Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Tell me about tube calls

Heard someone using a tube call and really liked the old school approach and sound. Didn't realize how versatile they could be. Anyone know who sells a good starter call ?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1755959748...r=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

The above eBay auction, a few squares of latex, and an exacto knife is the easy button to making your own starter calls.

Watching this thread. Yoder inspired me to broaden my horizons with his tube call. I have a Preston Pittman tube call coming from Mack's Prairie Wings. I like the idea of a small call I can wear around my neck.

https://www.mackspw.com/Preston-Pittman-Kiss-of-Death-Tube-Turkey-Call

Thanks for the information, was wondering if others had success using them.

They work !!! VERY versatile. Not hard to learn, at all.

I just got my Preston Pittman call. I stacked two reeds for a little rasp. I hate to say it, but so far the best yelp I can get out of it so far is is I put it to my mouth as instructed and say the F word. I'm going to have to experiment with reed numbers and stacking. But my first yelps sound better than my first mouth call yelps.

Thanks, good info

So Yoder, when the latex needs to be replaced, what do you use? Cut up pieces of latex balloons? That what the latex feels like. <- serious question

Cut up balloons would probably be preferrable to what I use............cut up pieces of surgical glove. LOL !!!

You gotta remember....... My tube call was borne of necessity. So I used what a 13 or 14 year old kid had at his disposal. So, this past fall, when I decided to resurrect and hunt the call for old times' sake, that's what I stuck it back together with. I am certain I could get a WHOLE lot better result with store-bought latex from a turkey call making supplier............which I may do at some point. I may leave the original call as-is and, some day, take another film can and make "Retro Tube Call 2.0" .

I've already discovered for myself a few things.
1) the tighter the reed, the higher the pitch.
2) you better be static-free when messing with the latex reeds
3) double stacking reeds with a little bit of overlap adds some rasp,
4) and a very narrow gap between reed edge and the wood where you put your bottom lip produces a crisper higher pitch than a wider gap which causes a deeper hollow sound. If there is no gap, its hard to get air to go through it. If its too wide, you'll blow the air out of your lungs. It's a finicky damned call, that's for sure.

Done. I'm not screwing around with this anymore. Too damned finicky. If the reed isn't stretched across perfectly, it sounds like shyt. And its too easy to touch it and get it out of place. Tried it, hated it, moving on.

Giving up on mouth calls, too. Never shot a bird using a mouth call, probably never will. Have only ever needed a slate or a box. No need to change.

Gotta try and call one bird with it,
I said the same thing on my first trumpet, but now won't leave home without it.