Page 83 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2023

took off after the federal government banned the use of live decoys in 1935. Without live ducks calling for them, many decoy carvers began making their own duck calls. Some makers became popular and started selling their creations.
As part of that love for all things hunting, many sportsmen collect vintage calls, decoys, art – anything related to the sport of waterfowling. For many sportsmen, collecting often begins with a single gift or purchase as a youth. Sometimes, collecting grows into a lifelong obsession to acquire all things waterfowl. Some people collect as an investment for pure monetary reasons. Some calls might sell for $8,000 to $20,000.
Many collectors put more emphasis on sentimental value than actual worth. They want to immortalize long-lost loved ones by acquiring their favorite calls. Others seek specific calls because those objects
recall fond memories in their lives or perhaps symbolize places they lived or visited. Some collectors
FACING PAGE: Cody Young calls to ducks while hunting in flooded timber off a river swamp. ABOVE: Jimmy Darnell blows his call to attract ducks into range while hunting in delta marshes.
concentrate on purchasing certain brands or calls from particular regions. What might interest one person might not interest another.
For devoted collectors, these vintage items bridge the divide between modern waterfowling and the “good ol’ days.” Perhaps, a beat-up old cane call hardly worth anything that now blows sour notes could mean significantly more to a person than a highly priced auction item if that old call belonged to that person’s father or grandfather who used it to call in a child’s first duck many years ago.
People interested in collecting might also look up the Callmakers and Collectors Association of America www.ccaacalls.org for advice and information.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net January 2023 | 83