We are setting up times to have some of the best talent in the competition available
to meet and chat with anyone that wishes. The hope moving forward is to feature different callmakers every year.
Come meet the callmakers and learn more about their
inspirations and why they love their craft. Some callmakers may feature their pieces from the
competition, some will have media to share, some will have calls to show off, and some may even
discuss their secrets for making a great call. Please be sure to stop by whenever you can and support
these great callmakers and artisans.
| 9:00am - 10:00am |
John Parker
John was a big competitor way back in the early years of the competition and has several major wins and numerous category wins under his belt in the decorative turkey division. He is being inducted into the Grand National Custom Callmaking Competition Hall of Fame this year where he rightfully belongs.
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| 10:00am - 11:00am |
Tony Ezolt
Tony has had tons of success with his air-operated calls. His two major Charles L. Jordan wins clearly show he has perfected his sound. With 22 placement ribbons in air-operated categories, he has established himself as a leading competition call maker.
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| 11:00am - 12:00pm |
Grant McDougald
Grant is a young duck call maker but has already made impacts on the waterfowl side of the competition, having won Youth Call Maker of the Year for the last two years as well as a first place in his category. Grant runs duck calls as well as anyone his age and was a judge in this year’s competition – the youngest judge in the history of the contest.
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| 12:00pm - 1:00pm |
Billy McCallister
Billy has been making strides in the competition in recent years and has been winning big. He has a Best of Show award in 2023 with the piece he won the DD Adams award with. He is also very seasoned in trumpets with a Tom Turpin award in 2016 as well as several placement wins in categories throughout hunting turkey.
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| 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
Mike Lapp
Mike has been competing for over 20 years and this year decided to take a step back and let new talent gain some traction. With over 20 major wins and more than 200 placement medallions throughout the competition, he has consistently been a force wherever he decides to compete. Mike is also willing to share his expertise with anyone as well as his love for the NWTF and its mission.
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| 2:00pm - 3:00pm |
Tim Oldham Jr.
Tim has impacted the decorative side of this competition in a positive way by spending hundreds of hours creating masterpieces of art that few have come close to matching. With over 20 major wins in this competition and hundreds of placement medallions, his success is unrivaled. Tim is loved and respected by all call makers and, if it’s possible, he may be a better person than call maker. Spend five minutes with him and see for yourself.
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| 3:00pm - 4:00pm |
Brent Hoover
In 2024, Brent Hoover took his first “Best of Show” Award in the decorative waterfowl division. He is a mentor to many people who look to improve their success in the decorative callmaking categories within this competition and a dear friend to many.
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| 4:00pm - 5:00pm |
Ronald “Stump” Laun
When you think of great sounding waterfowl calls, a few call makers make their way to the top of the list as extraordinary talents. “Stump” is one of these great ones. His name is all over the winner’s board annually, and his calls are extremely sought after.
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| 5:00pm - 6:00pm |
Dave Constantine
Dave has been a major contributor to this competition since it came to life in the early 1990s. The number of major wins Dave has won with his talent is unbelievable. He led the way with his work to help bring the competition to prominence throughout the years and changed the game for any artist that sought to beat him. He is a dear friend to the competition, a passionate competitor, a mentor to many, and just an all-around fantastic individual.
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| 8:00am - 9:00am |
Meet the Judges (Q&A)
Many of our judges are call makers, too, and are always willing to share advice and experience when they meet an aspiring call maker. While all judges will not be able to attend, we will hopefully have a few who can attend this hour to help answer questions.
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| 9:00am - 10:00am |
Mike Stelzner
There is no waterfowl call maker who has had more success in the competition than Mike Stelzner. He mastered his sound a long time ago and has made huge impacts in the competition by requiring many to work harder just to have a chance to beat him. His calls are highly sought, and he still knows how to win big.
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| 10:00am - 11:00am |
Clay Townsend
Clay has had a lot of success in the hunting pot call and trumpet divisions in the competition. Having won the Tom Turpin, DD Adams, Charley Burke Best of Show, and Champion of Champions awards, he is no stranger to wins. He has also taken many category wins and has become one of the best call makers nationally.
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| 11:00am - 12:00pm |
Caden & Brad Roberts
Caden won our DD Adams award last year and the Charley Burke Best of Show award. He has made significant strides in recent years opening a lot of eyes to his talent. His father, Brad, has taught him well and has done very well in the competition himself. Both are talented and are open to questions and helping other aspiring call makers.
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