Rivercane Call

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poorcountrypreacher
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Rivercane Call

Post by poorcountrypreacher »

I've been carrying a trumpet with me for decades, and I've had a good quality Alan Sentell call for 7 or 8 years. I used just a cheap Penn Woods before that, and have always thought that a trumpet made a unique sound. My dad used a wingbone call that works on the same principle, but I've preferred the trumpet.

About the middle of this season I managed to acquire a Gil Stacey Rivercane call. It's made from 2 pieces of Georgia rivercane that are fitted together. I had heard of these before, but always thought it was just a novelty thing, sort of like calling one with a leaf or a drinking straw. Well, I was very wrong about that. These are quality calls that have real advantages over other calls of this type. Here are my Rivercane and trumpet calls:

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The trumpet will certainly get louder, and a skilled trumpet player knows how to lower the volume if needed. However, about 95% of the time when hunting paranoid Easterns, I want a softer call, not a louder one. There is something about the natural soft tone of the Rivercane call that makes me actually like it better than the trumpet for most situations. I've been able to take an AL limit and a GA limit this season, and the turkeys have really loved the sound of the Rivercane. I am planning a trip to the Midwest, and the trumpet may be better at times out that way, but I plan to have both of them around my neck.

I don't know if Gil is even trying to market these, and he may be mad at me for posting this. Forgive me, Gil, if I am causing you unwanted attention. But if you use a trumpet, you need to get ahold of a Rivercane and see how you like it.
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by Hoobilly »

I am interested in one.. hint hint Gil
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GLS
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by GLS »

Steve, after your quick tour in middle Georgia tagging out in three days, I believe you could use the soda straw and get a limit. I am glad you used it; probably more so than the birds you shot. Thanks for the kind words, but these are easy to make. No secrets. Here's how (the bottom call in the photo is the one I sent you. The top call is the one I used on my first bird this season.):
"I collect the cane in bottoms where I hunt woodock and let it naturally dry outside below an eave so it doesn't get wet during rain.

Barrel and mouth piece are 4" long .4" and .2" OD. I build a narrow masking tape dam on very end of thinner piece of cane and tight fit it 1" deep in barrel. Before cutting to length, I sand and flame the cane on gas stove. Clear each of pith with a piece of wire. After assembly I fill joint with 5 or 15 minute epoxy and manipulate call to keep epoxy bead even. The masking tape dam keeps the epoxy where needed. When epoxy hardens, with a thin flexible wire handle slightly bent on each end and placed inside bottom and top opening, I dip call in spar poly varnish to coat inside and outside. I use a capers jar that is about 4-5" tall with a diameter of an inch and half. It holds 3.5 oz. of varnish. I dip the mouthpiece end, then the barrel. This coats inside and out. I dry it on a wire rack. I have a big spool of 18 gauge magnet wire that I use. I dry on wire stand. I whip finish lanyard (1/16" OD paracord) onto mouthpiece and add drop of Duco Cement on knot. Made these two just in time for season. Top one was what I used on the bird I shot Monday before last. Lipstop is hard rubber faucet washer sold anywhere--HD, Lowes, etc. If the mouthpiece is smaller than
.2" OD, the washer won't stay put after adjusting for comfort. Twist and pull or push depending on desired depth. Slightly larger mouthpiece than .2, but not smaller, works fine. I use a Dremel tool carbo or diamond wheel to trim the cane. It friction burns the cut ends giving them a good appearance. Only reason I flame the cane is for appearance. It makes a good two note yelp and cluck which are different in sound than what everyone else is running in the woods and they are deadly. The sound, to me, is more mellow than a wingbone."
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Last edited by GLS on April 30th, 2018, 9:46 am, edited 2 times in total.
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GLS
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by GLS »

Steve, I made these during lunch time yesterday and today. Tomorrow I'm taking them to middle Georgia to a friend's farm that hasn't been hunted this season. These will be for his son and him. His son killed a bird a few years ago on a cruder version that I made for him. I used a piece of cork from a wine bottle stopper as a lip stop. I have no interest in selling them. That would be too much like work. ;) Mark Sharpe makes a fine rivercane call and his sure do look a lot better than mine. I haven't seen him around here lately, but he offers his for sale.
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Last edited by GLS on April 27th, 2018, 6:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Turkinator
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by Turkinator »

Beautiful calls.
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poorcountrypreacher
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by poorcountrypreacher »

Gil, how are you gonna make any money if you give away all your secrets? :)

That's very generous of you to explain all of that, but just reading your description I can tell there is more to it than many of us can manage. A supply of cane would be the first issue for me. Is this a species unique to South GA? I will be trying to make my own before next season, but I'm not sure the bamboo we have around here is the same.

I'm not sure what building a dam of masking tape means; can you explain that further?
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crenshawco
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by crenshawco »

PCP, I was about to ask about the cane. We've got several patches of what we call bamboo. Is this r8ver cane something different?
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by guesswho »

I think bamboo has a flat side and river cane doesn't.
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GLS
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by GLS »

Steve, I cut 1/8" inch wide, more or less, strips of masking tape to snug fit the mouthpiece into the barrel. I add strips as needed. Typically the mouthpiece would be loose otherwise with gaps between it and the barrel walls. The "dam" is on the very end so that the gap between the top of the barrel and the mouthpiece can be filled with epoxy. By telescoping the mouthpiece through the bottom to the top of the barrel, the taped end will jam against the insides of the barrel sealing it so that the epoxy doesn't run down the barrel and stays in place. 3" of the 4" long mouthpiece extends beyond the barrel giving the call an overall length of 7". Rivercane's botanical name is Arundinaria gigantea. It grows in river bottoms and swamp edges all over the southeast and into the midwest. Some folks call it switch cane which is smaller with a botanical name of Arundinaria tecta. There's no reason bamboo won't work although some I've seen has too small a hole. Here's one of my Brittanys in the thick of it hunting woodcock this past winter. Gil
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poorcountrypreacher
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by poorcountrypreacher »

Thanks, Gil, I understand now.

I believe we have the same type of cane here in Central AL; I am gonna have to start looking for a patch that I can access.
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GLS
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by GLS »

Steve, you will find the call is simple to make. My buddy Dale (turkeybuster) makes a fine call out of three cane segments. Jerry prefers two segments of cane as do I. Jerry is so enamored with the call that it is his main call. Both men have going on 90 years experience hunting gobblers.
My hunting hobbies are intertwined in the river bottoms and swamps of the lowcountry to the extent, with apologies to Norman Maclean, rivercane runs through it.
Rivercane or river cane, both are correct, was used by the Creeks to make arrow shafts. When I was in to primitive archery, so did I. Cherokee made blowguns out with it. The secretive American woodcock prefers the dense stands to loaf, hide and feed during the day. Where Floyd and I find the thick stands ("canebrakes") , we find the woodcock in December and January. Since the bobwhite whistle around these parts is rarely heard as in springs past, we specialize and make do with woodcock hunting. Both of us have a pair of Brittanys which are good at it. We don't see other folks hunting them but there are a few that do. It just so happens that these same areas have turkeys, but they tend to hang up on the other side of a patch as it is usually too dense for them to pass through. Floyd made a dog box for our MuttPak which consists of my Abby and Willa and his Sadie and Pop. He painted it using rivercane foilage as a decorative pattern, air brushing though a stencil of rivercane leaves. Here's my Abby relaxing in Floyd's box after a good morning hunting the birds. Bottom photo is Sadie and Pop. Or is it Pop and Sadie? Only the nose knows for sure. Gil

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el diablo
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by el diablo »

That cane call of yours is killer Gil. I lost mine crawling through some thick nasty briars on a creek bottom. I almost cried when I got back to the truck.
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by GLS »

Here are what I use to dip the calls after completion. I can dip six at a time if so inclined. I only epoxy 2 at a time as they require some hand manipulation to keep the epoxy in place to keep it from running down the sides. The drying stand is such that I can bend the wire to keep the calls up right. It works somewhat to keep the epoxy in place as well. The "handle" for dipping is on top of the lanyard material which is available on ebay. Gil
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by fountain »

Fine calls. Should you decide to make a few for other for sale later on, I'd love to add one to my collection
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by Turkinator »

Been carrying this one a lot this year.
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crenshawco
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by crenshawco »

GLS, how long do you usually dry the cane? I'm going to chop down a few next time I find some.
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by Shellwaster »

Gil,

Great tutorial of making river cane calls. I have a three piece made by Lonnie Mabry that he gave me many years ago. It sure has a sweet, soft sound to it. I too will be attempting my own two piece call.

Not sure where in South Georgia you are but if you’re ever up my way, my lease in Greene county has a lot of river cane swamp bottom and our fair share of woodcock and no one hunts them. We used to have a few large covey of wild quail that has been steadily declining, but not do to people hunting them. This spring it seems we have a small covey that has taken a liking to the woods behind our camp, sure is nice to walk back in from turkey hunting and hear that whistle of ‘bob-white’ while lunch is cooking.
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by GLS »

Thanks for the kind words. I'll keep the offer on the woodcock on my mind. I can't give a time frame on how long it takes to dry. I cut it in the winter and it is ready when I get the urge to hunt. If it dries outside it will won't dry clear but will develop dark spots from humidity but can be sanded clear. Don't dry in a hot attic as it will shrivel. When dry it will be a light tan.
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by alpha burnt »

For those that run trumpets, wing bones and cane yelpers, how much different is the tonal quality, volume and ease of operation of cane compared to the others? I made a two part wing bone from a hens wing, without the trumpet end (I cracked the humerus bone while prepping). It looks to be about the same length as cane yelper example, it is relatively straight, has higher pitch, softer volume, but doesn't roll over into a yelp as easy as a three piece for me. I assume the tones will be different due to the bone material and thickness vs. dried plant material. Thanks.
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by Shellwaster »

The 3 piece cane helper I have rolls over into a two note yelp the same as a wing bone or trumpets that I have. The way my ear hears them is the wingbone has a higher pitch and is louder. I imagine due to the density of the bone vs wood. The trumpets I have are not as high in pitch but just as loud volume wise. The cane yelper produces a low pitch and low volume.
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by coconut »

Does anyone have contact information for mark sharpe? I am interested in purchasing one of his calls.
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by Turkinator »

coconut wrote: April 28th, 2018, 9:25 pm Does anyone have contact information for mark sharpe? I am interested in purchasing one of his calls.
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by howl »

Those are some fine looking callers! The low volume jenny sound has been the very thing this Spring.
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by Turkinator »

GLS wrote: April 27th, 2018, 6:24 am Steve, you will find the call is simple to make. My buddy Dale (turkeybuster) makes a fine call out of three cane segments. Jerry prefers two segments of cane as do I. Jerry is so enamored with the call that it is his main call. Both men have going on 90 years experience hunting gobblers.
My hunting hobbies are intertwined in the river bottoms and swamps of the lowcountry to the extent, with apologies to Norman Maclean, rivercane runs through it.
Rivercane or river cane, both are correct, was used by the Creeks to make arrow shafts. When I was in to primitive archery, so did I. Cherokee made blowguns out with it. The secretive American woodcock prefers the dense stands to loaf, hide and feed during the day. Where Floyd and I find the thick stands ("canebrakes") , we find the woodcock in December and January. Since the bobwhite whistle around these parts is rarely heard as in springs past, we specialize and make do with woodcock hunting. Both of us have a pair of Brittanys which are good at it. We don't see other folks hunting them but there are a few that do. It just so happens that these same areas have turkeys, but they tend to hang up on the other side of a patch as it is usually too dense for them to pass through. Floyd made a dog box for our MuttPak which consists of my Abby and Willa and his Sadie and Pop. He painted it using rivercane foilage as a decorative pattern, air brushing though a stencil of rivercane leaves. Here's my Abby relaxing in Floyd's box after a good morning hunting the birds. Bottom photo is Sadie and Pop. Or is it Pop and Sadie? Only the nose knows for sure. Gil

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Your Brittany brought back some great memories. Thanks!
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GLS
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Re: Rivercane Call

Post by GLS »

Turkinator, great photos. By now, I suspect the Britt in your photos has long since been buried deep in your heart. Abby is 7; Willa 4. I'm thinking of getting a puppy next year. My buddy has had at least two for the past 20 years. After hunting with his Snap, I knew I had to have one. Can't think of better dogs or companions for my purposes and family.
My favorite Abby photos. One was taken on a cold winter, early morning dove hunt where she got snuggled between my legs to get out of the wind; the other was a great day woodcocking when we got a three gun limit. She was one worn out dog.

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