Lifespan of diaphragm calls
Turkey
I always ponder this, and I'm curious what you all think...
I tend to keep my calls in a little rubbermaid bin - snack size - with listerine during season, then after, put them in the fridge, but they rarely make it. I either give up and toss them during a fridge clean out. Or I get nervous of what may be living on them and end up buying new.
How about you all- the other diaphragm thread got me thinking about this. Do you folks ditch calls at the end of a season or use them for years on end...?
I wouldn't say years on end, but I can get more than one season if I don't lose it or leave it in the sun in my truck. I don't store them for extended time in liquid. I store them throughout the year sealed and dry in the refrigerator. Too long in the liquid and the tape will come apart.
Before season, ill soak overnight in Listerine and water mix, use a toothpick and maybe some running water to free up any reeds that are stuck then store back in refrigerator.
I always lose a call or two, leave them in a hot truck, etc. I buy several new ones every year, but am typically using some from the previous year.
soaking in alcohol/Listerine will wreck the latex and glue. I rinse mine in mouthwash and store in a ziplok in the fridge. During the season I sometimes rinse them in non-alcohol mouthwash. Storing in an airtight container or ziplok a dark place away from any ozone (electric motors, etc..) works too. I use them for years until the latex stretches out from use.
To be more accurate, I use whatever mouthwash we have in the cabinet. It is typically some generic brand and I don't recall looking at alcohol content. I also dilute it with water. I leave it over night with no problems. I like to rinse them a time or two per season to freshen them and remove any germs, especially if I've been sick.
I just stick em back in their container and try to keep them in a dark place. Sometimes I'll put a piece of a toothpick in between the reeds. I figure the germs on them are mine anyway.
Ya I'm not too worried about the germs but I rarely use beyond a year just because I blow them out. For some reason I'm hard on my calls. The best sounds I get are when they are fairly new out of the package. When they start to stretch to much they lost control.
I usually change mine at least every other year. They are the very least expense in turkey hunting.
Germ a phobes . . . Sheesh!! :)
I leave mine in the little neck call carrier in a drawer. Dig them out the night before the opener
Mine usually last multiple years, but I don't use them a ton. Usually only when a bird is headed in. Use my pot for strikes
Rinse in running hot water for 2 minutes set on paper towels pat dry let them air dry for awhile put back in a case its not air tight or anything . I do this every time I use them and that is all I do when I put them away for the year have 2 call that are 5 years hold and the rest are 1-3 years old and I do keep them in the fridge
I pretty much do above but do sometimes soak a bit in mouthwash but usually rinse dry back in container. Present one going on year 4.
Mine usually last two seasons if I'm lucky. I tend to put alot of tongue prusure on the reeds which eventually stretches them past effective sound quality. I always soak them in mouth wash before I use them the second season.
I soak mine in Jack Danials. This way if I don't see anything I really don't care!
I soak mine in Jack Danials. This way if I don't see anything I really don't care!
Interesting. never thought about the impact of the alcohol. Literally, I soak em for weeks at a time and they work... But, like I said, I rarely get one to the next season. So maybe it's ok for a few weeks, but by the time next spring rolls round, they are toast. Good to know that for this year. Thanks!
Interesting to see many of you have a similar flow with em, or at least, dont get more than a couple years out of them. It is funny... I'm not overly tight with the cash, I mean, I mostly gun hunt turkey and the dang hevi shot I use is probably close to 7 bucks a shell as I recall (ouch). Even if bow hunting, an arrow with a broad head is over 20 bucks.
I appreciate the input guys. Will
What I've found is the colored latex lasts longer, believe it's red, I chew snuff which is hard on the latex, the standard whitish colored latex wouldn't last a day sometimes it seems when chewing but I can get a whole season or more with the red latex calls and it doesn't seem to get blown out so easy!
I usually just leave the plastic cases with my diaphragm calls in them open at the end of each day so they dry out. I've never worried about soaking them in anything. I have some that are 3 years old and I use them a lot!
