Aye Mates,
I am blessed in that I have some really talented friends that never cease to amaze me. My buddy Dan is making some incredible duck calls that are as beautiful to the eye as they are to the ears of any seasoned fowler. Dan uses some truly pretty figured hardwoods and a time consuming process to bring them down to 0% moisture content and then stabilizes the wood with an acrylic resin. Next, Dan makes a blank out of the wood and colored resin in a mold. Once the blank is released from the mold, Dan turns the blank on a lathe and it is bored out to accept the Echo insert for either a double reed or single reed call. Dan highly polishes each call using the lathe, a brass, bronze, or copper band is then added as a finishing ornamentation to the call. Every call is made one at a time and every call is unique. These calls blow mass produced calls out of the water for both acoustics and aesthetics. These are calls that any waterfowl hunter or hunt test enthusiast would love to have on their lanyard. Works of art and a labor of love, these calls would make a great gift or special presentation for anybody that loves waterfowl hunting and exquisite craftsmanship. Dan is a retired Rhode Island Game Warden and a stand up guy. Dan donated two of his spectacular calls in support of the Conservation Officer James V. Spignesi Jr. Memorial Scholarship in April, those calls doing very well at auction. Dan also recently upon my request donated one of his handcrafted calls in support of the Yankee Waterfowler's Hunting Retriever Club, that call to be raffled in a special drawing at our AKC Hunt Test.
Meself and two o' me duck hunting buddies own the three calls pictured here. Mine is all the way to the right and I dare say me photography does not do the calls justice. Pure eye candy.
Dan donated this single reed beauty in support o' me retriever club and it will be raffled off in a specially dedicated raffle at our next AKC Hunt Test.
These heirloom quality calls are congruous with fine decoys, go to shotguns, and grand gun dogs. I have little doubt that the queue for one of Dan's special calls will be growing quickly. Dan will also soon be offering a short reed goose call of similar artistry.
Cheers,
Irishwhistler