whats everyones favorite wood for strikers?? i make my own...maily from wood from a center of a log i split down....and carve it out with a knife by hand......so far my favorite has been black walnut...but i lost most of those now....and cant find anymore seasoned blackwalnut and am not going to hack trees just for a striker...the calls i use are a slate call i made on a lathe in shop class.....and old faithful....an ole yeller slatek call...think its kinda close to a ceramic surface.....sometimes i use glass...i have a cody glass and another glass i made...though the soundboard needs repositioned and i broke the surface last time so i doubt itll be in comission this season....right now i have a few pieces of red oak....and a UFO piece that was just beautiful......cant identify it...its not a pourus wood like oak......light colored..but a redish orangish color..maybe butternut?? im unsure still...and its very light compared to my red oak pieces....going to finish the red oak this weekend and state the UFO piece.....i also had good success getting old straight limbs and carving them down...easier and faster....just looking for more wood suggestions that i can find laying in the woods....and my buddy has bunchs of wood piles....im sure he wouldnt mind if i stole a few pieces of center wood.....anyone have suggestions?? also.....where can i find hard wood dowel rods local?? i tried lowes and walmart and a BIG craft store...found some oak...the dowl rods work nice in a corn cob....i love making strikers and having bunches of diffrent ones...they all sounds diffrent.....any suggestions.....thanx guys