Wood Calls

[Phinkie]

I just got 250 bucks worth of credit at scheels for christmas and I was thinkin about buying a new call. I have already been to scheels and tryed some out but im in a fix. I like both the wood and acrylic and price really doesnt matter. I have heard of wood calls swelling up to the point of not tuneing them anymore? or cracking and splitting because of cold weather and moisture? Lets hear some of your guys pros and cons of both wood and acylic duck calls.

[Rusty Hallock]

For duck calls, I prefer acrylic for hunting. The only reason that I prefer acrylic is the sound. There is no doubt that acrylic is more durable. As far as weather affecting wood calls, I have seen them swell to a point that you could not remove the end piece but after a day of sitting inside a warm dry house, the call comes apart. I have never seen a wood call swell to the point that it drastically effect the sound.

[CluckmeMN]

I agree with rusty! I have had wood calls, and they do swell up, but after they warm up, or dry out, they are just fine. This could be differnt with cheaper calls, as they are not as good of quality as top end woods. But acrylis is WAY more durable.

[Ryan Kleinschmidt]

My favorite call is my LM-1 which has a acrylic mouth piece and a maple bell. The only down fall I run into with this call is extreemly cold temps. I am on my first year with the maple insert and the call has been hunted a lot and it has held up well. The wood calls do swell and are tough to get apart but they sound so good. My maple insert did crack this year but thats gonna happen when your chasing down a cripple in 5 degree weather, running through 10" of snow with your calls banging together will wear on them.

[Troy Bailey]

I just got 250 bucks worth of credit at scheels for christmas and I was thinkin about buying a new call. I have already been to scheels and tryed some out but im in a fix. I like both the wood and acrylic and price really doesnt matter. I have heard of wood calls swelling up to the point of not tuneing them anymore? or cracking and splitting because of cold weather and moisture? Lets hear some of your guys pros and cons of both wood and acylic duck calls.

Wood calls do expand and contract do to temperatures and moisture. They are certainly less durable than acrylic over the long haul but not to a degree that I would avoid buying one.

The only tuning issue I could think of is if a call needs tuned thats been recently used and has swollen. Take it in the house for awhile and leave it alone and it will contract back to normal size and be ready to be tuned.

[Jeremy DeVries]

Most of the wood calls that I have, have a softer more mellow sound to them than my acrylic calls. The acrylics just have more "pop" and more volume. If I were looking for a softer sounding more mellow sound, the wood calls are great. Plus they look awesome!! They will swell, and they will not come apart well in the field. They also scratch easier and require mor care.

I buy moslty acrylic anymore.

The wood lacks volume, sharpness and ease of operation with regard to swelling. The wood is also not nearly as durable.

That being said, I do have a wood RNT original on my lanyard at all times for "in close" duck work. AND, I have a Saunders Reload in maple that I love for medium range geese.

Its all up to you.

[WhistlingWings]

Go acrylic dude.. I hate hunting with wood calls.

[Jason Connellee]

I like them. They work great. A lot of geese have fallen to my LM-1 this season so far. Excellent tone. Good feel. Yeah, they will swell. I swab a little linseed oil in mine. Helps tremdously. Just got to take care of them.

[GERRY MAZUR]

GOT WOOD........an old trick that works great is rub Johnson's paste wax inside and out on the barrel and insert. Just like adding waterproofing. Insert won't move let it hang dry it will eventually pop loose.

[Gooseblitz]

I love the sound of wood for the field...gotta be careful though....I had a great sounding Maple SR-1 that I sold to a buddy when I started pro staffing for Foiles and when I hunted with him he showed me it was starting to crack from the end of the bell...it is a great looking piece of wood too....

I now have a Hedge High Plains Honker, Cocbola SMH and as my goto call a burnt hedge Market Hunter....for the field I love the raspy sound and these calls are a little thicker near the end so hopefully they will resist cracking an little better.

[Honk This!]

Can't beat acrylic its very durable and wont split or crack as easy as wood will. Seen a guy fall on his goose call and break the end of it off. He still used it in a competition and placed really well with it. if it were a wood call it would of been destroyed. Like my grandfathers call that I had. Funny story slipped on some ice and feel right on the call. Turning it into nothing but cindling wood. Id go with acrylic all the way. Good luck. :D