I'm not sure I have a favorite combo. What I do have is a number of different surfaces and different woods in strikers that I find something that the birds just seem to respond better to at the time and place I'm hunting. Now one of the best combo's that has killed more birds for me then any of them is a Red Cedar and Alluminum surface.

Now with that being said , I just spent from 9:00 am this moring to 5:00pm turning strikers for a board member here. I have to say that I do not find any fun in this work at all. I will say that I turned some 4 year old Plum today for the first time and if it works as good as it looks, It should be a killer.

There is a number of good sounding strikers and some will do different calls better then another. Chestnut is one wood that works good on most surfaces. Another is Lilac if you can keep it togeather. This wood is very grainy and seems to chip and splinter bad- I made my last one today and it didn't turn out as it chipped when I was cutting off the end.

I also laminate woods and come up with different colours and different sounds with them.

I guess it all what you like to hear, but try different woods on these surfaces and you will find something that works for you...BT