The New Classic

I've been working on this design in my head for quite some time. It is a little something old, and a little something new. It takes some design cues from some of the callmakers of old, but most specifically, my great uncle, Chick Majors.

My goal in designing this call was to take some of what made the calls of the 50's and 60's great and then take some of what I've learned in the past 30 years that makes modern calls great, put them all into the mix to make an awesome call that has a mix of both.

I've succeeded in doing so. I have a call now with the character of the calls of the 50's and 60's, but with the volume and control of a modern call. It is a classic Arkansas style call and it sounds that way. I shot birds over the prototypes this past season and that is what matters most!

You need one on your lanyard! Email me at Lagrue at Hotmail.com to order one up.

National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Duck Call Makers' Competition

This past weekend, I participated in the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Duck Call Makers' Competition. This was my first time participating in this competition, and my third Call Makers' competition.

I really enjoyed the competition and the show even more. The calls were all auctioned off after the competition to new owners, with the proceeds going to the NWTF. This is a great competition and I'm glad I took part.

I did not place, however this was one of the largest contests for 'Working Calls' (not carved decorative calls) ever held. Over 47 call makers participated, and the competition was definitely tough!

Below are my two entries. Both include African blackwood with brass bands and orbits. One is made with dyed and stabilized maple burl. The other is made with black and white ebony. Both have a gloss CA finish and single reed, o-ring construction. Both are definitely runners!

Last day of the season.....

Last day of the season hit and I managed to get the 'hall pass' to get over to Arkansas one more time for one more day in the woods.

Dad and I planned to hit Bayou Meto with my brother-in-law for the 'all day' hunts that are allowed on the last 3 days of the year. I was hugely excited about this. Have never had the opportunity to do it before, so I was gunnin' to go.

It was definitely the adventure it promised to be. We did find the honey hole of honey holes. No I'm not tellin' where it is!

Unfortunately, we did not whack'em like we thought we would. Every time we got a great group circling, another hunting group up the slough would shoot. It would be enough to flare the birds off.

We ended up the day with nothing in our bag but a good bunch of stories!

 

 

Claro Walnut And African Blackwood - A Great Combination

Recently delivered this call to a customer. They requested Walnut, so I looked for a blank that had some great coloration and figure. I love the coloration in this call, and the finish really brought it out.

Adding African Blackwood tips with brass orbits to set them off really added some character to the call.

Email me if you'd like have a similar call!

Mid-January Hunt - Rockin!

Hunted Stuttgart again and we hit it right. Hunted my farm, a friends farm as well as Bayou Meto.

I managed to get out with my Uncle Larry, who I hunted with for most of my life, but who has not gotten out with us in the past 5-10 years. It was great to have him in the blind with us again!

 

We also timed it right with the birds, the weather and where we hunted. Hunting is a lot like Real Estate. Its all about 'Location Location Location'. Well, we had the location right.

 

 

Burnt Bois D'arc!

My Great Uncle used to 'burn' calls by holding a rag to them as they spun on the lathe. With careful application of pressure, he could create beautiful patterns in Bois D'arc to highlight the grain and make the call look great!

I recently made a Bois D'arc call with a African Blackwood Stopper which needed a little more character. I dug out the butane torch and gave this one a flame pattern!

Call is not for sale, but I can make one for you. Email me to get one started.

More Acrylic Goodness!

I made these two calls for my children. The pink call matches a pen I made for my daughter for making straight A's on her report card. The Blue call for my son as his first call. I inscribed to them on the toneboards Christmas wishes.

They sound great and look awesome!