Best of Show Beard Box

The Grand National Custom Callmaking Competition comprises five divisions. Born in 2023, Division 5: Wildlife Art is the youngest division, yet it offers artists the most freedom of creative expression.

This division is designed for artists — not necessarily call makers — to compete by submitting wildlife art. However, callmakers are encouraged to participate. The art pieces are evaluated by all decorative judges in both Divisions 1 and 3. The artwork can be on any theme and must feature wildlife of the artist’s choice. No calls are allowed in this division.

Tim Oldham Jr., from Newburgh, Indiana, has more than two decades of decorative callmaking experience. His career is filled with piles of championship ribbons, medals, top honors and major awards. He is also a member of the NWTF Custom Callmaking Hall of Fame, class of 2023.

Oldham’s business — Calls, Carvings & Creations — is his full-time job. He specializes in creating carvings, turkey calls and unique heirlooms. Oldham greatly enjoys creating art, so Division 5 has intrigued him since it was first introduced. In fact, he has been entering art pieces since the division’s first year. Oldham took third place in Category 1: Carved or Carved & Painted that year.

He returned in 2024 and won first place in Category 3: Art (Other) with his first painted canvas piece, featuring a carved woodpecker frame. He also received the top honor, the Wildlife Art Multi-Medium Champion, for that piece.

But in 2025, Oldham won first place in Category 1 and top honors with Best of Show and Carved Art Champion. His entry was entitled “The Hen Box,” an expertly crafted beard box with drawers and compartments to store a beard and spurs from a successful hunt, plus an empty spot for a turkey call.

The theme of Oldham’s award-winning piece came to him several years ago. He has an affinity for Tom Turpin hen-box-style calls, as found in Categories 4 and 5 in the Hunting Division 2. His idea for the art piece was a wordplay on that call type, in which he would build an actual box with a nesting hen.

This art piece was a new challenge for Oldham, building a functional piece of furniture by hand while incorporating ultra-detailed carved and painted features. The art showcased several elements of nature, including a last-minute ladybug to add a bit more color to the overall piece. That addition fit the theme well, as ladybugs can symbolize protection, such as a mother hen guarding her poults.

And although the rules state there must not be an actual turkey call in the work of art, Tim built a working hen-box turkey call and placed it inside the beard box — after the competition judging was complete — as a special surprise bonus for the auction.

Although still in infancy, Division 5 is undoubtedly exciting. With outstanding, well-known artists winning Best of Show, such as Dave Constantine from Durand, Wisconsin, in 2023, Rebecca Inman from New Braunfels, Texas, in 2024, and Oldham in 2025, the division shows promise and opportunity. Oldham is likely to return to Division 5 in 2026 to continue sharing his love and passion for art.