Best all around duck call

[elkandsheep]

I was wondering what everyone thinks is the best all around duck call, at a budget of up to $150?

I have been using a Zink polycarbonate one and am looking to upgrade.

Thanks!

 

[ODB]

Are you looking for a gift?

$150 is a serious bit of change.

I’ve killed a hell of a lot of ducks with a Haydell DR-85.

 

[elkandsheep]

Are you looking for a gift?

$150 is a serious bit of change.

I’ve killed a hell of a lot of ducks with a Haydell DR-85.

Looking for an upgrade from my Zink call. My limit is 150 but I can spend less.

 

[gelton]

Always been a fan of Echo - https://echocalls.com/product-category/duck-calls/

 

[Oregon]

Are you looking for a gift?

$150 is a serious bit of change.

I’ve killed a hell of a lot of ducks with a Haydell DR-85.

I've been hunting ducks religiously for 35 years. Normal season is 70-80 days in the marsh. Not too sound to arrogant, but I am hard on the fowl.
I have 2 calls on my lanyard. Haydel DR-85 and a cheap wigeon whistle. Been that way for 20 plus years. Money don't make a call good.

 

[elkandsheep]

I've been hunting ducks religiously for 35 years. Normal season is 70-80 days in the marsh. Not too sound to arrogant, but I am hard on the fowl.
I have 2 calls on my lanyard. Haydel DR-85 and a cheap wigeon whistle. Been that way for 20 plus years. Money don't make a call good.

Sounds like I have found the one to go with!

 

[ODB]

I've been hunting ducks religiously for 35 years. Normal season is 70-80 days in the marsh. Not too sound to arrogant, but I am hard on the fowl.
I have 2 calls on my lanyard. Haydel DR-85 and a cheap wigeon whistle. Been that way for 20 plus years. Money don't make a call good.

amen. Have a whistle as well. Only other call I have is an HS single reed that someone returned to the store I worked at because “it sucked”. I doused it in alcohol and went out a promptly killed some ducks with it.

 

[Wetwork]

I've been hunting ducks religiously for 35 years. Normal season is 70-80 days in the marsh. Not too sound to arrogant, but I am hard on the fowl.
I have 2 calls on my lanyard. Haydel DR-85 and a cheap wigeon whistle. Been that way for 20 plus years. Money don't make a call good.

Haydel DR85, a Haydel RL99..and for close in the classic KumDuck. I use a old school brass KumDuck whistle made with brass shotgun shells. I'm proud of myself...you didn't even have to show me those calls I figured it out on my own LOL. Pure meat getters, no frills. Of course I don't need a call unless I'm feeling lazy and don't want to scull.-WW

 

[elkandsheep]

I bought the DR-85. Now that I saved so much money thanks to everyone, do you have a Canada goose call that you also recommend? I have a primos goose flute now.

 

[Wetwork]

I bought the DR-85. Now that I saved so much money thanks to everyone, do you have a Canada goose call that you also recommend? I have a primos goose flute now.

I was gonna mention a Olt A-50 flute but ya got basically the newer version. I like the sound out of the flute better, but I"m not a goose. Short reeds are amazing if you can figure them out. Of course in the Youtube era shouldn't be too hard to learn to use one. Get a cheap one to try to figure it out tho. Hadel makes good stuff.-WW

 

[AirborneEScouter]

I have an Echo Pure Meat and I probably won't buy another duck call. I don't know if it's the reed or how they do it but it sounds fantastic, I can squeal, chuckle, hail, call softly and everything in between and I love it. I've had the cheap ones, I've had RNT calls, had Zinks and nothing makes me feel more confident in my calling than this one call I have. I know the ducks might not care at all but there's a cool factor and I don't mind spending some extra coin on an acrylic call. I also have an Echo Timber (cocobola) and it sounds even better, but it's quiet and not as useful in the wide open marshes I typically hunt in Kansas and Missouri

 

[Oregon]

I bought the DR-85. Now that I saved so much money thanks to everyone, do you have a Canada goose call that you also recommend? I have a primos goose flute now.

No. I shoot a lot of geese as well, but I am the world's worst goose caller. I scare geese when I try and call. On goose hunts, my buddy does the calling. Duck hunts, I do.

 

[Oregon]

Haydel DR85, a Haydel RL99..and for close in the classic KumDuck. I use a old school brass KumDuck whistle made with brass shotgun shells. I'm proud of myself...you didn't even have to show me those calls I figured it out on my own LOL. Pure meat getters, no frills. Of course I don't need a call unless I'm feeling lazy and don't want to scull.-WW

Haha. Break out the scull and spotting scope.
Was over in Halfway last week. Unsuccessfully.

 

[Wetwork]

Haha. Break out the scull and spotting scope.
Was over in Halfway last week. Unsuccessfully.

Bummer its a off year fo sho. Miss the coast for duckin, at least ya got that.

 

[T28w]

I think it just depends on what you think a call should sound like. It also has to do with how good you are on the call. I went through a stage of buying one nice duck call a year just to try different ones. I now only have a few that either were gifted to me or sound better than the rest. I have two calls and a whistle. Rnt short barrel stays on the laynard and with a jj lares hybrid or Kirk McCullough cutdown.
One thing about calling. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it hurts, and sometimes it don’t make any difference. If you are where they want to be you really don’t have to call hardly at all. The opposite is also true, no amount of great calling can make them go where they don’t want to be.

 

[KurtR]

I bought the DR-85. Now that I saved so much money thanks to everyone, do you have a Canada goose call that you also recommend? I have a primos goose flute now.

I got a drc life sentence that I like . My buddy has there has there short drop and likes it. Another guy I hunt with runs a grounds half breed and he can call geese . I went from a flute to the short reed and it takes time and practice but so many more sounds. Big Sean has really good tutorials on you tube

 

[Quackhead7]

I would highly suggest a jj lares hybrid or t1 with a reed kit and you can really dial it in for how much air pressure you like to apply from upperduck I have been running the same hybrid for probably 15 years and it won't come of my call lanyard for another 15 plus

 

[dannysanch94]

Personally with duck calls I like the new delrin material a lot of call makers are coming out with. Coming from MN I'm real partial to DRC Calls and C&S custom, can't go wrong with either one and delrin will save you half the money of acrylic and sound (I think) more live bird, less stage competition. Another really good company to go with for duck calls is pacific calls out of spokane area, make amazing realistic calls, again I'd go with delrin material for actual hunting. Goose I have experience with a few where DRC Calls life sentence and short drop are a couple of my favorites, along with molt gear short reed calls. Echo calls make a good ducky wood call too for around $50, it's a solid option

 

[cacklercrazy]

I was wondering what everyone thinks is the best all around duck call, at a budget of up to $150?

I have been using a Zink polycarbonate one and am looking to upgrade.

Thanks!

If serious on a great duck call the two that grab the most wins for live duck calling are either one of the JJ Lares calls or One from RM calls. I use a lares Hybrid for most of my hunting. The great thing about it is no cork to go bad and it almost never sticks. You can also buy different reed lengths to change the sound. The RM calls are sweet calls,but I never have tried one yet. Other calls I wouldn't be afraid to use are calls from Gander Valley. Mark makes a couple neat sounding duck call. Also Stu McCullough makes a darn good call.

 

[Roksliding]

Echo Meat Hanger