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So what do you think?   

Jerry mentioned this in another post here today and it got me wondering  - again -  Are Custom Predator Calls unerpriced?

Most of your top notch duck call makers sell their calls for between 50 and 75 bucks IF and it's a BIG if, they make their own tone boards.   The ones that use Echo or Grassy Creek or some other companies tone boards usually go for 30 bucks or so. 

Turkey Pot Calls can be had pretty easily for 35 bucks, and that is with some fancy wood.   The box calls can get a little more pricey, but standard hunting stryle box calls pretty much run around 50 or so?

So, how does a call maker set his price, and what is the call buyer willing to pay?

Do you think the guys who buy calls and then resell them help or hurt the hobby? 

Is it that predator hunting is coming of age so to speak?

Is that going to leave the average man out in the cold, having to buy plastic calls from the Mart type stores if he wants a hand call?

Al
THO Game Calls
www.thogamecalls.com
The Custom Call Makers Supply Store

I will let some others reply first, but I will be back to give my answers later.  (The truth is that someone may say something really profound and the I can say, "Yea, like so and so said."   :biggrin:

Jerry

shit. i thought it said over priced :doh2: lol so i accidently said no. but i mean yes to the underpriced thing. i think im gonna shut up now . lmao

I think the question is painted with too wide a brush. Some are over priced, some are under priced. A call is not a call is not a call, so to speak. There are many elements that could / should , and in some cases do drive price..... The sound, the usability, the craftsmanship, the artistry, the artist, and the availability...... These couple with the buyers elements of field use, pleasing to have, collectability, bragability.

Basic functionality is benchmarked by inexpensive production calls. Some premium could probably be justified by better sound/usability, but probably the largest price premiums are not about basic call functionality, they are about the art/artist/craftsmanship....... and those are qualitative attributes that would be hard to pin down.

So since I can't choose yes and no...... and I do include an ecaller in my bag of tricks, but certainly not to the exclusion of hand calls.....  :wo: ....... There appears only one indisputable correct answer.

Your a trouble maker  :roflmao:

I'm kinda with Stu.
What one maker sells a call for might be a ridiculous price for another call maker to follow suit with. When a custom call is bought, the buyer is getting so much more then a custom call. The makers reputation coupled with the style, elegance and uniqueness is what sets the price, that's what is being bought.

The issue comes with a long time maker selling a real piece of art for $50 bucks and then someone starting out see's it sell and follows suit with his/her price.

But as to the majority of the calls THAT I SEE being sold. Yeah the majority of them are under priced in my opinion.

ya what jim and stu said :biggrin:

Just like Stu said.  I think for the most part they are priced to what their buyers are willing to spend. Some of the calls that are being put out today are wonderful creations of time & creativity coupled with quality craftsmanship & high end finish techniques. I think a signature has a bearing on the price as well. I think you should all sign em!! :biggrin:

JMHO

Calls are priced just right.  I view a lot of the market through Ebay.  I have purchased beautiful flawlessly checkered duck calls for $35 to $65 that are as good as any of our predator calls.  Its a myth that modern duck calls go for more than comparable predator calls.  There is a guy on Ebay named Faigly who carves spectacular duck calls and sells them for about $35. All these calls have hand made custom tone boards.  In the Fall prices go up and its hard for a predator call maker to keep up with demand, hunters seem to catch a fever and cost is no object .  Now, in the middle of summer its hard to sell a hundred dollar call for $35.  We seem to be operating in a nearly perfect supply and demand market that determines price.  Basinboy is right,  all custom calls should be signed.  Adds value and shows pride.

You guys haven't seen my hand writing :laf:

On an average call I wouldn't expect to sell my calls for the same price as what most of the artist on this board get for theirs.
Although  I will spin one by accident that looks a lot better then the average one and would like to get a few more dollars for it

Yes Al  Some predetor calls are underpriced

I think duck calls are over priced.  :roflmao:

Stu nailed it and Ninth added the finishing touches.  :congrats:

I know absolutely nothing about predator calls but do know a little about turkey calls and figure the same qualificatins for pricing apply.

If a callmaker has been around for a while and has a reputation of producing top notch products, offers good service and earned the reputation as a Master of the Art, I think he can set his own price especially for collector type calls. His signature and date on the call only increase the value for a collector.

In other words, if I decided to make predator calls today, I couldn't wouldn't demand the price of a person who has earned the right to set his own prices.

Ole Cypress, while unintentional, stirred up the same conversation, so to speak at HM, and it just happens to have bonus material.  :biggrin:

http://www.huntmastersbbs.com/cgi/cgi-ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000226

Ohhhhhhhh man, I love bonus material! (http://www.championtannery.com/smilies/bounce.gif)

Good reading Brian  :wink:

Yeah, Brians doing stand up job, and man I only wish he would speak that freely here.  :wink:  :congrats:

i feel my call's are under priced. but not by much. when you get a call from me you get a lanyard reed kit. Reed core and band and my card then i send priority $4.60 and convermation. but i'm happy. i have sold over 25 call's in the last week. mmy elk horn call's they do great cow-calfnd predator sound's. only one call on pm .here is a picture of the elk predator call's.  it's hard to sell anything over $30.00 becauce alot of us predator caller are blue caller worker's. the call's being made here are incredible. just awsome stuff. Rick

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v68/bearmanric/P1000349.jpg)

I agree w/ Stu on this one as well. Can't say it any better than he already has.

Ok guys, I've been out of pocket since Monday morning. I just got home this afternoon. I'm gonna put my 2 cents in here simply for the fact I started my callmaking career with duck calls. First off, alot of the duck call buyers out there are higher society people so to speak than the "average" predator call buyer. Duck hunting is seen as an elitist sport, and with comes the need for the best and highest priced equipment they can get their hands on, including calls. This is the one of main reasons for the higher prices for duck calls. Along with the ever popular calling contests. Duck calls and duck hunting are in the public eye more than predator calls and hunting. The Wings Over The Prairie Festival in Stuttgart, AR holds several calling contests during the week long event. This event gets national recognition. You have several hundred guys fighting for a spot in one of the contests. Couple that with the hundreds of contests nation wide, and the thousands of hunters that don't compete and you have a heck of a customer base. If you could do that with predator calls, the same advantage would arise.

Do I think predator calls are underpriced? I do to an extent. There are alot of calls out there that should be commanding higher prices, and alot that I think are overpriced. It comes down to the reputation, ability, creativity and attention to detail of the callmaker. All of these things are present in alot of the predator calls being made today. Therefore, they should be selling for the prices they are worth. Most of the predator calls are basically being given away at the average prices. At the prices I sell them for, I barely break even. I usually make enough to replace the materials I've used and pay for the electricity and equipment maintenance. The way I see it, as long as predator hunting continues increasing and calls keep improving, call prices will follow suit. I think most callmakers are keeping their prices down to keep from decreasing call sales. If the calls are worth it, they will sell at higher prices.

Custom calls are not just a tool to aid in hunting or collecting. They are a part of the maker. You have the priviledge to know the person behind the calls, and you know he put his heart and soul into making you happy. For me as a call collector, that is worth as much as the call itself, and it gives me a sense of pride and appreciation for the callmaker. For those reasons, I gladly pay what the call is worth. If you can't appreciate that fact, then buy from Walmart.

Stu, Jim and Ninth all made some good points.

At the same time Ninth, ALOT of the guys selling calls on Ebay are there just to sell calls. I'm not saying all the guys selling on there couldn't or shouldn't get the higher prices. I've sold several duck calls on there before, and they sold at my normal prices. The flawlessly checkered calls that sell for $35-$65 are way underpriced. Most makers do and should charge that much just for the checkering alone. If anyone hasn't hand checkered a call before, you have no idea how much work and patience is involved. A 3-4 panel checkered call will have 2-3 times the amount of time in the checkering than the entire call does. As far as calls being priced right, they are priced just right for someone that buys and re-sells them. I'm not trying to stir anything up Ninth. I'm just stating from a sellers point of view, they are priced right, but not from a makers point of view.

Todd, I usually try to watch what I say. I tend to stick my foot in my mouth at times. Not to mention, somethings are better left unsaid.

Brian.

I wasn't going to reply here, but I must say that Brian hit it square on the noggin'. The calls we make are only worth what we can sell them for. Duck hunters...and as we all know, turkey hunters are a different breed than predator hunters. I know in my neck of the woods most of the duck hunters like to think they are in the upper ranks of society, many of them are business owners, or have an income far greateer than my own :iroll: The fact is they thrive on outdoing one another. Heck, now that I think about it, the guys in Trout Unlimited are the same way...doctors, lawyers, insurance co. owners, etc. - At least in my locale. If the market would bear an increased price on predator calls then they are most certainly underpriced. The mentallity seems to be fairly common among the predator hunters in my neck of the woods that looks don't kill a coyote. This comes from predator hunters as well as trappers, a vast number are bargain shoppers.

One of my buddies still has yet to buy one of my calls, it is not that he doesn't have the money. He has plenty of it. He told me what the problem is with selling my calls. He said they are to nice looking. Well heck, I'd be happy to lop off the end of broomstick and stick a reed in it, but that just ain't my style. I had another guy ask me to use poplar in making some calls so that he could buy them cheaper and sell them in store to the amish folks that frequent it. :rolleye: Well, that ain't gonna happen either. I make my calls with a sense of creativity, if people like them they will pay the asking price, if they don't then I'll just hold on to them for another time or donate them to a worthy cause.

The bottom line is just what has already been stated here. Predator calling is an up and coming sport that hasn't captured the eye of the elitists yet. The elitists, in my opinion, probably never will jump on the predator calling band wagon. It is much easier for them to kill a limit of mallards, or fill a turkey tag. Predator hunting involves a lot more than sitting in a blind and waiting for another flight to come through, or calling in that elusive Tom. There is a lot more involved in predator hunting...equipment, legwork and knowledge of your quarry that many aren't willing to commit the time or funds to without some guarantee of instant gratification.

Disclaimer... :innocentwhistle: This post was not meant to offend any waterfowl, turkey, deer, quail, squirrel or snipe hunters - or trout fishermen. I actively participate in all of the above and also make calls for all of the above (accept snipe, squirrel, quail and trout :biggrin:) each of these sports also requires a thorough understanding of your quarry to ensure success, but it is much easier to come by than that of predator hunting. Trapping also falls into the same class as predator hunting, until you actually go out and truly try to become proficient at it you have a huge learning curve that many are not willing to undertake.

Enough rambling for me...next

Steve

I'm going to start off saying that I really don't know if I deserve the right to say yes or no to the question being asked since how I have never used a predator call . I have never persued the sly yote that so many of you are persuing and making the call's to do so .I have only been a member of the fins and fur forum  for a week or so and would not know any of you if I were to run over you in the middle of the street. I have however looked at many of the fine calls made on this forum by some really "talented" call makers and would say that in my opinion that some my be overpriced a bit but the majority i would say are underpriced. I answered this by saying Al was a troublemaker for asking the question. Not knowing Al and any of the rest of you would be unfair to say that too. Al, as many of the rest of you guy's are very helpful and welcome a stranger with open arms. The talent and strive for perfection is amazing by all that i have seen and with that in mind I can say that each of you seem to pour your heart and soul into the calls that you make,not for the mighty dollar, but for the self-achievment that it brings to you to make it come to life and to believe in yourself as being the best you can be. As far as paying $150.00 for a duck call, i never have and never will, I can find a cheaper made call and tune it to call just as many ducks as the high dollar one. There has to be a medium to everything as far as standards go.Can you make a call for $10 bucks and pay for the materials, electricity, wear and tear on equipment and feed your family plus pay the bills? I can't. Can you make a custom call, sell it for $50-$75 or more  knowing you did your best for the customer to make it  a "custom"  That is what they are paying for, a callmakers talent and dedication for perfection. Just my 2 cents.

Something else needs to be considered too. Most of the duck and turkey callmakers, I've dealt with, add shipping charges after the selling price. I don't know of a single predator callmaker that does. We include it in the "cheap" price. We've absorbed the gas price increase and postal increase, along with the increased shipping charges for our tools and materials. Those increases cost us several dollars more than it used to, but the call prices haven't reflected those increases, yet. For me, it costs about $13 total to ship a single call Priority Mail, by the time you add up the shipping charge, gas to and from the Post Office and packaging materials. Predator call buyers are getting an even better deal than they thought.


Steve, like I stated on HM, it's just as easy to make a call look nice as it is to make it ugly. You shouldn't be asked to compromise on quality and craftsmanship to appease certain people. If they won't take the quality you offer, it's their loss, not your's.


Maybe we need to start up  "Predators Unlimited, Dedicated to the Sport of Exploding Coyote Guts". This would bring the sport to the national level and increase our customer base and call prices.  :roflmao:


Brian.

Without much knowledge of what it takes to make a call I'm gonna go out on a limb here. Imagine that!!? :rolleye:

Here goes nothing......

I believe there happens to be a certain segment of the call making circle that is solely in it for the money. Not sure how you make much money selling calls, but I guess just like anything else, there is always an angle a guy can take to make money.
Having said that, I believe there are very few of these people here. I'm sure there are a couple, but I have already pretty much got them pegged.  :wink:
If you think I'm talking about you in this department, then there is a good chance you have a guilty conscience.

There is a vast majority here that seem to be in it for the love of making outstanding calls. I own a few and hope to own many more, but the craftsmanship is awesome. Some of you are dang good call makers, while others are artists pure and simple. I would name some names, but I would be afraid of unintentionally leaving someone out and I sure don't want to cause some hard feelings.  I have talked with a few of you and plan on talking to more of you.......

If I had a few thousand dollars just laying around, there are several of you that I would have already bought from and plan on eventually doing so anyway.

Having said all of that, yes I think several of you under price your calls.....in some instances way under price. However, as already mentioned before, many of us are just blue collar working stiffs, so if you get too pricey, no matter how bad we want your call you might price several of us out of the market.
Coyote hunting is my hobby. It's my thing I do when I've taken care of my responsibilities. That means paying the mortgage, feeding my kids and putting shoes on their feet will always come first, then if I get blessed enough to have a few extra bucks, it will go to my favorite pastime.........coyote hunting!!!

I surely hope I haven't insulted anyone, that was not my intentions. Just throwing some thoughts out there.  :wink:

I just wanna know who the other two "Your a trouble maker" voters were  :laf:

I'll git em for ya Al  :eyebrownod: :argh:

Quote from: ninthinning on July 09, 2007, 08:16:42 PM
Calls are priced just right.  I view a lot of the market through Ebay.  I have purchased beautiful flawlessly checkered duck calls for $35 to $65 that are as good as any of our predator calls.  Its a myth that modern duck calls go for more than comparable predator calls.  There is a guy on Ebay named Faigly who carves spectacular duck calls and sells them for about $35. All these calls have hand made custom tone boards.  In the Fall prices go up and its hard for a predator call maker to keep up with demand, hunters seem to catch a fever and cost is no object .  Now, in the middle of summer its hard to sell a hundred dollar call for $35.  We seem to be operating in a nearly perfect supply and demand market that determines price.  Basinboy is right,  all custom calls should be signed.  Adds value and shows pride.

Ninth, your reply kinda quandaries me, if they are priced just right, why do they double, triple and in some cases quadruple before they hit your Ebay store?   :confused:

http://www.AmericanGameCalls.com

I buy calls for what they sell for and sell calls for what I think they are worth.

There are lots of businesses in lots of industries that are based on that very concept. It's not without risks, costs, and investment. It is pretty std fair in the world of art/collectibles as well as the completely different market of scrap.

So what your saying is...and correct me if I'm wrong, but......predator calls aren't priced right, unless they are being purchased for re-sale?  You buy a call that is priced right based on the return you might get on it?

Just by reading ninth and Todd's posts alone tells me that calls are underpriced. If you can buy a call for what it sells for and turn around and sell the call for what it's worth..........then wouldn't that mean the thing was underpriced to begin with?  :wo: :confused:

Please, somebody correct me if I am wrong on this.  :shrug:

Ninth, please also forgive me if I'm off base on this...   But it really does look as if what you mean is calls are priced just right, for you (to be able to make a few bucks on them).  It seems to me that if they were priced just right, purely capitalistically speaking here, then they would be priced at exactly the most that a builder could price them up to the point equal to the most a buyer is willing to pay.   But what you seem to be implying, once again, is that they are priced just right to benefit you as a re-seller, and not the builder...which, I believe, is misunderstanding the spirit and intent of the original question.

Edit to say:
I guess I should have read more.  This is basically what I'm saying -

CypressSlough stated:

QuoteAs far as calls being priced right, they are priced just right for someone that buys and re-sells them. I'm not trying to stir anything up Ninth. I'm just stating from a sellers point of view, they are priced right, but not from a makers point of view.

I hear what you guys are saying and their maybe some imbalance [both ways] on pricing of individual calls, but the notion of builders getting precisely what the market will bare implies perfect liquidity, perfectly matched supply and demand, and perfect awareness of the total market by both buyer and seller. It also implies that the maker also has a totally complete marketing, selling, and distributing process. The entire retail industry exists through bridging and filling these types of gaps.

The stock market sure don't work that way  :biggrin: which is ok by me.

Quote from: studabaka on July 11, 2007, 04:45:04 PM
I hear what you guys are saying and their maybe some imbalance [both ways] on pricing of individual calls, but the notion of builders getting precisely what the market will bare implies perfect liquidity, perfectly matched supply and demand, and perfect awareness of the total market by both buyer and seller. It also implies that the maker also has a totally complete marketing, selling, and distributing process. The entire retail industry exists through bridging and filling these types of gaps.

The stock market sure don't work that way  :biggrin: which is ok by me.

Dang.....with that kind of insight to the capitalist reality you really are freaking me out Stu.  :biggrin:

Fellers,

I'm not questioning Ninths business aspects, that's between him and the call makers. I do have feelings about the whole issue, but has more to do with the pride of the call maker, then it does Ninth.

Ninth,

I have seen ya post in the past, predator calls are under priced, and you confirm that with........

QuoteI buy calls for what they sell for and sell calls for what I think they are worth.

But, what I don't get is why ya didn't answer the question with "Yes, predator calls are under priced and this is why I believe so...."

It seems to be a conflicting statement of interest, but made in a way that seems.........well, makes your intentions look questionable?  

Seems to me Nin' is saying that he pays a call builder what he asks & he sells his own calls that he made  for what he believes they're worth.

Now if he is into reselling calls an buys a call for what the Call builder asked & believed it to be worth more & tried to sell it for more; that's just business.

VV.............I got that part figured out.  :innocentwhistle:  Its the answer to the question with the counterdicting actions and statements, I don't have figured out.  :confused: I just thought I might not be understanding something., or wondering why not an honest answer.


Would ya want to do business with a store owner that came out and marked all the price tags up 30%, then put a 15% off sale sign in the window? After all its only buisness.  :wink:

There's so many angles to look from ...

Eric has bought my calls and repriced them on e-bay, and I don't have a single hard feeling about it. It's what he does, that's fine, and I'm back out at the lathe trying something else I've never tried before. I get the price I deemed satifactory, and he gets a margin. No sweat. Honestly, I hope he sells them for his price, that's good for my reputation.

As to what they're worth.

As a seller, it depends what you want to get for it.
As a buyer, it depends what your want to spend on it.
If the seller wants to sell it, and the buyer wants to buy it, they'll eventually meet in the middle, and that's what that call is worth. Simple economics. 

A handmade, unique call with exotic or rare materials can be valued two ways. For instance, it can be valued based on what it's made of, how long it took to make, how unique it is, and how nicely it came out. Then again, it can be valued based on the functionality, and how that functionality compares to other items readily available. (The hunting aisle at Wally, for example.)
First valuation, it's gotta be over a hunnert bucks!
Second valuation, $9.95!

Thankfully, some consideration is given to the handmade factor, and most buyers are willing to go $19.95, or $29.95!
At the same time, some makers are going for pure art, and charging accordingly, and waiting around for the right buyer.

Predator hunting hasn't moved into the tweed jacket stage yet, so it's more functionality than art or status. Someday, maybe, but not yet.

Are they underpriced? Sometimes. Same as anything else.

QuoteA handmade, unique call with exotic or rare materials can be valued two ways. For instance, it can be valued based on what it's made of, how long it took to make, how unique it is, and how nicely it came out. Then again, it can be valued based on the functionality, and how that functionality compares to other items readily available. (The hunting aisle at Wally, for example.)
First valuation, it's gotta be over a hunnert bucks!
Second valuation, $9.95!

This is the biggest problem facing the Custom Predator Call Market today.

When we say that "A handmade, unique call with exotic or rare materials can be valued two ways. For instance, it can be valued based on what it's made of, how long it took to make, how unique it is, and how nicely it came out" we relegate ourselves to the ranks of hundreds of other wood turners who know nothing about actually making calls but are just trying to make a buck off a growing industry.  And people are starting to catch on.

That's why you hear serious coyote callers saying that the custom calls don't sound any better, and in many cases sound worse than store bought calls at less than half the price. And this is killing the custom predator call market.

Many guys today buy a lathe, and tomorrow they are turning out the

<<<<<<<(((((((THE WORLDS BEST CALL - PURE EYE CANDY)))))))>>>>>>>

and selling it for 30 bucks or more because everyone else is selling them for 30 40 or more bucks too.

We ALL start out trying to make a good looking calls. 

The best call makers though, learn to work with their calls design and develop something that actually works and sounds good at the same time.

That is one of the biggest reasons that so many experienced call makers only have one or two designs of calls that some folks call their "signature" calls. They have designed these calls and tweaked them and they know they WORK.

But what we are seeing more and more of today, is guys who are good wood turners making calls, and really not taking it to the next level.

That's the reason for the comments from the experienced callers, and it's why you see calls on E bay with starting bids of 4 or 5 bucsk that NEVER sell.

If you do a little research, go back 4 or 5 years, you will see that when a custom call maker posted a pretty call, the call buyers would say,

"it sure is pretty, but HOW DOES IT SOUND?"

Today, all you see is "Oh man that is EYE CANDY" or "Man that looks great" or "You have done it again, outstanding"

You don't see too many people asking how a call sounds.

The other thing we seem to be missing, is the pictures of guys with dead coyotes called with the calls of a lot of the new call makers. That used to be a common thing. You still see it with some of the experianced call makers, but not so much the new crop.

So are Custom Predator Calls overpriced?

If you are a call maker, here is how to answer that question for yourself.

Ask yourslef how many calls you sell to the SAME people, in other words, repeat customeers. How many people buy two three four or more of your calls?  If it's a lot, your calls are probably priced right, maybe even underpriced a bit.

If on the other hand, you sell a lot of calls to a lot of different people, but not many come back for a second or third, you might have some work to do to become a better call maker and your calls RIGHT NOW, might be overpriced.

The sad fact today is, a lot of these good call makers are being grouped in with the

<<<<<<<<<<((((PURE EYE CANDY)))))>>>>>>>>>>

crowd, and it is hurting them too.


Al
THO Game Calls
www.thogamecalls.com
The Custom Call Makers Supply Store

Interesting topic. One that probably wouldn't last long on the "other board".

Surprisingly, not allot of talk regarding sound quality is discussed on the various forums. I'm a noob to the sport, yet in the past three years I have noticed an increasing number of new call builders and more emphasis on aesthetics.

Most of you have either been calling predators for ages, and/or building/making calls for many moons. For my own curiosity and education, I would like to know who (top 10) makes the best predator calls in your opinion.

That's going to be a fun question to watch get answered, FOs, because it will show how the respondents judge calls and callmakers. Kind-of a good mirror too... To show oneself how you judge calls and makers. Guys like Todd are the few who could speak with any authority, owning walls full of different calls. What is everyone else going to use as a ruler?

It's a relavent point, Al. No question. It's another factor that'll be fun to observe if Fos' question gets answered. What is the criteria in defining "best?"

Lots of cheap production calls have fantastic voices. You ran through them in another post. I've bought production calls that I've thought enough of to tune my calls to match. (I've also bought production calls that I've torn down and monkeyed with, because they were useless as they were.) It's THE ONLY factor in a production call. It's one of a few factors in an "eye candy" call.  I don't think it's safe to be so dogmatic. Criteria qualifying a call as a good purchase are the buyer's own pleasure.

Welcome to FNF FO.  :congrats:

How goes the call collecting?

Fos,

Welcome to Fins and Fur.  I hope you enjoy it here as much as I do.

Jerry

Welcome William......good to see you here  :yoyo:


Joe

I haft to lean to the sound side myself. I know now more calls are bought from looks than anything. For me sound came first! You can take a look back on the old PM days and tell that. I stuck with the same design and spent more time on the sound design than the looks. After I got what I was looking for I started working on the looks, and even now I am still working on them. Even the different type of woods or materials will change the sound and if not adjusted then you just have a pretty call, and that's not what I am after as a builder. I'm after calls that will call and kill critters! But you haft to have a good mixture of the two. I still leave the steps in the bore of my Original series, I have tried sanding them out but it changes the sound, I would rather give up the look of a smooth bore than give up the sound.

I have close to 400 custom calls now in my collection and listing a top 10 would be tough. And it will vary greatly with each user. That's another aspect of this that has been left out. If I build a custom call for someone, I make sure I get there input on how they want there sound. And that's hard to do sometimes. How they blow the call is different, the way they hold the call is different. Everyone uses a call different.

So are custom calls over priced? Some are and some are not. Doing some back ground on the builder, even talking to them on the phone will tell you allot about there product. How long they have been building, and looking at there past pictures along with there present pictures will also help you decide.

I think this has to be a individual thing as far as price. In general is just not fair to all builders.

Looking at all of them, I still cant answer the question with out saying some calls are under priced and some are over priced.

But I can say this dead critters mean allot.

Brent

 Welcome aboard FOs. :biggrin:

Gentleman, thank you for the warm welcome. I've been lurking in the shadows for a few months. Took me awhile to figure out where everyone with experience went!

Interested to see if anyone is going to take a crack at my inquiry....  :wink: 

Glad to see ya here, William!

Crit'r Call ,Burnham Bro, Circe,Flextone, Sceery,Woods Wise,Zepp, Modern Call, Tally-Ho, Thompson and soon to be added,  Reese   :whew:

Wise guy   :laf:

I'll take a stab at a short list  - and in no order

All the call makers on FnF.


That's my list  - and I think that as a board, we are proud of the work that they all do.

We have some new guys just learning, some old guys who think they know it all, and some guys who are in the middle. 

But this group is like it used to be way back when before Will Craigs Dream became a Not For Anyone's Proffit but Mine Becasue I'm the MAN Board.

After all is said and done, it's about calling coyotes and having fun.   If that's not enough for you, pay your 75 bucks and go join the fray.

Al
THO Game Calls
www.thogamecalls.com
The Custom Call Makers Supply Store

Well said Al I couldn't have said it better myself  :bowingsmilie:

Very well said Al.


Brian.

Agreed! Very well said!

Brent

 :roflmao: :laugh2:

what  :shrug: I didnt say anything   :wink:

i cant sell my eye candy. antler  i can. i'v been thinking of not selling wood call's any more. i've put some good stuff on lately cant even get 30.00. if it was eye candy i would get it. i've been fishing for 3 day's just thinking were i'm going and is it worth spending the money.i work freaking hard on my call's making and tuning them. and i put over there and they sit. just suck's.  i'm selling elk call's as fast as i can make them. with my elk horn. i sold 6 last week in spotsman warehouse and now they want me to put brochure's in there strore and i was on the cowlitz River for three day's and sold 6. they heard me cow talk.  i just dont want to break my back on expensive wood's to get nothing  for a killer call. hope i said this right tired of fighting.  i dont thing i get what i should. NEED TO GO LAY IN BATHTUB AND TAKE A VICADEN. LEG'S HURT.Rick

Rick,
  Glad to here you are feeling better.  I think you should keep making wood calls,  just aim more for hunting season.  Keep making them and save them if they do not sell.  This time of year you have to have other out lets.  Sounds like the deal with Sportsman's Warehouse has real promise.  Took a page from your book and moved my shop outdoors.  Those warthog tusks smell like the dentist drilling a cavity.
9th

Nah, Rick......... I wouldn't quit making your wooden calls. They are your signature call. As far as selling them, I have two theories, one is its the slow season for calls, and two is, you have been doing this for what....3-4 years now? Everyone on the boards has several of your calls that want one, and there aren't many newbies coming in. I guess what I mean buy that is your trying to sell to a market that has a lot of RR calls in it, but your not the only one.

Maybe when you get your web site up you'll target a larger market that can actually hit ya by googling "predator calls". You'de be amazed at how many calls I have purchased in the past month from call makers ya never see or will see on the boards.

Keep at it, it'll have its slow times.

Todd makes an excellent point Rick.

I sure as hell don't want you stop making wood calls. Where else would I get those kewl honey pots??!! :congrats:

Way To Go, on the Sportsman's Warehouse gig, Big Rick! Could be a real good thing! You might get in with them nationwide if you play that one right.

Just gotta roll with the punches, put them on the shelf and keep going. Never stop moving forward.

Thats fantastic Rick... The warehouse :yoyo: Hope you are feeling better.... Kerry

Hang in there Rick.....season is coming soon, stuff will sell better, and you get to kill something  :wink: !!!


Joe

Some guys under-price their calls. 9th