Bald's Calls

<BODY BACKGROUND="treebark.gif"> <TABLE WIDTH=610> <TR>  <TD ALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2> <IMG SRC="Head.jpg" WIDTH=550 HEIGHT=60 ALT="Bald's Calls"> </TD> </TR> <TR>  <TD WIDTH=140 VALIGN=TOP> <FONT SIZE=2 COLOR=blue><B> <A HREF="Main.htm">Home Page</A><BR> <A HREF="Bio.htm">My Biography</A><BR> <A HREF="Seminars.htm">Seminars</A><BR> Calls<BR> &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp <A HREF="Wingbone.htm">Wingbone Calls</A><BR> &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp <A HREF="Yelpers.htm">Yelpers</A><BR> &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp <A HREF="Tube.htm">Tube Calls</A><BR> &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp <A HREF="Scratch.htm">Scratch Box</A><BR> &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp <A HREF="Custom.htm">Customizing</A><BR> <A HREF="Awards.htm">Awards</A> </B></FONT> </TD>  <TD VALIGN=TOP> <H1>"Bald's Calls</H1> <H4><I> "The calls are absolutely beautiful! The craftmanship is excellent." </I></H4> <H6 ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=2>-Earl & Janene Mickel</FONT></H6> <P><IMG SRC="turkey2.jpg" WIDTH=172 HEIGHT=233 ALIGN=RIGHT>Hunting has been a way of life for me since I grew up on the family farm in Southern Illinois in the early 50's. I grew up hunting rabbits and squirrels; there were no deer to speak of and turkeys were something that I saw in the outdoor magazines. I started hunting turkeys during the first Illinois season in Union County. I went 3 years without killing a bird, not because there were no birds, but because I was to ignorant to kill one. My setup and calling skills were nonexistent. I still have the Penn's Woods box call I had then, retired in my collection. I didn't hunt turkeys for several years, until my hunting partner of about 30 years asked me if I wanted to learn to hunt turkeys. He had a father-in-law who lived in Missouri and also a brother-in-law who was a pretty good turkey hunter. They taught me more in one season about turkey hunting than I had learned in 3 years of being on my own. A desire to succeed at whatever I do drove me to learn as much as I could about America's greatest game bird. Books by Davis, Bailey and others, helped me get a historical as well as a practical knowledge bank started. I haven't looked back since.</P> <P>I have enjoyed making things since I was very young, so making turkey calls was a natural offshoot of the sport. Many of my early calls were given away unsigned. Some worked, some didn't, but I had fun making them. I met a fine gentleman named Wayne Bailey on a hunt in the Arcadia Valley of Missouri. Wayne took bones from a nice gobbler I had killed and made a 3 bone wingbone call for me. I never forgot the kindness. I now make all kinds of wingbone and turned barrel yelpers, as well as tube calls, and a very few slates & scratch boxes. I also am beginning to offer seminars on turkey hunting geared to <U>teach</U> not just impress others. Too many of the people out there are interested only in ego inflation and the dollar rather than <U>really</U> teaching others to hunt effectively. I have learned a lot from many people and the turkeys themselves, and I am still learning today. When I quit learning from the turkeys I'll give up the sport.</P> <P><U>Philosophical ramblings</U>: Hunters should savor the <U>hunt</U> rather than the <U>kill</U>. Good friends and acquaintances are worth far more than turkey rewards. Revere the bird you take; he represents thousands of years of evolution, and unlike the dinosaur, he's still here. Patience and confidence are the best pieces of equipment you can take on a turkey hunt, and you can't buy either of them in a store. Don't quit hunting 'til the last legal minute; success can come at any time. Learn to use as wide a variety of calls as you can; versatility can save the day. Don't <U>underestimate</U> your quarry. I believe that <U>indescriminate killing</U> will be the end of our sport unless we change back to ethical hunting and all that it entails. <BR><BR> <CENTER><FONT SIZE=2><B> Bald's Calls<BR> 303 E Dee St.<BR> Lebanon, IL &nbsp &nbsp 62254<BR> (618) 537-2282 </B></FONT></CENTER> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </BODY>