I'm looking for a little information from some of you Echo guys. I'm looking for a call that will be best at finishing birds. I'm leaning towards the diamond wood timber, but have also thought about the DRT, Bocote double and the Meat Hanger. Where I hunt here in Michigan I'm calling to birds that are coming to me. By that I mean that I'm not trying to pull birds off from other spots or trying to hail call in a flock of 2 dozen mallards. Most of my birds are coming to where I'm at I just need the decoys and final calling to set them up right. Occasionally I have to reach out 150-200 yards to grab a small flock that is just passing by, but that's only about 5-10% of the time. I thought about getting 2 calls (timber and maybe meat hanger) but I really don't know if I'd need them both. I have used an old poly PH2 and my new acrylic NBG, but I sold the NBG before even hunting with it. It was just too loud for where I am usually at. I hunt some rivers, but my kind of rivers are 20-40 yards across and trees around so most singles and acrylic calls are just too loud. If I'm in a field it's usually with a small 10" deep puddle about 60-80 yards across and I just need to finish the birds that are coming to feed. I'm sorry to ramble on, it's just that every time someone has said "this is the best sounding duck call" I find that it's great for a wide open prairie or a competition and all you want to do is the loudest Arkansas hail I've ever heard. I've read a ton and heard Echo calls mentioned a lot and I think I've narrowed it down to them, I just want to know what everyone thinks of the calls I listed. And how are they with reed sticking? I've heard great things about the timber, I just don't know if it'll leave me needing a little more volume if I need to reach the occasional flock. I've also read ok things about the meat hanger, but I've read a few reviews of severe sticking and not being able to be as soft and "ducky" as the timber. Thanks.
If you just want something quiet then get a drt or one of there poly double reed timber calls or get a drake whistle. I can blow a xlt or pure meat plenty quiet for finishing but there still mid range calls so I think you would find them to loud.
I've not had any of their double reeds in hand, but if I wanted an Echo and had the concerns you've expressed, I'd probably be happiest with a single reed Timber. One reason they're so popular is the small-bored single's ease of use relative to larger bores, and it's capability to produce somewhat crisper than double-reed tones should offer some edge when you do need to reach out a bit.
The Timber sounds like the call you're after if your dead set on Echo. I personally would much rather have a call that can get loud when I need it to be and be able to tone it down when they're close, rather then settling for a call that I wished was louder sometimes. A good single reed open bore call can more often then not be blown quietly (with proper mechanics and lots of practice) but a small bore insert call will only ever be that loud.....if that makes sense.
Thanks for the info guys. I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do, and I hate buying calls that don't fit what I want and then just being out more $$. I was looking at the Echo diamond wood/poly double timber as being probably the best option but now I'm thinking about a single reed. I'm not the best duck caller out there, not bad by any means but not the best and to be honest I'm scared of getting a single and not being able to run it well. Where I hunt in Michigan we only get about 3-4 hunts with good mallards. We fill our bags with a lot of woodies and everyday is a limit of Canadas. I'm a goose caller at my core and can easily turn and land nearly every flock of geese I see right at my feet,but I only call to 15-20 flocks of ducks a year and most of them are coming to me already or very close. I want to get great at a single but I also want a soft call for where I'm at and would hate to get a single that I really have to work at to get soft. I've thought about getting and XLT to reach out a little more and to work on the single with and see how soft I can get it, and also getting the double wood/poly timber to get really soft and finish in the small holes. Do you guys think that there is enough difference between the two call to justify getting both? I am in absolutely no need of an open water call, but I need a medium call that can go soft. And soft easily. I've had calls that guys told me to just hold a certain way and present air in a specific way and if the stars align then the call is perfectly soft and great at finishing. But then in the excitement of a surprise flock swinging by and heading away I grab the call just a little off from perfect and blow a sound that scares them to the next county. I want to get good enough that I'm confident like I am with a short reed goose call, but right now I'm not there yet.
Theres not many loud calls you can't blow soft I don't think... there not generally as forgiving because they have more range so it just takes more practice to be able get all of that out of a call. I think you want a louder call and just don't know it...
But that xlt is going to be a touch louder then say a pure meat and I think last I had one in hand a breaker and a odb were also a little less noisy then a xlt as well.
I know you didn't mention them but both the breaker and odb will be the more forgiving single reed calls echo has. The breaker will be louder with more range then the odb, the odb be a lil quieter still louder then a timber call an not as much range, if you don't feel comfortable with a single reed and think a timber might be to quiet maybe look at a odb?
I know this, I don't want to go loud. I'm looking for a cocobola single reed timber, but no luck, I think they stopped making them. How do you guys think a bocote single timber would stack up?
Picked up a Pure Meat after the end of the season last year, and I can't wait to get that thing on the lanyard this year. It's my first acrylic and my first single reed and I am in love. It isn't overly loud and will get soft and ducky easily. I'm drunk on the Echo kool-aid for sure. My friend has ran the poly diamond wood timber for the last 7 years and loves it, he will probably buy another just for a backup call this year I'd check that one out as well if I was you.
I'm on board with the echo koolaid as well, but have only ever used the cheapo poly double reed that can be had for $30. Between listening to real ducks and understanding a budget, that cheap call has produced all the sounds I've ever needed. Like the OP, I'm not in an area often that needs loud calling and personally believe that there isn't a lot of added value if those ducks aren't already coming my way. quieter is better and less is more. it'll always sound arrogant online, but as a statement of fact: I've been complimented on my calling ability with this cheap call often. I believe being comfortable and capable with a call is much more important than forcing yourself into one that takes a great deal effort to figure out. maybe I'm lazy.
I did buy an XLT and found it entirely too loud. maybe I was lazy, maybe I wasn't very good at the time, but I was ready to get rid of it when my puppy gnawed on it, marring the outside and making it unsellable.
They just remodeled their website. I was just checking it out but they def have timber calls in coco if thats what ur still looking for.
The Timber is the call i would go for if were u. The wood/poly double reed timber call is like 55$ (ands its a fine call, works great) but for 89$ u can get a beautiful timber coco single reed. Just my 2 cents
They just remodeled their website. I was just checking it out but they def have timber calls in coco if thats what ur still looking for.
The Timber is the call i would go for if were u. The wood/poly double reed timber call is like 55$ (ands its a fine call, works great) but for 89$ u can get a beautiful timber coco single reed. Just my 2 cents
Yes, I just saw that yesterday. I ended up getting a great deal on a new meat hanger and a wood/poly double reed timber. Then I also went back to the website and ordered a poly single insert. I'm going to use the meat hanger for reaching out if I need to and I'll use the timber for close finishing and really soft calling when I need it. I want to get better on a single too so I figured the poly single insert will let me change between double or single and give me something to practice on.
Thanks for all the input. When the calls get in I'll post up what I think of them. I'm thinking I'll be pretty happy.
I have a meat hanger and a diamond wood along with a 6in1 whistle. Works for me. I can reach out with the meat hanger and finish with the diamond wood. I'd consider the meat hanger a medium range overall call. It can get out a bit not as loud as some others , but works for me. The drake whistle works great at times. The timber can be very soft if need be.
That's what I ended up going with and couldn't be happier. I have had the same experience. The Meat Hanger is perfect for more open spots and the field hunting that I do, and the timber is great once they get close. Both are ducky and easy to run.
Do you guys know if I can run the Meat Hanger as a single?? I was thinking that I could order the thicker single reed cork and some reeds and run it as a single. I have mostly used doubles as they seem to work easy here in Michigan, but I have heard a lot about the versatility of singles and thought that maybe I would set up the Meat Hanger as a single in the off season and see if I can work on my calling with a single. Thanks for the input.
And as a quick review of the Meat Hanger, it is great. I read reviews of it being a sticking double, but that has not been the case at all with it so far. And like the previous poster, I'd call it a medium volume call that is really easy to run and sounds great.
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