HPH vs Meatgrinder

[ducksngeese80]

looking at getting my first short reed call what call would you guys recomend I've blown the meatgrinder and like it I haven't blown the HPH yet I've been using an old Lohman flute and want to make the switch.

[SMOKE]

for someone just startin out on a short reed i would deffinately go with the meat grinder. ive heard switchin from flute to short reed can be hard. i started out with a short reed and went wtih the meat grinder and i couldnt have been happier. i went with it because since i was new to the sport i didnt really want to pay 150 for the smh and then decide it wasnt a sport i wanted to pursue. i have both the smh and grinder now and will be pickin up a market hunter one of these days. a beginner cant go wrong wtih a meat grinder. never tried a high plains honker though so i cant reall speak in that direction. the smh wouldnt be a bad starter call either because like all of jeffs calls it takes little or not back pressure.i would also consider picking up calling geese 2.0 as well or one of the cds too all are very helpful.

[ducksngeese80]

I'm kind of leaning toward the meatgrinder and am planning on getting the callin geese DVD just thought i would get someone elses opinion before i make my decision.

[DropEmInDE]

The First Call i picked up from Foiles was my SMH i got an awesome deal on it on EBAY, so i couldnt complain about the price...ive never owned a meat grinder, but ive blown both the wood and the poly models, i think they are both great, but they are very fast and a little high pitched than what your probably used to, being a flute caller, im my opinion i would get the SMH ( unless its a money issue ) i just have the feeling that if you buy the MG and later step up to the SMH you will say Damn should bought this to begin with, if you looking for fast high end work, or the low tone of that old gander, the SMH is the way to go, for me i woulda paid full price for one knowin what i know now, My SMH is my go to call, and my MH is a close second, i plan on getting the rest of the calls Foiles makes, and this is Just my opinion, im not Downing the MG in any way shape or form, i think its way better than most of the other poly calls out there, but if you looking for Versatility SMH all the way...but remember theres not a call Foiles makes that Hasnt won a contest, and they definately all will call in geese...no doubt about that..........my advice is buy what you can afford, or even look around and find a shop that has both calls that you can try before you buy, and see which one you think fits you best......Just my $.02

[Max4Gooser]

What these guys have said is right on the money. The MG is a great call for someone new to the short reed, but doesn't wan't to pay for an acryllic call, incase they have troubl picking up on blowing it. the MG will do everything you want it too. The HPH is also a great call, and I keep one on my duck lanyard as a "just in case" call for geese that might try to sneak by the duck hole :wink: The HPH is very versatile do everything goose call in my opinion. The SMH is still my favorite, and is my go to call on the Goose lanyard. Definately pick up the DVD, it will speed up the learning curve. I also recommend getting the Strait Meat Sounds CD, keep it in your truck and practice while waiting at stop lights and what not. Either the MG or HPH will be a good choice, and I am sure you won't be dissapointed. Just remember, don't give up on it, and practice, practice practice, and when you get it down practicce some more.

[ducksngeese80]

Thanks for all the help even though it is making my decision a little harder I will try blow the SMH & HPH before I buy, money is not to big of an issue (just sold an old 870 express and rolling that over into the call)

[DropEmInDE]

Well Said Jeff....Well Said..

[Ikillit]

The first goose call I ever bought was a cheap $20 poly call that I blew for about 4 days and after cussing it every step of the way I went to Scheels and blew every goose call they had in the display case. Even though I had just started and about the only thing I could do was a greeting call the guy that was helping me gave me a lot of pointers and told me all he could about each individual call. My second goose call was a SMH and the next 4 days I improved leaps and bounds in my calling ability then I found this website and ordered the Callin Geese 2.0 DVD and after watching that 3 or 4 times and blowing on my call as often as I could I can now honestly say that I can pretty easily call in a flock of geese and about the only thing I'm really working on yet is the Double clucking or Two goose sound as jeff calls it in the DVD. That being said, I am a FIRM believer in You get what You pay for, and I wouldn't trade my SMH for anything in the world. I actually just bought a HPH also that should be in the mail and getting here shortly. So the moral of this story is that If you practice hard enough and want to learn bad enough and get the right call for you even if god forbid its not a foiles call you shouldn't have much trouble at all with a short reed. Take me for example, in the course of about a month I went from designated Gunner and Flagman to the second best goose caller in our group of guys. Also DropEmInDe had some good advice about ebay, you can usually find a couple foiles calls on there at any given time, but if you don't know how to tune a call you may want to buy a new one that hopefully hasn't been messed with, cuz you never know what someone has done to their used call.

[ducksngeese80]

thanks for all the info i blew the smh and hph i really liked the hph i also blew the meatgrinder i was going to get the hph but decided to go with the meatgrinder for know had a couple other things i wanted to get i also got the dvd haven't watched it yet though can't wait to throw it in the dvd player thanks for all the help this is definitly just the begining.

[DropEmInDE]

Keep us updated, if you have any questions, theres soooooo many people on here that are willing to help, Myself being one of them, remember the only stupid question is the one you dont ask.....this callin thing is tricky, and it takes a lot of time and most importantly of all PAtience, just practice and try not to get frustrated when you cant get something, cause its all worth while when you get it, and lock it down. its sooooo awesome, and then when you see your skill working on them big honkers, its like YEAH i did that ....anyways like i said dont hesitate to ask....anything at all....

[sneakyreaper]

A MEAT CUTTER IS THE FLUTE FOR A FLUTE HUNTER, AND A MEAT GRINDER WITH IT WOULD BE A GOOD COMBO. YOU GET A HIGH & LOW . :D

[take em 302]

i started out w/ a meat grinder and shortly after switched to smh which was much better and worth the money i'd go with the smh don't even waste time or money on the meat grinder.

[HRK]

the meat grinder is a great call by any means, if you like the flutes then you should stay with them, the other calls are polycarb and not acrylic more entry level. i stated out with cheap flute many years ago but switched to a BGB fatboy (mike keller and jeff started the foundatins of short reeds) its a little transfomation with a short reed but once ya got it you got it! if you decide on the smh talk to the shop and have it tuned easer to blow and buy it directly from the shop not from the website you might get a number call that way and then go from there that way your not buying tons of calls to get were you want to be! not that were not wanting you to buy calls we are!!! just my .02 cents worth good luck

[Fespy]

I started hunting geese 2 years ago. The first year I started with a cheap short reed. I bought a SMH 3 months before my first trip this year and thought exactly what someone above said,"Should have bought the better call first". Nothing compares!

A hunting partner on a recent trip to Montana purchased the Grinder. Sounded good but nothing compared to the SMH. Start with the best. If you don't like the sport, there a a lot of guys willing (or should be) to buy the SMH from you and you will come out about even.

[ducksngeese80]

i actually bought a smh from someone on the yard sale got it in the mail today it sounds pretty good the guy i bought it from had it tuned at the shop i still need to get the dvd though, i blew it a little bit today while driving around and was very pleased going out sunday to give it a try.

[MNGooseSlayer]

i just started with a short reed last summer with a MG. It's awesome