The geese were headed over our field of winter rye to land in search food on that blustery October day. A few dozen decoys and a well-camouflaged pit blind assured us that we would be able to draw the bird within range. As the flock of eight Canada's started to veer away, my guide began a virtual chorus on his call. Appearing to lightly blow into the call, the volume coming out from that wooden wonder filled the pit. Apparently, the sound of the call made it out into the moist air over Prince Edward Island, Canada, as the geese banked toward us once again. With a few more deductive honks, the geese were circling behind us and readying their landing gear. The guide stopped calling and instructed us to get ready. All at once, the door of the pit blind flew open and our party of four hunters took the eight magnificent birds from the sky.

When the geese were retrieved and hidden in the blind, our guns were reloaded and we congratulated each other on our shooting prowess, my hunting partner asked our guide to examine his call. The guide handed over a richly-colored wooden call that was remarkably detailed and sturdy-appearing. When asked the name, he was told a "Faulkner Malpeque Bay". My hunting companion blew lightly into the call and was amazed at the ease of blowing and rich, true sound that emanated form within that block of wood. He handed the call to me for a test honk and I too was impressed. "I need one of those calls," was my partners only response as he reluctantly handed the call over to the guide.

We finished out that day and the next enjoying the same excellent results on geese, thanks not only to our guide but to the classic tone and seductive pleading coming from his well-made call.

As I was in that corner of Canada as a guest of the Department of Tourism to cover a few of the local guides, I returned to the guides' home to conduct my final interview. After I had all the information for my assignment, our talk turned to the calls he used. My guide told me that the call he used was probably the most common call in use on the Island, and was marketed world-wide. Called the "Goose Flute" because of its size , my guide attributed much of its success to the tone and ease of blowing. My guide suggested we call the maker himself, so we phoned Chris Faulkner of Stratford, P.E.I. and I learned just why his calls are so popular.

Faulkner got into the call-making business at a young age. Still a college student, he decided he wanted to make a better call for the vast local market of goose hunters. He self-instructed himself in wood working and call design and went through about 150 calls until he was satisfied with the end result. By 1993, Faulkner had crafted his calls to the point that he was ready to market them. He began selling them to the local guides and hunters around P.E.I. and then as word-of-mouth grew, he slowly expanded to the regional Canada and then United States market. Today, his calls are world-renowned and sought after by hunters, competitive callers and collectors of find sporting art and ephemera.

The design of his calls is perhaps, aside from their beauty, the biggest selling point. Each call is handmade, taking several hours from start to finish. The calls are made from hand selected Cocobolo wood, renowned as one of the best woods for woodwind instruments. The internal sound parts are made from space-age plastics which ensure their proper functioning and combat the swelling and sticking that has plagued waterfowl hunters since the advent of the call.

In response to the vast collecting market, Faulkner occasionally makes a limited edition call. Making less than 40 limited edition calls and making them of exotic and beautiful woods such as tiger maple, the demand for these works of art is high. Some are bought by hunters who use the standard Cocobolo wood calls in the blind and display the fancier calls at their homes and lodges. Others are bought by serious collectors, knowing well that his calls are destined to be sought-after pieces in the future. For a modest fee, the call can be laser-engraved with the hunter's name to further personalize the call.

Faulkner makes each call by hand, ensuring that each is of highest quality and securing his niche in the quality call market. Faulkner calls his product a "very versatile call", I call it a sporting work of art that is a functional as it is beautiful.

"I believe any normal man can learn to call waterfowl, provided he will follow the instructions...of the most expert callers. The trouble I find here is that not one man in fifty will follow instructions".
--Tom Turpin, noted call manufacturer, 1930's--1950's.

     Successfully calling geese into a decoy spread is one of the most gratifying feelings a waterfowler can experience. To do this consistently, often under heavy competition from neighboring blinds requires practice, skill and experience. Goose calls and goose calling can be an extremely complicated and opinionated subject to explain. It has been said that bad calling is worse than no calling at all. At first, unless you have taken the time to practice, it might be a good idea to leave the call at home. But take heart, anyone can learn to call geese provided they practice and are patient. I would recommend to anyone beginning to call, to purchase one of the many instructional tapes available on the market. Many give detailed explanations of the vocabulary of geese and the specifics of calling in hunting situations.

CHOOSING A CALL

     Duck and goose calls are relatives of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Like the clarinet and saxophone, the calls derive their sounds from vibrating reeds. In my opinion the best call is any call that appeals to you both aesthetically and functionally as well as being comfortable to use. You can find a multiplicity of devices on the market designed to call geese. They all have one thing in common, when used correctly they all sound like a goose. Calls available on the market can be categorized as either custom calls or commercial calls. The materials for call making are as varied in type and temperament as call makers themselves. Commercial calls are widely available and are constructed from a variety of plastics and woods; call prices range from $5 to $50. Hardwoods still dominate the custom call market with cocobolo the preferred choice of wood. Its denseness and moisture resistance help ensure a consistent tone under most conditions. As a custom call manufacturer I feel wooden calls, besides becoming elegant works of art, have a certain tone and feel that can never be truly duplicated by other materials. For a custom call one can expect to pay from $50 and up.

     There are generally two styles of goose calls made today, the standard goose call and the flute style call. The standard goose call has been around the longest, it produces what I term as a singular basic honk. It is the simpler of the two styles to master, with the sound being completely controlled by the air being expelled by the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. The flute call, in my opinion, produces a more flowing flock sound. The function is controlled by the diaphragm and abdominal muscles as well as the incorporation of hand manipulation. Hand manipulation controls air flow through the call which determines which sounds are produced. This is difficult and requires practice, making the flute the harder of the two styles to master. It is in my opinion, however, that when mastered, the flute style goose call with it's exceptional range and varied sound, produces the most realistic sounds of the two styles.

CALLING GEESE

     Calling ability is one variable in goose hunting that you can control and basically if you cannot sound like a goose you are in trouble. The first goal of anyone calling geese is to learn to sound like a single goose with clear single honks, this should be mastered before you attempt to sound like a flock. Canada geese have a distinct vocabulary composed of five basic sounds. Variations of these five sounds with different speeds and pitches is what makes up the entire vocabulary of the Canada Goose. The five basic sounds are the low honk, the high honk, the cluck, the whine and the murmur. The male goose or the gander generally has a deeper call than the female goose. A low honk is achieved by muffling the call more with the hands, opening the hands gives a higher pitch or more piercing sound. Experiment with opening and closing the hands while using the reference note "who--what", this will give you the desired low honk high honk sounds, low first then high, beginning slow then speeding up when comfortable. The cluck is basically a shortened honk, a good reference note to remember when practicing this is the word "TUT". By adjusting your hands you can achieve a low cluck and a high cluck just as before with the low honk, high honk. The whine is a deep, low, mellow sound, and is basically a lengthened honk, the reference note here is "WHO-AAAH". The whine is often termed as the comeback call, it is a pleading sound demanding the geese to return. The murmur is a close in call or growl, and when combined with honks is a great close in call. The mixing and combining of these basic sounds with varying speeds and pitches creates the flock sound that contented geese so often make while on the ground or in the air. The flock sound is the most deadly calling pattern a goose hunter can create. It is the sound that incoming geese expect to hear, and it assures the birds that everything is O.K.

     In a hunting situation when geese are within calling distance it is best to begin with single, loud honks. As the birds approach call faster and more excitedly; this can be termed as the highball call. As birds continue to approach and seem interested move into a greeting pattern of calls, these are often combinations of clucks, whines and growls. The closer the geese come in the more rapid the calling should become. If the birds turn to leave, use the comeback call which is a series of rapid clucks and whines that demand the birds return. When they turn, slow down again using clucks and murmurs. Do not stop calling. Feeding and landing geese make a lot of noise, and silence among a flock is unnatural. Just as the birds are preparing to land, low/high, low/high cluck combinations with increasing intensity should be used. This is often called the feeding cluck or double cluck. Remember to start slow as speed with a goose call comes with practice. If possible calling should come from within the decoy spread, as geese come to the call. The more callers the better. When there is more than one caller don't worry about making mistakes as young geese don't sound perfect either. Remember to adjust your calling to the weather, on windy days geese upwind often cannot hear as well, the use of a flute call would be better as the sound of these calls carry farther than conventional calls.

     Whether your selection of a goose call is influenced by price, practicality, aesthetics or uniqueness, if you take hunting seriously and work hard to bring geese in close, invest a little money and time in a good call. Besides driving those around you crazy, it's a great way to greet the dawn and the geese each year.