Why don't you make your own mouth calls?

[ScottTaulbee]

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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[compton30]

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!

[GobbleNut]

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.

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...      )

 

[TrackeySauresRex]

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.

[compton30]

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.

I actually live about 20 minutes from the Triple Toe Calls home base. Now my paranoia is off the charts!

[Earlybird31]

What compton30 said. I equate making your own mouth calls to tieing your own flys for fly fishing. It's certainly not necessary and success is always there without it, but if you want to get to a new tier of calling and fit, it makes a big difference. I have buckets of calls that I've experimented with and tossed aside. I couldn't imagine doing that by purchasing calls. I'm not a championship caller, but I have no doubts that I'm a better caller because I'm continuously modifying and trying new cuts and materials. I believe everyone has specific call configurations, fits, and materials that is best for them and provides the sounds they desire. IMO, finding those call designs is much more feasible and realistic if you make your own calls. I also happen to enjoy the process and prefer having some control over the product. I fully understand why someone would not choose to invest in a press, but I do not regret the decision myself. Also, if I did a cost/benefit analysis on everything I did, I'd probably have no hobbies.     

[GobbleNut]

What compton30 said. I equate making your own mouth calls to tieing your own flys for fly fishing. It's certainly not necessary and success is always there without it, but if you want to get to a new tier of calling and fit, it makes a big difference. I have buckets of calls that I've experimented with and tossed aside. I couldn't imagine doing that by purchasing calls. I'm not a championship caller, but I have no doubts that I'm a better caller because I'm continuously modifying and trying new cuts and materials. I believe everyone has specific call configurations, fits, and materials that is best for them and provides the sounds they desire. IMO, finding those call designs is much more feasible and realistic if you make your own calls. I also happen to enjoy the process and prefer having some control over the product. I fully understand why someone would not choose to invest in a press, but I do not regret the decision myself. Also, if I did a cost/benefit analysis on everything I did, I'd probably have no hobbies.     

     I hear ya, buddy.  Here's the deal for me. I figure I make about fifty new calls every spring. As far as cost goes, that is roughly a fifty-dollar investment for me in terms of the materials involved (the time investment is inconsequential to me because I thoroughly enjoy the entire process and it helps pass the time waiting for the season to arrive).

I keep a lot of my calls for two or three years...sorting through them each spring. This spring I had roughly 200 calls to sort through. That equates to about a $200 investment over a three- or four-year period. Considering the alternative of buying that many calls, that is a pretty cheap investment for a hobby that I really enjoy...and which ultimately (and more importantly) gives me confidence that when I call to a gobbler in the spring woods, he thinks I am the real deal. 

[GregGwaltney]

When I had a Feather Ridge press, I was able to make excellent calls almost every time after I figured out what worked for me. The press was expensive, but worth it to me when I was using mouth calls. Hey, use it until it is not needed, then sell it and recoup a lot of your initial cost. For me it was a lot of fun too.