Ducks

[Oregon]

I’ll be killing mallards in 58 days.
I am so tired of fishing. Just ran my 97th trip and was shut down due to Covid for 2 months.
I’ll kill some grouse, geese, quail, bandtail pigeons in less than 2 1/2 weeks, but it doesn’t compare to a proper duck shoot!
Can’t freakin wait. Oct 1 I go unemployed til Mar 1.
I’m super angry this year, my goal is 85 days of duck shoots. I duck hunted 77 days last year.

 

[SemperHunter]

Dang!! I wish I could hunt that much! I may have got a total of 15-20 days this past year.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

What calls do y’all use? Who’s on your lanyard?

Been using RNT for 20 yrs (original, short barrel, daisy cutter, timber hawg and most recently mondo) but a lares hybrid might be the do-all if I was only going to have 1.

 

[SemperHunter]

Those are all solid calls. I'd love to get a butch jigged or even signed call. John and everybody there now is solid of course. I'm still more of small shop call guy though.

 

[Shotshill]

^^^ I think you are referring to something like this.
Butch made these for me in 1999.

 

[SemperHunter]

Yes sir!

 

[backcountry_hunter]

then I'd probably get one of these and not look at another: https://www.raggiocustomcalls.com/

 

[SemperHunter]

I’ve got one of those. I have almost exclusively small shop custom calls. Josh does a fine job! As do many small shop makers. A lot of great guys out there. I’d buy from one of them before I buy a mass produced call unless someone is just getting into duck hunting and calling.

 

[Oregon]

I’m guessing going back to the mid 1990’s I’ve only owned 2 calls.
Haydel-85 and a wigeon/pintail whistle. $33 worth of calls.
If you can’t kill ducks with those 2, you’re doing something wrong. ND, MO, AR, SC, NC, OR, WA, AK, CA, and ID.
All a guy needs, unless you’re a call junkie(absolutely nothing wrong with that!)

 

[backcountry_hunter]

^^^ I know a lot of die hard WF's with thousands of $$$ around their necks and still have DR-85's somewhere in the mix.

 

[Takem]

Been using RNT for 20 yrs (original, short barrel, daisy cutter, timber hawg and most recently mondo) but a lares hybrid might be the do-all if I was only going to have 1.

The Lares hybrid is hard to beat. I use their timber call as well. Great calls.

 

[SemperHunter]

I don’t have one but I’ve blown one

 

[Takem]

We just discovered our floating blind has had it. It's going to be a scramble to get the new one built and towed out to our spot between now and the opener working around a NM elk hunt and a couple of in state deer hunts.

 

[Oregon]

^^^ I know a lot of die hard WF's with thousands of $$$ around their necks and still have DR-85's somewhere in the mix.

I did have a bdr-95 for quite a few years, then they quit making them. If I was smart, I’d order about 10. You just never know when a good thing will come to an end with the dr-85.
Here’s the only calls I own. Copenhagen flat out screws up a Haydel though.

 

[cacklercrazy]

I’ll be killing mallards in 58 days.
I am so tired of fishing. Just ran my 97th trip and was shut down due to Covid for 2 months.
I’ll kill some grouse, geese, quail, bandtail pigeons in less than 2 1/2 weeks, but it doesn’t compare to a proper duck shoot!
Can’t freakin wait. Oct 1 I go unemployed til Mar 1.
I’m super angry this year, my goal is 85 days of duck shoots. I duck hunted 77 days last year.

We sound a lot a like to me. You differently get around hunting more than me. I do love waterfowl hunting especially geese.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

I did have a bdr-95 for quite a few years, then they quit making them. If I was smart, I’d order about 10. You just never know when a good thing will come to an end with the dr-85.
Here’s the only calls I own. Copenhagen flat out screws up a Haydel though.
View attachment 209064

Props on the miner band, I have one also total fluke thing....

I know a couple purist that say the current 85's don't sound like the one's from days gone by.... even though haydels denies any change at all. Not sure if there's any truth to it

 

[BoTheHunter]

Anybody got a mondo lt they want to sell?

 

[SemperHunter]

This is one of the calls I’ll be hunting with this year

 

[JBrew]

I know a couple purist that say the current 85's don't sound like the one's from days gone by.... even though haydels denies any change at all. Not sure if there's any truth to it

Rod was recently on Ramsey Russell's podcast and this was brought up. Best I can remember, there were 6 different tone boards when the calls first came out, and then Eli settled on a single tone board. I tune everything to my liking anyway, but I think there is a little merit to some of the first calls sounding better. It could also be from the resin they were initially using, which they talked a little about.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

^^^^ If you don't already check out shooting time's w/ phil khanke (spelling?). He's only got 20 or so out but has some great down to earth content and Now Ryan Graves is also co-hosting and a weaalth of knowledge. About the only waterfowl podcast I can stand to listen to. They touched on this a few episodes bacck also.