You’re getting lucky in the woods because of condoms. Not because they’ll keep you from making questionable life choices at elk camp (though I’ve admittedly been at a few camps that were far more risky by the fire than on the ridge), but because without prophylactics, diaphragm calls as we know them probably wouldn’t exist.
That thin piece of latex you shove in your mouth every spring and fall? It owes its existence to the same material that’s been awkwardly handed out in high school health class for decades. Hunters call it “proph” for short, and it’s the reason you can sound like a lovesick cow elk or a riled-up hen turkey.
Some brands still source their latex directly from the party hat makers. That’s right, folks, you’ve very likely walked around in the woods with a little piece of love glove on your tongue.
So, before you lick it clean, shove it in your mouth, and give ‘er a good blow, let’s have some fun diving into the history of calls and condoms.
From Wingbones to Reeds
Hunters have been mimicking animals for centuries. Indigenous hunters used turkey wingbones to create suction calls and held leaves between their lips to whistle out soft yelps, call birds, and mimic calves. These early tools were simple, but they worked.
In 1867, S. McClain filed a patent for a whistle that used thin skin or bladder stretched over a frame. That invention carried the basic design of a mouth call, though it looked different from what we use today.
By the 1920s, H.P. Bridges of Baltimore began selling a sound-making device that used thin rubber in a frame. It represented the start of diaphragm-style calls that hunters could hold in their mouths.
By 1923, he was running ads in Field & Stream that called it “the best imitation of a turkey call in existence.”
Radcliff and the New Orleans Ventriloquist
Jim Radcliff of Mobile, Ala., is often credited with moving the diaphragm call into the mainstream. According to accounts, Radcliff met a street ventriloquist in New Orleans who used a thin latex reed mounted in a lead frame to mimic bird sounds. Radcliff took that idea home and built calls from similar material.
For years, he kept the design secret, but hunting lore says that in 1953, an unidentified national hunting magazine ran a story that revealed it, and it caught on in ways that Bridges’ calls just hadn’t.
From that moment, diaphragm calls began spreading fast through the hunting community … or so they say.
The Modern Condom Call Connection
Condoms hit the sweet spot because they offer ultra-thin latex, often 0.002-0.003 inches. That range is exactly what reeds need to be to vibrate with very little air pressure. That thickness creates crisp turkey notes and convincing elk sounds.
Most commercial diaphragm calls after the 1930s were made from condoms. Larger brands such as Primos, Phelps, and Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls now buy specialized latex, yet the word “proph” still hangs around. It’s shorthand for prophylactic, and it’s a nod to that history.
Old-school call makers still cut reeds directly from condoms. You can easily make your own from the lid of a chew can or a tuna can and a non-lubricated condom (unless you’re looking for fun flavors in the field).
There are step-by-step instructions on how to do it all over the internet, though they typically lean toward using latex gloves. Just remember: you’re not going to get the same crisp sounds from thicker glove material. Condoms are still your best bet.
Elk, Turkey, and the Universal Diaphragm
Elk hunters hate to hear it, but the act of hunting elk and turkeys has a lot of crossover. It’s some of the only hunting that involves trying to communicate with the animals and call them in to you.
Turkey hunters rely on diaphragms for yelps, clucks, and purrs. Elk hunters use them for cow mews, estrous whines, and full bugles. The design of all of them remains essentially the same.
A frame holds one or more reeds of latex. Air passes across them, and tongue pressure changes the tone. Elk calls often use thicker latex or multiple reeds for volume and durability. Turkey calls usually use thinner reeds for sharp, crisp notes. Precise cuts in the latex can help add raspiness and tone changes.
External Mouth Calls
Even for those who prefer an “external” mouth call for ease, or if they happen to be like me and have torus palatinus and can’t use a standard diaphragm call, the reed portion remains relatively the same.
I’m a big fan of the EZ Suk’r for cow locator calls and distressed calf calls. For bugling, it’s the EZ Bugler and a Metal Tube for me. Though the mechanics are different, the latex reed setup is essentially the same.
Hunter’s Safety Meets Safe Sex
Modern calls are pretty hardy, but handling them right can certainly make them last just a bit longer (insert winky face). Taking care of a diaphragm call is not much different from caring for other latex products. The parallels write themselves, folks.
- Wrap it up. Keep calls in a case instead of a pocket. Latex is delicate. There are countless call case options.
- Expiration dates matter. Old calls dry out, stretch, and tear. It’s just safer to keep a new one handy.
- Size matters. Thin reeds deliver soft calf mews. Thicker reeds deliver raspy gobbles and strong bugles.
- Think outside the box. You can also use condoms in their whole glory to keep your gun barrel clean and dry.
To Wrap It All Up
The idea that condoms and hunting share common ground may sound ridiculous, but it is a fun part of hunting history. Without prophylactic latex, diaphragm calls may never have taken hold.
So, the next time you slip a diaphragm into your mouth and sweet-talk a bull across a ridge or a strutting Tom into range, remember that you just got lucky, thanks to a condom.
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