[Grinder]

Hello everyone.

I'm new to the forum.........so please be gentle. :wink:

Anyway.....I'm in the market for a new goose call.

I've got a ton of goose calls, but none that really impress me. I'm looking to upgrade, but I seem to have a real problem with making short reed calls work for me.

I have a Tim Grounds Halfbreed (can't work it at all) and an Illusion call (can't work this one either). My buddy uses an Illusion call and he is killer with it. He can turn geese around in a heartbeat, and this call is both very loud and very goosey. I love the sound of this call, so I bought one, but have had no luck getting it to work. I have practiced with it over and over, and my friend has tried to help, but I can't seem to get the proper back pressure to break these type of calls. Maybe it's leftover from my old smoking habit.

I've had much better luck with flute style calls. I have an Illusion flute call and a Tim Grounds Variable Tone Honker that I get the best results from.
Still, I'm looking for something that will get similar results as the short Illusion call, but in an easy-blowing flute style call.

I have lots of other, production models by Lohman, Big River, Knight and Hale, Shure Shot, etc., etc..

I don't have a problem spending money on a good call, but if I spend some serious cash on a call, I want it to perform accordingly.

Grinder

 

[fold'em935]

If you are only looking for a flute I would try the Long Honker Final Flight. it is a quality call for only about 25 bucks. if you are considering a short reed i would highly recommend the winglock Delrin. it is a very easy blowing call, i'll probably never replace mine. Winglock also makes a wood short reed call for about $35 which is good. short reed take a little more practice, but you can get a lot more sounds out of them.

 

[Tmoney]

If you're stuck on getting a high end flute- try the Foiles Meatcutter- its acrylic so you can get loud on it.

But I recommend learing the short reed sooner or later- but sooner
get a good video or cd to learn
Shawn Stahls Honker Talk is by far the best video to learn the short reed

you can perform more sounds with a short reed

its all in the way you hold the call- backpressure is the key.

 

[hev_E_shot]

Shawn Stahls Honker Talk is by far the best video to learn the short reed

I'd like to learn a short reed too, where can you order Shawn's video from?

 

[duckman1106]

You've probably gotten lots of tips on how to break over a short reed call. I couldn't do it either for the longest time until Jeff Foiles told me to cut off the air with the back of my tongue and throat like when you use a diaphragm turkey call. It has to be forceful and from your diaphragm like a quarterback barking "HUT HUT!" But instead of hut you're going to say "HUCK." Really emphasize the "CK" at the end when you cut off the air. The air cutoff has to be sudden and forceful to get a good clean cluck. After I got good at that I can now break one over with the tip of my tongue like "HUT" but it's still easier to do with the back. Then you can move on to "Huck-uck" for double clucking. It's a totally different type of calling from a flute. A flute is done with a small mouth cavity and your tongue just behind your teeth and a short reed is done with a large mouth cavity with and in the back of your throat. Hope this helps.

And as for calls your half breed sucks and the Illusion sucks even more. I have an Illusion call and I could kill geese with it, but it's nothing like a good call. A Foiles Straight Meat Honker is the best and easiest to operate with the Zink Paralyzer running a close second.

 

[Grinder]

I've got several videos on the subject, and I'm just unable to make a hard-blowing short reed call work. I do have a couple of old wooden Lohman short calls which I have no problem with. They sound good, but aren't very loud. I'm not sure if they are a short reed call or not.

I've been hunting geese and calling for over 15 years, so I'm not new to this. After 15 years, even a dummy like myself should pick up a trick or two along the way. :shock:

I have just figured that after all these years, flute style calls may be my best bet. I may just have to go with what works here. Besides, a good blend of flute calling and short reed calling (my buddy) seems to sound very good out in the blind. I would just like to step up to something a little better than what I have at the moment.

Grinder

 

[Grinder]

Duckman 1106,

I'm surprised to hear you say that about both the Tim Grounds and the Illusion calls. A guide that my friend and I hunted with used the Illusion calls pretty exclusively, which got my friend hooked. My friend has been using his for quite a while now, and it sounds kick ***. Of course, I don't have any better calls to compare it with. No one around my area uses anything but the very basic production calls by Big River, Lohman, etc., etc.. Anyway, if I could find a call that sounds at least that good, if not better, I would be very happy.

Grinder

 

[Tmoney]

http://www.store.nodakoutdoors.com/prod ... cts_id/132

here is the link to buy the honker talk video- $19.99 is cheap
I have seen this video a lot for $25

 

[Alexander_Hunter]

I have also been trying to get into using a short reed call. One of my buddies uses one and it sounds amazing. I just have the hardest time getting it to sound even close to a goose. I guess I have a hard time with the back pressure. Any tips will help. Thanks.

 

[hev_E_shot]

http://www.store.nodakoutdoors.com/product_info.php/products_id/132

here is the link to buy the honker talk video- $19.99 is cheap
I have seen this video a lot for $25

Thanks for the link T, i'll be purchasing it asap!!!

 

[Tmoney]

say guuuuuu--iiiiittttttt into the call

the guuuuu part- use some voice into it( saying guuu with like a humming felling and sound

the iiiiiittt- part should have no voice in it, and should sound like you are blowing air out of your mouth very rapidly.- almost sounds like "whhhiiip"

hold the call between your thumb and index finger- then let the rest of the fingers fall down around the call- and stick your other index finger through your resting fingers wrapped around the insert.

ex- the opening out of the insert created by your resting fingers around the insert should be no bigger than your index finger of the hand not holding the call.

next - place your other hand- thumb to thumb with the hand holding the call- and have the non holding hand fingers touch the middle knuckles of the fingers holding the call

the knuckles of the hand holding the call should all be lined up and pointed strait up

hope this helps some- its hand to explain in writing- i recommend the shawn stahl video