Date: October 21, 2016 | Story: Tiffany Adams | Photography: Rett Peek |
Crafting duck calls went from a passion to a full-time business for this Beebe-based entrepreneur
Tell us how you got your start making calls. I enjoyed hunting ducks so much that I wanted to make my own call, not to sell initially, but just to have. It took about 50 attempts to make one that sounded decent. I used the call and a friend liked it, so I gave it to him and made another one. It was even better. After giving that one to another friend, I made another one and it was the sound I was looking for. I didn’t want to part with this call until a guy offered me 40 dollars for it. I sold it and made another one, and then sold it; that’s how Echo Calls got started. That was in 1975; it was a part-time job until 1997.
Have you always been an avid duck hunter? I have always loved being in the outdoors hunting and fishing. I started duck hunting with my older brother, Danny, when I was 12 years old. We would drive around until we saw ducks, then we would go ask for permission to hunt the land.
What is it about Echo Calls that makes them unique? Echo Calls are different from other duck calls because of their shape and sound. The barrel of the call is shaped like a teardrop, which makes them easy to identify. The sound of the call is soft and raspy, more like the sound that a duck actually makes. They are all made in Beebe in our shop. We use materials such as acrylic, Corian, Micarta, and several types of exotic wood. We also use wood that comes from Arkansas such as bois d’arc, dogwood, walnut, and cherry.
Where can people find the calls for sale? You can visit our showroom and decide what type of call you might want. If you stop by, know that we try to take each visitor on a tour and show them the call-making process. You can also find them in most sporting goods stores and, of course, on our website.
Echo Calls, Beebe, (501) 882-2026, echocalls.com
