doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Duck Calls

Looks like Olt may still be in business:

http://www.psolt.com/

Trying to advise someone on what to buy in a duck call is very difficult because until you learn how to blow a call, it will never sound right regardless of how good the call is. On the other hand if it is a poor call,a novice will never learn on it because they are typically very difficult to blow and get the proper sounds.The mark of a good call is one that does not require a lot of air to get the volume,is easy to control up a down the scales, and will do all the various calls, ie chuckle, high ball, ,single quacks, and does not seize up when wet. Cost is not always a factor but only a seasoned caller can tell whether a call is easy to blow and can do the job.
The key to blowing a call is NOT to blow it like a party horn using your cheeks but to exhale from your diaphragm and control the sound with your tongue against the roof of your mouth.The quacks in all of the calls are individual and not slurred together. If you say the words,"Hut" or "Hoot" it will give you an idea where the air comes from, and the "T" part comes from the tongue against the roof of the mouth. After that it's just practice to control the volume,length, and pitch of the call, up and down the scale.
Getting help from a good caller "in the flesh" is the best bet.
A good CD will definitely help also.
Calling is an essential part of duck hunting. Turning a flock at long range and working them into the decoys is what it's all about. Yikes!! 6 months until October...

Haydel's sells a really good duck calling instructional CD, and RNT (Rich'N'Tone) does also. Both their brands of calls are very good. Haydel's DR 85 (double reed) is a standby for many. I use one every year to good success. It is very reasonably priced, and blows wet. RNT calls are very good, but pricier. These are mallard calls I'm referring to. Phil Robertson makes the best wood duck call I've ever tried. Woodies aren't easy to call to a set-up, but I was turning them in Arkansas last season and getting them to fly back over the spread to give us shots. It's a good 'un.

Keep in mind, tho', that the best duck call ever made is not as important as a LOT of scouting. Being where the ducks want to be, before they get there, trumps all calling. Good calling is just icing on the cake.

SRH

The Rich in Tone is a good place to start. I have accumulated several over the years, including a couple of custom calls but my old RNT is my (and now my son's) favorite. Call Mac's in Ark. they know ducks and duck calls.

Discussion of good calls for beginners.

http://www.theoutdoorsforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=33047

If you are a fan of old style P.S. Olt calls, especially the D2, then check out this Lincoln Nebraska call makers stuff, Doc Calls. http://www.doccalls.com/
I have both his D2 and "Suzie". Both in green acrylic. After years of blowing RnT's, these are the only two calls on my lanyard now. Doc will tune them however you want and cut you extra reeds to change tones, loudness, etc. He will also try his hardest to talk you out of using acrylic :-(
One of my favorite wood calls is a small cocobolo single reed call made by Ron Wieneke (also from Nebraska). It doesnt look like much, but man that call sounds good. I still use it every once in awhile and the mid to late season ducks really like its smooth, mellow tone.

Dustin

If you're just starting into calling them a single reed, even a simple Olt, isn't the way to go. A friend got me started blowing double reeds when I first got going and I still use them in many situations even all these years later. You can't go wrong with the Haydel DR-85, it's a cheap double reed and it sounds like a duck. It's a good call for the novice or the professional either one. All these $200 acrylic calls are a marketing ploy, if they're expensive they must be good. I've killed more mallards blowing a $15 Haydel than most guys ever kill blowing a $300 Taylor Made or whatever your overpriced call of choice might be.


Destry

I doubt you've ever met anybody who's shot more ducks and geese than Ralph Kohler. He doesnt use any calls, and if he gets a wild hair and wants to call in ducks or geese, he uses his voicebox. He's an amazing man. If you haven't read his book "Born to Hunt" yet, please do, you owe it to yourself.

And Destry...I'm sure you don't like it much when someone comes along and downplays yours or anybody elses use of a nice expensive or vintage shotgun while duck hunting, I mean there's plenty of H&R topper models, Marlin & Mossberg bolt action shotguns that are perfectly suited to the task, doesnt mean a guy can't enjoy using a well made, good sounding call that makes his or her hunt all that more enjoyable. I've read your stuff where you mention using hand carved cork or wood decoys, to most that seems pretty goofy, especially to guys who shoot loads of ducks over cheap plastic decoys painted black :-) To each their own.

And by the way..the DR-85 is a good call and it does work...when its dry. With that said, anybody who's ever spent anytime at all with a DR-85 knows that eventually, the insert will come out and drown itself in the water below...and you'll never notice it until you go to grab your call, give it some air and realize that all you have is a useless oversized straw.

Dustin

That DR-85 isn't what I'd recommend for a beginner. Dimensions are much smaller and when not held just right can go way off the scale... Like Dustin said... a oversized straw.

I prefer the old Broadbill call.