U just saved me $15 bucks that I would have spent on a preditor call!
Using what you could figure out made the right sounds that you heard all the time as a kid growing up on a high mountain ranch is one thing - trying to call predators today without even a simple call and basic knowledge of what you are doing is an entirely different thing. Of the ten most important things in predator calling now days the call itself doesn't even make the list. But knowing how and when to use it is number 10.
Do you know anybody that makes an antler style howler??? Yours looks like it should be in a glass case....
Like all the calls I made (no matter how fancy), the scrimshawed howler (c. 1966) was carved for using, not for sitting around in a glass case. It is my "go to" call, will produce any sound I want, and has called in hundreds of preds and other small, upland and big game over the years.
Lots of people jumped on the predator call making bandwagon starting about 5-6 years ago, and a few of them actually did learn how to make a pretty descent call. But most made broom handles with reeds, found out early on it is not the money maker they tought it was and soon dropped back out. Great calls are not made for the money, they are made from a love of the art and with years of experience. The good call makers don't hang out here on GBO, but rather mostly on the more predator specific forums. As for an antler howler, most call makers now days use a commercial injection molded tone board with an antler barrel and call that a custom call.
If you want a real 100% antler howler, Brad Holder (if he still makes calls) understands the mechanics and the materials for making a great open reed antler howler. No idea where he hails from now as I haven't been in touch with him for 2-3 years.
