Elk Diaphragm Call Longevity

[GoGriz]

I am having trouble with keeping the latex on my elk diaphragm calls from ripping after a few weeks. I have tried different call Mfgrs. (Rocky Mountain, Sage and a few others), but I get the same result. This happens with new ones that I keep in my office and use a few times a week, as well as calls that I store in the freezer for longer periods then pull out and use.

Is this common and I should just plan on getting say three weeks out of a call, or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks!

 

[SAJ-99]

Same, but mine don’t rip, just stretch to the point of making it hard to make a clear sound. Not sure if I am abusing it or if it’s normal.

 

[bullbugle307]

What you guys are describing is pretty normal, at least for me. I remember the topic of diaphram longevity coming up on a podcast with Corey Jacobsen, but I don't remember what his response was.

 

[JLS]

Rinse them off and keep them in the refrigerator. Heat will nuke them.

 

[GoGriz]

Rinse them off and keep them in the refrigerator. Heat will nuke them.

JLS - thanks for the reply. With that process, how long do you typically get out of a call?

 

[WIbiggame]

Rinse them off and keep them in the refrigerator. Heat will nuke them.

+1 for this rinsing them off after you use them and keeping them cool is a must!

I have 2 diaphragms that a friend made me that will be going on their 4th year. These calls are used for2 weeks hunting each year and still sound GREAT! Also have a couple Phelps calls that I use at home that are just over a year old with no issues.

Edit: also clean them with mouth wash and soak them ever so often in mouth wash in the off season. I do this with my turkey calls and have a couple calls that are 6+ years old.

 

[JLS]

JLS - thanks for the reply. With that process, how long do you typically get out of a call?

I usually lose a reed every few days during the season

 

[Wallydeuce]

I've lost several in the Las Vegas heat. I practice in my truck driving around doing errands and such and forget to take them in the house. I ruined one last week, still in the package. When I tried to stretch the latex, it shredded.

The refrigerator idea is great. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Qubo]

I must get good ones. I buy back ups for elk season and any that don’t get used go in the fridge until turkey season is over, but then they spend the entire summer in my truck so I can practice on my commute, couple hours a week. My truck spends 24/7 outside and they sit in the cup holder. They are wore out by September and I buy new sets to hunt. My couple practice ones last 2-3 months baking in the truck with regular use though.

 

[BenP]

Sounds like you might need one with a thicker reed.

Corey Jacobsen did a video on care of diaphragms.

 

[mottlet]

Fridge, not freezer. I'm practicing for this fall's hunt on a reed I hunted with in 2019. Never mouthwashed it or anything, just kept it off the dashboard and put it in the fridge when I got home. I've got turkey calls in there that called up birds in 2014/15.

 

[WapitiBob]

Bugling every 400 yards wears them out quick, I get a cpl days out of the good ones.

 

[GoGriz]

Thanks for all the input! Along the same lines of what is posted here, Josh over at Rocky Mountain Calls sent me this via email, which matches a lot of the info above:

First of thanks for your interest and loyalty to RMHC! We truly appreciate your business! To answer your questions, I will start by saying that keeping your diaphragms in a cool dark place is the best environment for longevity after use. Also make sure that you are storing them away dry after every use. That is why our carrying case offers holes at the bottom for breathability. A refrigerator will increase the longevity of a diaphragm in the long run. Do know that the diaphragm contains latex, and latex is a perishable material that many factors to include sunlight, acidity drinks and use will be determining factors in how long your diaphragm will last.

 

[fwagner]

Rinse them off and keep them in the refrigerator. Heat will nuke them.

That works for me for turkey calls and I use them none stop in the spring with 2-3 years of use

 

[BackofBeyond]

I’ll get 3 maybe 4 days of hard use from a diaphragm, then it gets downgraded to a cow call only, then after that trashed.

As soon as I can’t hold the highest pitch in a bugle or get a good chuckle out of it - worn out.

 

[SAJ-99]

Fridge, not freezer. I'm practicing for this fall's hunt on a reed I hunted with in 2019. Never mouthwashed it or anything, just kept it off the dashboard and put it in the fridge when I got home. I've got turkey calls in there that called up birds in 2014/15.

You married? My wife would let it sit there for a few days before we had the “WTF is this in the fridge?” discussion. If I win that, a week later we have the “What happened to my elk call that was in the fridge?” discussion.

 

[WIbiggame]

You married? My wife would let it sit there for a few days before we had the “WTF is this in the fridge?” discussion. If I win that, a week later we have the “What happened to my elk call that was in the fridge?” discussion.

I tuck mine in the little "butter" drawer on the door try to hide them behind the butter lmao. My wife was a city girl so this WTF is this conversation was real when we moved in together.

 

[mottlet]

You married? My wife would let it sit there for a few days before we had the “WTF is this in the fridge?” discussion. If I win that, a week later we have the “What happened to my elk call that was in the fridge?” discussion.

Happily married. They key (one of em) is having the utility room in the basement with the chest freezer, shelves of hunting crap, deer stands piled in the corner, and...the extra fridge for keeping beer, backup Costco milks and lemonades, aging venison so it doesn't have hang off the deck of a townhouse and invite questions from the neighbors...that kinda stuff. I throw turkey and elk calls in there too.

Shoot, I even try and do most of the laundry to keep her from having any real reason to go in there at all and think of ways she might could "share" that space with me.

 

[Duckdude10]

I am having trouble with keeping the latex on my elk diaphragm calls from ripping after a few weeks. I have tried different call Mfgrs. (Rocky Mountain, Sage and a few others), but I get the same result. This happens with new ones that I keep in my office and use a few times a week, as well as calls that I store in the freezer for longer periods then pull out and use.

Is this common and I should just plan on getting say three weeks out of a call, or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks!

I get a new one before each elk trip I take