Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009

Duck and goose call auction set for Wednesday

Event will be held at Quail Club in Belleville

All duck hunters need a good "highball" every once in a while. If you can't hit the high notes, you'd better be able to chuckle. And if you can't chuckle, then at least you should know how to cluck and moan with a straight face.

We're talking duck and goose calling!

The annual Mississippi Valley Duck Hunters (MVDH) Duck and Goose Call Auction is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Quail Club, 8303 Concordia Road, in Belleville.

The event is free and open to the public, and features highly collectible calls from talented call makers, plus numerous items for avid waterfowlers and hunters. Proceeds from the event go to waterfowl habitat and youth-related projects in Southern Illinois.

This year's event will again feature rare items from the estate of Ken Martin, the late legendary call maker who perfected the famous Horseshoe Lake model goose call. Martin's granddaughter, Wendy Peebles, of Lemont, has generously donated items to MVDH for the past four years. This year's event features a Ken Martin new-in-the-box Olive Branch goose call, mint advertising sheets and sales sheets.

Other featured calls include:

* A custom ornate Don Bald trumpet yelper turkey call in ebony and ivory, with figured blackwood, acorn stop, detailed carving -- a one-of-a-kind donated by Bald's Calls in Lebanon.

* Boxed set of fancy, highly carved acrylic "River Bottom Calls" -- the 2009 Kaskaskia River Delta Waterfowl set, donated by MVDH President Don Hall.

* Fancy osage orange double-reed duck call by Robert Mueller, of Belleville.

* Fancy "Old Timer Serices" duck and goose call set in black walnut by Bob Bitters and Hermy's Calls of Belleville.

* Custom Down River Game Calls set in bocote, featuring short reed goose and double reed duck by Scott Huschle, of Newton.

* Tim Grounds "Super Mag" signed by Tim and Hunter Grounds, 1 of 1 for MVDH.

* Duck and Goose Call set from Bruce Vought, of Milan.

* Custom fancy "High Ring" duck call by Mark Heuring, of Mascoutah.

* "Showtime" short reed goose call signed for MVDH by Jeff Foiles, of Foiles Migrators in Pittsfield.

The auction also includes a premium two-day waterfowl hunt for two donated by the Hunt Club of Percy; a classic refurbished, freshly painted V-bottom boat ready for action on calm water; items from Purina, Illinois Distributing, Victory Lane and collectibles from MVDH and Ducks Unlimited. More items are being added daily.

MVDH also will raffle off a layout boat, complete with decoys, life jackets and hunting equipment valued at $1,200 at the event. Food is provided and led by efforts of Ron Joellenbeck and his kitchen crew.

Auctioneer will be "Farmer" Dave Schumacher.

MVDH memberships at $15 also are available. For more information on the event, call Keith Schopp at 539-5359.