NWTF 2016 HUNTING CALL RESULTS

[turkey stew]

Heck with the political correctness! Many people and call makers know what has been going on for 6 years. I feel sorry for hunters that purchase award winning calls, pay a high price and don't like them. Yelper is correct about many of the fine call makers on this site that produce callers that consistently run easy and kill gobblers! There definitely will be fewer box calls entered in the Nationals. Hit the NWTF in the pockets! This reminds of the cold war days when the Soviet block judged Olympic events.

[hunter22]

I had the privilege of running most of the box calls that were entered in the contest. Like David said earlier, there were so many great sounding calls it would have been hard to pick out a winner. Several were so close in sound that I believe if a person had taken them behind a curtain and ran them that a judge could not tell them apart. They were that close in sound. I have said for years that the call maker's name should not be on their call entered and that best friends should not be judging a category a call maker is in. This debate will go on forever as long as the current judging system is in place. I think more and more call makers will stop competing. Heck, I can name close to 10 call makers that I consider the "Big Boys" that do not compete. A few of them have told me that they want to be judged by a gobbler and not by a person who in some cases cannot even play a call. 

[perrytrails]

Unfortunately I've never been able to go. I can't imagine seeing you've won a category with your hard work and pride, then have it taken from you because of a mistake something or someone made.

Hate to hear it, I don't know how the judging really works, but I know it's impossible to be there every year. It would be best for the call maker to run his call, behind a curtain for the judges, but hard to do for most.

Maybe they should implement this with a top winning caller running say all the box calls behind a curtain. And another top winner for each category. 

Again I don't know the layout of the competition but it sounds like a change is in order for sure.

[Bowguy]

I was fortunate to have my scratch box come in 5th, first time placing, so I am happy about that. I heard through the grapevine what happened to Al and Josh, that sucks and should not happen at an event like that. I did notice that there seemed to be a lot less box calls entered this year, probably for the reasons stated above.

You're right about a lot less box calls being entered. Unfortunately, there will probably be even fewer entered next year.

Sorry about what happened Al n Josh. I'm only a buyer/user but you are some of the best, most respectful and professional businessmen n callmakers around. That's the truth.
Now I am a little hound judge. There was a club south of me that did shady/crooked stuff. Most guys stopped going to that club. Their field champions were being certified during the week w no one around. This was the American rabbit hound format. I also judge AKC, same crooked stuff. Friends of judges placing, given unfair consideration or judges playing if I win when you judge, you win when I do. That's no good, weakens the competition. In fact makes it useless.
Back to that club in South Jersey, they used club members for judging, eventually no one else showed. You knew who'd win beforehand. The bums even talked to each other about what they needed before the trial n they got it.
Club entries dropped to zero n the club went out of business. I'm a NWTF supporter but this garbage has got to be addressed. I've heard of at least 3 callmakers dropping out next year. With decreased makers comes decreased interest. It's bad for everyone except for the guy who didn't have to beat SS.
Great calls guys!

[trb136]

Assign each call a number, have the judges behind curtain and hear a series of calls ( Yelp, purr, etc...) They are judging on sound and not whos name is on the call. You would think that the NWTF would care enough to make this contest what it should be, but I guess as long as they get a check it doesnt matter, Personally I am sick and tired of it. and I can promise you I am not the only callmaker that thinks this way.... Its easy to get frustrated and say " I dont care" but the fact of the matter is I do! and most all callmakers do. I build calls bc i love turkey hunting, that has nothing to do with Contest, but you take pride in your craft and you want it to be displayed and judged for what it is. I played calls that deserved ribbons and I played calls that didnt have any and should have...and it was obvious. There is alot more I could say about how I feel about it but unless enough voices are heard its not gonna change a thing.

[strutnrut]

I haven't commented for a reason. I feel bad for Al and Josh. They are great friends and super callmakers but I also feel bad for Frank because it also will lead people to believe or ask themselves did he really win.  This is a really terrible thing to have happen. It shouldn't reflect on the judges or the callmakers. It only reflect on the NWTF itself.  I know some of the past history or judging problems but one huge question to ask is (Just When) is the NWTF going to address these issues. Matter of fact it is already to late IMO for the NWTF to adjust their practices. To Al, Josh  and Frank  this is a terrible thing to have happen. If I was Judging all I can do is give my opinion on which call sounds better. I would hope I wouldn't offend anyone but I promise you someone isn't going to like it. It's always going to be that way when there is a contest. What the NWTF did and how they went about it is totally wrong. Hope I didn't offend anyone but there are 3 victims here. This is the exact reason you will never see a judging contest at Unicoi according to Mark and Russell.

[GSLAM95]

I have no dog in this hunt and folks who know me - know how I feel about the NWTF! 
Can you imagine how the person from the NWTF (who was most likely a volunteer not getting squat!) felt?  They most likely felt like Steve Harvey @ the Miss Universe pagent (ok maybe smaller scale) but I'm sure he along with Miss Colombia & Philippines all felt bad.

It looks like simple human error to me from whoever it was that entered the names on the board above.  Thats right guys human error that I am sure many wish they could take back.  NOW please read the next paragraph and EVERYONE think about this.....

Straight from NWTF website:
Category 16 –  Box Call Sets: Must include one Category 1 type box and one Category 2 type box.  The winner of this category will receive a first place medallion and will earn the Don Chancey Award.

Look on the board above at the 1st place name for category 16 and tell me who's name is there.  No offense to Al & Josh but when their name did not appear in 1st place there I think the red flag should have been raised and questions asked then before any celebrating commenced.

As I said in my first sentence I have no dog in this hunt.  I have no calls from either Al & Josh or Frank but when I look at the NWTF board above I would have to say the winner is obvious as your name has to be in the first place slot in order to win this award.

[GSLAM95]

Thats strange as I thought that board was sitting out from early Friday morning but I could be wrong. 
Did they fill out the board first?
Did they set out the medals/ribbons first?
Who was responsible for placing the ribbons with the calls?
Who was responsible for writing the info on the big board?
Is it the same person that sets out ribbons that fills out the board?
Has this type of thing ever happened with the call makers contest previously?
Does any of the above really matter at this point?
I can only imagine the chaos with the 100's of entries and multiple categories to take care of.  As I have said before I have no love for the NWTF either!  But I do like Miss Karen Cavander who runs the Custom call contest, auctions and Wild turkey records and think she has a thankless job that I would not want. 
I do not know if this error was any of her part but if so I would bet that she would be one of the first to humbly apologize. 
I hate it that you guys had to go through this and I don't even have anything to do with it. 
There are changes that I as a call collector would like to see as well but that's an entirely different can of worms.
Take care and good luck with it all in the future guys I've said my peace.

[greentag]

i think i can answer one of the questions,when i first got there friday,that was one of the first places i went,i remember seeing the boards,they were there but no names were on them,i went into the exabition part and spent some time then ran back up to my room for a minute to take some stuff i bought,this was about three hours later,when i came back by the boards were filled out then.i dont know when they got filled out,but there were the blank boards there at first because i remember looking at all the different catagories on them.

[trb136]

GSLAM. Mistakingly putting the wrong name on the board is not even close to the issues with that contest! 

[ccleroy]

GSLAM. Mistakingly putting the wrong name on the board is not even close to the issues with that contest! 

Yep

[boatpaddle]

Wow, another fun filled nwtf call contest..... 

      I have no dog in the fight, but feel really bad for the callmakers....

      The judging ordeal has been a  ever since Bruce Elliott quit....

      Finding unbiased & competent judging seems like  an insurmountable task....

      Anytime, you have a contest, that is judged by people, there will be problems....

      The respect & honesty dealing with the callmakers calls entered, that once made this contest respected & meaningful, has gone by the wayside...

       To place the proper worth & value of each callmakers efforts to build calls that get results spring & fall, is really what you build them for....

        The redhead with the beard & spurs is the real judge of callmaking.....   When he replies to your calling & you take pictures of him along side your calls, I hope, the nasty taste from Nashville is a very distant memory...

        To all you callmakers.......Thanks much for all you do to make your calls the best they can be.

        Made in AMERICA, too....
     

     

     

   

[packmule]

Wow, another fun filled nwtf call contest..... 

      I have no dog in the fight, but feel really bad for the callmakers....

      The judging ordeal has been a  ever since Bruce Elliott quit....

      Finding unbiased & competent judging seems like  an insurmountable task....

      Anytime, you have a contest, that is judged by people, there will be problems....

      The respect & honesty dealing with the callmakers calls entered, that once made this contest respected & meaningful, has gone by the wayside...

       To place the proper worth & value of each callmakers efforts to build calls that get results spring & fall, is really what you build them for....

        The redhead with the beard & spurs is the real judge of callmaking.....   When he replies to your calling & you take pictures of him along side your calls, I hope, the nasty taste from Nashville is a very distant memory...

        To all you callmakers.......Thanks much for all you do to make your calls the best they can be.

        Made in AMERICA, too....
     

     

     

   

Best post of 2016.

[GSLAM95]

GSLAM. Mistakingly putting the wrong name on the board is not even close to the issues with that contest! 

Tim as I said I have no dog in the hunt when it comes to the call making contest.  I feel bad for Al & Josh as well, it would be a hell of a blow to get that phone call after you thought you had won.

Why not post right here what other issues there are with that contest for everyone to see and discuss or even better yet start a thread directly toward the issue?

[hunter22]

John---- I too have no dog in this hunt. But I have to say that a pet peeve of mine about the contest has always been that best friends and hunting buddies judge some callmakers calls. It seems the same guys judge each year so I can see where it would be pretty easy for the same guys to win each year. I am not trying to start anything on here because I know some of the judges are members on here. I am just stating what I think is wrong with the contest. This was my first year to attend the Convention. Man, what a show. I was fortunate to get to run most of the calls that were entered. My buddy David was also running them so I could truly hear what they sounded like. I have to say that there were no difference in sound of some of the first place calls and some calls that did not even place. I actually preferred a couple box calls that had no ribbons beside them. But I will also say that most of the calls that got ribbons were great sounding calls. I had a nice talk this week with one of the call makers that consistently wins and he even said how good so many calls sounded in his categories. He said that if you get five different judges you would probably have a totally different set of winners because different people like different sounds in a call. Maybe the NWTF should rotate a different set of judges each year and come up with a way of the judges not seeing the calls and names on them but only hearing them. You and I both know that several of the finest callmakers out there no longer enter the contest. There is a reason for this.