A Matched Set, Unmatched in Rarity

It’s not every day you come across a call made by an 18-time Grand National champion. Rarer still is a matched wooden set, the first ever made by this renowned caller and call maker, that is truly a one-of-one. 

Mark Prudhomme set out to create a callmaking duo that illustrates the uniqueness of his style using two of his favorite call types – the trumpet and the tube call. The matched set is from a single piece of highly figured desert ironwood. The mouthpiece on the trumpet is a medical grade polymer joined by a brass ferrule, and the tube call is an example of Prudhomme’s open design with no lip stop for unrestricted, unmatched wild turkey sounds.

“It is the first match wooded set I have ever done,” Prudhomme said. “The trumpet mouthpiece has the best sound qualities of any material I have used.” 

Prudhomme won the 2021 Tom Turpin Award in the NWTF Grand National Custom Callmaking Competition, recognized as the best call maker for turned-style trumpet calls. But he is most known for his skills in calling, winning 17 NWTF Grand National Calling Championships titles (one in the Gobbling Division, five in the Owl Hooting Division, five in the Champion of Champions Division and six in the Team Challenge Division). Those 17 titles still stand as the most of any caller to compete in the Super Bowl of wild turkey calling.  

The native of Georgetown, South Carolina, also won eight World championships, two NRA World Game Calling titles, two U.S. Open Owl Hooting titles, two Grand American turkey calling championships, seven South Carolina State and Open calling championships and multiple other state and local wins.  

In 2024, he was entrusted with crafting a trumpet-style call made from delicate wood from the original Mossy Oak tree, the symbol of the legendary camouflage company. His call sold at auction for $25,000, which is believed to be the highest price paid for a contemporary call in the modern era.  

“I certainly enjoy making a call and making it sound like a wild turkey, but I really enjoy when somebody wants one, then they take it and are successful with it,” Prudhomme said. “… My calls, I want them to go to the woods. That’s what it’s all about for me, making something to help somebody be successful.” 

Influenced by the late, great call maker, Rev. Zach Farmer, Prudhomme’s calls became sought after following his historic calling career. The reason? Decades of experience in the field as a savvy hunter, listening to the vocalizations of the wild turkey, and an ability to translate that through craftsmanship and precision. 

“The most important thing is the sound,” said Prudhomme, a professional wildlife manager who has spent nearly every day the last 45 years in the field listening to wild birds. “To me, the art is in the sound. It is the only connection we have with the wild turkey. When someone gets one of my calls, what I want them to hear are pure turkey sounds.”