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Looking for that one photo? Look no further.
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Bald's Calls
Trumpet style yelpers. Tube calls. Scratch boxes. Most people wouldn't think of
these hunting aids as beautiful, but a creative man from Lebanon, Illinois has
turned his turkey calls into works of functional art. Don Bald, who is
retired from 38 years of teaching high school Shop and English, has made
them by hand for the last 20 years…12 of which he called "serious".
Bald's calls take about 5-6 working days to complete from materials like ivory,
ebony, walnut, mahogany and even turkey bones. His calls have won several awards
from the prestigious National Wild Turkey Federation. In 2000, Bald became the first
to win all three Best of Show awards at the NWTF competition. Shown here is one of his
more intricate "Trumpet Yelpers" made from elephant ivory, ebony, and fine silver. As
you can see, sections of the call have been adorned with scrimshaw and cast silver.
Bald uses rotary tools, diamond burs, and a lathe to create pieces like this.
Mr. Bald enrolled in a GRS Basic Engraving course so that he could add metal engravings
to his skill set. After completing his first GRS Training Center course, Don said he
planned to upgrade some of his equipment to include new GRS products, as well as the
NSK E-Max, which he said is a better rotary tool than his current one. To see more of
his award-winning calls, visit his website Bald's Calls. If you ever have the opportunity
to meet Don in person, you’ll find a wonderfully friendly man who absolutely loves what
he does so well.
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