# some duck calls



## swift4me (Apr 18, 2010)

Thought I'd post up some lathe work I've done lately. Aside from the ebony and rosewood calls, they are all from chainsaw milled wood from the farm.



























Thanks for looking,

Pete


----------



## scattergun13 (Apr 18, 2010)

I used to collect duck calls. Those you have made are works of art. How much do they sell for, just out of curiosity? Rep on the way...


----------



## swift4me (Apr 18, 2010)

*duck calls*

Thanks for the kind words.

When I had a hunting and fishing store, I'd sell my ebony or cocobolo mallard calls for $140 and the whistles for $60. Now I'm in France where good calls don't really exist as alot of guys still use live decoys, so I'm thinking I'll be selling them for less.

Checkered or fancy glued up multi-wood calls are more expensive.

I made southern style box turkey calls for years in California for $125, but there were very few custom box call makers in the west. Seems like the prices are lower where there are more callmakers.

I'm starting to mess around with some copper reed Reelfoot tyle calls too.

I make my own inserts and spend alot of time tuning each one, so $60 seems cheap for the time involved.

I hope that answers the question.

Thanks,

Pete


----------



## NEP (Apr 18, 2010)




----------



## pwoller (Apr 19, 2010)

swift4me said:


> Thanks for the kind words.
> 
> When I had a hunting and fishing store, I'd sell my ebony or cocobolo mallard calls for $140 and the whistles for $60. Now I'm in France where good calls don't really exist as alot of guys still use live decoys, so I'm thinking I'll be selling them for less.
> 
> ...



French hunt? I thought they were against using guns?


----------



## swift4me (Apr 19, 2010)

*wrong in Indiana*

Hunting is a big thing here througout history and still today. Part of the reason for one of the French revolutions was that they tried to take away hunting and fishing from the general population. 

It is suffering the same slow death as in America due to kids not taking it up, but the percentage of people who buy hunting lisences here is higher than most of the states in the US, except for Michigan, Montana, Alaska, Pennsylvania, etc.

I can buy 20 long guns cash and carry in a single day if I want to. Handguns are heavily regulated, but possible. Trap and skeet are big too. We have red stag, roe deer, wild boar, chamois, ducks, geese, woodcock, migratory pigeons, lots of red fox and others. Unfortunately, my two favorites, wild turkeys and coyotes are not founf here.... yet. I'm working on the turkey thing.

Oh... the thing about the French being rude... that BS too.

Pete


----------



## luvsaws (Apr 19, 2010)

Beautiful work!!!


----------



## dingeryote (Apr 19, 2010)

swift4me said:


> Hunting is a big thing here througout history and still today. Part of the reason for one of the French revolutions was that they tried to take away hunting and fishing from the general population.
> 
> It is suffering the same slow death as in America due to kids not taking it up, but the percentage of people who buy hunting lisences here is higher than most of the states in the US, except for Michigan, Montana, Alaska, Pennsylvania, etc.
> 
> ...



Bieng around the corner from Eibar and the Basque gun making cultural center, a fine made and balanced double should be in your future...

Some of the best firearms I have ever held, came from your neck of the woods. I'd be Gun poor and starving if I was you.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


----------



## little possum (Apr 19, 2010)

:drool:

How much to ship to US 

I love quackers. Although theres not really many round here. 

Nice work on the calls.


----------



## B-Edwards (Apr 19, 2010)

Those are very nice looking calls. Hey find me a French model 1950 9mm . They are very hard to find in the states. I do have a 1935a nazi proofed :biggrinbounce2:.


----------



## john taliaferro (Apr 20, 2010)

nice work. do they still eat all afternoon then go walking, got relly good memories of france


----------



## Stihlverado (Apr 22, 2010)

Those are really talented works!


----------



## indiansprings (Apr 22, 2010)

Really nice work, I'd rather have a piece of hand made artwork like that than the acrylic calls of today, don't find that many quality wood calls here in the U.S. anymore. Cody and Camp both still make some very decent custom turkey calls though. What species of duck do they hunt?
Spent four or five days in Paris years ago, understand it's a tourist center, but they were the rudest, yankee hating people, I've see in my global travels, the vietmanese were friendlier.lol I understand from others Paris is not representative of the rest of the country.


----------



## swift4me (Apr 23, 2010)

*thanks*

THank you for the kind words on my calls. I really enjoy making and tuning each one. The tuning, same as in turkey calls, is the fun part. I've never turned acrylic, and will probably stay with wood, but I've blown alot of good acrylic calls too. When hunting in small spots, nothing beats wood for a ducky sound.

Dingeryote... From 2001 til last year I had a store in California selling fly fishing and high grade hunting items. We were a direct importer of Arrieta shotguns. Over the years, we visited the small shop several times and saw every step of the process. IN my store, we sold, or did importations for guns from Grulla, Arrizabalaga, and of course AyA.

I agree they are beautiful guns. Their biggest problem is a lack of young guys who want to learn the trade. Maybe with the crisis in Spain, more young kids will start to think about working with their hands. Maybe.

Pete


----------



## RVALUE (Apr 23, 2010)

swift4me said:


> Thought I'd post up some lathe work I've done lately. Aside from the ebony and rosewood calls, they are all from chainsaw milled wood from the farm.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



What good would these calls be for us?

Our ducks don't speak French. 






















Very nice calls, and work. How do they blow?


----------



## swift4me (Apr 23, 2010)

*you're almost right RValue*

The European widgeon make a different sound than ours, but the green winged teal, pintails, mallards, gadwall and wood ducks all are the same.

Pete


----------



## little possum (Apr 23, 2010)

The Eurasion widgeon is a beautiful bird. Im waiting for one in to come to NC


----------



## swift4me (Apr 23, 2010)

*Eurasian widgeon*

Yes I agree, they are a beautiful bird. In California, they shoot a few hundred a year that cross over from the Asian flyways, but I've never killed one. They have a one-note whistle of about the same pitch as ours. I've had to tune my whistles differently, but still try to keep the other sounds it makes, like the pintail, drake mallard and teal.

Unfortunately I do not live in a very good part of France for duck hunting. I'm excited about checking out some spots in Spain where they hunt on rice fields. Unfortunately, I think they harvest too many ducks here, so there are ducks, but not like our great flyways in North America.

Pete


----------



## cat-face timber (Jul 1, 2010)

Amazing skill.
Very beautiful wood!!

I noticed that you mentioned coyotes, do you make Coyote Calls? If so, how much to ship to US?


----------



## GASoline71 (Jul 1, 2010)

Awesome quality in those call... 

Nice work! 

Gary


----------

