Do You Struggle With Mouth Reeds?

[ElkNut1]

When choosing a mouth reed which is best for us? Reeds come in 1/2" & 5/8" models, many hunters are unaware of this. Most hunters need a 1/2" reed to fit them best. This means if you have a normal size to narrow palate you will need a 1/2" reed, the 5/8" reed will feel too big in your mouth & you will struggle with it causing frustration. This is the most overlooked feature when choosing a mouth reed especially for newer users. Many times a reed is recommended to us to try because a buddy does very well with his. Maybe he has a large palate so he uses the wider version so we try it & hate it! (grin) Next thing you know is we feel reeds aren't for us because we assume all reeds are the same! This is the # 1 mistake, make sure to choose the right reed for you! Newer hunters should start with single reeds.

One thing to note is any hunter can use a narrow framed reed, doesn't matter if he has a wide palate or not but not anyone can use a wide 5/8" reed. If in doubt consider the 1/2" version first! Some hunters wonder if they can use mouth reeds or not! If you can brush your teeth without gagging you can learn to use a mouth reed! (grin)

ElkNut1

[saddlesore]

After I had to have a partial denture, mouth reeds were impossible to use. I have had good luck with the LIl Chuckler ,using the removable mouth piece as a cow call though.

This was a 343 bull I killed on public land in 2009after buying that call. Notice the Play Book in the foreground. I have killed and elk very year since then.

[ElkNut1]

Hey Vince, how are you doing sir! Great bull there & welcome to the Forums!

ElkNut1

[saddlesore]

I'm doing good Paul. Hope you are as well.

So far this year,I have whitetail buck a cow moose and a bull elk in my freezer. Hope all is going well with you

[ElkNut1]

Wow, what are you going to do with all the meat!!! You're going to weigh 300# after all that's eaten! (grin)

ElkNut1

[saddlesore]

With today's price of beef, it is like money in the bank.

[pd]

Great post, Paul.

I really don't know about my palate (I am a struggler, to be sure). Strangely, I can fit most mouth reads "sideways" in my palate, and still get sounds from them. I did make a trip to see Phantom this summer, but all I learned is that he can call really well, and that I should practice more.

I think I am going to ditch all of my reeds this winter, and start all over again. I can do the cow call routine (well or not, you decide), but the bull calling is still hard. Maybe I will buy a single 1/2"er and also a 5/8"er, and then give it a shot.

This is definitely harder that riding a bicycle.

[ElkNut1]

Vince, you have that right! (grin)

pd, thanks! Here's more info on mouth reed use that may help you out! Get a Mellow Yellow reed, it is a 1/2" reed.

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Should I use a standard reed or a palate plate reed? Does it matter & what's the difference?

When using a Palate plate reed the part of the reed with the shed roof or dome goes up towards the palate & the latex faces towards front teeth, these type reeds are not intended to bend or shape to ones mouth, they are to be used as is. If non palate plate reed you'll generally notice a small bump on one side of the reed in the frame about center where vinyl covers top part of horseshoe. Most these reeds with this bump will face towards the palate not the tongue but quite possibly can work either way if a single reed. (this can vary from call maker to call maker) If double & triple reeds make sure the layering where you can see them stair step face up towards your palate not down for best results. These types of reeds can be shaped to ones mouth or at times slightly trimming of the vinyl tag for best fit & feel. Don't get carried away on the bending or you will have a saggy or lazy latex if bent in. If bent to your desired fit it may be necessary to pull apart the opening of the horseshoe open end to tighten latex to achieve like new condition.

Too, I like nibbling or chewing on nearly every reed I use when it's new before putting on my tongue & lifting into place. This softens the canvas vinyl like a wet T-shirt so it molds to your palate & dams all air from escaping as well as softens edges & corners so they aren't poking at your gums. Do not chew on the latex itself.

All this can take a minute or two depending on what's needed to soften material. The first time will take the longest & from there it's pretty easily done with continued use.

Before there's any bending, trimming or shaping on non palate reeds you must know where the reed goes! Here are a few points to consider. The reed is not clamped down by your back teeth or any teeth for that matter. Now allow the right & left corners of the vinyl tag to slightly rest against top inside front teeth. The very front of the latex or horseshoe opening should be in the proximity of the ridge or cleft of your palate, the mouth reed itself does not touch your front teeth so it's actually 3/4" or so from teeth, only the corners of the vinyl should be touching inside of top teeth or gum line. You can use center of tongue as contact point on latex for more subtle sounds as cow calling or smaller bull sounds. Tip of tongue, front or the back of tip portion can be used for louder bull sounds as lip bawls or long range location bugles.

One of the easiest sounds to perform are cow sounds, use center of tongue if so desired with light to medium pressure & say Shhhhhhh softly, by adjusting air-flow, tongue tension and or position of tongue in a forward or backward motion very slightly you will achieve the desired tone. You want to practice this first before you move on to bull sounds. Take one step at a time, conquer it, then move to the next step towards bull sounds. One note with bull sounds is you will need to add your own voice inflections into most of these sounds, the mouth reed can only be counted on for those creative higher notes & raspy aggressive sounds, it's a learning process but easily done with the proper motivation & understanding that it will take a few practice sessions to get comfortable with the reed in ones mouth. This cannot be done as a 1st timer in one or two 5-10 minute sessions. Plan on 4 weeks of persistent practice 10 minutes a day, some are quicker learner than others. (grin) Give yourself a chance & be persistent & you can succeed!

Final note, mouth reeds can get old! The latex can fatigue quickly if left in direct sunlight in rig or at home, sometimes in less than 30 minutes. You also have to watch out if left in the home on a table or desk where direct lamplight or sunlight can attack the latex. With lots of daily use they need to be traded out with a new one in a month or so. If doing lots of lip bawls or harsh aggressive bugling their life expectancy can be much less! When sounds are not crisp & clean as the first day of use it's time for a new one! Store in cool dry places.



ElkNut1

[_rj_]

Another thing to consider is if your tongue tied it will be harder to operate too. I'm partially tongue tied and find it hard to get the correct tongue position consistently.

[ElkNut1]

What do you mean by tongue tied?

ElkNut1

[pd]

Thanks, Paul.

I will start over this winter. Ahhhhh.

[WapitiTalk1]

Thanks, Paul.

I will start over this winter. Ahhhhh.

Swing out this winter bud, we can work on some stuff. BYOB. RJ

[CurlyTail]

I do not struggle with mouth reeds. But I seem to be a slow learner. Or perhaps more accurately, I underestimated the amount of time and experience it takes to achieve competency with a diaphragm call.

I started elk calling 6 years ago. I had a head start with diaphragm calls already with quite a bit of experience calling Turkeys. I have always felt that if your calling sounds realistic, you should call a lot, and if your calling sounds unrealistic, you should call very sparingly.

It has taken me a full 6 years to get ready for prime time elk hunting. The first few years, I would only practice the last 6 weeks before the season. This year, I started practicing to and from work, in the car every single day. That extra time commitment has made all the difference. Sure, you can make basic sounds in a few minutes or a couple of hours, but to sound realistic in volume and tone - on the first try, every time - takes way more practice . I would say that if you have given up with diaphragm elk calls with less than 20 hours of time with a call in your mouth, then you have not persevered adequately.

It takes time to train your ear. You need to listen to real elk sounds as well as imitate good callers. You can't make a good sound without having it in your brain the tones you are trying to make.

Lastly, it took me a long time to figure out that I needed to pressurize my air when calling to get the best sounds. Just like singing (which I cannot seem to do), or blowing a duck call, you have to pressurize your air and release it from your diaphragm to get consistent quality tones.

And you need to replace your latex calls at least yearly

[pd]

Swing out this winter bud, we can work on some stuff. BYOB. RJ

That's a great idea. February. When it is raining sideways. For weeks on end. BMOB (and some new calls )

[_rj_]

What do you mean by tongue tied?

ElkNut1

The piece of tissue that connects under your tongue (lingual frenulum). Mine goes almost to the tip of my tongue. I can barely stick my tongue out.

[llewokj]

I have to push the call almost completely out of my mouth to get a sound out of it. And I'm sure the resulting noise would scare any animals away! Tried a narrow call with no luck as well.

[ElkNut1]

Ryan, yes very unusual, all I can say is keep practicing! Don't give up, it may take many weeks but there's a chance you can conquer a mouth reed! (grin)

Jeff, no doubt a narrow reed will work, you need to give it a chance. Nothing automatic about using mouth reeds, they can take 5-6 weeks of everyday practice at 10-15 minutes a day! Use a Mellow Yellow single reed. Not just any single reed will work you need to start with a light tensioned latex!

ElkNut1

[llewokj]

Ryan, yes very unusual, all I can say is keep practicing! Don't give up, it may take many weeks but there's a chance you can conquer a mouth reed! (grin)

Jeff, no doubt a narrow reed will work, you need to give it a chance. Nothing automatic about using mouth reeds, they can take 5-6 weeks of everyday practice at 10-15 minutes a day! Use a Mellow Yellow single reed. Not just any single reed will work you need to start with a light tensioned latex!

ElkNut1

Muchas Gracias!