Tally Ho Problem

Dogboy

New member
I bought a Tally Ho awhile ago adding to my collection and all.

Nice little compact call, sounds real good.

Problem is the reed is thick and hard as a deck on a carrier.

I blow it for a few series and it locks up. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Help me out here if you can, thanks......
 
Dogboy,
Carefully slide the reed out and turn it over so that when you slide it back in place it is upside down. Still lock up? Not for the next few calling safari's I betcha. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I had problems too, read the instructions, use it in the corner of yer mouth and listen to Rich. Mine will not work in the front of my mouth.
Carl
 
Dog Boy,

If your call is still freezing up after trying all the good advice you mite try this.
I gently roll the middle not the end of my reed up where there is a small gap between reed and call before I start calling. I even give it a lick to kind of moisten the reed a little. Somtimes the reed will lay flat causing the call to freeze up. Just don't roll it up to high.
TNT
 
If your set on using a mouth call; go grab a Critter Call, the mini or magnum, either one is a fail safe design,and very easy to use. There are just so many better mouth calls around than the tally ho.
-----------
ChileRojo,
I know that you are capable of a much better choice of words. Don't worry, I have your original post saved in moderator forum.
 
I've had nothing but problems with the Tally Ho. Doesn't like the cold at all. Turned the reed over, trimmed it slightly. Worked for about 15 minutes and the same thing. Locks right up. Good sound when it works, but that ain't very often. Not often enough for me to even take it with me.
FWIW
 
There have been lots of posts about the tally. You have to steepen the bridge near the tip with a metal nail file or such. It will not lock up as much but still get you butt out and buy a critr call. It produces such a smooth sweet sound that rabbits are even jealous.
 
Hey guys don't fret about the Tally Ho. It is a great call, but as a call designer I realized that not everyone can blow every call successfuly. The reason is a call is like a musical instrument and the guy who can play the the trumpet may not be able to play the trombone. So there is a call out there for you, just keep looking. The lucky ones can make sweet music on all type of calls.I need a catch bucket when using open reed calls and will jag the first few minutes using diaphram calls. My 5 cents (adjusted for inflation) worth.
Yoter (Dakotayote.com)
 
Lot's of good advice Dogboy. First do what Rich said and flip the reed. The Tally is a little temperamental at first but once you get it working it will serve you well. I have had four of these call and only one of the four worked reliably without modification. The most recent one I got only required a reed flip and it is now reliable. The good news is that unlike say an AP-6, the Tally can be made to work. It's a unique sounding call and well worth the small amount of effort to get it running right.

If flipping the reed on your Tally doesn't solve the problem then do like coyote educator said and steepen the bridge slightly. I had to do this on my other three Tally's. Go slow and only shave a little at a time off with a file. Then try it. If it still sticks then steepen a little more. Doesn't take a whole lot. I even left the small files grooves in the plastic bridge so there was not such a smooth, flat surface for the reed to stick to. Good thing about it is the Tally is so cheap that even if you mess it up you are only out 6 or 7 bucks. If you go slow you won't mess it up though. Once fixed you will like it.

Having said that, if you don't own a Critr-Call yet, take these fellas advice and get a couple. They are outstanding. No modifications required.

Take care, Curt
 
Thanks much guys. Rich I will do what you suggest.

Chile I do have 2 critr calls. Peewee and the Standard. Both are good calls and I do use them often. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I guess I am one of the lucky ones. Never have a problem with my Tally Ho. Just blow it from the corner of my mouth, and don't blow to hard.

I have several open reed calls, but the CritR-Call standard is still my "go to" call.
 
Bob MC, please give me some tips on using the Crit'r Call. I have the standard and I just don't have the confidence in it that I have in my Tally Ho. It makes the most realistic cotton tail sounds I've hear out of an open reed or any other call, and I've killed a few yotes with it. It does stick quiet a bit though. The critter call has a high pitch plastic sound to me, guess that's becasuse it's plastic, hugh. I usually make a few slurring whimpers with the Tally Ho then sit and wait, if nothing shows I start into a real paniced session that lasts about a minute and sit back and wait and look. Thanks for any advice yu can share. L.T.
 
Rich I flipped the reed over as suggested. And I'm blowing the call out the side of my mouth.

Seems to work much better. Will field test it tomarrow....Thanks...... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Larry,

A little hard to understand your question. I think you mean you have trouble with the Tally Ho sticking. It is very easy to over power a Tally Ho. Blow it from the corner of your mouth, as has been said; AND DON’T BLOW TO HARD. Most of the time you don’t need all that volume anyway. A predator has good ears, and one can hear that call for a long way. If you blow hard on a Tally Ho it will freeze up on you every time.

I’ve never had a problem with a CritR-Call sticking. I’ve had several of them, and have given them away to friends. As far as I know, none of them has ever had a problem with one either.

I blow a CritR-Call from the front of my mouth with my lips about half way down the reed. I cup my hands around the call, and open them as I blow. It has a high clear sound, as opposed to some of the gravely jack rabbit type calls. Cats of both kinds seem to especially like it.
 
After nearly 30 years of preadator calling I have elected the Talley Ho as positively the worst predator call's I have ever owned! There are too many other "good" calls out there that don't require all of the fidling and farting around to get them to work. I paid $7.00 for the last(I've had 4 or 5) Talley Ho that I bought and $9.00 for an Arizona Predator Calls "Master" that worked from the first blow and fits the same range as the Talley Ho. I have yet to own a Talley Ho that even after all of the modifications, prepping and blessing, would work reliably when I needed it to. I really recommend the APC "Master" if you can find one. I have been very impressed with it's function and the coyotes around here really seem to like it , too.
 
I called my first coyote with the tally ho, but I also had to learn how to work with it freezing up. Got my first double with the critter-call standard. They both have a special place in my heart.. I know alot of the earlier callers had two or three of the tally-ho with them when they called just in case one froze. But when its all said and done ...the critter is the one if I only had one to use.

my two cents
 
Dogboy i got some reed material from "allpredator calls" the brown sheet works aswome. i can make easy howls and it sounds great. been playing with my calls alot lately. you might want too try that. good luck. Rick
 
bearmanric,
You may just have something there pardner! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif The reed material you mention is a fiber glass "phenolic". It might just do wonders for a stock tally ho. I never did have a reed sticking problem with a tally ho, but a lot of folks do. I have modified several of those buggers by sanding the reed bridge steeper and installing a .014 mylar reed. They make a really good variable pitch call when modification is complete.

The tally ho has called a heck of a lot of predators in it's time, and will likely call a bunch more of the buggers too. Carefully bending the reed into an upward arch will keep the original design working for many years. A man just needs to learn the little quirks of the tally and how to work around them.
 
Rich since taking your advise, my tally ho is working just fine. Hasn't locked up once and been tootin on it the last couple of days given it a good work out. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Reversing the reed does make it bend upward and not lie flat on the call.

Thanks again...... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Since Rich has done his magic on mine, I have never had a problem at all with it. I use it for the backup call for the closed reed calls I have.
 
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