With the season over, many of us are already thinking about next year and what call will truly out call the rest. Thousands of birds make the migration each year through several different states hearing hunter after hunter call at them. Every waterfowler knows they don’t get up at 3am, drive 2 hours, and sit in the frigid weather to sound like the every other Joe in the swamp or marsh. These following folks were generous enough to trust in my field work and hunting their calls for the past two seasons to bring you this review. Each of these call makers truly love what they do and will make you that one call that will get that flock cupped and committed.

Kelly’s Kalls
We will start with Kelly Beltz of Kelly’s Kalls. (www.KellysKalls.com) I spent a lot of time speaking with Kelly on the phone about the call making process and the passion he holds shows he is truly one of a kind. Kelly is out of Wichita, Kansas specializing in both custom made duck & goose calls. On Kelly’s website you will not only find out information on his calls but he also sound files, testimonials, his own personal blog, and a radio show.
Kelly uses both domestic and exotic woods. The wood he used for this particular set is Persimmon, which is a member of the Ebony family of woods. It is very hard and dense, and has excellent tonal qualities and is extremely durable. I will contest to the durable factor played here because I am hard on calls and Kelly’s held up like none other. Here is what Kelly himself has to say about the two calls; “The Goose call has custom K-4 guts in it, the top wedge can be adjusted to make the call higher in pitch or lower just by moving it in or out in relationship to the reed. The Duck call is a double reed design, you will find that this call is a very versatile call, very loud for big water situations and can be very low and raspy for timber or small pothole applications. These are both Acrylic Cylinder Calls in the Guide Series design. I don’t use o-rings with them because there is no need to. There are double lanyard grooves on each call so you will feel better about not losing either end.” The versatility of these two calls is truly unbelievable. The double reed has a capability to reach way down low and at the same time scream to the other side of the lake to really turn the birds. The capability of the feed chatter on the call is also next to none. For the goose call I took Kelly’s advice and decided that I would change the pitch from one hunt to another and no matter whether higher or lower the call produces true-to-life Canadian sounds. Another item Kelly makes is the “Baby Magnum”. These calls are the smallest working calls in the world. Kelly can make either single calls or sets of Micro Mini Working Duck and Goose calls. I have personally not tried these Baby Magnums but have heard nothing more then wonderful things about them, each of them are under 2 ¾” with most being under 2 ½”. If you are looking for a call with a personal touch give Kelly a Kall you will not be let down.

Foggy Bottom Calls
Next on our list is James Keith with Foggy Bottom Calls (www.Foggybottomcalls.com). Foggy Bottom Custom Calls is located near Oologah, Oklahoma and was established in 1984 (started as K.C. calls). Mr. Keith’s main goal is build you a call with three attributes 1) it sounds like a duck 2) it is appealing to the eye and 3) that it is a call you can proudly hand down to your children and/or grandchildren. All of his calls are turned and tuned one at a time and he will not sell you a call he would not hunt himself.
Foggy Bottom Duck calls are currently available in 3 styles. First the “Twister” which is the style in this review and is available in tunings from Timber to Open water. Twisters can be ordered in Stabilized Burls, Blackwood, Cocobolo and Osage. The OLTIMER line of calls is Foggy Bottoms tribute to Olt. It is also available in tunings from Timber to Open Water. The Boomer series are calls made from spent 8 gauge brass. The Boomer is a great close in call. It is not much louder than a real duck. It won’t “float” but it will kill ducks. Now back to the Twister, a single reed, this call is a duck hunter’s dream call. You can carry it with you no matter if you’re hunting the open water or that swamp no one knows about. It will do everything you want it to and then some. This is one of those calls you would feel guilty taking off of your lanyard because of the killing power it holds if ran right. Very easy to run and can make a beginner sound like he has been calling for years. I recommend this call to anyone and everyone who wants to kill ducks and sound good doing. Give Mr. Keith a call or go visit him in the Foggy Bottom.

Redneck Pride Game Calls
This next set of calls fit my style of calling the best. Mr. Ron Jones of ACP Rednecks Pride Game Calls/Outdoor Scents out of Monroeville, New Jersey (www.acpwildlifepro.com) is a one of a kind guy. He asked what kind of hunting we do most and fit these calls accordingly. The mallard call he made is a short barrel double reed made of walnut and is a raspy as you can get. Ron knew what he was doing when he turned this set. The wood duck call is also made of walnut and let me be the first to tell you, it has called in and killed more then one wood duck in the last two seasons. You will not receive a call from Redneck Pride game calls that Ron himself would not take hunting. If you are ever in the neighborhood of Monroeville or are just interested in some calls that you will never leave the house without give Mr. Ron Jones a call (856-863-4168). Ron also makes grunt calls, outdoor scents, turkey calls, and specializes in wildlife control services so give him a ring, he will definitely take care of you and don’t forget each call “SOUNDS SO REAL THEY WILL THINK YOU ARE ONE”

Haydel’s Game Calls & Buck Gardner

These next two call makers are on a higher, mass production scale but still definitely worth a look. This section will get a lot longer then above but because of the bigger scales of these two groups there is a lot of information that is well worth reading.

Haydel’s Game Calls
I will start you with some information and history straight from Haydel’s Game Call website (www.Haydels.com)

Haydel’s Game Calls is family owned and operated, and is nationally recognized as a leader in the manufacture of the finest quality game calls. Haydel’s founder and his sons are national champion callers, and the majority of Haydel’s employees are both hunters and callers. The most impressive feature of a Haydel’s Game Call is its ability to “blow wet”. This original idea is a major factor in our tremendous success and growth. The current Haydel’s catalog features well over 150 items. We have a staff of twelve people, with over forty independent sales representatives located throughout the United States and Canada. Haydel’s products are also sold in Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Europe. Haydel’s Game Calls products are marketed through catalog sales, dealer/distributor sales, and the Internet. We participate in approximately 20-25 trade shows each year, in addition to conducting clinics and seminars at various sporting goods stores in selected locations. Our founder and his sons have been featured on national television programs such as ESPN, Cabin Country, Outdoors in the Heartland, GAR Outdoors, Northwest Hunter, Louisiana Outdoor Adventures, and Outdoor Tips and Tales. Haydel’s constantly seeks feedback from customers, dealers and sales representatives. This feedback, together with our own experience as hunters and outdoorsmen, helps support our commitment to producing the finest game calls available today.
Here is a little history…….
Eli Haydel was born in Raceland, Louisiana, in the heart of duck and goose country, where his father worked at a sugar refinery. Hunting was an important part of his family’s life, and because Raceland is also Cajun country, so was music. At age fourteen, Eli began to play the clarinet and saxaphone. He received no formal training and never learned to read music. He played by ear. It was this combined love of music and hunting that would lead Eli to become a champion caller and later to found Haydel’s Game Calls, Inc.
In 1958, Eli moved to north Louisiana and after serving in the Air Force, made his home in Bossier City. As Eli got older, he continued to love hunting – and calling. In 1975, he began to enter calling contests, and became a champion caller. He was frustrated though, because when his duck or goose call got wet, the wood swelled and the call wouldn’t work right.
Eli decided to eliminate this problem by making a call from non-porous material. It was slow, hard work. But working in the garage of his home, Eli soon developed his new idea. After he handed out a few to his hunter friends, word spread quickly and the demand was tremendous. Eli’s initial investment was approximately $400.
The original Haydel’s calls were somewhat crude, but hunters didn’t care. They were impressed that they would “blow wet”. Eli began marketing his idea by putting his product on consignment in local sporting goods stores. His credibility with stores was helped by the fact that he and his sons were nationally recognized champion callers. Eli’s original marketing plan was simple. He took a fishbowl to each store. In the fishbowl, he put a rubber duck with a game call suspended from the duck‘s neck and submerged under water. A sign on the fishbowl simply said “Blows When Wet”. The stores couldn’t get enough.
It took quite a few years for Eli to become an “overnight success”, but in 1985, Eli Haydel left his job to devote full-time efforts to Haydel’s Game Calls. Since that time, Haydel’s has enjoyed tremendous growth – growth that Eli proudly points out has been accomplished without ever having to borrow money
In addition to providing the finest game calls available, Eli Haydel is committed to providing and maintaining a family atmosphere for Haydel’s employees. Because Haydel’s employees have a genuine interest in hunters and hunting, Eli’s relationship with his employees often reaches outside the office environment. It is relationship with employees, dealers, and customers, along with his ready ear for any ideas or suggestions for making a better call, that has helped contribute to Haydel’s continued growth.
Eli Haydel currently serves as CEO of Haydel’s Game Calls. He is an honorary trustee of “Ducks Unlimited”, and a member of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Although he has never learned to read music, Eli Haydel is an accomplished clairinet and saxaphone player, occasionally sitting in with local bands. He credits this, along with his southern Louisiana Cajun heritage, as partially responsible for his business success.
Eli’s son, Rod Haydel, currently serves as president of Haydel’s Game Calls. As president, he is responsible for all day-to-day operations for Haydel’s Game Calls, Inc. Like his father, Rod is an accomplished musician. In fact, he actually began his college education with a full scholarship in music. As the company grew however, Rod changed his major to pursue and complete a degree in marketing. Rod also shares Eli’s love for hunting and is a champion caller in his own right. Both Rod and Eli have been inducted into the “Shreveport Sports’ Hall of Fame”, and Rod has played a key role in developing a wide variety of new and innovative products for Haydel’s Game Calls. He has also been featured on numerous national outdoor television programs and in outdoor sports magazines. Like his father, Rod is committed to keeping Haydel’s Game Calls a company that is “for hunters, by hunters”.

I was able to speak with Rod and he is a great guy and stands behind their products 110%. The call they set me up with was the Black Hole Mallard and let me be the first to tell you this call is a swamp killer. The low side and feed chatter is par to none and the price is even better. In the past, I have owned a few other Haydel’s Game Calls like the Compensator Wood duck and these calls are both affordable and highly recommended. I am tough on calls and my Haydel’s have taken a beating and never missed a hunt.
Haydel’s has an endless variety of calls and you can literally get lost for hours looking through all their calls on their site. Duck, Goose, Deer, Predator, Turkey, Small Game, chokes tubes, accessories you name it, and it is there. Go by and take a look, you will not be disappointed.

Buck Gardner
I spoke with Buck several times on the phone and he, like the rest, is a one of a kind guy and will do anything in his power to take care of you and the calls he makes for you. Buck Gardner Calls, a company owned and operated by World Champion and Champion of Champions duck caller Buck Gardner, is taking duck calls to a higher level of quality, performance and durability without a prohibitive price tag. The PERFORMANCE SERIES CALLS are equal in every way to computer-created acrylic calls that cost a bundle and that many duck hunters cannot afford. Buck’s calls are injection-molded polycarbonate (bullet-proof glass) that has been laser-polished with a technique that Buck himself helped pioneer.

Here is a little about Buck straight from his site (www.buckgardner.com)
Buck Gardner, of Germantown, Tennessee is recognized as one of the top duck callers in the nation. He won the 1994 World Championship, and in 1995 he captured the ultimate duck calling trophy, “Champion of Champions”, which forced him into competition retirement. He now participates as a judge in contests around the country, and every 5 years in Stuttgart, AR for the “Champion of Champions Contest”, as well as occasionally for the “World Contest.”
Buck recalls his first duck hunt at the age of six, which was with his father. While picking up two ducks his father had shot, he stepped into a stump hole and went under water over his head, but proudly emerged with both ducks in his hands. As soon as he was dry and warm, he was ready to go out again. He says, “You might say this was my ‘baptism into duck hunting’. I continued to hunt with my dad at that very spot until he was 80, and could no longer go. We always talked about the day I got dunked.”
In 1980, Gardner entered his first duck calling contest – and finished last when he was disqualified for talking during his routine. The Mike McLemore, a many times over champion caller, encouraged Buck to keep at it, that he was good and could win. He developed his own style of routine, and practiced diligently. In 1981, he came back and won the first of three Alabama State Championships. In 1982, Gardner won the Mississippi Delta Regional, defeating 47 contestants from 17 states, including six former world champions.
After much persistence, twelve years, and many high placing finishes, he triumphed to secure the coveted World Champion title, and the next year the “Champion of Champions”, and a place in duck calling history. He attributes his success to lots of practice, persistence, and the support of good folks like Sonny Kirkpatrick, Butch Richenback, his rival callers/friends with whom he practiced, and his family who listened to his endless quackin’.
A hobby started by Buck in 1986 with a few basic duck calls soon became a growing concern and profitable business. Buck Gardner Calls, LLC now includes a full line of duck, goose, predator, deer and turkey calls, as well as accessories and clothing. Buck is recognized by consumers, retailers and other manufacturers as an innovator. BGC was the first call company to: produce an compact disc re: duck calling, use Santoprene@ wedges instead of cork, put camo coating onto duck calls, and to utilize clam shell packaging. In 2003, BGC made available the first injection molded calls that were “laser polished.” In 2005, Buck introduced Interactive Displays to the retailer, which enables a customer, with the touch of a button, to receive audible information about his products. 2006 brought the personal Digital Calling Coach, sold with a call, which reproduces life-like calling sequences. Buck considers “Spit Tech” his greatest achievement. “Spit-Tech” is a unique design in his calls which guarantees it will never fail or stick, no matter how full of spit the call gets. If it does, Buck will refund your money! As of this printing, no other company makes that guarantee.
A priority for Buck is to pass along the love of the outdoors which his father gave him. He does this by participating in kid’s events throughout the country each year. His greatest joy comes in mentoring a young hunter or caller in the techniques of the sport. His company generously donates on average 20,000 calls to kid’s and other events each year. In 2005, he was recognized by his peers for his humanitarian contributions, as well as his positive impact on the industry, when he was inducted into the “Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame.”
Buck is a Delta Waterfowl Life Sponsor and Ducks Unlimited Life Sponsor, and helps conduct the U.S. Open and Tennessee State Duck Calling Championships. He has partnership deals with Briley, Hot Hands, and Hodgeman. They use Buck to help promote and design some of their products. Buck also has strong ties and sponsorships with, Mossy Oak, War Eagle Boats, Remington, Gerber/Brunton, Tri Tronics, Mud Buddy Motors, and Timex. Buck and his wife, Marlene, with whom he works, were married in 1972 and have three children, Brad, Elaine, and Patrick.
Now back to the calls, Buck sent me a call off of his newer line, the new Pocket Rocket Cocobolo Wood Barrel Spit Tech Sorta Single. Now Buck stands behind these spit tech calls 100% and that is a guarantee. The first one I received was sticking, I gave Buck a call and he had a new insert within two days. Buck says…Spit-Tech™ is an innovative technology exclusive to Buck Gardner’s Calls, which enables the duck call to work even when it’s wet from spit or duck pond water. Buck says, “the wetter the better” and backs each Spit-Tech™ call with a money-back guarantee. “They never stick,” Buck claims. “If a Spit-Tech™ call ever sticks I’ll give your money back. That’s my personal guarantee.” Spit-Tech™ Technology exclusive to Buck Gardner’s Calls. It’s a secret he hasn’t even told his kids about yet! The Spit-Tech™ Series of acrylics are by far the most versatile hand crafted duck calls available today. And this cutting edge technology is also available in the “Pocket Rock Series”, the “PolyWood Series”, and the “Short Barrel Technology™ Series”.

Now I will tell you this call is unreal, it has the versatility of a double and single reed all in one call which is the concept behind the Sorta Single series.

“The Sorta Single is a unique mix between a single and double reed call. We call it Sorta Single™. It blends the ease of blowing a double reed call with the complete tone range of a single reed call.
Don’t be fooled by the size of this short, but lethal duck call. Buck combined his SBT™ (shorter 2.31” cavity for better call control, making it easier to blow) with his exclusive Spit-Tech™ Technology (which guarantees it always performs and never sticks) and his reed-and-a-half Sorta Single™ system, giving it the ability to ring on the top end and have extra strong low-end duck, and still be forgiving just like a double reed.) Add the beauty and tradition of one of our wood choices, and you have chosen the best. Because it is tuned and tested by our Pro Staff Tuners™, and made in the USA, Buck backs it with his 100% lifetime guarantee.”

Don’t be fooled, Buck has not only mastered duck calls but has a line of goose calls, deer calls, predator calls, and turkey calls. I personally was able to also give the goose calls a try and the Canada Hammer II is a great call or a great price. The Canada Hammer II Performance Series call is the easiest operating short reed Canada Goose Call ever made. The Canada Hammer comes in a camo green that will blend just right with the fields and water. From the loudest hail calls to the softest clucks and moans, this call will do it all with ease. Other features include double O-rings that form an air tight seal and a hand-shaved reed. This call is all goose and that is a GUARANTEE!
Ya’ll slide on over and visit Mr. Gardner and don’t forget of you have never called before he has instructional CD’s over there as well and will get you on your way!

Hope everyone enjoyed the review, I will try to get some audio in with each of these calls in the coming weeks. Don’t forget to check back as more may be added as we continue….

Calling