[sprigs4days]

Man I like the way this thing sounds. Wanting to pull the trigger on a new call and I'm leaning towards the micro. Anyone run one. What's your thoughts?

 

[Rick Hall]

I have two: one from their first year that's a great little call I hunted with for some years, and one from their next generation that's a nutted/muted version of the first.

Reminds me of what RNT also did to their once fine Short Barrel when trying to put some differentiation between it and their "improved" Daisy Cutters. Might not be a coincidence that they were again introducing new calls in the Microhen's general vein at the time. Or, it may have been that, as with the early DCs, some first year Microhens were troublesome for some to operate, and they were trying to eliminate than.

 

[Rick Hall]

Got me thinking about an old favorite call. And since my Sweet Chereaux is still enjoying he Sunday morning coffee and I'd not want to disturb her by running it now, I did the next best thing and dug up the youtube that sold me on trying it:

Fellow in the khaki shirt is running a first year Microhen. (Dark shirt is running a Lares A5.)

 

[sprigs4days]

Thanks for the word, Rick. So which RNT call would would you recommend? I'd rather it be a single reed, something easy to work. Mostly hunt refuge ponds, nothing big. Been youtubing videos of Jim running different calls. Liked the dc and the short barrel too.

 

[Rick Hall]

Liked the dc and the short barrel too.

Though I thought it "a contest call" I might only use it on special occasions when something extra loud was needed, I've used a MVP far more than anything else for the past 16? seasons, because the birds have seemed to like it better than the umpteen others I've auditioned on game. And it doesn't hurt my feelings that it's super responsive up and down the tone and volume scales and great fun to run.

But the MVP may be too clean and crisp for most hunters' ears. Most hunters seem to want what we think of as "ducky" rasp, rattle and raunch. Know I did, which is why I got one of the now-treasured "old style" Daisy Cutters (mine was the "half-scroll") in the same mail with the MVP. Used to call it the Janis Joplin of Susies. Loved that call's sound and gave it chance after chance after chance, but it couldn't hang with the MVP afield, no matter how many times its distinctly harsh tone convinced me to bring it back out of retirement.

Anyway, I've long been in the habit of auditioning a new call or two most every season, and the two that have stuck the longest are the MVP and one of the much newer Daisy Cutters the Cult of the Old Style Daisy Cutter will tell you can't compare to their favorite. In candor, I was right there among them when judging by my own ear, and it was happy accident that a newer version Daisy Cutter came to bump my favorite Microhen from the quieter duck call loop on my lanyard and stay there the past however-many years.

Bought a used one dirt cheap to experiment with teal-tuning reeds for it, found it a blue ribbon winner in that regard and still versatile enough in others to have a lot of fun with our local mottleds between September teal flights and prompt me to give it a go in the regular season, where it turned enough neat tricks on other big ducks to earn its "permanent" loop. Doesn't have the down-range breaking leverage of the MVP, but better replicates not just teal but other squacky hen species, such as pins and grays, nails drake gray beeps and drake pin purrs and lets me enjoy getting really snotty working close mallards, which while hardly necessary, makes me look like I know what I'm doing. And that newer DC is a whooole lot more versatile and fun to run than its "old style" ancestor.

Long-winded way of saying "it depends" on what you're looking for. Forced to choose, I'd want the MVP for its down-range leverage. But if I valued sounding "ducky" more, I'd choose a recent Daisy Cutter. Both are death on game in competent hands and easier to run with greater tone and volume ranges than most of the many other makes and models I've auditioned - to include the Short Barrel you've mentioned, which is much more limited.

 

[sprigs4days]

That's some great info right there Mr. Rick Hall. Thank you.