Tally Ho: Very Disappointing To Me

T

TNred

New member
About 2 years ago, when I first started hunting coyotes, I bought a lot of hand calls. One of these calls was the Tally Ho. But no matter how hard I practiced, I couldn’t get it to work consistently good. Sometimes it worked OK, but most of the time it “locked up”. I had other closed reed calls that worked well, so I threw the Tally Ho in the trash can.

After I started having some success with the closed reed calls, I decided to again try some open reed calls. I bought the Crit’R Call Standard and PeeWee. Both were very easy to use.

Recently, I decided to buy a Verminator Tweety. When I placed the order for this call, I decided to add a Tally Ho to the order. I figured that either my first Tally Ho was defective, or that I just didn’t have enough experience with open reed calls at that time to make it work correctly.

My order arrived 3 days ago. The Tweety is very easy to use, and sounds SWEET. But the Tally Ho was just like the one I got 2 years ago. Very difficult to use, and very quirky.

I know how to use open reed calls. I’ve used 2 different Crit’R calls and some open reed howlers. And I’ve called coyotes in with all of these. And the Tweety is very easy for me to use. But the Tally Ho went out with this morning’s trash.

I’ve heard people comment about certain calls, the Tally Ho being one of them, that they take time and patience to master. Sort of like it’s an art to learn. Well, from my experience, being that many open reed calls work well right out of the box, learning to use the Tally Ho isn’t just a matter of “mastering the art”. It is more like discovering and learning to overcome its deficiencies.

I know some people are very happy with the Tally Ho. And they find them easy to use. But after having bought and tried two of them, I must say that I’m very disappointed in this call.
 
Next time you feel like tossing one out with the trash, let me give you my address. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I haven't had a problem with them but they are different to use, I use teeth pressure on my other calls but lip pressure on the Talley Ho's and not so much air. They are worth the trouble as they produce a unique sound and are one of my favorites.
 
I had never heard of the Tally-ho until watching Randy Anderson's videos. I ordered one from him and love it. I even howl with it. It is one of my go to calls. I have the Critr calls also along with a few other open reed calls. I had never heard of the problem of locking up that you mention until last fall when somebody else mentioned it on this site. Then, one day while calling my Tally-ho locked up on me. All I do is bend the reed upward with my tongue, but not so much that I bend it or put a crease in it. And then it works just fine. Or you can take the plug out and turn the reed over. It kind of takes on a certain memory shape and if you get enough spit in it the reed will stick to the body. Each time I put the call in my mouth I lift up on the reed with my tongue just out of habit. I do that with all of my open reed calls. There are a lot of good calls out there including the Critr calls, but I won't leave home without my Tally-ho. I also don't leave home without my Critr call standard.
 
I've started storing mine with something between the reed and bridge. It helps keep the proper bend in the reed. If it flattens out after carrying it in my shirt pocket, I take the reed out and flip it over.
 
Now Crapshoot, you know it is against the law to ship any kind of cat calling device into Nevada. He will just have to ship it here to Oklahoma, and we can arrange for a brand new crow call to be sent to you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Seriously, this is one of my favorite types of calls, and I never leave home without one in my pocket.
 
Tally Ho is by FAR my most favorite call w/ many many years of experience with it---I love it!!! It does take some practice! Try using lip pressure with most of the reed in your mouth and running it out of the corner of yor mouth. Its easier to learn by using more reed and getting the lower pitches.......if not---send the call to me!!!! don't throw away the best ever predator call known to man!!!
 
Well, I must have been doing something wrong. Just called the wife, and she got the Tally Ho out of the trash. It was still laying on top of a pizza box. I'll try it again tonight...

Actually, I got OK results when using most of the reed (low pitch). It was when I was trying to make the medium to high pitched sounds that the lock up would occur.

I compared the shape of the mouthpiece of the Tally Ho to the Crit'R Call and the Tweety. The Tally Ho has a much flatter curvature to it than the other calls, which may account for the difficulty I'm having.

At what angle are you guys holding the Tally Ho? Straight, or tilted upward or downward?
 
TNred

If you still can't get it right I'd be happy to throw a tweak in it to make it a lot more user friendly. It takes me about 15 minutes and you should be able to take right off with it.

The TH has a heavy reed (.020) which will allow for a flat type bridge. You're supposed to hold it in the corner or your mouth or something. I never could get right myself so I took the file to mine.

Brad
 
DSCF0085.jpg

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I have mentioned this topic before, but it is worth explaining once again. The above photo is the inner workings of an old discontinued OLT duck call. Several of the old time callers were using these for predator calls when Moses was still a small child. The men who used these calls realized that they were working with a duck call. They did not expect to play the entire length of the reed. They just knew that when they pressed their lips down in the right place on the reed, they got the sound of a critter in distress. I believe the above pictured call was used as a protype for what we now know as the tally ho. Never fear for the tally ho. It has called critters for more years than some of us have even lived. The tally ho is a good call, you just need to know what it is, and what it's original purpose was. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
when i bought a tally ho a year or so ago it locked up on me right away i didnt know what to think of this little inexpensive call. but everyone has good things to say about it ? anyway as the others have said tweek the reed upwards a bit occassionally,you will find it works like a champ !! i thought it wasnt loud enough calling in open country i now listen to myself as calling & i hear the sound richochet of the hills,this is a fine call especially for around 7 bucks you can have several !!
 
All personal preference, I guess. I personally don't enjoy calling with a Tally Ho because I can't get the fluctuations in pitch as much as I'd like. Does that mean I don't know how to use it? Probably not considering that I've called in and killed coyotes with it. I just don't like the feel or the way it responds. Sure, I could practice for several months to master it, or I could simply pull out my Sceery AP-6 or Verminator Tweety, or Mini-
Blaster (just to name a few) and get the exact sound I want without any problems of them locking up or any problems reaching those higher notes that I sometimes want to get.

I know some guys modify theirs to get it to respond better...or even send them to one of the custom call makers that can modify them to work better, but what does that really say about the call? Maybe that it should be a better made call to begin with?

Everyone has their own opinion...but the Tally Ho is a call that consitently draws complaints by its users. That tells me more than I need to know right there and I know I can pull out any number of calls and bring them running in just as well and likely better because it can make the exact same sounds as the Tally Ho and also a ton more with little or no effort.

I guess my point is, why buy a Tally Ho that you have to consider changing reeds due to the original being too thick, sanding the reed bridge to improve the angle, making sure the reed doesn't sit too flat to prevent it from locking up repeatedly, etc., when you could just buy any number of open-reed calls that are out there today that require no tweaking or special care?? I've been blowing an Sceery AP-6 for a few years and it hasn't ever locked up and I've never had to do a single thing to it and it sounds 10X better than any Tally Ho I've heard.

Just my $0.02.

Rusty
 
Rusty,
The Tally ho began it's life as a duck call. When you consider what the call is, and the fact that it has called many predators to the gun, then a man starts to appreciate the little buggers. The Tally ho was one of the first open reed calls, and just look at all of the company's that have copied the idea. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Well, it is advertised as a predator call so I expect it to sound like one with no problems....regardless of its origins as a duck call or how long it's been on the market or how many predators that have been killed with it over the decades. The same logic you use could apply with numerous other tools we use in the field while hunting (rifles, etc.), but it doesn't mean that something better hasn't since come along. You have to admit....there are better open reeds out there today and given the same amount of time they will call in just as many, if not more predators. (ie:, the Crit'r Call).

Take care,

Rusty
 
Rusty,
You have a good point, but consider this----If Tal Lockwood had not invented the Tally ho, maybe there would be no Crit'r call.
 
Good point.....but it's not a difficult concept and I can bet somebody would have come around and done the same thing. Besides....if there weren't any open reed predator calls today then I'd probably have a Foxpro by now! Dang that Tal Lockwood!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif But seriously...if Tal hadn't invented it...and if nobody else had figured out the same concept, I'd do just fine with my Burnham Bros. calls. Not open reeds mind you, but they work like a charm. Not to mention that I'd probably be a much better lip squeaker.

Take care, fellas!

Rusty
 
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