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What wood for game call blanks?

Tim Leiter

Tim Leiter

Joined
Oct 19, 2016
Messages
25
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10
Location
Central Michigan
What species of wood do any of you use and like in making game call blanks. I promised my neighbor's son that I was going to make him a deer grunt call for this fall's hunt. In return after a couple of days, he brought over a 2# package of venison burger and a nice shoulder roast. I guess what goes around comes around. Anyway, I am cutting up some 1 1\2" X 1 1\2" game call blanks and was wondering about favorite choices of wood to use. I have already cut up some 1 1'2 " Black Walnut, Semi-Spalted Maple and Beech. I have ready for the table saw Red Oak, Red Cedar and Honey Locust for now. I have other woods I have that I can cut up but would want some opinions if any of them would be better suited than others. They are going to be subjected to harsh weather in the late Fall and Winter. Any and all opinions would be welcome.
Tim.
 
Tim,
I have made a number of duck calls.
The wood for the tone board should be reasonably water tolerant ....think Osage Orange wood, Black Locust wood.
Some like Black wood and Ebony.
I have turned the tone boards from the Osage Orange wood and then glued that to the trumpet end.
For all the time it takes me to make a call....I like to use a nice pretty wood for the body and the trumpet end.
I soak them all in boiled linseed oil for about a week or so....then rub them dry, and rub them dry again....etc. The oil soaks in nicely and I do not think the moisture is a problem.
Not sure about the Red Cedar....not sure it is hard enough. The tone board should be a hard wood.
Hugh
 
I've been making my calls from mostly walnut, maple and myrtle. Myrtle is real nice to work with and makes for a nice tone on the turkey calls; the only grunt tubes I've made are walnut. Odd scraps of maple burl work well also.
 
Thanks for all your replies. I will make some from a variety of woods but I wanted to know which kind of wood I should concentrate on. This site and others seem to say walnut as the most frequent recommendations. Thanks to all.
Tim.
 
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