Advise on a hooter???

[Greg at PTDO Game Calls]

Just wondering if anyone would be willing to offer up some advise on a hooter? I have a couple of Al's kits and not really sure where to start. My guess would be that it is similar to a grunt tube but I'm sure I'm wrong. Any help would be sweet.

  Thanks,  Greg

[VECtor Calls]

Aaron and I dove into this for a day at his place this last summer, and the best we could come up with was Al's kit.

Set the barrel up to be about the size of a duck call barrel, 3ish inches, 5/8" bore. Then on the insert, make it similar sized to a duck call and neck it down on the end cap with the rubber bushing.

Your voice and your hand work play a huge part in the whole deal, and it takes a ton of air, and a ton of back pressure.

I still have not created an owl call that I would hand to any regular customer thinking they would do good with it themselves. I am confident this design will help call turkeys. A slamming car door will work to do that too though. I want something that is easy to use, and sounds like an owl.

Check out a Palmer Hoot Tube for ideas and dimensions if you want to make a fancier call with a little more hollow sound and a little less hand work (though a lot of voice and a lot of air will still be needed).

Vince

[Braz]

Vince, now that sounds like a perfect idea for the turn-a-thon.

[VECtor Calls]

Vince, now that sounds like a perfect idea for the turn-a-thon.

I have yet to see a user friendly owl call that the masses can play and REALLY sound like an owl. The keg style calls are pretty easy to play, and work on turkeys, but they are tough to make in a durable fashion, and work for turkeys, but don't REALLY sound like an owl.

The gut set Al has is really a great set in the world of owl call guts.  Learning to blow an owl call though, I would put up there with learning how to use a mouth turkey call in hardness. It is just tough for a regular joe to just pick up and run with.

Vince

[Joe aka COLD @ J. A. Kolter Calls]

Humm . . . this regular Joe has been making owl calls for several years.  Mastering the reed style owl call is is impossible for me as I am a slow learner.  My keg style call with the blow tube is dead on Barred Owl and can also be used for Great Horned Owls as well simply by covering the tone hole while calling.  It is simple and although somewhat large, I still consider it durable and have not had any blow tubes broken loose yet.  I know you and Aaron have worked on the owl call and have become somewhat frustrated.  All I can say is that the resonate cavity keg call works effectively, and anyone can learn to call with it.

[MoHops]

I've made a wooden keg style hooter and the mouthpiece didn't last one hunt before I broke it off. The only style of keg call I've had last is the plastic one from HS Strut. I'm currently using a Harrison's hoot stick and can get some good sounds with some practice.  Definitely not something you can pick up and play without practice!!

[Joe aka COLD @ J. A. Kolter Calls]

I've made a wooden keg style hooter and the mouthpiece didn't last one hunt before I broke it off. The only style of keg call I've had last is the plastic one from HS Strut. I'm currently using a Harrison's hoot stick and can get some good sounds with some practice.  Definitely not something you can pick up and play without practice!!

I get what your saying about the mouthpiece tube breaking off the keg.  This weakness in the call design can be cured by have full curvature surface contact before gluing in place.   This is a workmanship failure that I provide a full warranty for repair or replacement.