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5 Best Goose Calls for a Successful Hunt

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While one definition of hunting is “searching,”  the most successful hunters are often the ones who can make their prey come to them.

And that is twice as true when it comes to waterfowl hunting, which is why a good call can make the difference between bagging your limit and coming home empty-handed.

A goose call is a device that mimics a goose’s call to attract geese to your location.

While some of the best goose calls require blowing into them like a whistle, others are electronic and only require pushing a button.

5 Best Goose Calls Reviewed

Let’s now take a closer look at our top picks.

1. Winner: Faulk’s Canada Goose Call

Faulk’s Canada Goose Call
  • Keeps perfect tone
  • Great traveling sound
  • Faulk's canada goose call

In Canada, goose hunting is actually pretty common. Much like we have Duck Dynasty, they have Faulk’s, which provides some of the most accurate honkers on the market.

Made entirely out of zebrawood, this call retains the perfect tone no matter how often you use it. That’s good, because this thing rattles.

When you blow into the narrow end, the extra-large barrel releases a whopper of a noise, traveling far and reaching the ears of geese everywhere (and ducks and mallards, for that matter).

Faulk’s includes a lanyard with your purchase, so you can keep it around your neck at all times. It has a slight stretch, which ensures that it will not remain dangling from your chest and rubbing against your gun for the duration of the event.

They say some of the most simple things in life are the best. This displays one type of call, does it well, and works wonders when you’re out in the middle of the woods.

It is also very durable, thanks to the good build. Some acrylic calls are brittle and eventually break, but not this one.

Features

  • Includes a lanyard with your purchase.
  • Wood construction ensures tone retention throughout use.
  • The extra-large barrel helps sound travel farther.

2. Primos Hunting 866 Goose Call

Sale
Primos Hunting 866 Goose Call
  • Easy-to-blow, short Reed Goose call
  • Patented ditches will not allow the call to stick
  • Patented Reed system lets you disassemble the call for...

You should never receive a goose or duck call that is so powerful that it causes you to lose your breath. Instead, you could opt for a brand like Primos to make the hassle go away.

Personally, it’s one of the easiest calls I’ve had to make. It’s got me wondering if a strong wind would make it sound off!

The low growl hits the perfect tone for geese, and what I like most about this is that it doesn’t lose that tone at any point during use.

A cheap call will start to fizzle out into a slightly different sound and might spook the geese. This reed system allows you to simply pull it apart for cleaning without using a lot of force.

Cleaning is pretty simple as a result; just be careful that you don’t drop the small reed pieces.

Features

  • The patented reed system makes this super simple to clean and maintain.
  • Easy to blow; doesn’t require a lot of force.
  • It produces a low growl call that is perfect for mating season.

3. Zink Power Clucker Goose Call

Sale
Zink Power Clucker Goose Call
  • ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE - Creating waterfowl calls from Zink...
  • GREAT HUNTING GOOSE CALL - The Zink PC-1 Polycarb Hunting...
  • SUPER-REALISTIC SOUNDS - The PC-1 Polycarb Canada Goose Call...

I’m a big fan of the saying “You get what you pay for,” and sometimes I am admittedly a bit skeptical of a product based on its price. Zink proved to me otherwise.

Built out of a high-durability polycarbonate, they’re able to keep the cost of this call very low while still making it top-of-the-line in terms of quality.

This type of call is typically lower pitched than duck calls, so less force is required when blowing into them.

With Zink, you barely have to push out more than a simple breath to get the sound of the call going. Unlike solid-color pieces, you can easily identify the areas that require cleaning.

It has a very short reed system, but it works well. Despite its polycarbonate construction, the mouthpiece feels smooth and enhances the overall enjoyment of using your call.

Features

  • This mouthpiece is long-lasting and extremely easy to clean.
  • It emits noise with little to no effort.
  • Low-cost, high-quality call

4. Buck Gardner Goose Call

Buck Gardner Goose Call
  • Easy operation
  • Fast, responsive reed pick-up
  • Quick-Tune guts system

Most calls end up being fairly low in terms of sound output, but Buck Gardner wanted to give you a bit more versatility.

Depending on the season, a cluck might do better to lure in the geese. The intensity of your blow will determine whether you receive hail or a gentle clucking sound that will effectively attract them.

This is all thanks to their large reed system, visible through the polycarbonate mouthpiece. The contoured mouthpiece differs from a standard O-ring-style piece.

This makes it far easier to blow into the mouthpiece and maximize wind on the reed. In short, it sends the call from a quiet hum to a loud hail in almost no time.

The less breath you have to waste, the more you can hold when you’re locking in your shots. That’s how I look at it.

Features

  • Hand-shaved reeds make for a high-quality design.
  • Low clucks or loud hails dictate breath intensity.
  • The price point is extremely affordable.

5.Flambeau Goose Call

Flambeau Goose Call
  • EASY-TO-USE: The traditional Long Honker flute design is...
  • IRRESISTIBLE NATURAL SOUND: The Long Honker specializes in...
  • MOSSY OAK CAMO FINISH: The Flambeau Outdoors Long Honker...

The one issue with the products we’ve already looked at is that they don’t blend in. They’re clear or red, but nobody makes them with a camo pattern like Flambeau.

This keeps you invisible during the hunt. Although the pattern is impressive, the actual results speak for themselves.

The sealed O-ring prevents air from leaking from any point in the tubular design, while also creating a minimal air pressure requirement.

It’s a simple call that’s built tough, has high versatility, and is designed to last for every waterfowl hunting trip you have planned.

This call is uncomplicated and straightforward, exactly as it should be.

Features

  • Creates a low, grunt-like call; perfect for mating season
  • No air leakage thanks to the enhanced O-ring
  • Woodland camo design helps you blend in

Goose Call History

Canadian goose on lake

Back in 1870, a man named Elam Fisher (ironic last name) created the first goose call by combining a short reed and a mouthpiece.

However, the development of the first modern duck call in 1863 served as a precursor to the short-reed goose call.

These days, there are numerous manufacturers producing high-quality calls.

Among some of the better-known (notable mentions aside from the ones included above) are Eastern Shoreman, Haydel, Sean Mann Outdoors, Tim Grounds, Rich-N-Tone, and Primos Hunting.

How Does a Goose Call Work

The calls require a few working parts. One of those is the barrel length, which dictates the tone of the sound coming out.

You also have your reed, which is primarily where the sound escapes from. Once you blow in through the input, also known as the insert, then your air goes in through the gut assembly.

Barrel, insert, and assembly—that’s all you need to make the sound. However, you also need an O-ring to seal off the barrel to ensure that no air is going to leak out during use.

Designing the insert and barrel to require minimal air input with maximum effect is also necessary. The barrel’s shape and size determine the air pressure, which activates the reed to produce the sound.

There’s a lot that goes into getting the right tone to lure waterfowl to your decoy, but the basic construction of a goose call is simple enough.

How to Cluck on Goose Call?

cluck on a goose call

Clucking calls are a challenge for many individuals. A few very simple tips can help you achieve clucking, which is a variation of a duck moan. Even if you have a reed that’s tough to get air through, do not blow too hard.

The first mistake people make is to assume that a cluck has to be loud. It’s not supposed to be. By keeping your tongue at the bottom of your mouth, you’re going to provide some light back pressure from your throat.

You’re going for vocal cord vibrations, not so much a huff of air leaving all at once. Given that clucking typically spans 10–15 seconds, it’s crucial to avoid exhaustion prematurely. Tongue on the bottom; lightly blow air from your mouth like it’s vibrating your inner cheeks.

Remember, the goal is to exert a slight back pressure—not a full-blown trucker-honk one. Blow in and snap your tongue up to the roof of your mouth. You’re going to hear a slight moan. From there, release your tongue so that the sound fades away.

This means it will naturally sort of taper off and sound authentic to your prey. From there, just repeat that step for 10–15 seconds. Vibrate the vocal cords, pop the tongue up and drop it down after every second, and soon you won’t be able to tell the difference between your call and a real goose.

It sounds authentic. Keep in mind that you can create many different sounds with these calls. After some practice, you’ll start to approach the field-proven calls that experienced goose hunters take for granted.

You could do this or use an old-fashioned flute call. These are no longer widely used due to their limitations. In my opinion, using a standard call and learning how to manipulate the goose sounds to release a cluck is far more advantageous.

Try imitating, for example, a speckled belly or a Canadian goose-style call.

How Many Goose Calls Do You Need?

It depends on where you hunt. There are over one hundred breeds of geese, all of which are fairly easily distinguishable, and then there are subspecies.

North America is home to the majority of these breeds, so wherever you travel, you may come across a variety. Different breeds of geese can be referred to in a variety of ways.

Some prefer a lower sound, while others like a cluck with a light flutter to lure them in. Some calls have a direct effect of driving away certain geese.

Believe it or not, geese are vicious creatures, and they’re very territorial. If they think another breed of geese is approaching, they might leave the area in a flock, so it’s very important to get your calls right.