Polycarbonate Freak any good?

[motor-ends]

Anyone ever use the Polycarbonate Freak by Elite Duck calls? Good beginner/entry level single reed call?

 

[sanpedroranch]

Never used that call, but i still use my poly buck gardner single reed buck brush call. Its served me well down here in SE, TX.

 

[spur60]

Haven't used the poly carb, but I have an acrylic freak on the lanyard. The tone and volume fits what I want in a single reed.
Biggest suggestion I can make is - the make and model of call doesn't matter. The hands, air presentation, and knowing when to call and when to not call all matter more.

 

[sanpedroranch]

Spot on advice above.

 

[dtrkyman]

I agree with spur60, however certain calls work for certain peoples style. You have to know what you like or what works for you, without trying one it is a crap shoot.

If you are new to calling I would imagine you can learn on any decent call, just takes time!

 

[sanpedroranch]

I missed that calling is new to you. The Haydels DR-85 and Buck Gardner Double Nasty poly calls are user friendly to learn with. You can buy every high dollar Lares, 737, or RNT out there but without practice it’ll never matter. All i do is duck hunt now. I grew up hunting WT and exotics. I stumbled on duck hunting in college. Been my passion ever since. To this day i still keep calls in my vehicle and practice religiously to and from work. After about 3 years i became respectable. I asked a guide for advice once and he said a few things that stuck. I’ll echo one already stated. Knowing when to call is probably more important than being good at calling. That’s #1. There is no magic call. Being on the X and concealment trump calling. A call is essentially a musical instrument. Stick with one and commit to mastering it. The latter was hard to buy into. Lastly, whatever you do DONT try to mimic calling competitions style. A 55 note hail call is to impress judges not ducks. Last year was the worst year I’ve ever experienced on the Katy Prairie. Quite a few times i only used a whistle and did a few quacks here and there. I’m talking maybe 15-20 quacks over a 5 hr sit in the blind.

 

[FoggyScope]

I started with a faulks. Moved onto poly and then acrylic fancy stuff. I just like calls theyre fun to collect. That $20 faulks has never left my lanyard though. When it gets tough out there my friend always goes "try the good one today." Referring to the cheapest call on my lanyard. When to call does matter, and about halfway through the season here we leave the calls at home and just try to be on the x with a half dozen deks.

 

[Wallace]

I have an acrylic Freak in a box of calls in my shop (around 80). My opinion, if you're new to calling and want a cutdown, it's about as easy of a cutdown to blow as you can get. With that said, it leans more to a J frame call than a true cutdown.

That call never made it to my lanyard, but I know I could kill ducks with it if I needed to use it.

 

[BigDuckHunter]

If I were new to duck calling I’d start with a cheaper middle of the road single reed j-frame. Something like a Zink Power Hen or RNT Original. Both can be had for $50. Work on those for a year or two and figure out how to make all the notes. Then go somewhere like Roger’s that has a whole pile you can try out and figure out what sounds the best for what you’re wanting.

I started on a double reed and while it may have been a bit easier to blow initially, it was a lot more limited and I felt I outgrew it pretty quick. Took me several years with my first single reed to get to the point where it couldn’t do something I could.

 

[BigDuckHunter]

Knowing when to call is probably more important than being good at calling. That’s #1. Quite a few times i only used a whistle and did a few quacks here and there. I’m talking maybe 15-20 quacks over a 5 hr sit in the blind.

This is worth repeating. I feel like so many guys learn by watching Main Street duck calling competitions and try to emulate that in the field. While those guys are incredible at getting the largest range out of a call, what they do won’t kill ducks.

You’d be amazed how much success you can have without calling. Of my top 5 days duck hunting, I think 4 of them I never touched a call.

 

[KurtR]

My days of not needing a duck call far out number the days i needed it. Less is more up my country.

Now geese they are a different story

 

[BigDuckHunter]

My days of not needing a duck call far out number the days i needed it. Less is more up my country.

Now geese they are a different story

Funny you say that about geese. Where I’ve killed the majority of mine, they seem even less willing to respond to a call than ducks. We will get on the call to finish them sometimes but 98% of the work is done with the spread or the flag.

 

[KurtR]

Funny you say that about geese. Where I’ve killed the majority of mine, they seem even less willing to respond to a call than ducks. We will get on the call to finish them sometimes but 98% of the work is done with the spread or the flag.

Ya the flag is some thing i drive home to get if i forget. Seems especially as it gets later we can talk more geese in to finishing with the right calling. Timing and reading the birds is key we have a couple buddies we tell them just to leave the call at home. I really love talking with specks it seems your having a conversation with one goose out of the whole bunch.

 

[spur60]

My days of not needing a duck call far out number the days i needed it. Less is more up my country.

Now geese they are a different story

Unpressured mallards, yep, don't need much calling in SD. But hunt the main migration corridor in eastern SD on birds that have been pressured for a week or two and it seems like you need 3 guys running mainstreet routines just hammering on the calls to keep the birds working. But when 75% of the guys hunting field mallards in SD run 4 dozen canadas and 2 spinners, with one guy blowing 5 note hails and some feed chuckles, they start to wise up fast.

 

[Hnthrdr]

For a beginner call double or triple reeds tend to be more forgiving. Duck commander triple threat might be the easiest call to learn on and make decent duck sounds with

 

[KurtR]

Unpressured mallards, yep, don't need much calling in SD. But hunt the main migration corridor in eastern SD on birds that have been pressured for a week or two and it seems like you need 3 guys running mainstreet routines just hammering on the calls to keep the birds working. But when 75% of the guys hunting field mallards in SD run 4 dozen canadas and 2 spinners, with one guy blowing 5 note hails and some feed chuckles, they start to wise up fast.

I grew up over there and still didn’t blow the call much. Went back home last year hunted four days think I blew the duck call twice but we had 8 spinners and 15 dozen Canada decoys