visited any Cabela's, in MN, you have seen my seminars on goose-calling, or at least seen them advertised.

So the bottom-line is this. NO, you do not have to spend $150 for a goose-call.., but you DO have to know how to blow it. "Blowing" is actually a misnomer.., you do NOT blow a short-reed goose-call, you "meter" air into it.

So for all of you wanting to learn a short-reed, please, please take the time to learn it. Have someone that can blow one teach you.

Is a good goose-call worth it????

You had better believe it. Not everyone gets to hunt a field in the morning that was filled with honkers the night before. If you do, you don't even need a call.., or a couple honks on a Big-River will work just fine. But if you find yourself in a field that the geese are not using, but just flying over.., well I can assure you the person that can blow a goose-call, and sound very, very "goosy", is going to go home with his limit, compared to the 5 dozen decoys and little or no calling.

It all depends on how you hunt. If you get to hunt a "feeding-field", then all you need is a handful of decoys on the "X", and a box of shells, and you are in business.

For the rest of us out there.., give us our short-reeds.., and we will be cleaning our limits of geese by 10:00 a.m.

[jimbo80]

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Rost had it in the bullseye!!!!!

That Canada Hammer call from Buck Gardner is awful hard to beat. I have a handful of $150 calls hanging from my lanyard, and I am here to tell you, there is not a big difference.., and yes folks, I know how to blow a goose-call. From double-clucks to the lay-down murmur, I can blow it, and blow it well. Not too toot my own horn, (no pun intended), I work for a very established outfitter here in Rochester.

Now, having said that, this is the only call I have that is a "cheapie".., and it was given to me. So I cannot say that all the low-end calls sound that good, but this one does..., and it does it all.

If the poster that bought a Hammer feels that it takes more air then a flute, and was very disappointed in the call, I can say with about 90% confidence it was the way you were blowing the call, not the call. You DO NOT blow through a short-reed goose-call like you do a flute. You "address" the call with air, similar to fogging a window. The air must come from the diaphragm.

This board prohibits me from making any "promotions", but if you are wondering my credentials, let's say that if you have visited any Cabela's, in MN, you have seen my seminars on goose-calling, or at least seen them advertised.

So the bottom-line is this. NO, you do not have to spend $150 for a goose-call.., but you DO have to know how to blow it. "Blowing" is actually a misnomer.., you do NOT blow a short-reed goose-call, you "meter" air into it.

So for all of you wanting to learn a short-reed, please, please take the time to learn it. Have someone that can blow one teach you.

Is a good goose-call worth it????

You had better believe it. Not everyone gets to hunt a field in the morning that was filled with honkers the night before. If you do, you don't even need a call.., or a couple honks on a Big-River will work just fine. But if you find yourself in a field that the geese are not using, but just flying over.., well I can assure you the person that can blow a goose-call, and sound very, very "goosy", is going to go home with his limit, compared to the 5 dozen decoys and little or no calling.

It all depends on how you hunt. If you get to hunt a "feeding-field", then all you need is a handful of decoys on the "X", and a box of shells, and you are in business.

For the rest of us out there.., give us our short-reeds.., and we will be cleaning our limits of geese by 10:00 a.m.

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so who are you then?

[jiggin' fool]

Jimbo,

My apology. It wasn't about me. I merely wanted Wallter, (the orignal poster), to recognize he was getting the advice from someone who has goose-hunted for decades. I will be celebrating my 40th-season as a goose-hunter this fall. I literally have been there, done that. I pre-date most goose-decoys, including Big-Foot.

What got me going was the deviation from the original post from Wallter.., "are expensive goose-calls worth the extra money".

Soon, this person was getting advice off topic, including you don't need any call.

I am assuming you are an avid goose-caller, and you know that under most conditions, this is far, far from a true statement. Yes, you can shoot a limit of geese every time you go out if you hunt nothing but feeding fields. But if you hunt traffic, you need good decoys, set properly.., and most importantly.., you need to be able to blow a goose-call, and preferably, a short-reed, as nothing sounds as "goosy", or can make a range of sounds that a short-reed can, with very little breath.

Canada geese are probably the most receptive bird to calling than any other species of waterfowl. So I get a little passionate sometimes when I see a poster ask a simple question, in an effort to get an answer allowing him/her to better themselves in the sport, and get more enjoyment. Soon, the poster is hammered with advice off-topic, suggesting he needs to not even bother with a call, or with a short-reed. That was not the original question!!!

Canada geese are getting tougher and tougher to bring to the gun every year. This is due to the increased pressure they receive, as frustrated duck-hunters (and others), turn to geese and find out how fun and exciting they are to hunt.

My emphasis on "me" was only to show I had the experience, and to try and answer Wallter's original question.

Wallter, yes and no friend. Some inexpensive calls sound very, very nice and some sound sick. But so do some high-dollar calls if you don't know how to blow it. If you know how to blow a short-reed, go to a store that will let you blow a few. If you don't know how to blow one, pick a cheaper call, get a CD, and practice. You will know when it is time to dig a bit deeper in your wallet.

Again my apologies for my passion in answering Wallter's original post.