Do you or don't you make your own mouth calls? If you don't, what is holding you back? Time, no jigs are available at a fair price, no interest, no knowledge of how to, etc. Just curious why people don't.
I don't go after them enough to justify making them. I guess it would be different if I traveled a lot to hunt.
Yes, I make my own mouth calls and have been doing so for about fifteen years or so now. Quite honestly, I am a bit surprised that more people aren't making their own calls considering the difference in cost of making them compared to buying them...not to mention that being able to customize your own calls will probably make the average mouth-call user a much better caller.
My guess as to why more folks don't make their own calls is just the lack of interest in using mouth calls, in general. It's obviously way easier to just stick with friction calling devices...and for most turkey hunters, the calls they can make with those friction calls are much better than they are capable of with mouth calls. In addition, the learning curve for using mouth calls...and becoming proficient at it...is much greater than that for friction calls. I think that discourages a lot of people.
With the advances made in friction calls over the last few decades and the increased realism that has been perfected with them, the only real reason to use mouth calls is the advantage one has in those "close encounter" situations where movement...or lack thereof...becomes a factor.
Then again, some of us are just "mouth call junkies" and are always looking for that "holy grail" of mouth calls. Personally, as we speak, I have about 200 calls sitting around on my call-making desk...all of which I am confident I could take to the woods and kill turkeys with. Yet, still I search for that "holy grail" mouth call that will perfectly imitate every sound a turkey makes.
...I'm still searching... ;D
I always found it to be more of a hassle than something that I enjoyed doing...But if I would have had the foresight to know that calls would be $15 in 2025 I would have never sold my press
I've been making mouth calls bout a year now. To me making calls is right up my alley. I do everything I can myself. Guys might be surprised at some of what I do but it's sorta like foreplay in a sense and it's been like that since childhood (enjoying the prep work) Guys miss some great moments imo I'll never understand them.
For me it's just been a cost thing. From everything I've read, the cheap kits don't produce consistent results, and the presses are too expensive for me to justify.
Quote from: CALLM2U on March 06, 2025, 06:45:00 PMFor me it's just been a cost thing. From everything I've read, the cheap kits don't produce consistent results, and the presses are too expensive for me to justify.
I've heard Gobblenut talk about a method without presses. I use a hand jig by feather ridge. Unbelievable how great the calls turn out without a giant investment.
Quote from: Bowguy on March 07, 2025, 07:35:28 AMQuote from: CALLM2U on March 06, 2025, 06:45:00 PMFor me it's just been a cost thing. From everything I've read, the cheap kits don't produce consistent results, and the presses are too expensive for me to justify.
I've heard Gobblenut talk about a method without presses. I use a hand jig by feather ridge. Unbelievable how great the calls turn out without a giant investment.
Yes, I use a method that does not require the investment in a press or jig. I actual have outlined the process in the thread titled "mouth call maker kit" in the list in this forum topic. The method is certainly not as exacting as is using a press/jig but it will work just fine for anybody that would like to tinker with building mouth calls without that extra investment.
I "get" the concern about getting consistent results by using a method like mine or with one of the cheap kits (I would recommend a method like mine over one of those kits all day long). However, over time I have found that the key with mouth calls is learning how to tune each call individually to produce its best sounds. That applies to any call...whether it is a $12-$15 commercial call or a 70-cent call you make for yourself.
Here's another thing: unless you are already a top-tier, contest-level caller (which I would guess every single one of them makes their own calls), I can pretty much guarantee that you will become a better caller by spending a bit of time making your own calls. Granted, it's not for everybody, but if someone is really interested in using mouth calls to hunt, I whole-heartedly recommend getting into making calls. :icon_thumright:
Quote from: CALLM2U on March 06, 2025, 06:45:00 PMFor me it's just been a cost thing. From everything I've read, the cheap kits don't produce consistent results, and the presses are too expensive for me to justify.
If a high quality jig came along with lots of documentation on how to use it and at a fraction of the price of of a press, would you ever consider purchasing one? If no, why not?
Quote from: Premier Turkey Calls on March 07, 2025, 10:38:16 AMQuote from: CALLM2U on March 06, 2025, 06:45:00 PMFor me it's just been a cost thing. From everything I've read, the cheap kits don't produce consistent results, and the presses are too expensive for me to justify.
If a high quality jig came along with lots of documentation on how to use it and at a fraction of the price of of a press, would you ever consider purchasing one? If no, why not?
I'm always open to ideas and opportunites. My family unianiomously agrees that I'm tighter than bark on a tree ;D So I doubt I fall into the normal range of the customer base you're looking towards.
Sub $100 would certainly get my attention. (thinking 3D printed devices)
Sub $200 would have to be a pretty slick system with very little loss of materials up front and user friendly.
Above $300 and I'm PERSONALLY not interested.
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 07, 2025, 09:10:12 AMQuote from: Bowguy on March 07, 2025, 07:35:28 AMQuote from: CALLM2U on March 06, 2025, 06:45:00 PMFor me it's just been a cost thing. From everything I've read, the cheap kits don't produce consistent results, and the presses are too expensive for me to justify.
I've heard Gobblenut talk about a method without presses. I use a hand jig by feather ridge. Unbelievable how great the calls turn out without a giant investment.
Yes, I use a method that does not require the investment in a press or jig. I actual have outlined the process in the thread titled "mouth call maker kit" in the list in this forum topic. The method is certainly not as exacting as is using a press/jig but it will work just fine for anybody that would like to tinker with building mouth calls without that extra investment.
I "get" the concern about getting consistent results by using a method like mine or with one of the cheap kits (I would recommend a method like mine over one of those kits all day long). However, over time I have found that the key with mouth calls is learning how to tune each call individually to produce its best sounds. That applies to any call...whether it is a $12-$15 commercial call or a 70-cent call you make for yourself.
Here's another thing: unless you are already a top-tier, contest-level caller (which I would guess every single one of them makes their own calls), I can pretty much guarantee that you will become a better caller by spending a bit of time making your own calls. Granted, it's not for everybody, but if someone is really interested in using mouth calls to hunt, I whole-heartedly recommend getting into making calls. :icon_thumright:
I found the thread you referenced. Very intriguing. My wife has a couple laser engravers she uses for her business so my head is going towards ways to engrave markings for alignment and consistency. :icon_thumright:
Quote from: Premier Turkey Calls on March 07, 2025, 10:38:16 AMQuote from: CALLM2U on March 06, 2025, 06:45:00 PMFor me it's just been a cost thing. From everything I've read, the cheap kits don't produce consistent results, and the presses are too expensive for me to justify.
If a high quality jig came along with lots of documentation on how to use it and at a fraction of the price of a press, would you ever consider purchasing one? If no, why not?
I think there are some reasonably priced jigs which may be similar to your description on the market now. I would suggest that any jig you may be considering putting on the market must have some sort of tensioning capabilities, as well as a tension meter of some sort. That is the biggest draw-back I have personally seen with some of the current jigs...they do not provide an adequate mechanism for tensioning the reed material and with a meter for repeating a desired tension. :icon_thumright:
Feather ridge has micrometer type marked settings. I seem to get very consistant results.
There are two that I know of. One you zero and readjust each time. I have that one. One you set it and can't go instantly back to that exact setting. It'd be quicker if say you wanted to make a whole bunch of same call, if you're making them for yourself that's prob not the case. Just be aware there are more than one type of the feather ridge. The cheaper ones I believe uses measurements by eye. Maybe not as consistent
Quote from: CALLM2U on March 07, 2025, 01:02:49 PMI found the thread you referenced. Very intriguing. My wife has a couple laser engravers she uses for her business so my head is going towards ways to engrave markings for alignment and consistency. :icon_thumright:
That might be just the ticket. Having a way to repeat tensioning of reeds with some level of precision would most likely be a benefit. I can't do that with my method, for sure, but haven't really tried to explore methods of achieving it.
However, I am not certain that would aid that much in duplicating calls in that consistent reed tension is only one of several factors that influence the sound you get from a call. You also have to take into account reed spacing to a degree, and more importantly, the cuts in the reed(s) have to be to a level of precision that, quite honestly, is generally not achievable with the way most reed cuts are made...that is, with scissors and without a precise template to achieve exact reed cuts repetitively.
The fact is that extremely minute variations in tensioning, reed spacing, and especially reed cuts can make a really big difference in the sound and tonal qualities of any single mouth call. ...And that is going under the assumption that the reed materials/pieces used (latex, proph) are consistent in their composition, which I am not certain they are.
Bottom line is that having some sort of tensioning mechanism will eliminate that single factor to a degree, but the other factors will still be in play. If you go the jigless/pressless method, however, you are at least minimizing that factor by having that mechanism in the mix. :icon_thumright:
I make my own and it's the absolute best thing I ever did when it comes to turkey hunting/calling. The jig I use is one that I designed/3d printed/assembled. It's similar to the Pioneer hand jig. I've been able to build calls that suit my style and have made a few for friends in the mean time.
I had a little jiggy and just could not get consistent enough results to justify my time in messing with it. I've been very seriously considering buying a press but the money they go for is a lot for a man like me. The middle ground is the feather ridge jig, and after my experience with the little jiggy, I'm very leery of it so haven't bought one. I can't bring myself to pay 10 to 15$ for a mouth call, the guy I typically get mine from is around 5 to 7$ each and I'll buy 10 or 15 of the cuts I like at a time and store them in the fridge until I've used them all up.
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If making my own yelpers has taught me anything, it's that you'll never get a proper *fit* if you're not making your own calls.
I'm not saying you can't get a mouth call that sounds good enough to kill a turkey or that you couldn't go buy a Woodhaven call and go win a contest. I'm just saying for Joe Average buying a mouth call, it's certainly unlikely that they're not getting the best possible fit for themself. Even after I make my initial cuts, I still usually end up trimming slivers from them to get the reaction I expect when air is applied.
That's a much different proposition for me, almost 10 years into building calls than someone paying 10+ dollars for a single yelper for them to take the scissors to it. How would you know what or where to cut? How many times can you afford to keep doing that?
Making your own mouth calls is simply the only way, in my opinion!
Quote from: compton30 on March 12, 2025, 08:57:05 AMI'm not saying you can't get a mouth call that sounds good enough to kill a turkey or that you couldn't go buy a Woodhaven call and go win a contest. I'm just saying for Joe Average buying a mouth call, it's certainly unlikely that they're not getting the best possible fit for themself. Even after I make my initial cuts, I still usually end up trimming slivers from them to get the reaction I expect when air is applied.
As you suggest, Ben, I think for most "average Joe's" there is a point where good enough is good enough...and that will call gobblers. Having said that, I can almost guarantee that no upper-tier contest caller is using an "out-of-the-package" call from any call-maker. They are most likely running through a whole bunch of calls (that they are making for themselves) and modifying them to get the most precise sounds out of them for each individual call they will have to make in a contest.
Making the decision to get into making one's own calls eventually comes down to how important it is to be able to reproduce turkey talk as realistically as possible...as well as have the calls needed to do that. Without question, it is easier to do that (and costs a LOT less), if a guy decides to make his own calls.
At the end of the day, however, it is just not that important to most turkey hunters, I think...and that's okay. (It keeps those call companies in business so they can run all over the country hunting and keep their YouTube channels going! ...Whoops...I shouldn't have gone there... ;D :toothy12: :angel9: )
For me it's well worth it. I do experiment,but for the most part I keep it simple. I'll make a cutter, split V and a bat wing.(my go to's) I'll make a bunch hand em out to my friends. Here's my homemade, make shift press. lol, Now you sharpies don't crack on me, I got a system. I will add, y'all whip em up quick and make it look Ez. I don't have it like that (yet) but I've definitely gotten better with a decent sounding call. I've learned a lot with some of the postings here. Thank you all.
It's definitely cost effective.
(https://i.postimg.cc/43TjYxtJ/IMG-0159.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/LJNx7RN7)
Quote from: TrackeySauresRex on March 13, 2025, 09:44:24 PMFor me it's well worth it. I do experiment,but for the most part I keep it simple. I'll make a cutter, split V and a bat wing.(my go to's) I'll make a bunch hand em out to my friends. Here's my homemade, make shift press. lol, Now you sharpies don't crack on me, I got a system. I will add, y'all whip em up quick and make it look Ez. I don't have it like that (yet) but I've definitely gotten better with a decent sounding call. I've learned a lot with some of the postings here. Thank you all.
It's definitely cost effective.
(https://i.postimg.cc/43TjYxtJ/IMG-0159.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/LJNx7RN7)
I actually live about 20 minutes from the Triple Toe Calls home base. Now my paranoia is off the charts!