| Grand National Wild Turkey Calling Championships |
| Top turkey callers from around the nation gathered
in Atlanta, Ga. at the 2008 National Wild Turkey Federation annual Convention
and Sport Show to compete in the most prestigious calling championships of the
year. Congratulations to the winners! |
| |
|
|
| 2008 Wild Turkey Bourbon/NWTF Grand National
Calling Championships |
| |
|
|
| Senior
Division — Senior Calling Champions |
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
| |
| Senior
Calling Champions |
| 1st: |
Billy Yargus, Ewing, Mo. |
| 2nd: |
Chris Parrish, Centralia, Mo. |
| 3rd: |
Shane Hendershot, Zanesville, Ohio |
| 4th: |
Mathew Van Cise, Brookville, Pa. |
| 5th: |
J. R. Lanham, Bunker, Mo. |
|
|
Contestants were judged on their imitation of a
minimum of four kinds of turkey calls during the preliminary contest and five
calls during the finals. These calls were selected from among a long list of sounds
wild turkeys make, including: cluck, putt, tree call before flying down time,
cutting, adult hen giving assembly call, whistle and call of a lost turkey (kee
kee run), kee kee, purring, plain yelp of a hen, fly down cackle, or the caller's
best call.
This contest was open to any person who was a first place winner in an NWTF sanctioned
Open, State, National Senior Division, or World Open Division calling contest
between January 1, 2005 and January 30, 2006. The reigning Grand National Champion
and World Champion automatically qualified. Contestants must have been current
members of the National Wild Turkey Federation and at least 21 years old. $11,500
in prize money was divided among the winners. |
|
|
| Rare Breed Champion of Champions
Competition |
| |
| Any person who was a past Grand National Senior
Champion, a past World Open Division Champion, or a past Natural Voice World Champion
was eligible. The contestants were judged on the performance of each required
call and the use of each instrument. The required calls were: gobble, yelp of
the excited hen, kee kee run, assembly call, and cluck and purr. All contestants
were required to use a box call, slate and peg, diaphragm, tube and wing bone.
The Champion of Champions received a beautiful replica of the Champion Trophy
Cup and $1,500. |
|
 |
|
| |
| Rare
Breed Champion of Champions |
| 1st: |
Kerry Terrell, Brooklet, Ga. |
| 2nd: |
Mark Prudhomme, Georgetown, S.C. |
| 3rd: |
Preston Pittman, Petal, Miss. |
| 3rd: |
Daymon Davis, Danville, Pa. |
|
|
|
| |
| Team Calling Division |
| |
| |
 |
|
| |
| Team
Calling Champions |
| 1st: |
Mark Prudhomme, Georgetown, S.C.
Kerry Terrell, Brooklet, Ga. |
| 2nd: |
James Harrison, Hillsboro, Mo.
Stephen Richardson, Springdale, Ark. |
| 3rd: |
Doug Crabtree, Mansfield, Ohio
Billy Yargus, Ewing, Mo. |
| 4th: |
Steve Cobb, Union, S.C.
Matt Morrett, Harrisburg, Pa. |
| 5th: |
Alex Rutledge, Birch Tree, Mo.
Larry Shockey, Willow Springs, Mo. |
|
|
Situation One: Early spring
daybreak - gobbler with hens
You are on a ridge top in northwestern Nebraska. You’ve roosted several
gobblers the evening before in the canyon below you. Now, three gobblers are gobbling
at each other down in the canyon and hens are responding all around them. You
know from the past few days that the hens will lead the gobblers away from your
aggressive calling. Objective: Call one of these gobblers away from the hens.
Situation Two: Fall - Midmorning mixed flock of hens and jakes
You scattered this flock just ater they came off the roost, with most of the turkeys
separating well. You set up at the scatter point, and the turkeys have already
started to call. It sounds like a few birds have gotten together just out of sight
below you and several others are yelping from opposite directions. Objective:
Before they all have a chance to get back together, call one of these scattered
turkeys into range.
Situation Three: Late spring - late morning
- lone gobbler
You are walking an old logging road on heavily hunted public land in middle Georgia.
Fortunately, the trucks that were parked at every gate at daylight are long gone.
You’re hoping to start a gobbler with locator calls, then call him in. Objective:
Start up, then call this educated, public-land gobbler into range |
| |
|
|
| |
Owl Hooting Contest |
| |
|
| |
Contestants were judged on their ability to imitate
the sounds made by a barred owl. Contestants must have been at least 21 years
old and current members of the National Wild Turkey Federation. $1,200 in prize
money was divided among the winners. |
|
 |
|
| |
| Owl
Hooting Champions |
| 1st: |
Mark Prudhomme, Georgetown, S.C. |
| 2nd: |
Sadler McGraw, Camden, Ala. |
| 3rd: |
James Harrison, Hillsboro, Mo. |
| 4th: |
Mark Coin, Dunmore, Ky. |
| 5th: |
Jeremy Palmer, Harrisburg, Ill. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Gobbling Contest |
| |
|
| |
 |
|
| |
| Gobbling
Champions |
| 1st: |
Stephan Richardson, Springdale, Ark. |
| 2nd: |
Doug Benefield, Newnan, Ga. |
| 3rd: |
Scott Wilhem, Eau Claire, Wis. |
| 4th: |
Danny Harp, Cumming, Ga. |
| 5th: |
Shonn Anderson, Wodbine, Iowa |
|
|
Contestants were judged on their ability to imitate
the gobble of the wild turkey. Contestants must have been at least 21 years old
and current members of the National Wild Turkey Federation. $1,200 in prize money
was divided among the winners. |
| |
|
|
| |
2008 NWTF Grand National Wild Turkey Calling
Championships |
| |
|
| |
Intermediate Division |
| |
|
| |
 |
|
| |
| Intermediate
Champions |
| 1st: |
Dakota Clauser, Danville, Pa. |
| 2nd: |
Hailey Long, York, Ala. |
| 3rd: |
Lance Hanger, Churchville, Va. |
| 4th: |
Aaron Warbritton, Paris, Mo. |
| 5th: |
Kurtis Thomas, Blonchester, Ohio. |
|
|
This contest was open to current JAKES or regular
member of the National Wild Turkey Federation between the ages of 16 - 20 years
old.Contestants were judged on their imitation of a minimum of five calls. These
calls were selected from among a long list of sounds wild turkeys make, including:
cluck, putt, tree call before flying down time, cutting, adult hen giving assembly
call, whistle and call of a lost turkey (kee kee run), kee kee, purring, plain
yelp of a hen, fly down cackle, or the caller's best call. $1,200 in prize money
was divided among the winners. |
| |
|
|
| |
Junior Division |
| |
|
|
| |
The contestants were current JAKES member of
the National Wild Turkey Federation 15 years old or younger on February 21, 2005. Contestants
were judged on their imitation of a minimum of five calls. These calls were selected
from among a long list of sounds wild turkeys make, including: cluck, putt, tree
call before flying down time, cutting, adult hen giving assembly call, whistle
and call of a lost turkey (kee kee run), kee kee, purring, plain yelp of a hen,
fly down cackle, or the caller's best call. The Champion received a $1,000 US
Savings Bond, First runner-up received a $600 US Savings Bond, second runner-up
received a $400 US Savings Bond, third runner-up received a $250 US Savings Bond,
and fourth runner-up received a $150 US Savings Bond. Trophies were also awarded
to the top five finishing contestants.
|
|
 |
|
| |
| Junior
Division Champions |
| 1st: |
Jimmy Pollard, Fort Smith, Ark. |
| 2nd: |
Cory Hoone, Smithfield, Pa. |
| 3rd: |
David Armistead, Pleasant Shade, Tenn. |
| 4th: |
Lewis Armistead, Pleasant Shade, Tenn. |
| 5th: |
Dakota Russell, Gainesville, Ga. |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
