Increase in cost of turkey calls especially mouth calls

REN

REN

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It really does blow my mind when you take a look at the changes in prices for turkey calls over the past 10 years especially the mouth call area. For pot calls I get it, wood costs are up and material costs are up and the custom type calls take time and money to produce.

Mouth calls however just piss me off when I see them for $17 -$20 for something that costs about $1 to produce material wise. It makes me even more frustrated in this area because they are all so different and unique to the user trying to use them. I remember the days I would go to walmart and grab a few to try out and see If I liked them for $3-$5 a piece. If I didnt then I wasnt really out a ton of money in the process. It has pushed me more and more to just buy a jig and make my own so I dont have to fool with it every year, 100% this is what Ill be doing if not this year then next year for sure.

Thankfully the ones I use I just buy the same 3 each year that are my go to ones so I dont have to waste money on trying new ones to just throw away. However trying new calls is part of the fun for turkey hunting to me, but dropping $30 on 2 mouth calls that turn out to be duds for me is just not something I want to do. Add to that folks like woodhaven market 3000 different ones on top of it :(

anyways off my soap box. How anyone can charge $20 for a mouth call with a straight face should be ashamed of themselves
 
I agree with you. I have switched around over the years to different mouth calls. I also learned that I do not like certain calls as they do not fit well. I found one I liked last year and went to buy more only to find out it is out of stock since last spring. I contacted the manufacturer who said they are working to get it back in stock. It has been almost a year and still no luck.
 
Not exactly sure what the market will bear but if these callmakers end up with a bunch of unsold inventory maybe prices will come back down to earth. $20 for a mouth call is ludicrous.
 
It's gotten crazy. I am glad I have a lot saved up. Probably 50 to 60 new calls. You can still find deals at the end of the year. I used to like the Woodhaven red wasp a lot but won't spend a dime with them anymore. Glad I got the few calls I have from them cheap years ago. I bought some houndstooth last year from coop for 5.50 a piece about several of them and they run good to. Got lucky to get them it seems.

I love pot calls but have really stopped buying them to. I don't hardly use them all that much hunting either so hard to justify anymore.
 
Its very frustrating--price fixing. Its like every MFR has to have a stupid high priced whatever. Then all the others have to have their stupid high priced whatever to keep up with the first one. It is with everything now. Waders ($1k), calls, tree stands ($500), trucks ($100k), boats ($100k), golf clubs ($2k), tires etc etc etc. Sitka had the $1000 waders then everyone else had to have their $1000 waders. PXG started it with golf clubs--now everyone else has to have the $2000 set. But it's like PT Barham said I guess.
 
REN said:
It really does blow my mind when you take a look at the changes in prices for turkey calls over the past 10 years especially the mouth call area. For pot calls I get it, wood costs are up and material costs are up and the custom type calls take time and money to produce.

Mouth calls however just piss me off when I see them for $17 -$20 for something that costs about $1 to produce material wise. It makes me even more frustrated in this area because they are all so different and unique to the user trying to use them. I remember the days I would go to walmart and grab a few to try out and see If I liked them for $3-$5 a piece. If I didnt then I wasnt really out a ton of money in the process. It has pushed me more and more to just buy a jig and make my own so I dont have to fool with it every year, 100% this is what Ill be doing if not this year then next year for sure.

Thankfully the ones I use I just buy the same 3 each year that are my go to ones so I dont have to waste money on trying new ones to just throw away. However trying new calls is part of the fun for turkey hunting to me, but dropping $30 on 2 mouth calls that turn out to be duds for me is just not something I want to do. Add to that folks like woodhaven market 3000 different ones on top of it :(

anyways off my soap box. How anyone can charge $20 for a mouth call with a straight face should be ashamed of themselves
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Never thought I'd agree with a bama fan...lol....when you get set up, let me know....I buy mine every year at NWTF and spend $5/call....
 
deerhunter10 said:
It's gotten crazy. I am glad I have a lot saved up. Probably 50 to 60 new calls. You can still find deals at the end of the year. I used to like the Woodhaven red wasp a lot but won't spend a dime with them anymore. Glad I got the few calls I have from them cheap years ago. I bought some houndstooth last year from coop for 5.50 a piece about several of them and they run good to. Got lucky to get them it seems.

I love pot calls but have really stopped buying them to. I don't hardly use them all that much hunting either so hard to justify anymore.
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If you don't mind me asking why don't you like Woodhaven? I also like their Red Wasp and Toxic Orange. Is it because of prices or something else?
 
Rakkin6 said:
If you don't mind me asking why don't you like Woodhaven? I also like their Red Wasp and Toxic Orange. Is it because of prices or something else?
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not who you asked but Ill give you my own reason for not being a fan anymore.

I was a huge woodhaven fan years ago and used pretty much only their stuff and the red wasp was my go to. Then they went from a great little company that was all about turkey hunting to "selling out" and going all in for money and marketing. Even changed the quality and materials on all the OG stuff so the calls didnt even sound the same anymore to me. IMO they were one of the pioneers that got the prices starting to really go up in cost to hunters.

To be fair though, I do think Mike the owner is a good dude in general and a great turkey hunter. I just am not a fan of how they changed their business plan and stopped trying to make the best calls possible and started trying to sell as many calls as possible.
 
Boll Weevil said:
I can generally get a few years out of a mouth call by cleaning them up real good and keeping the reeds separated by toothpick or paper clip and storing in a cool dry dark place.
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Same, i get about 3 years out of a call most times. I just buy new ones of my favorites each year before they change them and store them as extras in the fridge.
 
Ive told you guys this before... quit playing the game of thinking a 'premium' mouth call is any better than a cheaper mouth call.

I haven't spent more than $5 for any mouth call EVER... EVER! Because there is no need to. Cadence, volume, when to talk and when NOT to talk is WAY more important than HOW the call actually sounds.

I used to buy my calls at the end of the season. I'd stock up on Woodhavens for 3.99 each. MAD calls for 2.99 each.. now that their prices have gone up so much, closeouts at the end of season are 7.99 to 9.99 each.

F them, I switched to a local hunter who is a hell of a nice guy. Makes a good call for $5 each....

'Doug Smith Custom Calls' look him up of FB. And pray you aren't sharing the National Forest at the same time as him. He's got 50 years of turkey killing experience. Not many in this world who can say that.

His 2 Reed batwing is crazy easy to run, and has killed some OLD toms for me. But I like all his calls.
 
REN said:
not who you asked but Ill give you my own reason for not being a fan anymore.

I was a huge woodhaven fan years ago and used pretty much only their stuff and the red wasp was my go to. Then they went from a great little company that was all about turkey hunting to "selling out" and going all in for money and marketing. Even changed the quality and materials on all the OG stuff so the calls didnt even sound the same anymore to me. IMO they were one of the pioneers that got the prices starting to really go up in cost to hunters.

To be fair though, I do think Mike the owner is a good dude in general and a great turkey hunter. I just am not a fan of how they changed their business plan and stopped trying to make the best calls possible and started trying to sell as many calls as possible.
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Agreed, Woodhaven are the devil.

They are singlehandedly responsible for the crazy price inflation of mouth calls.

LOVE my 20yo glass Woodhaven call and flared striker. That pot would cost $150 today, and mass produced no less.
 
MickThompson said:
I don't mind paying a premium for a handmade box or pot call because they last. There's a good chance I'll be able to pass them down to my son I don't lose them in the woods.
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Agreed...

But a mouth call that is $1 in materials, yet paying $15 for it is ridiculous.
 
Rakkin6 said:
If you don't mind me asking why don't you like Woodhaven? I also like their Red Wasp and Toxic Orange. Is it because of prices or something else?
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I like Woodhaven but imo they are not worth the prices they are asking. I think they make fine calls but they are no better then many on the market. Is all I'm saying actually i would say many pot calls are a lot better. I don't have any of there mouth calls any more because of the prices. Still have some of their pot calls and they run good. They to me have turned into a Sitka or something like that. Good stuff that is over priced imo.
 
deerhunter10 said:
Mississippi guy?
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Yes.

Actually I ran into him a few years ago on one of our WMAs. He was driving 3mph with his head out the window on the dirt road I was running down to the next spot I picked out to check on Google earth....

When we got side by side, he said 'you tracking?' I had no idea what he was talking about. We started talking turkey, and he explained after a rain, he drives the roads until he finds a fresh set of gobbler tracks, THEN jumps out of his truck and goes after him. (Hunt smarter, not harder). We spent almost 2 hours talking turnkey, then he asked me what cut call I liked... I told him I don't think it matters, and he just gave me 5 or 6 calls... 2 Reed, 3 Reed, etc. Used them all, killed a pile of turkeys, and when I burned them up over the next couple years, I called the number on his wrapper and told him I wanted a dozen more. He would have sent them to me for free, but I insisted on paying him this time, and I started sending him pics of really good birds I killed with his calls. Made him feel good. I still have 3 or 4 unused, and I suspect he hasn't raised his prices like most of the others doing it as a business. He makes calls not to make money... he makes calls because he loves turkey and needs something turkey to do between May 2 thru Mar 14th.tje following year.

I hope he is still making them... I sent him this pic from a tom I killed in 2022 in TN with one of his calls and he put it on his FB page
 

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And don't get me wrong... im NOT saying his calls are better than Woodhaven, etc. I'm just saying you don't need a $18 call to kill birds... even old birds. A $5 call will do just fine killing the old birds.

May 2023, Doug Smith 3 Reed split v (not that the number of reeds or cut makes any difference)

Next year I'll be in need of a new supply... hoping he is still making them!!!!
 

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