I was born and raised at Forrest City in Eastern Arkansas in the heart of the Mississippi Flyway. Duck hunting was something that I looked forward to each fall. Most of the boys carried their duck calls to the high school football games. I remember having a large flock of geese hearing all the duck calls and trying to land below the lights at a high school football game one foggy night.  I was such an avid hunter and fisherman that most comments in my senior yearbook had to do with hunting or fishing.

After getting a Forestry degree, I spent my entire 35 year career in the timber industry where I developed a passion for fine hardwoods.  It just came naturally that I would become a duck call maker with my love of hunting, the hardwoods, and fine craftsmanship.

My influences

Another passion of mine is playing billiards. I have won several awards in Arkansas for my pool playing skills. I am somewhat of a collector with over 30 fine hand made pool cues. A Russellville, Arkansas Professional Pool Cue Maker, Mark Smith was my first teacher in the fine art of cutting wood on a lathe and wood finishing. The pool cue influence can be seen in my calls. I suspect that my call finishes are much more painstaking and durable than most for this reason. I really like using figured Maple which is the wood of choice for pool cues.

Next to Mark Smith and the pool cue influence, Long time friend, Terry Williams is the most influential person in my call making style. Terry has been a professional artist now for 40 years. He owns Terry’s Touch of Art in Searcy, Arkansas. His oil paintings are in great demand at Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl events throughout the South. Terry took my call making in a totally unexpected direction. Terry’s gun stock carvings are beautifully engraved so he persuaded me to put the same type engraving on my duck calls. Now all Arkie Mallard Calls are engraved on a rotary laser engraver. At first they were engraved in Terry’s studio but now they are engraved in my shop to eliminate a long turnaround time.  I can add any personalized lettering  to a call without additional setup expense.

Arkie Mallard Calls

They are so unique! They are slightly larger than most calls to accommodate the carving. I call them presentation calls since that can be personalized and given as gifts or awards.  They are great for the collector as well as the hunter.

I have made call inserts and I have used a great Arkansas call maker as a source to purchase the inserts. I now outsource all the insert construction. I just can’t match the consistency with the wood inserts that I make.

Any feature of the engraving can be changed at no additional fee. In addition to the new owner's name, I can add a company name, logo or a hunting club name. The only limitation is space on the surface of the call. These personalized calls are great for a business to give to customers or employees as promotional gifts or awards.

T