I probably need to get over it (especially if I get a long box), but a part of me really wants to run calls made of woods that are native to North America, if not the South specifically.
What can you recommend?
I've not really listened to, but am intrigued to find out what possibilities exist for (based on what others have said on forums) persimmon, sassafrass, black locust, and black walnut. Don't know what else should be on my radar.
I also don't know what make for good "native" combos, especially ones that are likely to be in a good callmaker's repertoire.
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If you got time to wait out a long waiting list call Lamar Williams. He's from Florida and i'm pretty sure he only uses domestic woods. I have a all walnut box from him and am waiting on another.
To my knowledge, native North American woods are exceedingly common for high quality calls. Cedar over butternut long boxes. Pot calls in cherry, walnut, cedar, maple, osage orange etc. Spoiled for choice! I've come to looking for the same selection as you are though, the idea of running calls for turkeys that are made of the same woods the birds are around is all part of the experience of being in the woods for me.
Quote from: Loyalist84 on June 11, 2020, 12:42:06 PM
To my knowledge, native North American woods are exceedingly common for high quality calls. Cedar over butternut long boxes. Pot calls in cherry, walnut, cedar, maple, osage orange etc. Spoiled for choice! I've come to looking for the same selection as you are though, the idea of running calls for turkeys that are made of the same woods the birds are around is all part of the experience of being in the woods for me.
I was somewhat disappointed when I learned my Purpleheart (I didn't know this wasn't native—I was that green) over cedar box used Spanish cedar...I had been drawn to it in the first place thinking it was aromatic cedar.
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Yellow Poplar works well on long and short boxes.Cypress works well on short boxes.
Said it before that a walnut over walnut box is very hard to beat. Poplar, persimmon, osage, butternut, cedar, cherry are all excellent choices for short, mini, or long boxes.
Quote from: paboxcall on June 11, 2020, 02:43:08 PM
Said it before that a walnut over walnut box is very hard to beat. Poplar, persimmon, osage, butternut, cedar, cherry are all excellent choices for short, mini, or long boxes.
X2 and i will add Maple and hop Hornbeam .. Hop Hornbeam over cherry is hard to beat ...
You could fool around with walnut, poplar, cherry, cedar, osage, maple, butternut, locust, dogwood, holly lids and box combinations for the rest of your days and have calls coming out your ears that all sounded good so long as it was the right hands tuning them. Dial it down to a sound you're looking for and call a good call maker. They'll know what they've got to make it work. I do think one question that gets lost when we talk to these people is, "What wood do you have that you're really happy with right now?" We might say we want walnut over walnut and the call maker might be sitting there looking at a stack of walnut that he's not happy with the grain.
I was surprised to find out Mahogany was not a native wood.
Walnut, mineral stained poplar, Hophorn beam, cedar, butternut
I have an osage/sassafras and a mulberry/elm that both have a lot of turkey in them
Quote from: Sir-diealot on June 11, 2020, 09:51:04 PM
I was surprised to find out Mahogany was not a native wood.
Evidently you can grow it in South Florida.
Source: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/mahogany/information-on-mahogany-trees.htm
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Quote from: AppalachianHollers on June 11, 2020, 11:09:03 PM
Quote from: Sir-diealot on June 11, 2020, 09:51:04 PM
I was surprised to find out Mahogany was not a native wood.
Evidently you can grow it in South Florida.
Source: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/mahogany/information-on-mahogany-trees.htm
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I will have to read that a bit later, thanks for the link.
Lord-willing and the creeks don't rise, I'm leaning toward getting a long box at Unicoi in January (I'm intrigued, but intimidated by trumpets given the cost of even getting one I cannot evaluate b/c I haven't yet learned how to play one).
It'll be a very new genre of call for me, but hopefully I can find a great-sounding native wood fiddle. Will be something I can really feel like practicing with all year. Or maybe I'll hear a sound out of a more exotic wood that I cannot get over. We'll see. Plenty of time to make an informed choice.
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Quote from: AppalachianHollers on June 14, 2020, 11:12:57 PM
Lord-willing and the creeks don't rise, I'm leaning toward getting a long box at Unicoi in January (I'm intrigued, but intimidated by trumpets given the cost of even getting one I cannot evaluate b/c I haven't yet learned how to play one).
It'll be a very new genre of call for me, but hopefully I can find a great-sounding native wood fiddle. Will be something I can really feel like practicing with all year. Or maybe I'll hear a sound out of a more exotic wood that I cannot get over. We'll see. Plenty of time to make an informed choice.
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If you're wanting to get into suction calls you don't have to buy a trumpet. Make a wingbone. Buy a Jordan yelper. See how you like it. If you get to where you can work one of those it all translates to a trumpet. You can get into a yelper from a really good maker for pretty cheap. Permar still sells his original yelpers for fifty or sixty bucks. Buy one of his and you could sell it for about what you got in it if you decide suction calls aren't for you. Then if you fall in love with them find the maker who's style you love (I've always leaned toward Permar, Anthony Ellis, and Herb Hornstra, but that's just the style I like, the cleaner straighter lines).
If you're going to get into suction calls, Lee Bowles from Pa. makes a killer cane yelper. Easy to play and sounds sweet!
Quote from: sixbird on June 15, 2020, 11:05:52 PM
If you're going to get into suction calls, Lee Bowles from Pa. makes a killer cane yelper. Easy to play and sounds sweet!
That's for sure. Lee's yelper ALL run and are ALL turkey. I won't let the cat out of the bag just yet, but he's working on a little something "new to him" that is going to be stellar.
I like alot of woods I am sure like many on here, but the more I get into calls the!more I appreciate Black Walnut. Not only does it look great but works nice in the calls I have from pots, short boxes, troughs, scratch boxes, etc. That s probably my favorite and cedar is great nice as well and so pretty.
Quote from: Beards and Hooks on June 19, 2020, 09:49:03 AM
I like alot of woods I am sure like many on here, but the more I get into calls the!more I appreciate Black Walnut. Not only does it look great but works nice in the calls I have from pots, short boxes, troughs, scratch boxes, etc. That s probably my favorite and cedar is great nice as well and so pretty.
Walnut, poplar, cedar, cherry seem to be the four unbeatable woods with walnut reigning supreme in that it makes just as fine a box as a lid.
Quote from: ChesterCopperpot on June 19, 2020, 10:20:27 AM
Walnut, poplar, cedar, cherry seem to be the four unbeatable woods with walnut reigning supreme in that it makes just as fine a box as a lid.
I think butternut has to be on that list and make it five unbeatable woods.
Quote from: paboxcall on June 19, 2020, 02:18:58 PM
Quote from: ChesterCopperpot on June 19, 2020, 10:20:27 AM
Walnut, poplar, cedar, cherry seem to be the four unbeatable woods with walnut reigning supreme in that it makes just as fine a box as a lid.
I think butternut has to be on that list and make it five unbeatable woods.
I was really really really close to putting it on there. You're absolutely right. Those five are THE woods! Period.
Quote from: AppalachianHollers on June 14, 2020, 11:12:57 PM
Lord-willing and the creeks don't rise, I'm leaning toward getting a long box at Unicoi in January (I'm intrigued, but intimidated by trumpets given the cost of even getting one I cannot evaluate b/c I haven't yet learned how to play one).
It'll be a very new genre of call for me, but hopefully I can find a great-sounding native wood fiddle. Will be something I can really feel like practicing with all year. Or maybe I'll hear a sound out of a more exotic wood that I cannot get over. We'll see. Plenty of time to make an informed choice.
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Stop at all the trumpet makers booths at Unicoi. All of them will take the time to help you learn how to run one. What better way to learn than from those that make them. Then, pick one that runs easy for you. They don't all run the same. What works for me won't work for you.
Quote from: ChesterCopperpot on June 19, 2020, 03:00:06 PM
Quote from: paboxcall on June 19, 2020, 02:18:58 PM
Quote from: ChesterCopperpot on June 19, 2020, 10:20:27 AM
Walnut, poplar, cedar, cherry seem to be the four unbeatable woods with walnut reigning supreme in that it makes just as fine a box as a lid.
I think butternut has to be on that list and make it five unbeatable woods.
I was really really really close to putting it on there. You're absolutely right. Those five are THE woods! Period.
I would put osage before cherry on this list.
I have a Ralph Snodgrass osage/sassafras and a Billy Bush Begging machine osage/butternut that are exceptional for sound, and I've never heard a begging machine that wasn't.
Quote from: crow on June 23, 2020, 05:14:20 PM
I would put osage before cherry on this list.
I have a Ralph Snodgrass osage/sassafras and a Billy Bush Begging machine osage/butternut that are exceptional for sound, and I've never heard a begging machine that wasn't.
I've got to hear those.
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What do y'all think of wormy chestnut calls? Seems it might be a more lightweight wood and affect what combo one goes with.
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Quote from: AppalachianHollers on June 24, 2020, 10:27:03 PM
What do y'all think of wormy chestnut calls? Seems it might be a more lightweight wood and affect what combo one goes with.
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Snodgrass mac ebony over reclaimed chestnut mini boat. Birds really hammer the mini.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40721353093_c7a7a7783c_w.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/253pzyH)
For 'native woods' I'ld have to say Osage over butternut (Billy Bush Beggin'n Machine)
Walnut over Cedar (Marlin Watkins long box or short box, same for Ralph
Snodgrass)
All Walnut Marlin Watkins
And by the way these combos by any call maker listed on the site.
Walnut over poplar or butternut and the Cherry over poplar short boxes. Often forgotten by hunters but produce killer hen talk.
Butternut.poplar.walnut.holly.maple.cherry...alot of options out there...alot of good callmakers too
When I first started making paddle calls for the most part I used cedar lids. As time went on I started using the exotics for ease of play to compete in Nashville. Now I'm trying to use domestic woods when I can. I love serviceberry and hop hornbeam on paddlecalls when they hit. I also love cedar on butternut, poplar or all cedar. I've had good luck with the serviceberry on butternut and mineral poplar and also on walnut. The hop hornbeam I've had my best luck with mineral poplar and walnut. I've also made some great paddle calls with walnut lids. I've not made one with walnut for years but want to go back and give it a try again.
I've also started using more of the domestic woods on the fiddle boxes lately.