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WHAT IS A “CUT-DOWN” DUCK CALL?

A CUT-DOWN duck call is a duck call that has been modified and the tone board cut or reshaped from its original design. This provides more realism and variety to your calling. It provides a very effective sound and gives you an edge over the hunters around you. The CUT-DOWN has evolved dramatically and become the call to hunt with. The CUT-DOWN is the most effective duck call on the market.

And from a public land duck hunter’s standpoint, the CUT-DOWN is the only call to use because it has a significant proven track record of bringing mallards to the decoys consistently. I’ve hunted with a CUT-DOWN most of my life and don’t duck hunt with any other type call; I have to be confident with my call, I can honestly say I’ve never used another call more effective than a CUT-DOWN.

When I started developing these calls back in 2011, I had already spent 15 years thinking about it. I looked at every call that’s ever been made that was a worthy call for the woods, and I studied each one of them and found the flaws in all of them. So, my goal became to build a duck call that doesn’t have any of those flaws. When you buy, it will be the only call you need. So, if I take it to the woods and it doesn’t perform the way I think it should, it doesn’t go into production and I don’t sell it. ALL the calls I sell here pass that test.

X-MAKER CUT-DOWN with Threaded Flared Keyhole Duck Call. Call is responsive, excellent high and low end, loud, smooth and user friendly. $89.99

More About Cut-down Duck Calls

The modification typically involves altering the tone board and/or the reed of the call to change its acoustic properties.
Here are some key points about cutdown duck calls:

Tone Board Modification

The tone board of the duck call is often shaved down or reshaped to create a steeper angle. This changes the way the air flows through the duck call, resulting in a more aggressive and louder sound.

The modification of J-frame tone boards is a crucial aspect of creating a cutdown duck call. This process transforms a standard duck call into a cutdown call, giving it the distinctive sound and performance characteristics that are highly valued by hunters.

These changes create a louder, raspier, and more aggressive call that excels in specific hunting environments, particularly those found in Arkansas. This process highlights the ingenuity and skill of hunters and call makers who continually refine their tools to enhance their effectiveness in the field.

Reed Adjustment

The reed, which vibrates to create the sound, may also be trimmed or adjusted. This fine-tuning helps achieve the desired pitch and tone in the duck call.

Trimming the Reed:
Length: Cutting the reed to a shorter length can make the duck call produce a higher-pitched sound. It can also make the duck call more responsive, requiring less air pressure to produce sound.

Thinning the Reed:
Sanding: Sanding the reed to make it thinner can increase its flexibility, resulting in a raspier, more variable sound. However, thinning too much can make the reed too weak to function properly.

Positioning the Reed:
Placement: The reed must be precisely aligned with the tone board. Small adjustments in its position can significantly alter the sound of the duck call. Moving the reed forward (closer to the user’s mouth) can make the duck call louder and raspier.

Historical Context

Cutdown calls originated from older Olt D-2 duck calls, which hunters modified to improve their effectiveness. These customizations became popular and eventually led to the development of commercially available cutdown duck calls.

The history of cutdown duck calls in Arkansas is rich and deeply rooted in the state’s duck hunting culture. Arkansas, particularly the areas around the Mississippi Flyway, is known for its prime duck hunting territories, making it a significant region for the development and popularization of cutdown duck calls.

Before the rise of cutdown calls, hunters primarily used commercially produced duck calls. One of the most notable brands was the Olt call, specifically the Olt Model D-2. These calls were mass-produced and widely available.

The Birth of the Cutdown Duck Call

Modifications for Better Performance: Hunters in Arkansas, particularly in the dense timber and flooded woods of places like the Cache River and Bayou Meto, began modifying their Olt duck calls to suit their specific needs. The original Olt D-2 duck calls were often too quiet and did not have the right tonal quality for these environments.

Local Innovations: These modifications included cutting down the tone board and reshaping it, which made the duck calls louder and raspier. These altered duck calls could better mimic the sound of a mallard hen and were more effective at drawing in ducks from a distance.

Sound Characteristics of Cut-Down Duck Calls

The sound produced by a cutdown call is typically more raspy, loud, and can cut through wind and cover noise better than traditional duck calls. This makes them particularly useful in dense timber or heavily hunted areas where ducks may be more wary.

Hunters often use cutdown duck calls in specific scenarios where a louder and more commanding call is needed to attract ducks. They are not always the best choice for every hunting situation, but they can be highly effective when used appropriately.

These duck calls were developed and refined in the dense timber and flooded forests of Bayou Meto and the Wabbaseka Scatters in Arkansas, areas known for their challenging hunting conditions and high hunting pressure. Duck hunters needed a duck call that could cut through thick vegetation and reach distant ducks, leading to the modification of standard calls, particularly the Olt Model D-2, to create the cutdown duck call.

The unique sound, achieved through precise alterations to the tone board and reed, proved highly effective in attracting wary ducks, making the cutdown call a staple for hunters in these iconic Arkansas hunting grounds.

Hear the Calls

Outlaw Keyhole Cut-down Duck Call

The Outlaw Cut-Down Keyhole Duck Call is expertly designed, precision-cut, and finely tuned to deliver unparalleled quality and performance. Constructed with a robust Delrin barrel and a durable polycarbonate insert, this call is built to endure the toughest hunting conditions. Its loud, responsive sound and smooth chatter make it a highly effective tool for duck hunting. Engineered to withstand rigorous use, the Outlaw Cut-Down Keyhole Duck Call guarantees reliability and effectiveness in the field, ensuring you are always ready for action.

Outlaw Keyhole Cut-down Duck Call

Designed for rugged use, it produces loud, responsive sounds and smooth chatter, ensuring optimal performance in the field.

KMC CUT-DOWN Keyhole Duck Call

The wider tone board produces a smooth, loud sound that stands out, making it user-friendly and easy to blow.

KMC CUT-DOWN Keyhole Duck Call

With a shorter barrel, and a wider tone board, this duck call delivers a smooth, loud sound that stands out. User-friendly and requiring less air, it is crafted in the USA from durable hard acrylic, ensuring reliability and longevity in the field.

New Basic Cut-down Duck Call

Our New Basic Cut-Down Duck Calls – easy to blow, making them perfect for hunters of all ages and skill levels. Featuring a 10 Mil reed, these calls produce realistic sounds with minimal effort. Expertly crafted by Kirk McCullough, they ensure maximum performance in the field for both beginners and seasoned hunters.

New Basic Cut-down Duck Call

Perfect for both beginners and seasoned hunters. Designed for all ages, these calls are easy to blow and a versatile addition to your hunting gear.

Wabbaseka Scatters Keyhole Cut-Down Duck Call

This Cut-down duck call has superior sound quality, powerful resonance, smooth functionality, and user-friendly design. Perfect for hunters of any skill level.

Wabbaseka Scatters Keyhole Cut-Down Duck Call

Experience the Wabbaseka Scatters Edition Threaded Keyhole Cut-Down Duck Call, from the heart of Bayou Meto, Arkansas. This duck call has superior sound quality, powerful resonance, smooth functionality, and user-friendly design. Making it perfect for hunters of any skill level.

Hear the Calls

Hear the KM-BR BLOODRUNNER cut-down duck call.

Hear the X-Maker rough finish cut down duck call.

Hear the X-Maker cut down duck call in flooded timber.

Hear the ARKANSAS RED-LABEL Edition cut-down duck call.

Hear the X-Maker XLT and what makes it special.

Hear the WABBASEKA SCATTERS Edition duck call.

Hear the WHITE RIVER RED-LABEL Edition duck call.

Hear the Basic Keyhole Cut-Down duck call

Hear the Ebonite KM Custom Cut duck call

Bloodrunner duck call water test and call

Hear the KM OUTLAW Cut-Down duck call with the MC-50 Insert.

My Floating Lanyards

Kirk McCullough Cut-Down Duck Call product review for 2020

About Kirk McCullough and Cut-Down Duck Calls

Lester Capps a true master of the cut-down duck call. Lester Capps a true master of the Cut-down duck call. He used a backwards keyhole Olt. And opened my eyes to the power of the cut down duck call. He was a well known duck hunter on the public lands. And called the most ducks of places like Bayou Meto, Arkansas. Lester Capps holding the kills of the day of flooded green timber hunting. — Lester Capps a true master of the Cut-down duck call. He used a backwards keyhole Olt. And opened my eyes to the power of the cut down duck call.

Some people seem to think that ducks respond much better to a CUT-DOWN type duck call. I started using a CUT-DOWN D2 Olt New Style duck call in 1982. I hunted with Lester Capps; he was using a cut down Keyhole Olt. The call sounded like a hen mallard & the ducks came to his call from every direction. Steve Schultz and I went hunting one morning when we were very young. We got to our spot early and set out the decoys. When daylight broke there were a lot of ducks flying. We heard this unique sounding duck call in the distance, it sounded like many ducks and sounded real, followed by continuous volleys of gunfire and intense cripple shooting. That day we did not kill a duck; we could not compete against the guys we were hearing. At the time, I was using a Hambone wooden duck call and Steve was using a wooden Richentone duck call. And we both considered ourselves good callers but found we were no match for our competitors. Steve hunted with that group of hunters the next morning, later he called me and said what we were hearing was one duck call and the guy using it was Lester Capps. Lester worked on the same job as Steve and I at the White Bluff Power Plant in Redfield, Arkansas. Steve said he was using a backward keyhole Olt. Steve said he was working big groups of ducks, getting them through the trees and on the water. He said Lester had 18 people and they limited out by 10:00 am. So, a friend of mine, Bruce Bond, a gunsmith at Jim’s trading post in Pine Bluff Arkansas, cut down an Olt call and brought it to me. I used the call, and it was instant success. I continued to use the call, practice and get more accustomed to using the CUT-DOWN style call, it took quite a bit of air but the extra effort was certainly worth it. And I’ve exclusively used cut-downs since that day almost 40 years ago.

Kirk McCullough back in the early days of using his Cut down Olt duck call. Holding the duck kills of the day from hunting green timber duck hunting on the flooded public lands of Bayou Meto, Arkansas. — Myself in the early days of using the cut-down Olt in flooded timber.

I continued to use the Olt D2 New Style duck call Bruce cut. After Bruce died from couple years later, I cut an OS D2 Keyhole model duck call and starting using that call. The sound was more realistic, the chatter was sharp, the volume was much louder than a round hole new style D2. I began guiding duck hunters in the public timber of Arkansas in 1981. Since I used my CUT-DOWN style duck call every day and became more accustomed to using it, I became very effective with it and gave me an edge over other hunters around me. My customers witnessed the results of the call and they wanted to buy one. So I began cutting calls for my customers, then my friends and then people began showing up at my camp to buy a CUT-DOWN Olt duck call. I called Jim Olt, prepared a written agreement to buy Olt calls from him and modify them. And then I began modifying and cutting down Olt duck calls. I began modifying other calls, trying different cuts and making more precise modifications to the calls. I developed my own call, the KM CUSTOM CUT keyhole duck call with a threaded barrel and threaded insert. The call is turned on a lathe, threaded and the insert is profiled with a keyhole insert. I modify the call further by reaming the mouthpiece, sloping the barrel’s inner portion, and inverting the keyway. I cut the tone board with 4 types of files, 3 grit sizes of sandpaper, this is done by hand. The result is a very smooth, crisp user-friendly CUT-DOWN keyhole duck call that is very loud. The call is a true fit, 0 tolerances, and the insert is secure. I will be 62 years old in June of 2021, I still think about duck hunting obsessively, and I will duck hunt until the day I die. I won’t ever change my style of hunting. If I could change one thing, it would be the mindset of people who believe you have to be doing something illegal to be successful consistently. Kirk McCullough

More about Kirk McCullough

Kirk McCullough and Lester Capps Duck calling together in green timber.

Kirk McCullough, what would you do for $1,000?

Why Kirk loves Public Land Duck Hunting.

How to Blow a Cut-Down call and Duck Hunting tips

How to Blow a Cut-Down Duck Call. You Don’t Have to be the Loudest Duck Call Out There.

Public Land Boat Hiding tips

Public Land – First Come, First Serve.

Customer provided duck calls that Kirk McCullough has Cut-Down

Keyhole Olt that Kirk originally modified and came in for a tuneup.

Andrew Price’s Keyhole Olt. It’s a call that will do some damage.

Kirk McCullough MONDO Sound File with “RIM-CUT”

A sound file of four DC Mondos that has been Cut-Down and hand-tuned by Kirk McCullough

Swarms of Ducks from Kirk McCullough’s videos

Huge Mallard Swarm

Green Timber Duck Hunting

Awesome Massive Mess of Mallards

We have seen the keyhole trend, but I don’t specialize in only keyhole calls. My KM OUTLAW fits a selection of my inserts, four of which are versions of the keyhole and one, my MC-50 cut down duck call insert, which is a multi-channel hole and has a thunderous, raspy sound with excellent quality. If it didn’t work, I wouldn’t sell it.