Feeding call problems

[assateague]

When the geese are rolling around here, they're REALLY rolling, flock after flock after flock. I'm still way too slow, but generally, the more noise you can make the better. I usually only hunt with one other guy, and he doesn't try to call at all, so I try to make up for it. Lots of guys around here will have 3 or more guys calling all at once.

[Eric Haynes]

When the geese are rolling around here, they're REALLY rolling, flock after flock after flock. I'm still way too slow, but generally, the more noise you can make the better. I usually only hunt with one other guy, and he doesn't try to call at all, so I try to make up for it. Lots of guys around here will have 3 or more guys calling all at once.

My normal group is three of us, but this year it seems we are inviting people every time out so we've been having 5-6 callers. I got lazy.

[Shaun Patrick]

@ assa, I know my way around a goose call pretty well and can do a triple cluck but not consistent enough to where I would feel comfortable teaching someone how to do it. The best advice I can give on goose calls is slow is clean, clean is fast. Sounds like you are running a lot of traffic where a wall of sound is what you want, I wouldn't worry as much about a triple cluck as I would lots of consecutive clucks broken up by some moans. I would be comfortable doing a traffic video for you though. I actually originally got into the waterfowl industry because my buddies told me I needed to get on stage for goose calling, so I did, and have done it a couple times since then to help fill in at contests, and it is always a miserable failure lol. I compete in duck contests, but usually I judge at goose contests, I am much better at those than being on the goose stage.

@ Eric, I have been asked to work for a couple different call companies, but my deal with Avery only allows me to work for 2 staffs (them and one other) and my deal with Hevi is so good, nothing has even been close to pulling me away from them. I will put something in about transitions as well for you. Cant help you with a staff position for a week lol, but I can give you some inside Avery info to throw in your buddies face though, Avery has an outfitter program, and they only sponsor top outfitters around the country, the only other sponsorships we give is to a top flight waterfowl tv show or video company, you can tell your buddy that if he does not have one of those, he does not have a sponsorship. After that there is only the staffers like myself, if he claims to be one of those I can always look his name up and find out.

[Eric Haynes]

@ assa, I know my way around a goose call pretty well and can do a triple cluck but not consistent enough to where I would feel comfortable teaching someone how to do it. The best advice I can give on goose calls is slow is clean, clean is fast. Sounds like you are running a lot of traffic where a wall of sound is what you want, I wouldn't worry as much about a triple cluck as I would lots of consecutive clucks broken up by some moans. I would be comfortable doing a traffic video for you though. I actually originally got into the waterfowl industry because my buddies told me I needed to get on stage for goose calling, so I did, and have done it a couple times since then to help fill in at contests, and it is always a miserable failure lol. I compete in duck contests, but usually I judge at goose contests, I am much better at those than being on the goose stage.

@ Eric, I have been asked to work for a couple different call companies, but my deal with Avery only allows me to work for 2 staffs (them and one other) and my deal with Hevi is so good, nothing has even been close to pulling me away from them. I will put something in about transitions as well for you. Cant help you with a staff position for a week lol, but I can give you some inside Avery info to throw in your buddies face though, Avery has an outfitter program, and they only sponsor top outfitters around the country, the only other sponsorships we give is to a top flight waterfowl tv show or video company, you can tell your buddy that if he does not have one of those, he does not have a sponsorship. After that there is only the staffers like myself, if he claims to be one of those I can always look his name up and find out.

Haha, I was just joking anyways. All I would need is a card with my name and prostaff next to it to give him and laugh. He's not a friend though, friend of a friend. He's the kind of guy that would probably blow someone that works for Avery just for them to talk to him.

But in all reality, wouldn't most companies want a bigger Pro-staff? I mean, you promote for them, and I bet it's pretty cheap promotion for them. To me, the more the merrier as long as you did some kind of check to make sure they were doing their job.

[Shaun Patrick]

In some respects yes it is good to have a large staff, you can have all your shows covered with guys from the area and don't need to pay gas money or hotel expenses. But at the same time, you run the risk of "muddying the waters" so to speak, which I have seen done first hand. A company not to be named, started out with a small staff with some great hunters and great knowledge between them, the company however decided that they didn't want to have to pay their guys to go all over the place so they started adding staffers by the hundreds, and cut their pay to a flat fee per year, after you do x amount of shows. They ended up with any jack bag who wanted product at a discounted rate, had no loyalty to the company, and would attend shows just when they felt like it. Now with a smaller staff, with better pay, company loyalty and pride does come into play, and those guys will be at the show come hell or high water, and have pride in the gear they use. So in reality yes and no. If I was running a company, I would have a staff just big enough to be at all the shows they needed to be, and pay the guys well including their travel expenses. This is almost exactly what avery does, most states have 3-5 guys some less some more depending on the the area and stores they need to cover.

[Eric Haynes]

In some respects yes it is good to have a large staff, you can have all your shows covered with guys from the area and don't need to pay gas money or hotel expenses. But at the same time, you run the risk of "muddying the waters" so to speak, which I have seen done first hand. A company not to be named, started out with a small staff with some great hunters and great knowledge between them, the company however decided that they didn't want to have to pay their guys to go all over the place so they started adding staffers by the hundreds, and cut their pay to a flat fee per year, after you do x amount of shows. They ended up with any jack bag who wanted product at a discounted rate, had no loyalty to the company, and would attend shows just when they felt like it. Now with a smaller staff, with better pay, company loyalty and pride does come into play, and those guys will be at the show come hell or high water, and have pride in the gear they use. So in reality yes and no. If I was running a company, I would have a staff just big enough to be at all the shows they needed to be, and pay the guys well including their travel expenses. This is almost exactly what avery does, most states have 3-5 guys some less some more depending on the the area and stores they need to cover.

I didn't even know pay was involved besides free or discounted gear. I know you work for EMI and their products are very expensive. Seems like I remember hearing one of you guys hunting all year, and getting like 6 cases for free for all of your hunting. That's a lot of dough to be giving away, but I guess if you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, it's still cheap advertising.

[aunt betty]

The rolling feed call on ducks is worthless. Have hunted a long time and I've only heard flying mallards do the rolling feed call. The feed call I use is just a bunch of randomness meant to sound like a whole bunch of ducks feeding. Listen to a huge group of feeding ducks sometime and you'll know what I'm doing and why.