Received the calling package today

[Texasdan]

So...I can make noise with mellow yellow and...herd master?

Cow sounds and some bugles.

Below the call sound is what sounds like a cat hissing and a whole bunch of...moisture .

What do you guys do for maintenance on your bugle and mouth reeds?

Its like a sprinkler is going off inside my bugle...

I also have to exert quite a bit of effort to get anything out of the calls

[twinkieman]

I don't do anything special to my mouth reeds, other than keep them out the heat. Check out the Elknut Tips and Clips, Paul has some video clips there that may help you with the use of mouth reeds.

[Texasdan]

I love tips section. I watched the DVD and have seen quite a bit of improvement.

Just a matter of putting in time

[Lark Bunting]

I'm convinced I poisoned myself from not taking care of my diaphragm calls...one may have been a little moldy.

Ever since that all night endeavor of doing the 360's......i now wash mine with soap and water and allow them to air dry completely before putting them away. Not sure what I will do this hunting season...maybe gargle with Purell?

[ElkNut1]

Daniel, you got that right! Putting in the time to practice is where you will start to polish up your tones! There's nothing automatic about mouth reed use where ones pick it up in a few minutes, it can take weeks of diligent practice before we feel confident in our tones.

Lark, I've never washed a reed yet in nearly 40 years of using them, I'd have to say your sickness was either transferred to one or you picked up your germs elsewhere?

ElkNut1

[Lark Bunting]

Daniel, you got that right! Putting in the time to practice is where you will start to polish up your tones! There's nothing automatic about mouth reed use where ones pick it up in a few minutes, it can take weeks of diligent practice before we feel confident in our tones.

Lark, I've never washed a reed yet in nearly 40 years of using them, I'd have to say your sickness was either transferred to one or you picked up your germs elsewhere?

ElkNut1

Paul, it's very possible it could have been from pretty much anything including food, viral, etc. but I just happened to use a reed that was a little moldy that day. (There may have been a slight coating of Skoal bits left behind)

I figured I'd not take the risk again and wash and dry them between uses.

[ElkNut1]

Yes sir, better safe than sorry! (grin)

ElkNut1

[Wyo67]

So...I can make noise with mellow yellow and...herd master?

Cow sounds and some bugles.

Below the call sound is what sounds like a cat hissing and a whole bunch of...moisture .

What do you guys do for maintenance on your bugle and mouth reeds?

Its like a sprinkler is going off inside my bugle...

I also have to exert quite a bit of effort to get anything out of the calls

Sounds like you may have to do some experimenting with finding the right sized reed. I've tried several of the reeds out there found that I can use several of the plastic dome shaped calls (All-Star / Herd Master / Full Rut / Mini Master), but really struggle with the metal domes such as the Mellow Yellow.

I bought ElkNuts DVD a couple of years ago and it really helped out. Check out this video as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VITaRJNVuyQ