Where we live? the calls that is.

  I am excited to announce that this is my seventh year of offering handcrafted, custom duck and turkey calls to hunters and sportsmen abroad.  It is a neat feeling knowing that many of my calls are in various states across America.

Presently I have calls strung across America and residing in the following states:  

North Carolina          South Carolina          Washington          Florida          Utah          Maryland          Michagan          Texas          Oklahoma          Arizona          Nebraska          Minnesota          Delaware          Louisiana          Arkansas          Canada          Saskatchewan 

Curly Maple used for duck and turkey calls

Fiddleback Maple

Why use Curly Maple for game calls?

Curly Maple, also known as Fiddleback Maple, Tiger Striped Maple, Flame Maple and even Tiger Maple create one of kind duck and turkey calls due to the variance of each and every individual piece of wood.  The wood has chatoyant streaks associated with the wood's medullary rays which run perpendicular to the wood grain orientation.

Fiddleback Maple has been used extensively on the backs of high end Acoustic Guitars and Fiddles for years.  Hence, "Fiddleback Maple".

It is also used by callmakers for this very same reason.  There is a deep appreciation for the alternating 'light to dark' and 'dark to light' rays that are in the wood, when viewed by many lovers of wood.  These alternating colorations create intriguing duck and turkey calls that are truly one of kind.  This type of figuring is not found throughout an entire Maple tree but rather select parts of the tree.  Another facet adding to it's value whether monetary or instrumental.

Fiddleback Maple Duck Call

One of the ways in which these intriguing distinguishing features are created within the grain's composition is by the effects of wind on a select region or portion of a Maple tree.  This wind is imposed upon a tree that is located on the edge of a woodsline or either a lone tree without any cover from wind.  A select portion of the tree is continually being 'swayed back and forth or either up and down' by this wind.  It is this stretching and contracting of the wood at the cellular level that creates this unique feature amongst the medullary rays.


-Extend your arm straight out to your side and wave it up and down rather gently and notice the extension and contraction of the muscle fibers at the top of your shoulder

This is basically what is occurring to a Maple tree's region whereby this type of wood composition is being produced.  It takes some time for this figuring to occur.

The product found within a harvested tree that contains this figuring is truly something that nature itself has made.  How neat to own a personal duck or turkey call that contains elements of itself that only nature can create.

- chris

Woods Utilized in Game Calls

Some of the wood species that I use here at Quacky Calls to handcraft, one of kind, custom duck and turkey calls are derived from one of three categories of wood identifiers.  Those three categories are native, non-native and exotic woods.

Some choices you have to choose from are:

Native Woods used:

Spalted Maple
Fiddleback Maple
Ambrosia Maple
Osage Orange (Bois de' Arc)
Cedar (Eastern)
Black Cherry
Texas Mesquite
Black Walnut
Black Locust
Beech
Birch
Butternut
Sassafras

Exotic Woods used:

Cocobolo
Zebrawood
Bloodwood
Purpleheart
Padauk
Bocote
Bubinga
Jatoba (Brazillian Cherry)
Katalox (Mexican Ebony)
Sapelle
Yellowheart

Visit this portion of my site for photos of these species mentioned.

take care, Chris

A Para Cord Man Project custom lanyards leaques up with Quacky Calls

A Para-Cord Man Project has leagued up with Quacky Calls offering some super cool duck and goose call hunting lanyards.  All of the calls are handcrafted out of military spec grade 550 parachute cord and possess anywhere from 6-10 drops for calls.  The drops are oriented in such a manner to prevent calls from banging together when multiple calls are placed upon the lanyard as well as having enough length so that the entire call lanyard is not lifted when one call is picked up for usage.

Visit A Para-Cord Man project either at Quacky Call's Store or at his blog 'A Para Cord Man Project' to view the latest designs, color availabilities, color choices, custom work, and more photos of his duck and goose hunting lanyards.

A Para-Cord Man Project also makes custom lanyards for the retriever dog trainer, upland bird dog trainer and upland hunting lanyards containing orange for visibility and a longer, central drop for a remote trainer to attach.

Email Zack of A Para Cord Man Project for custom order inquiries and all other ordering details.

Take care guys, Chris

Tribute to Glynn Scobey, custom duck callmaker

It had recently come to my attention a few months ago about the loss of one of our great friends within the duck and goose callmaking community.  Glynn Scobey, a custom duck and goose call maker has recently departed to walk a different shoreline.  All the news that i have ever heard of Glyn Scobey, about him personally or either as a callmaker was great news.

Glynn was indeed a gentleman that excelled in this great arena of call making.  Although i have never met Glynn personally, it did indeed touch my heart to hear such news.  I have seen some of Glynn's work and he did excellent work. 

I'm sure Glynn is sitting amongst a crowd of his fine feathered friends right now just smiling down on the rest of us callmakers.  His calling has been perfected instantaneously, he grins at us as we are trying to reach the heights he himself has obtained.

Glynn Scobey, hold down that shoreline brother and enjoy the breathtaking views, one day we will all have a gathering of the minds there with you and can talk callmaking once again.

What a time that will be.

Glynn Scobey

BORN: February 24, 1932

Left us for the shoreline where the birds gather hourly:  April 15, 2011

LOCATION: Newbern, TN
Glynn Scobey, 79, of Newbern, departed for a different shoreline on Friday, April 15, 2011.  He was owner of Glynn Scobey Game Calls, a retired employee of Choctaw Transportation, a member of Trimble First Baptist Church and a U.S. Navy veteran.

Some of his Glynn's work.

your friend Chris Harrell

Quacky Calls is now offering laser engraving on calls

I am now offering custom laser engraving on my duck and turkey pot calls, with the capabilities to add captions, names, slogans, 'thank you ____", small logos, miniature clipart silhouettes and the like.  I cannot completely engulf the calls with various art work however if you have a desire to have a few lines of text inscribed on a custom call or text with a small clipart or silhouette type file please let me know.  I can surely make this happen for you. 

Contact me and we will certainly discuss your ideas.

Thanks guys, Chris

Quacky Calls - gifts for duck and turkey hunters in all walks of life

I have recently been thinking of all the various facets that my custom duck and turkey calls have been created for.  Its just pretty cool to me, to think that individuals would like my style of callmaking enough to buy them for anniversary gifts, wedding gifts, birthday gifts, christmas gifts and i have even made an allotment of them for groomsmen gifts to be given by the groom to all of the groomsmen that served in a wedding.  Now that to me is a perfect gift for individuals to render to their groomsmen.

If you have groomsmen in your wedding that are duck hunters or turkey hunters for that matter i can certainly make a cool gift for these hunters, that you could give them to show your appreciation to them.  I just need to know ahead of time so that I have time to create the calls and to get them personalized with their names inscribed upon them or whatever.


chris