# short reed calls



## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

I need some help! I am interested in starting to use short reed goose call because they sound much nicer and supposedly are easier to blow when mastered. Not looking to spend a fortune for championship call just would like to get ONE good one and master that! So please give some good advice for the best all around short reed.
Thanks, Mike (Face)


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

Face,Everyone has there own favorite goose call.You are likely to get many different opinions on this topic.I guess I would recomend the heartland X-out.It is an acrylic call for 65.00$(that is very cheap for an acrylic)and blows relatively easy.If you end up where you dont care for it there are plenty that do and will probably be pretty easy to sell.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Ya everyone blows calls differently. For example I can't get some calls to sound good for the life of me. Just the style of the call.

Look in the classifieds and pick up a used one. I really don't know anyone who still uses the first call they bought, eventually you'll end up being a "call whore" like the rest of us.


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Yep I have been guilty of being a "call whore" but a few years ago I got a Foiles SMH and have been loyal to Foiles calls ever since. A lot of people swear by his newer call the Meat Grinder. It is about 65 bucks. I can say this. I have owned a few different makes of short reed calls and they all sounded like party horns. I got the SMH and it was a quick learn for me. Now I can pick up all those other short reeds and blow them just as good. Not sure why that is but the SMH is where I got into the grove. Not trying to SPAM. So in other words if you have buddies with short reeds, ask them if you can blow their's (calls) and see what works for you. Leo


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

I personally am blowing a Foiles SMH but have been playing around with alot of other calls lately. All brands have a certain style that has to be used to get the sounds out of them. Some guys have SMH's that are tuned different than mine and it is tough for me to blow them. The best advise I could give would be to get a short reed and start blowing it. Don't get frustrated. It took me awhile to get just a basic honk but I played around more and watched videos and kept practicing and I still am not that good but much better than I ever was on my big river flute. If your looking for a good video try Shawn Stahls Honker Talk. It helped me out alot. That and I blew everyday the entire summer at noon when my roomates were gone for 20 minutes and when I drove places in my pickup. Good luck. I've also heard good things about Winglocks by Rick Perry but have never tried one.


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## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

How about the Foiles poly meatgrinder for $60.00? Porkchop mentioned it but didn't mention how it was. Is there a big diff. between poly and acrylic?


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

For me the Meat Grinder is not as good. Very good sound. The high end is very loud. A lot louder than the SMH. To me it takes some more air. But I think if I was to play with the reeds it could be toned down some. Probably the bottom line of why I am sticking with Foiles calls is because of his crew. You call his shop or send an e-mail and they will answer any question, talk to you on the phone, help you out and you can send your call back and have it adjusted. They have the best customer service in my opinion. Especially after being a top call maker for a few years. You know a lot of call makers will do anything when they first hit the market but then that fades away. I have not witnessed that with Foiles. But like gandergrinder said. Get a call and practice practice practice. Hey I tell you what. I have a brand new Primos (I think) short reed. Send me a PM with your address and I will give you it. It is very loud. I think I got it with Delta or Waterfowler.com. No strings attached. It is just sitting on a shelf in my house. I think it is some what comparible to the Meat Grinder but a little more air required and it vibrates a little more. Let me know. Like I said no strings attached and I promise I am not a stalker or anything. hehe Leo


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

Face I would suggest surfing the hunting site pawn shops. I think the smh is a good call to start with. It is very forgiving. You should be able to buy a very nice used smh for about 100 bucks. If it doesnt work out you can sell it and get your money back. I dont think this will happen. Get the video Shawn Stahls Honker Talk. It is the best instruction tape out there. It will save you a lot of time. All short reeds blow basically the same but their are slight differences. I blow smh, giant killer. and Tim Grounds. TG's are great calls but not the easiest to learn on. I tried Shawn Manns Eastern Shorty and I just plain sucked. Its not the call its the way I blew it. The big name high end calls dont loose much value. So if you buy used you cant loose much. I would suggest you start with a call tuned medium. Most call makers tune them in a medium range unless you ask differently. Wood is great but it does not stay tuned as well as acrylic IMO Good Luck


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## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

Talked with the call guy at Cabela's and he recomended trying the SMH and said to practice,practice,practice also.He said one thing about Cabela's that he likes is that if I decide sometime down the road that I would like a differrent one is to exchange it fir something else no questions asked! Sound like a strange policy but hey, if he says so, besides he mentioned that by me buying a used call it might be tuned different than new and I wouldn't want to mess with the guts until I at least got the hang of it! So I think I'll hit the Owatonna store Wednesday to take a closer look and get some pointers! Thanks for all the tips! I'll let you know what kind of trouble(overspending  ) I run into at Cabela's!!
Thanks again, Face


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## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

Well I just made it back from Cabella's and all I can say is that I made it out by only spending what will remain an undisclosed amount of money!  (Just supporting my hunting habit......remember one can never have enough stuff!)However I did check out the calls and found that the Zink,RNT,Tim Grounds,Eastern shoreman, and foiles are the best of what they had. The Grounds I felt are tough to start out with so after listening to the guy at the counter-who I will say is an excellent caller-I decided to try the Meat Grinder because between that and the SMH he made them sound virtually identical. And besides that he sold it-brand new-for $47. And an invite to do some goose bustin' with him in Waseca at some of his fields! So it's time to practice and drive the wife crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol: 
Face


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## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

All I can say now is AWESOME!!!  The short reed is the way to go!! Still need lots of practice but I think it is coming along great. Going to try to locate SS HonkerTalk video next sounds like some good info. Thanks again for the input guys! :beer: 
P.S. anyone in need of a used big river flute? I suppose since my 3 year old boy loves to blow it, he can have it! He loves to drive mom crazy also!!! :justanangel:


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

With that much enthusiasum you more than likey will be blowing such sweet music all the Hookers will leave ND and head EAST>

Glad to here you had a great day!


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

No kidding! Somebody better get that call from him!


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## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

Ron; or maybe too much music and send them all west to you guys!! :beer:


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