Now, for these vintage calls we aren't talking about the Rich N Tone Daisy Cutter (although perhaps the prototypes would be worth something).  Let's take a look at what sort of vintage duck calls are out there:

Iverson Vintage Duck Calls

VINTAGE IVERSON SPRIG WHISTLE ROSEWOOD DUCK CALL IN BOX    US $144.00

VINTAGE IVERSON WIDGEON WHISTLE DUCK CALL DISPLAY BOX    US $75.00

While still in production, Iverson duck calls was started in the 1940's by E.V. Iverson.  Born in the prairie pothole region of North Dakota, Iverson would go on to craft some of the best calls ever made.  Iverson is known for making all of his calls by hand and using the best of treated hard woods such as Rosewood, briar and teak as well as the fairly common cocobolo.

P.S. Olt Vintage Duck Calls

LOHMAN OLT AD DUCK GOOSE SQUIRREL CROW CALL    US $9.99

VINTAGE PS OLT D 2 REGULAR DUCK CALL PEKIN ILL PS    US $11.27

4 Duck Calls 2 PSOlt M L 22 1 faulks 1    US $14.49

OLT 1951 BIRD CALL RECORD MALLARD DUCK PUDDLER CLASS    US $21.00

P S Olt Product Catalogs Duck Call Goose Call    US $.99

Vintage P S Olt D2 and Faulks Duck Calls w Lanyards    US $9.50

Herters Vintage Duck Calls

Charles Perdew Vintage Duck Calls

When it comes to vintage duck calls I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Charles Perdew calls.  Born in the river region of Illinois, Perdew hand carved duck calls and decoys and is well known for his attention to detail.

FA Allen Vintage Duck Calls

FA Allen is considered the pioneer of the modern duck call, and given the fact that he passed away at the beginning of the 20th century his calls can be hard to come by.  Credited with inventing the barrel and straight tone board that had a curved reed, Allen is recognized as being one of the first people to ever commercially sell duck calls.

Ken Martin Vintage Duck Calls

KEN MARTIN GOOSE CALL RARE CHERRY MINT HUNTING DUCK    US $125.00

KEN MARTIN CALL WITH BOX NICE USED N R    US $19.99

KEN MARTIN DUCK CALL BOX NICE USED N R    US $9.99

As can be seen, there are a lot of great vintage duck calls to choose from and given what you want you can find a great one to match your collection.

Or perhaps you are into making your own calls.  I have a cousin in law that makes beautiful wood barrels that he has been putting acrylic inserts into.  They look great and sound very good, and he is not a grizzled duck call making veteran.  He is great at wood working for sure, so that looks of his call are very pleasing to the eye.  The great part about the acrylic inserts is that they are available in many color shades and can be mixed and matched with many calls to make a call very pleasing for the eye as well as good in the blind.

For those that are really into having their calls customized buying an acrylic insert and either buying yourself a custom barrel, paying someone to make you one or making one yourself.  This can add a great looking call that is the envy of your hunting buddies.

Popular colors include clear, smoke, blue, pearl white, amber, black and many others.  You can mix and match as you see fit.  Loud to make those ducks take notice from across the marsh with the range to make just about any sound, acrylic is really the top material you can get for a duck call. The material also is extremely durable against all the elements that you are likely to see in the duck blind.  Buying your own acrylic insert for your duck call is something that every serious duck hunter should look into.

This is a perfect time to take out your duck whistle and give it a shot.  My personal favorite is the drake mallard quack, which is more of a soft buzzing noise.  It works wonders on those call shy ducks.  For teal a few peeps will turn them on a dime where a mallard call will keep them on their merry way.

Do you use a duck whistle in your hunting?

Buck Gardner 6N1 Whistle Call NEW    US $4.99

To begin with, we must separate out duck calls into single reed and double reed. A single reed call is a very versatile call that can run the gamut of sounds and ranges, but it more difficult to master. Especially for a beginner a single reed call might not be the best choice. The double reed duck call has two reeds and therefore lacks the range of a single reed, but makes up for that in terms of being much easier to blow and master. Double reeds are generally softer than single reeds which is great for calling in close quarters.

Another aspect is what material is the call made out of. The two most common high quality materials is wood and acrylic. You will also find a fair amount of poly calls as well, but in general I have found them to lack the sound you are looking for. The key difference in materials is that acrylic calls can be much louder and carry much further than wood duck calls. This is especially important when considering what type of hunting you will be doing. In an open space you want a loud call and should gravitate towards an acrylic duck call. Another key aspect is that acrylic has less variance in sound over the temperature ranges you would expect to see in a duck blind. Wood expands and contracts to a much greater degree leading to different sounds depending on the air temperature.

Personally, if I were to pick a perfect duck set up it would be two calls. A single reed meant to reach out and grab them, in which case I would choose a Rnt Daisy Cutter duck call. I would couple that with a double reed meant to work the close in birds, and that would be Fred Zink XR-2 Paralyzer duck call. Both would be in acrylic due to the wide array of temperatures I hunt in.

Again, by "meat duck call" I mean it is made for the sole purpose of getting ducks to commit and give quality shots while duck hunting. Basically, this call is meant to sound like a live duck.

So what sets apart the XR-2? Well first off, it is a double reed duck call. Why is a double reed important? Generally speaking they are easier to blow well and pretty much eliminates sticking of the reed, which can occur with single reeds. They are generally softer in sound than their acrylic single reed brethren, and work great for those in close ducks. The feeding chatter call sounds great on the XR-2.

So who should be in the market for a double reed call such as the Zink XR-2? I think this is a great first call beginning hunters due to it being a double reed and being easier to blow a quality quack with it. I would also recommend for those experienced hunters to use in combination with their favorite single reed. Many of my hunting partners have the XR-2 paired with a single reed like the RnT Daisy Cutter to reach the full spectrum of calls required in any given situation.

I hope that explains the reasoning behind choosing a Zink Paralyzer XR-2 to add to your lanyard.

So what do I mean by "meat" call?  I mean this call isn't meant to win a calling contest, it is made for the sole purpose of getting ducks in your face for high quality shots.  Plain and simple, a "meat" call will sound like a duck. 

So let's talk specifics on the RnT Daisy Cutter.  First off, from their site, the Daisy Cutter has "a higher reed set along with a wider bore to give it a more demanding presence".  So let's dig into that a little bit.  That just means that this call can get really loud if need be to attract those far off ducks. 

I should also mention that this call is a single reed duck call.  In general, the single reed calls are more difficult to blow, but have a much wider range and generally can produce superior calls than a double reed call. 

I have a hunting buddy that has a Daisy Cutter and I have seen him call ducks in from great distances to right in your face.  If used correctly, this is a very good call.

Hope that sheds a little light into the reasons a person would be in the market for a RnT Daisy Cutter call.

RNT Daisy Cutter Duck Call Cocobolo Wood Rich N Tone    US $85.00

RNT Daisy Cutter Mallard Duck Call Pearl Black Acrylic    US $135.00

New RNT Daisy Cutter Mallard Duck Call Ivory Acrylic    US $135.00

New RNT Daisy Cutter Mallard Duck Call Black Acrylic    US $135.00

New RNT Daisy Cutter Duck Call Burnt Orange Acrylic    US $135.00

RNT RICH N TONE DAISY CUTTER ACRYLIC DUCK CALL PRL BLK    US $135.00

RNT Daisy Cutter Duck Call Bois DArc Wood Rich N Tone    US $85.00

RNT Daisy Cutter Mallard Duck Call Flo Green Acrylic    US $135.00

New RNT Daisy Cutter Mallard Duck Call June Bug Acrylic    US $135.00

Using the high quality  acrylic duck calls of today a hunter can make many soft gentle calls of a mallard.  My favorite call is the low pitched duck quack.  I use a duck whistle to make this sound - it is very easy to do and very productive.

After duck hunting season begins and the ducks have been shot at for several days or weeks they become wary of all of loud duck calls.  Being quiet can be your next secret weapon to have more productive duck hunts.

The debate continues what material is best when buying a goose call or duck call: acrylic vs. wood. My personal choice is wood for many reasons including look and feel, but each material type has its advantages and disadvantages. There is a reason that all of the world champion goose and duck callers use acrylic calls. First and foremost acrylic calls are loud - the birds can hear you from long distances. Second, they are really fast at changing tones and pitch. The champion callers sound like a whole flock of geese when done right. Last, importantly for people in cold weather states, the acrylic calls dont seem to freeze up.

I personally use wooden calls for other reasons. The wood calls have a much different look and feel. Getting older I enjoy the rustic look of the wood calls. I like wood calls for other performance related reasons as well. The wood calls can make much softer tones and much more raspy tones. When making a sound of a Canada Goose or Drake Mallard, I like the soft raspy tones the best.

The reality is both are great materials for calls. It really boils down to feel, so make sure to demo a few at the shop before going out in the field