One year I ran through the woods to try to get ahead of a bird and ended up losing this walnut striker(can't remember the make) that made every call I had sing. I've bought numerous walnut strikers since and not one were ever as good as that one. Still makes me sick! How bout you guys?
My brother and I were working a bird when we were younger.... it was a long stale- mate. We finally got the bird to break and when I heard the gun go off- I up and ran over to congratulate him and celebrate. I left a Lynch box call at that tree and never found another Lynch that sounded as good.
Lost my mine several times , trying to get that bird to close the distance ....
Lost an awesome monkey wood striker in Alabama. Went back looking for it and never did find it. I count myself lucky as that is the only thing I can ever recall losing in the woods like that. I have dropped other things and been fortunate to find them. My luckiest moment was finding a Buice #4 mouthpiece that I had to back track several hundred yards to find.
I have some lost and lost & founds.
Lost a locator goose call
Lost some strikers and Lost & Found my CODY Striker, kind of knew the area we had been in and went back through the following day only to find either rabbits or squirrles had "skinned" the striker, figure after years of use my hand had "salted" the striker with enough flavor. Check out the pic, there is a little dark spot of where the "D" was :)
Lost & Found a CODY World Class Slate call
My original call I lost in the U.P. of MI, 3 years later and I sit to start working a bird for a buddy and it's laying on the gound at a set we make, was still in it's tupperware container and in perfect condition! I bought another during that years season, gave the found call to my dad and he used it until his passing, I am now putting "The Original" in a Display.
MK M GOBL
I lost a cedar striker that was AWESOME SOUNDING on most of my calls it was only 6 1/2" long well balanced striker
Hunting an old logging road one morning and I had a gobbler fire off right off the path ahead of me. Set up to shot was less than 15 minutes, he flew right to me. I had clucked a few times on my Crystal Mistress but forgot to zip the pocket of my vest when I ran to the bird. Lost two Fowler strikers... never could find them. But it was worth it!
had to run down a wounded turkey my daughter shot and lost my\her thunderdome. have been through that block of woods many times in the past and never found.
Man , I seem to lose a striker or 2 every season!
One of Darren Dawkins older pots. Still sick today. Called in two longbeards and smoked them both.
I still look for it today.
I've been pretty fortunate. Have only lost one call in the field, a Scott Wilper Pocket Rocket. Like it so much I immediately ordered a replacement. Bigger disappointment for me was losing my Wendell Rye Dymondwood striker last year. That thing sounded great on every pot call I own. Don't think that loss can be replaced.
Never lost a call.....only my composure.
I lost one of the old gobble shake tubes that had the accordion rubber tube you pulled out and shook. It didn't sound the greatest. I don't even remember who the maker was. I survived with out it and didn't even go back and look for it.
I didn't lose it in the woods, but I've lost one of my 2 Lynch Foolproofs from the early to mid 1960's.
:character0029:
True story
At a Minnesota calling event a guy had his mouth call file out getting them wet in a restroom sink,,turning away from sink the call file slipped out of his hand and all his favorite broken in mouth calls landed on the floor of a public restroom scattered on the much "used" floor.
The 5 second rule didn't apply there they got trashed.
Just a few 2 piece strikers here and there but did lose a Quaker boy push pin likely left by a tree on out of state hunt years ago. Did find a primos lucky striker at the base of a tree last year on public so it evens out sometimes :icon_thumright:
lost my favorite White feather diamondwood striker several years ago , moved 3 or 4 times on a henned up gobbler lost the striker and didn't kill the bird. spent several hundred dollars on strikers still haven't found one I like as much. BTW if anyone has a White feather diamond wood striker with the scratch pad hollow in the end of it ill buy it..lol
I have lost one striker. I dropped a mouth call on a hunt and went back several days later to look for it. I knew where the tree was I set up by. I found the mouth call, a pittman, then called in the biggest gob I have ever shot. The mouth call was already dry rotted. I have it on the pedestal of that mount. True story.
Camp calls, ( Doug Camp ). Screaming Hen. The next season I had replaced it with a Quaker boy mini boat paddle, somehow I managed to lose it also in the same area. The mini boat paddle call just happened to be very high pitched and that is what I wanted. So,I then purchased two more of the Quaker boy mini boat paddle calls , I was in hopes of getting another extremely high pitched call, like the first one that I had purchased but, that was not to be. I then called the Company and asked to speak to someone about a call, lo and behold Dick Kirby Himself took the call. We chatted, He sent me a call that was as I had described to Him. He had drawn a gjobbler on the side of it and a remark that said, " Custom crafted for Steve, Your friend Dick Kirby. 2001 ". I can only draw the conclusion from that experience that He cared about His customers and fellow Turkey Hunters. Honestly, the first gobbler I worked with that call came in . It just so happened that I had taken a childhood friend with me that day and, was calling for Him. The gobbler came in and was on the opposite side of a blackberry patch from us, it was only about twenty yards from us but, it would not budge from that position for a good 20/30 minutes, meanwhile that bird gobbled so many times that I expected Him to lose His voice. Finally , after what seemed like an eternity the bird started to backtrack and leave. When He made that move He exposed Himself just enough for my friend to take a shot. I couldn't see what happened at the time of the shot but I jumped up to retrieve the bird however I couldn't find Him, My friend had seen the bird go down but, it had flopped over a bank and my friend had lost sight of the bird. I searched down a draw for about 60 yards and finally found the gobbler. That gobbler was mounted and now hangs on my friends wall. I apologize for the long winded reply. Maybe it will be entertaining to some of you fellows.
David Halloran's box call, called a bird in, shot it and ran to stump the flop leaving the call on the ground. Came back a week layer and it was gone. I hope whoever got it has a lot of luck with it, it was a nice call
Left a Mabry slate call and striker along with a Burris FF3 rain cover out in west Texas in a bunch of mesquite. Got in a hurry and just left them like a dummy
Lynch Raspy Hen
My favorite striker. A 20 year old Ted "Pete" Peters laminate.
Lost my two favorite strikers last year on different hunts. Found one of them a week later the other I lost out of state. Anyone got a spare Lyman dylumax?
I once dropped a good SS box call and left a gobbling bird to go back and look for it. Killed a different bird later that day with that same box after I found it.
And I've broken 2 pot calls by dropping one and fall on the other while also breaking a bone in my wrist.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
Lost my Harrison hoot-n-stick last year somewhere and never to be found again, had to buy a new one.
Stopped walking with a cane about 2 years ago but still fall from time to time and I fell last year and lost my purple heart striker that I really like on my crystal call. Have a new one on the way from a trade I made and the new one is a Stuckey.
I've lost a few strikers through the years, but thankfully not one of my favorites. BUT, I did lose a Wendell Rye "Lights Out Calls" anodized aluminum in canarywood on a hunt, and it sang like an opera phenom.

Tried for hours to retrace my steps, but I had been on quite the escapade chasing a bird, and it never turned up. Really miss that one.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Thunderdome left it in Oklahoma live in Michigan.Love the sound on that call.
Scotch brite pads and a wenge striker. Almost lost a long box made by my friend Gary Bonofsky on a fall hunt. Took my vest off to lose my jacket as it was getting warm and the LB fell out of the vest and didn't realize it till we were ready to drop down off the hill. Needless to say we went back looking as I was sick to think it was gone. My friend Vic knowing his land as he does ended up finding the call laying on the ground in it's camo bag. I was one happy camper. Still missing a cane call made by Gary and not sure what happened with that. Still hurts losing that one.
Almost hate to reply to this one.............and knocking on wood as I type.............. I've never lost a call or striker or anything call related in the woods. I've left calls or something else sitting by a tree. But have always been able to go straight back to it and scooped it up.
Bill, you reminded me, I lost one of your diamond wood strikers a few years back, Mike
I'm a little embarrassed about it, but last year, I lost three great scratchers. Didn't realize it until this winter when I, at various times, went to play each and each was gone.
I'm so careful with my calls and always check around when I get up to be sure I haven't left anything.
I hate calling a callmaker and telling him I lost his work. I mean, the guy pours his heart into a call and you can't even take enough care to honor his effort???
Yeah...I got a new vest and the pockets are kind of shallow. I'm sure they fell out while I was walking, since, like I say, I check when I get up...
Lost a Allen Dunphy Witches Fiddle, a Rick Ferlitta sinker cypress mini (don't know if that one can be replaced) and a Eric Rice. All great calls and all gone...
Hoping I'll eventually find them, but afraid that even if I do, they'll be ruined from the elements.
I lost a preacher man box call a few years ago. I actually went back and found it, but it was pretty messed up due to time, water, and the sun.
Quote from: sixbird on March 01, 2019, 12:22:16 PM
I'm a little embarrassed about it, but last year, I lost three great scratchers. Didn't realize it until this winter when I, at various times, went to play each and each was gone.
I'm so careful with my calls and always check around when I get up to be sure I haven't left anything.
I hate calling a callmaker and telling him I lost his work. I mean, the guy pours his heart into a call and you can't even take enough care to honor his effort???
Yeah...I got a new vest and the pockets are kind of shallow. I'm sure they fell out while I was walking, since, like I say, I check when I get up...
Lost a Allen Dunphy Witches Fiddle, a Rick Ferlitta sinker cypress mini (don't know if that one can be replaced) and a Eric Rice. All great calls and all gone...
Hoping I'll eventually find them, but afraid that even if I do, they'll be ruined from the elements.
I almost teared up reading this between my love for scratch boxes and hate for losing money. That's a rough one
I've lost two strikers of course they were favorites and broken two pot calls. Lost a box once but went back and found it, that was a good story because I left a gobbling bird to find it and killed a different bird later that day.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk