[Adam DeLancey]

I have polly and acrylic calls but am thinking about getting a woodedn call. What are the ups and downs to using a wooden call? What types of wood do you recomend I check out? I know I am going to have to pick them up and blow to find the one I like best but want to narrow the search down a little.

 

[troy schwab]

Wood generally will give you deeper tones, and the ability to get real soft. I prefer wood calls, actually, and I prefer cocabola, flamed hedge, and birds eye maple. You have to maintain them a bit more...... but I pretty just make sure they are dry before I put them up after a hunt. Great for tight hunts, like flooded timber, etc. That being said, if your hunting open water where you might need big hail calls, I stick to your acrylics..... JMO

 

[GulfCoast]

Wood calls are a bit less "sharp" than cast acrylic. African Blackwood, Mopane, and Bodock (that is what we call it in Mississippi, thanks) are pretty dense/hard and will give you a "best of both" type call. All woods will swell with temprature fluctuations.

 

[metalone67]

I switched from acrylic to wooden, just love the deeper tones. Check out C&S Custom calls Mike will make you what ever you want. I would agree on the cocabola and hedge calls.
I just got a tasmanian black heart wood call from him and it sounds simply amazing. Here's a picture.

 

[Socks]

I have a wood one and an acrylic. I have 'em, but I wouldn't say I could use them!

 

[ron david]

I switched from acrylic to wooden, just love the deeper tones. Check out C&S Custom calls Mike will make you what ever you want. I would agree on the cocabola and hedge calls.
I just got a tasmanian black heart wood call from him and it sounds simply amazing. Here's a picture.

it is cocobolo, member of the rosewood family along with african blackwood.
ron

 

[Mike Boufford]

Bodock must be a derivation of Bois D'Arc (osage orange). Interesting.

Up here, most wood calls spit lock in the blink of an eye except for the osage orange call I have. Then again the RNT acrylics I have owned all spit locked if I let it anywhere near the tv and it heard that the weather might be on the cool side.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

A friend of mine just gave me a call he turned on his lathe. Sounds better than my acrylic. I was impressed. I've asked for a few more with different shapes to compare.
Plus, it looks much cooler than plastic.

Plastic calls look like childs toys.

 

[Dave Plesko]

This thread makes me feel old. I remember when the choice was wood or a PS Olt.

 

[blake_mhoona]

Bodock must be a derivation of Bois D'Arc (osage orange). Interesting.

Up here, most wood calls spit lock in the blink of an eye except for the osage orange call I have. Then again the RNT acrylics I have owned all spit locked if I let it anywhere near the tv and it heard that the weather might be on the cool side.

we spell it like that but pronounce it like Bo-dark here in arkansas. they are great calls. some people even make calls out of green bois d'arc. wood calls seem to have more life and soul, they bounce a lot easier (IMHO), and are more mellow. but in the timber here if you aint yellin you aint killin so most people have modified keyholes either original olts or new manufaturers copying the keyhole style. that or they have acrylic single reeds

actually have a wildlife management area where i grew up in SW Arkansas named bois d'arc because of all the bois d'arc trees in it

 

[coachmo]

Yes I use both wood and acrylic calls and I can vouch for the quality of the C & S Custom Calls. I have two single reed calls, one wood and one acrylic on my lanyard. As the other posts indicate wood calls have a deeper sound and the acrylics are generally louder.

 

[Kyle Dennis]

Bodark, Bois D'Arc, Osage Orange, and Hedge are all the same thing. Just depends on what region of the country you are from. I prefer the look of cocabola, but the sound of hedge in most calls.

 

[GulfCoast]

Its Bo-Dock, people! ;-)

They even have a festival for it in beautiful Pontotoc, MS, right in Kippy's back yard!

"AUGUST 21-22 Pontotoc Bodock Festival Bring the whole family to see the championship bodock fence-post-throwing contest, as well as enjoy arts and crafts, games, food, a petting zoo, and much morel"

 

[RNTquackaholic]

I have a RNT hedge short barrel, best wood call i've had. I have some blackwood and some wooden olt calls also.
The wood will change a little with the weather, cold wet and the wood gathers moisture, and swells shut and you can't get the insert out of the barrel very easy.
Acrylic is consistent and so is poly, but I carry a wood with me wherever I hunt.

 

[metalone67]

One other thing, try getting a stablized wood call. Stablization helps in the swelling and shrinking.

 

[Adam DeLancey]

I do a little hunting on beave lake in NWA but hunt 95% of the season in SE Arkansas in the timber. Thanks for all the input it will help

 

[Rick Hall]

The only wood calls I still own are hedge. Where tone's concerned, differences in materials are splitting hairs compared to design differences, but I think there's something special about hedge's tone. And never mind that I also think it the least attractive of commonly used woods, pretty is as pretty does.

That said, while my most used speck and Canada calls are hedge, I'm far more likely to be found running acrylics when duck hunting...

 

[Lee Jones]

I still use an old wooden Yentzen for those wary ducks that just won't come the few extra yards we need to hammer them. I think it's the softer tone.

 

[Brian Courser]

I use a an RNT original. I really can't make any of them sound as good as they should. It does not keep me from trying however

 

[RJW]

IMO, sound quality-------Hedge, coco and African Black Wood in that order. I normally use hedge to hunt with if I am using wooden calls.