# Tim Grounds or Lynch Mob??



## Duckslayer04 (Oct 2, 2005)

I am debating either buying a Lynch Mob executioner, or a Goose noose compared to a Tim Grounds Pro super mag. Has anyone had personal expirence with lynch mob?

Thanks


----------



## Blue Plate (Jul 31, 2006)

I've never blown a Lynch mob call but I've heard good things.

You can never go wrong with a Grounds Super Mag. It's a proven call. I personally don't like grounds for the amount of air you need to blow them.


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

This is a joke right... Grounds by a long shot, and try his new real thang out, a little easier blowing if your in need. Didn't like the lows on the lynch mob and my Super mags guts are worn in from yrs. of use and i must say this call is magic, and despite what most say takes very little air, lows are beautiful and highs are... highs. Blow them see what you like, the new Triple Crown is an awesome piece of acrylic and isn't just for contests.


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

I wouldn't call it a joke. I've heard good thing on the Lynch Mobs too. But really all these call brand debates are becoming more and more trivial by the day. The market is getting aggressive and advanced enough that you'll have a harder time finding a bad call than you will a good one. Three things will make you a good caller. Practice, a thorough understand of what you're trying to achieve, and a good tune job.


----------



## Blue Plate (Jul 31, 2006)

The funny thing is there is such a small difference between any short reed goose call that it comes down to personally choice. The Lynch Mob executioner is a great call.

A friend of mine is a call maker and I'll sit in his shop and try 4 different sets of guts with the same call. They all sound slightly different with: flyway x, clucker, H&S etc guts. Anymore it's about marketing and hype not sound.


----------



## live_4_quack (Mar 1, 2007)

diver_sniper, I always like your posts. "keeps it real" so to speak. You're right. these posts about call vs. call are almost getting as much play as the old decoy vs. decoy discussion. Along those lines, I bet if you ask 10 diff. guys what their favorite call is, you'll probably get 6 or 7 different answers. Just depends on what you like. That's my ignorant, uneducated
:2cents:


----------



## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

well you can basically attribute all of this shortreed chaos to Tim Grounds and Sean Mann, as far as I know they were the first to come out with the short reeds. I was thinking about this exact same thing as I paged through the new Macks prairie wings catalog. Every company has added a couple short reeds this year. It turning into a mess. The thing is, I almost wish someone could come out with something more unique (the next shortreed) to weed out some of this rif-raf.


----------



## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Don't know if the is "the next shortreed" but it sure is a cool lookin call. http://www.brantacalls.com


----------



## steelheadslayer (Jun 9, 2007)

Duckslayer100, I found those calls a couple weeks ago and they sound super sweet. I do believe I will have one on my lanyard this season.


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

I'll stick to the theory I've had all along. Goose hunting is the cool thing right now. It's "what people are talking about". You're going to keep seeing more calls and more call makers until this thing eventually fizzles out. Not to sound all doom and gloom or anything, but that's just how trends go.

And if they do come out with the "new short reed", I'm not really sure what it could be. It wont be a hit if it's something that's easy to do. It may sell, but it won't generate much hype. We love short reeds because they are so difficult to master. Something you can do at home, but there is also a larger stage for it. It's almost turned into the same type of thing as pro sports. I like baseball. I wish I could hit 450 foot home runs like the pros but I can't, so I will instead simply admire their skills from afar, and play softball with my buddies. I like goose calling, but I can't blow a mind bogglingly fast double cluck like the pros can, so I'll just make some noise in the yard with my buddies, and admire the pros from afar. They hold our attention because we like what they are doing. But, will the appeal last? Well, we'll see. Until then, they are going to keep making their pennies where they can, and who can blame them?

Last, I'm gonna go ahead and give Charlie Hess credit over Grounds and Mann on starting the short reed revolution. I believe Grounds worked with Hess on it, but Hess did a lot more innovating when it comes to goose calls than anyone else.


----------



## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Diver-sniper,

You sure do know hot to hit the nail on the head...work any construction? I'll agree that goose hunting is the "in" thing right now, but for serious hunters, I don't think it will ever go out of style. (That may be the "duh" statement of the year).

And you're right, at this point in time there are more choices for calls than ever before...and as far as top-end calls go, the margins between better and best are becoming smaller and smaller. Call me an optimist, but I think, for us hunters, that's a good thing. That means there's less of a chance to get a call that doesn't meet our personal requirements in excellence.

I kind of look at call makers like I do micr-breweries. To me, it's exciting to see small companies come out with their own versions of short-reeds or whatnot. And there always will be the choice between Bud and Blue Moon.

And in the end, it all could be like the dot.com boom of the late nineties. All these small call-makers may saturate the market and cause a supply backlash. Though unlikely with a medium like game calls, it could happen. And then, the call companies that are left will be the ones that have stood the test of time.

This post seems trivial, but I think it goes along pretty much with what you're saying, though I think I see it less as "doom and gloom" and more as an opportunity for both hunters and call makers.

But that's just me. 8)


----------



## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

I actually have had ideas for a new call. There are so many sounds that geese make that are impossible to exactly replicate on a short reed. It would just be difficult to ever replace a call like a shortreed goose call.

Hey duckslayer are you working construction in town here?


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

Jeez, you guys sure seem to like me lately 8)

You called it slayer, it is a time of opportunity for everyone that wants to get involved. I love to see the little companies working their way out of the ground too. What I'm waiting to see is if some of these companies will start dropping their prices a little bit to pull in some of our business. Because really you have to remember how small of a group we are as call buyers. Think of how many guys you know, then think of how many of them goose hunt, then think of how many of them have spent $150 bucks on a goose call in their life. I bet you're down to a number you could count on your fingers. And really there aren't that many guys like us who are willing to buy more than a few of these things.

So in other words I can imagine it's gotta be damn tough to be a young call company in todays market. Imagine someone starts a company and sells 100 calls. That's 15 grand if those calls went for $150 each(the maker would make less than that per if they used any type of middle man). $15k sounds like a lot, but if you're trying to make your living off call making, you're going to have sell a lot more than that considering they probably spend more than 15 grand on supplies, equipment, marketing, and tent spots at shows. (Not to mention the $3 dollar a gallon gas that they have to burn getting to those shows all over the country) Then consider how many different companies people could go to. Also the investment it would take to even get started. Even though my numbers are made up, it's gotta be a hard thing to get started and keep going.

Here's another thing to think about, buying a call isn't like buying a car. It's not something a lot of people are exposed to everyday. If you're going to buy a car you're going to have lots of options and lots of info and opinions from people on each type. If you're going to buy a call it's doubtful that many people you know will be able to tell you which way you should go. So you end up going with what has seemed consistent and can be bought anywhere. Zink, Foiles, and Grounds. They've got lots of videos, their faces are on everything waterfowl, they must sell a good product right?

So back to my original point, what can some of these baby companies do to compete? I have no doubt that they are able to offer equivalent quality and customer service, but that's not enough in an already established niche market. So really the only realistic thing I can see that they could do is cut prices, just like Grounds did with the poly carb Super Mag. Sell their acrylics for $120 instead of $150. Get people to start talking about them, then they might have something. The other thing would be to hire some kids that are good in these contests to get them a few wins in big comps to generate some hype. That seems to be the two things that come into play when people talk about buying calls. Price for some, and hype for others.

Hah, this conversation may be trivial, but thats ok, it's the off season. Maybe next we can go into a conversation about the decoy market. I'll see if I can't say something that will get WS7 all riled up again, that's always a good time


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

Can you say Field Hudnall.... Reason Zink calls exploded, not all the credit, but his worlds wins are a big big part. Unbelievable guys make up that company, and we expect no less so if you wanna be big you gotta treat everyone as though they are "BIG". Word of mouth is your best friend, getting yourself a "Field Hudnall "to win ya some contests and do some PR can increase a call companies value immensely. :strapped:


----------



## BANDCOLLECTOR (Oct 13, 2006)

i have a goose noose lynch mob and a tim grounds call!! but I LOVE my LYNCH MOB!! and my tim grounds is really hard to blow, but thats cause i need the reed to be grounded down, though!! so LYNCH MOB!! :wink:


----------



## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

universitywaterfowler said:


> Can you say Field Hudnall.... Reason Zink calls exploded, not all the credit, but his worlds wins are a big big part. Unbelievable guys make up that company, and we expect no less so if you wanna be big you gotta treat everyone as though they are "BIG". Word of mouth is your best friend, getting yourself a "Field Hudnall "to win ya some contests and do some PR can increase a call companies value immensely. :strapped:


Continuing on that whole idea, I wish people would begin realizing that no one wins crap on Foiles calls. Well let me fix that a little bit, no one wins crap on foiles calls if they are actually blowing the way foiles teaches. The fact that he says to never ever EVER use your tougue just screws over anyone that considered contest calling. You lose half of the sounds that judges today want to here. Could you imagine a routine from Big Sean with no quick spits, gavels, hiccups, spit notes, etc. if he just straight up did really fast clucking and the occasional moan?

It is amazing how much of an impact the SMH had on the high end goose market though. I would have to say it is probably the best-selling high-end goose call. The only reason for it too is just the marketing. I have never really heard of another goose call that people will go buy because they heard it is the best. That is what my dad did in about 2000. He got lucky to get probably the best call Foiles ever put out.


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

GB, you took the words right out of my mouth. Foiles calls have a knack for coming in second, but they just don't seem to have what it takes to win most of the time. One world win, that was done by Shawn Stahl, who jumped ship soon after he won. Although, I'm willing to bet that Big Sean wins within the next two years.


----------



## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Sniper-

I agree that it takes some marketing -- via a dozen competition wins or so -- to get a company off the ground. And you're right, the amount a small call maker makes in today's world probably is peanuts. But then again, if its just something a guy has on the side...well I wouldn't mind that little extra cash! :beer: If a guy were to go into call making and drop everything just to do it, the chances are slim to none that he'll actually scratch out a decent living. On the other hand, if he plays his cards right and does it SMART, well who knows...in five to ten years we may all have calls on our lanyards that don't have anything to do with Grounds, Foiles, etc.

On a different note, I find it curious that Foiles, who, if I'm following you correctly, doesn't have many competition wins, still manages to control quite a large margin of the call market. Now, I think he took a much different approach. Instead of pouring all his resources into calling contests, he shot straight for the gut and marketed the crap out of his product. Interesting, eh? No big wins but you have to admit, the man knows how to sell calls. I don't personally own one, but I know plenty of guys who do.

Just something I thought of ...


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

Jeff isn't going to teach you how to contest call, he meats thousands of people each year that want to learn how to blow a short reed, his advice is for those people who want to kills geese in the field. You wanna learn how to contest call you gotta work and work at it, asking as you go, but you cant say hey teach me how to blow a short reed and expect him to break out in contest calling routines. Not to mention hes not a contest caller anymore, he has his son for that and of course big Sean (unbelievable to see him do a contest routine in person). For someone to teach you the contest routine and really break all that down you would need days even weeks to train with them and progress, not gonna happen at a trade show. God those spits mixed with spit moans and whines are a bia... to learn, takin me forever to perfect. Jeff Foiles is very good at teaching people in the 15 mins he has with them how to get the basics down i.e. clucks, honks etc.. for that getting your tongue flicking isn't necessary.


----------



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

universitywaterfowler said:


> Jeff isn't going to teach you how to contest call, he meats thousands of people each year that want to learn how to blow a short reed, his advice is for those people who want to kills geese in the field. You wanna learn how to contest call you gotta work and work at it, asking as you go, but you cant say hey teach me how to blow a short reed and expect him to break out in contest calling routines. Not to mention hes not a contest caller anymore, he has his son for that and of course big Sean (unbelievable to see him do a contest routine in person). For someone to teach you the contest routine and really break all that down you would need days even weeks to train with them and progress, not gonna happen at a trade show. God those spits mixed with spit moans and whines are a bia... to learn, takin me forever to perfect. Jeff Foiles is very good at teaching people in the 15 mins he has with them how to get the basics down i.e. clucks, honks etc.. for that getting your tongue flicking isn't necessary.


Great way of breaking it down! :beer:


----------



## muddy river (Jan 16, 2007)

Duckslayer100 said:


> Don't know if the is "the next shortreed" but it sure is a cool lookin call. http://www.brantacalls.com


That band and the blue MX1 is actually the call? Are you serious? How big is that thing? 1 3/4"? Too weird. I'll pass, no offense.


----------



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

The sound files of that call sound good but I swear I have heard them somewhere else before. Any idea how much they cost as I did not see it on the site. I don't see myself changing what I use right now. Like they say if it works why change it!


----------



## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

I think it said 45 bucks...the band and the blue part are just one end, there is a clear acrylic barrel too that's harder to see. I had the first impression that you did until I looked at the pic a bit closer. Those sound files do sound good...and familiar...but with all the calls out there I think it's getting harder to tell them apart anyway. :wink:


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

I'll agree, Foiles did make it by doing some hardcore marketing. I also think he did it by spending his summers on the road personally selling his product. I can't say I've been to a ton of shows, but each year at Game Fair you can count on Foiles himself being there pushing his calls. And I think a lot of people like the idea of buying a call from the top dog, not some pro staff representatives. I mean I walked into his tent last year, talked to Big Sean for a bit, blew a few calls, decided to buy one. Then I asked where Foiles was cuz I made the deal when I was looking that I'd only buy one if I could get an autograph too. Before I knew it they were all looking at each other asking, "Where is he!? Where'd he go!?" Then they started calling his phone, sure enough, he walked away from his lunch to come over and etch his name into the band of the call for me. Stuff like that sells. You can offer the best over the phone customer service out there, but nothing beats a smile and a hand shake in person.

The other thing that I think helped him is that he got started during the right time in the short reed craze. Early enough that he could still push his nose in, but not so early that people weren't buying a lot of calls yet.

And finally, Fallin Skies seems to have been one of the cheapest, easiest to find, and most bought videos on the market for a while now. People remember those stacks of geese when they approach a call case.


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

yea, a few years back i bought a timber rattler from him and he insisted he sign a cap for me.... not really my bag but he really insisted. The deal with Jeff at the shows is that he does a lot of running around, hes always running seminars and setting that up, plus he likes to watch some of the contests going on and help his son Cole. However he really is a good guy and will take the time to help ya out. People also gotta stop obsessing with "famous" people, they have pro staffers for a reason they aren't hacks from off the street. Big Sean is the man and i love talking to him, he is really laid back and will teach you anything you wanna know on a goose call, he is with all do respect better than Foiles with a goose call now. Happens to be one of the best out right now period. All im saying is don't think you have to meet the head guy and have him tune your call or its not going to work, some people take it to far almost being disrespectful. :fiddle:


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

I never said if Jeff or Tim or Fred or John doesn't tune your call it isn't going to work. I'm just saying that sometimes when people see someone that they know is a prominent figure in the waterfowling community, there is some awe value to that. I'm saying that when your average Joe walks into the tent, I doubt that it's uncommon for him to think, "Oh man, it sure would be cool to be able to tell my buddies that I bought my call from Jeff Foiles himself."

I tune my own calls, I don't need a big timer to do that for me, I just think that some people really enjoy the idea of buying a call personally from someone that people know of.


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

I came off wrong... and agree with you sniper... I also tune my own calls, all of them. However when your talking about people calling him and interfering with what hes doing i dont go for that, come back later if you want to meet him but to me... you don't make it a bother. I talk to him a lot at shows and i see what he has to do to prepare, and help his son etc... doesn't need to be getting calls non-stop pulling him away from his bus. we all need breaks even if we love what we do. and family is very important :beer:


----------



## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

I don't know though University,

In the same case, if I was buying a 150 dollar call from a guy and he was located somewhere in the state, I would probably want to talk to him a little. I too would want him to sign my call. I would even get him to sign my grounds' call if he was willing :lol: .

I truly believe that the whole reason for the Foiles boom at the end of the 90's was caused entirely by his design, colors, and how darn pretty the SMH is. And it is a decent call (I will admit that for you Leo [I trust you bought your calls on sound not color though]), I know 3 guys that all bought stupid SMH's and don't even know what a cluck is.

That whole arguement that Jeff Foiles calls the way he does for hunting purposes only is crap!! If you think that geese like hearing four guys cluck as fast a possible then why does every flock flair and then get shot at 40 yards? All Foiles does basically is pass shoot with decoys out.

I will admit though that he can shoot. And all the best callers in the world mean nothing if they can't put that bead up and slam the trigger.


----------



## Almomatic (May 6, 2006)

Duckslayer100 said:


> Don't know if the is "the next shortreed" but it sure is a cool lookin call. http://www.brantacalls.com


I'll sell you mine, looks cool but thats about it IMO.


----------



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

If I remember my first short reed was a half breed. I could not blow it so like an idiot I bought another, and then another and yes I think another. In total I bought 6 I think. Yes I was an idiot but I was driven, obsessed, and probably a few other adjectives to blow a short reed effectively. I even bought all the TG cassettes (sp). Well as I type I remember I did buy a double clucker before the half breeds when I was in high school. Anyway my hunting partner at the time could blow the half breed okay but a lot better than me. I think I think tried a few others and I still sounded like the party horn. Now these were the days of the SPAV, Benny, Hoosier Jim, the first duck hunting chat... So although there was a lot of guys with knowledge and guys willing to teach it was not at the level it is today. Anyway I believe sometime in 98 I openned a Waterfowler Mag and saw Foiles full page add. I will admit I was impressed by the looks of that call. It looked solid and then I read how it was the winningest call of 98 or something like that. Then I found dedduck.com and learned more about the calls and their cost. But what sold me over all was 1 the claim of how easy it was to blow and Jeff Foiles down to earth ness. I called the shop, talked to Tammy and my first SMH was on the way. Purple Haze. The first time I blew it I once again sounded like a party horn hahaha. But I did notice a difference. Everyday i got better and better and then the momenet happened. I got the reed to pop, snap, crack or what ever term you want to use. I became better and better. Honestly on one of the lakes I hunted you could hear the other hunters talk. I could hear a lot of positive comments about my calling. But that was Alaska and it was not a tough crowd. But the number of birds in my bag started to increase. I was turning flocks even after we shot them up. Then my reed bubbled. I called the shop and I was hooked up. So that taught me I needed a back up. So SMH #2 came in the color of Orange Crush (R.I.P.). 

Anyway I have not bought another brand goose call since late 98 or early 99. I have never had a problem with customer service there. Jeff has taken the time to e-mail thanking me. He has donated calls and given discounted calls when I have asked, my boxes have arrived with some freebies...

So GB you are right, I did not buy the calls for color however their appearance really caught my eye. Then a lot of other factors added up led to my first purchase. But I have been loyal because #1 customer service, #2 sound quality and ease of use #3 I really have not blown another call that has made me want to "jump ship".

What is the point of all this? I don't know I guess I felt like typing and well I was once an ignorant call buyer (half breeds). I should have stuck with one but I was young, dumb, and had a little money to spend.

I will disagree that all of Foiles shots are at 40 yards. Maybe the videos and DVDs you have of his hunts are different than mine. But if you think about it you probably have a better pattern at 40 yards then you do at 5. And honestly while I am babbling I find it funny that the guy gets crap when he does shoot them at 5 yards and now he is getting crap for shooting them at 40. I know a lot of buys have a big bad boner for the guy and don't agree with him but I am willing to bet he has done more for waterfowling, waterfowlers, and the future then a lot of us combined. Not trying to start an argument. Just stating how I feel.

And on one last note. I wish I could call as good as I did in 99 - 2001. I have gotten lazy with the call but I am still able to fool a bird or 2 so its not all bad. I apologize if there are any typos and if you actually read all of this! :lol: :beer:


----------



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

diver_sniper said:


> "Oh man, it sure would be cool to be able to tell my buddies that I bought my call from Jeff Foiles himself."
> 
> .


Its funny I have never felt that way (because honestly when I was younger I could see where I might have fit that image) but I have honestly met people that do. It is the old "what you got is better then what you know" attitude. But me personally knowledge is power, especially the knowledge of killing birds. To me that is more important than the tools.


----------



## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

Man, you have to love the off-season though, it seems like a topic starts and then the thread gets totally hijaked and a great informative discussion breaks out. No one gets extremely irate and the whole atmosphere is more comfortable. Only the die-hards come on and the yahoos are too busy not caring about the sport.

I learned to call on a SMH, it is by far the easiest call I have ever blown. My dad bought it probably in '98 or '99. I never had issues with breaking the reed; to this day I don't understand when people can't do it. I know for a fact though that my dad bought the call based on what others said. When I decided to buy my first goose call I was stuck between a meat grinder and a polycarb supermag. I personally just liked the sound of the super mag better. There was really no issue of looks involved in that purchase since at the time both those calls were uglier than the last dump I took. My major beefs with Foiles came after this day. I just don't like his style of calling. When you only believe in two notes it really gets old listening to a video. I guess that would be the only benefit from the videos that he shows little actual hunting and more just kill shots. Nah, his videos are okay. Look at this year. Foiles puts out his best video and Zink puts out a video that isn't worth a velvet portrait of dolphin and whale getting it on. What is this world coming to?

All I really have to say is that today is a great day. It's my birthday, both my hunting buddies bought new shotguns, my dad opened a letter from GNF and found out he drew a once in a lifetime Elk tag, and I am talking hunting on Nodak with my Girlfriend interested in our conversations. Definetly a great day to be alive.

I better see every single diehard waterfowler at Midwest waterfowl fest. That is North Dakota's only festival. We need to support it. Plus I love putting faces to usernames.

Why don't we have a state goose contest?????


----------



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Well first and foremost HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Second you first paragraph sums it up good!

Third I will be there in Fargo in thought but duty calls so that is where I will be!

I am sure this year there will be some great conversations over some cold ones! Can't wait to hear all about it and hopefully see some pictures!!

Once again HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

goosebusters said:


> I don't know though University,
> That whole arguement that Jeff Foiles calls the way he does for hunting purposes only is crap!! If you think that geese like hearing four guys cluck as fast a possible then why does every flock flair and then get shot at 40 yards? All Foiles does basically is pass shoot with decoys out.
> You think he does it for the contests.... LOL It does seem like hes poking at them a lot of times but come on he uses Final Approach decoys. It does get old listening to his vids, but have you seen Shawn Stahls OMG can you say QUIT with the train note... holy hell thats annoying. Big Sean is usually doing some spits and dif. notes like that by the way. And yes LEO Like I have said before Foiles is a great guy and he will work with you, over the phone or in person. So are Most Big guys in the industry. SMH.. first short reed i blew and i'll never forget it, Foiles tuned it himself and it sounds awesome. That was way back in the day but I still talk to him every chance i get. :beer:


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

Happy B-day GB. Sounds like you had a good one :thumb:

Since we're story telling... I actually won my first short reed. It was on another forum that is run by some guys out in Washington state I believe. Anyways, they had a small call maker sign on as a site sponsor. So as a welcome he was going to give away a free goose call. It was pretty much the same system that Chris uses in his give aways, respond to the post and I'll grab a name at random. Sure enough, I had a Great Basin something or other goose call in the mail a couple of weeks later. To this day I'm still not sure what it's made of, all I know is he sold them for 90 bucks each, and is no longer in business. PC said it right though. Party horn is about the only sound I could come up with. I just sat on that call for about a year because I was doing mostly duck hunting at the time. Then a buddy took me out to a September goose field. I was hooked and started working with that short reed some more. Still very party hornish though. So I did the same thing PC did, went out and bought another one. A poly carb Super Mag(I'll note that I have blown the life right out of that call. It falls apart, it sounds like crap, I still keep her around though). Took 2 months of teaching myself but I finally learned how to control a honk and worked from there. Buying Honker Talk after a few months was a real help too.

I don't actually have more than one call from any maker now. Each time I buy one I seem to try a different brand out. My favorite is my GK Little Giant. They really nailed it when they made that call. It can make your ears ring and then one honk later sound like the biggest oldest bird in the field. However, no one I've ever handed it to has had the same luck. Just goes to show that not every call is for every person. My next ones will be from Lynch Mob, Bay Country, and probably that new stubby Shawn Stahl call. Sheesh. I'm Gonna have to start donating some plasma to pay for all these toys.

On Jeff Foiles... I'm in the middle. I've got a High Plains Honker, I liked it at first, but it hasn't been cooperating with me lately. And I've blow the SMH many times and it just never clicked with me. I do greatly respect the fact that he took what he loves, waterfowling, and made a living for himself out of it. I wish I could do that. But going to college for fishery/wildlife management is as close as I'm going to get.

On Shawn Stahl's train note. I have put more early season Canadas on the ground with that note than I have with anything else since I started calling. To the trained ear it sounds like trash, but when it's putting birds in your face who really cares?

On Waterfowl Fest. You get bet your butt I'll be there. I wish I could say I'm going to get myself into some of the comps but I'm afraid I don't have the confidence yet. Partially because I can't practice in my apartment, and I couldn't in my dorm, so I haven't been able to seriously practice for almost a year now. And partially because I've never had the chance to blow with anyone that's better on the call than myself. That's not to say I'm great or anything, I'm just saying that my buddies are the only ones I've called with, and I'm still working on teaching them what I know, so the advice flows pretty much one way. However, I'll be in the front row cheering you on if you decide to compete again this year GB. Maybe you can lend me some hints afterwards. I'll be sure to snap some pics of it for PC to see too.


----------



## live_4_quack (Mar 1, 2007)

This will be my 3rd winter since I gave up Duck hunting and became sickly addicted to Canada Geese. As someone who is trying to teach myself, I want to tell you guys that this is a very real and informative discussion. I bought my first short reed call, a shiny new, on clearance for 19.99 Canada Hammer 4 mo. ago to learn on. I blow it every day to and from work. I am to the point where I can make the notes and can tell there is a little tone, or resonance lacking and want a nicer call, but where do you start? I am to the point that I don't really think I can go wrong with whatever I decide I like. I went to Sportman's warehouse and tried all of the brands they carried. to me, and I understand it is different for everyone, I liked the SMH the best. The air felt smooth through it when I tried it. I still want to try a few others before I buy one, but that's where I am leaning. This is a ramble but these are the kind of posts that I surf through these forums all day long to read. As opposed to all of the mindless arguing and bashing. I know this sounds stupid, but when I read you guys talking in depth in comparison between different call manufacturers it helps me. I realize that I am not the only "goose geek" on the face of the earth. Anyway, I know that this long novel doesn't really coorelate, but I don't care I don't have anything else to do right now.


----------



## waterfowler06 (Aug 10, 2006)

If your not into comp calling big deal if they dont have much for wins. The average goose hunter that isnt involved with comp calling prolly isnt gonna give a crap. He just wants to put geese in his face to kill'em and there has been a crap load of geese killed over a SMH.


----------



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

I will add this. Once I learned how to blow a short reed I could pick up any of them and do it. I will admit I have a harder time with Grounds calls. I must not be as full of wind as most think!


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

I'm sure Stahl's train note works, you can see that in his video i'm just saying that is really annoying to listen to when its non-stop. I realize hes gotta kill geese and do what works but doesn't make it any less annoying. If you know how to tune goose calls you should be able to tune your Super Mag to be easy blowing and still sound as beautiful as they always do. :sniper:


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

You would think so. But nothing I have tried has worked. And I've tried quite a few things. I can literally hold onto the insert and watch the barrel fall right off. I've put brand new reeds in it, shaved them, tried every possible thing I can come up with. Even put reeds from other working calls into it, nothing. It was a gradual thing too, it didn't all of a sudden just start sounding bad one day. And I've tuned it dozens of times before, so it can't be that, it's not like I suddenly forgot how to do it. I'll keep working with it.

See now I've never had trouble with Grounds calls, Leo. For some reason Zink calls are the ones that I struggle with. Probably just need to get used to them, but I must say, I'm right beside bandman on the Super Mag band wagon. Even though mine is screwed up, if I had to pick one call I had to use for the rest of my life it would probably be a PSM.


----------



## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

Hey Sniper did you replace the actual guts at all? I had that exact same issue with my super mag. I tuned it every way imaginable, and replaced reeds twice and the guts were what was shot. I'm guessing you probably have, but just a thought.


----------



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

I guess I need to clarify. I can blow it and sound fine. I just lack the wind strenght to keep going. Its odd cause I can talk and talk and talk but when it comes to blowing a supermag I get worn out.

And I guess that brings up another thing. I honestly believe if you know how to blow a short reed then you should be able to pull any of them out of a box and blow it. It should come that way from the factory. Now if you want to tune to your particular liking then that is another thing but it should at least come as a functioning call. I also tune my own calls as I always take the guts out and clean everything. Once you figure it out its really not hard to do. At least in my opinion!

And since it was brought up that dam train note is annoying as hell in the videos. That is one thing I pick up on is each brand video seems to have a style and most times they use it over and over and over.... To me it proves one thing. If you don't have a bunch of spreads around you, your on the X, decoys are out right, and your hidden you can blow just about anything at them and they will come in. Half the time you don't even have to call. But I will admit it is hard for me to put my call down and most times I am just blowing it for my own pleasure!


----------



## taddy1340 (Dec 10, 2004)

Leo Porcello said:


> I guess I need to clarify. Its odd cause I can talk and talk and talk but when it comes to blowing I get worn out. and most times I am just blowing it for my own pleasure!


 8)


----------



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

I guess I will have to go chop up a bunch of your posts to make you look like your a rooster sucker. Ahhhh payback is going to be sweet!


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

Guts is the only thing I haven't checked yet. When I get to Game Fair or Waterfowl Fest I'll have to track someone down that will have some I can buy. I'm starting to think some of my other calls could use some new parts too. Most people say they never put new parts in, but I'm gonna start experimenting.

I agree. If you can blow one short reed, you can blow all of them. My only deal with Zink calls is that I can't seem to find any speed with them. But then again I don't think I've ever blown one for more than a minute at a time. Like we keep saying, just gotta get used to em.

The train note has helped me the most when birds try to short stop me. I don't pull it out unless it looks like they are going to try and land about 50 yards out. More often than not, and I can't say why, but it gets them to pick up and come the rest of the way.

Other than that, I agree, early in the year there are days when you could give a couple of 5 year olds the calls and tell them to go to town and still kill birds. But the next day it could be a completely different story, and then different again the next day, that's what makes goose calling as much fun as it is.


----------



## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

diver_sniper said:


> Probably just need to get used to them, but I must say, I'm right beside bandman on the Super Mag band wagon. Even though mine is screwed up, if I had to pick one call I had to use for the rest of my life it would probably be a PSM.


2shay. :thumb: :beer: I could keep spending more and more $ on calls in the next couple years and they won't get anywhere close to 1/8 of the use my PSM gets in a given year. I'm rapidly falling out of the "curiosity call buying stage/addiction" and the TC &/or the new FD might hopefully prove to be the final victims for quite some time barring another flare-up. :wink:

Diver: feedback on the Shore Thing would be great once you have it available. Geez, here I go again thinking about new and different calls already. :-?


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

Well if i new where ya lived we could get together and I would show you my easy blowing Super Mag. Tune yours for ya if that indeed is the problem, a hairline crack may be in the mix here idk. Yes Zinks calls do take some getting use to and for me it was a bit, almost sold my power clucker and just said f it however I am all about calling so i didn't and I tuned moving it a hair at a time, put in the hours and my power clucker is an amazing machine, my little man is heaven on earth and I am a firm believer they are "the call"
God that super mag took me a long while to get on board with too and its a dang close second to my zinks, those triple crowns are so hard to put down, and I can only imagine the " Real thang" will be my next goose call. Triple crown guts with shorter barrel for faster response.... gold.
MAYBE WE BOTH GO TO GAME FAIR THAT FIRST DAY IT OPENS???
side not: lets start a topic on why its so hard to get people to pay with money order or check on classifieds, and why they seem so excited to buy your call or whatever then bail when it becomes time to pay... rambling now lol


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

and why you dont want new guts is the same reason the triple crown guts are more money... worn in guts produce more realistic goose sounds. Better control and all that jazz. May even be the reason my super mag is easier blowing. Look for hairline cracks


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

I know, and that's what I always hear, broken in guts are better. People buy the triple crown for the guts. People hook vacuum cleaners up to new calls to break in the guts. But I've never personally had much luck with this type of thing. I can only think of one of my calls that got better with time. Other than that it seems like the more I blow it, slowly the farther it gets from the nice sound it had when I got it. It could be that I need to replace reeds, maybe I need guts, maybe it's broken, maybe I just don't like the "broken in" sound as much, I dunno, I'll keep working with it. Trial and error.


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

no its just that your slipping into insanity. seriously get some help. :toofunny:


----------



## goosebusters (Jan 12, 2006)

I want to talk about sounds man. Snipes said that when geese are shorting him that he runs the train on em. I would say give em that as confidence when they are already coming in. My favorite thing to do when the are lighting short, is give them a low-high double cluck or the Fred Zink hiccup in a goosey rhythm going from way deep and going up as high and loud until they change there minds and then back down. One thing I always do though that others may disagree with is that when you know they see something they don't like and keep trying to land somewhere else, I always blow the piss out of my call which will usually prevent them from landing and pulling all of those birds to that spot in the field. Anyone who goose hunts knows how much it sucks when all the birds go somewhere else in your field. It certainly makes you feel dumb.

We are filming a good portion of our hunts this year, and one that I wanted to do, but I don't think I could get any of my partners to do is have a silent early season goose hunt. Just to show some people that overcalling is common during early goose season.


----------



## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

Yes what your describing is almost like a comback call, lower to higher your just not doing a moan, just low clucks to high clucks fast and hard. Works perfectly for both situations as you described, I agree %100. Same thing with ducks, when they are landing short or somewhere else hit them with some hard excitement and draw them closer. And actually you can just do a comeback call, however i do add a lot of the fast hard extremely excited clucks into it. :bowdown:


----------

