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Handmade Crow Calls

Crow hunters looking for surefire ways to lure their prey often turn to crow calls, devices that allow them to imitate the many possible vocalizations of crows. The easiest route is electronic: many products on the market will reliably produce a realistic crow sound on demand. Traditionalists, however, and those looking for a challenge like old-fashioned acoustic calls, which are kazoo-like instruments that can sound surprisingly crow-like in the hands of experts. Handmade calls are both attractive and functional.

Structure of Handmade Crow Calls
- Handmade crow calls consist of two main parts: a solid, tube-like body and a mouthpiece. The mouthpiece contains a reed, which may be adjustable and able to be moved around inside the mouthpiece to produce sounds of different pitches. The body of the crow call can vary in shape, from a simple tube to a flared tube to a barrel- or vase-like shape. The body and mouthpiece are typically constructed separately and the mouthpiece is removable on some models.
Materials
- Handmade crow calls are typically carved of wood and can be made from a variety of wood types, including cedar and walnut. They can also contain decorative metal trim or accessories (such as rings so they can be hung on a lanyard, for instance). Industrially made calls, on the other hand, typically have plastic mouthpieces.
Using a Crow Call
- While makers of crow calls sometimes pride themselves on the quality of the sounds produced by their calls, using a call to produce crow-like vocalizations takes practice and training. The call has to be held in precisely the right way -- cupped between the hands to control how much air leaves the call and thus the tone of the sound produced. Also, a user must blow into it hard enough and steadily enough to get an appropriately loud sound. For some hunters, crow-calling skill is a point of pride; when not hunting, many participate in crow-calling competitions.
Alternate Uses of Crow Calls
- Crow calls are not just used by crow hunters. Turkey hunters also use them, since alarm cries from crows can arouse wild turkeys, causing them to take to wing. Some crow calls can also be used to produce sounds resembling other birds, such as hawks.

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