Entry Fee: $40.00 ($40 per entry, must be paid in advance.)
Date: July 26
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Duck Hunters Expo, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
This link is for U.S. residents only. If you are a non-U.S., please contact Delta Waterfowl on our toll free number 1-888-987-3695 to register. Communications may be caught in filters and not reach your inbox. If you do not receive a confirmation, please check your email spam folder.
2024 General Rules & Announcements
This is a handmade hunting duck call competition taking place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 26-28, 2024.
Mail all entries to:
Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship
265 Ford Road
Royal, AR 71968
Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship Tribute Contest (“The Contest”)
- The entry fee ($40 per entry) must be paid on the Delta Waterfowl website.
- Calls that are mailed must be received no later than Monday, July 22, 2024.
- Calls that are hand-delivered at the Expo in Baton Rouge must be received by Friday, July 26, 2024 by 10 a.m. No entries will be accepted after 10 a.m.
DELTA WATERFOWL CALLMAKERS CHAMPIONSHIP
GENERAL RULES
1. All entrants must be active members of Delta Waterfowl Foundation.
2. It is the callmaker’s responsibility to place acceptable insurance value on the entry for shipping purposes as we (Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship or Delta Waterfowl Foundation) cannot be responsible for any loss or damage to entries.
3. The registration fee for EACH call entered is $40. That includes the cost of shipping the call back to you.
4. Calls will be returned to the maker either in person on Sunday, July 28, after the conclusion of the Expo or by mail after the Expo concludes. Calls may not be picked up prior to the conclusion of the Expo. Calls will only be shipped to the callmaker, we will not ship a sold call to a buyer.
5. International callmakers are welcome. Return shipping will be handled on an individual basis.
6. Each call must be made by the callmaker submitting the entry No collaborations, commercially available tone boards, or inserts are allowed.
7. The Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship reserves the right to modify or amend these rules at any time.
TRIBUTE CONTEST RULES
1. It is our intention to pay tribute to those legendary callmakers who have come before us. Call shapes have been determined and announced. For 2024, the judges have selected the SK Duck Call by Sonny Kirkpatrick (1937-2012) of Haynesville, Louisiana. A photo of the call shape to be used is available on this page.
2. No company names, logos, designs, or any other identifying markings are allowed on the outside of the call. If translucent materials are used, tape or other opaque material must cover the maker’s name so that it is not visible on the insert.
3. Callmakers must place their signature or maker’s mark on the tone board to differentiate their call from the original. We are making tributes not direct copies
4. Callmakers must, to the best of their ability, adhere to the general appearance of the call chosen to be represented that year.
5. Only the external shape of the call has been determined by the contest organizers. Callmakers may use their call barrel and insert lengths, bores, measurements, tone boards, etc.
6. ENTRANTS MAY ENTER ONLY ONE (1) CALL PER DIVISION.
TRIBUTE CONTEST DIVISIONS
There will be three divisions – Wood, Acrylic, and Open
A. Wood Working Duck Call – Category for traditionally-made, natural wooden duck calls with a plastic reed that are not stabilized and are hand-tooled and traditionally lathe-turned, with the main emphasis on sound reproduction and quality of craftsmanship. Sleeving and laminating are acceptable, but the call itself must be wood. Tips, guards, and banding on any part of the call will be considered as standard construction items, and their presence on an entry will not affect the entry’s placement into a category. Signatures, brands, and maker’s marks anywhere on the outside of the call will automatically disqualify the entry.
B. Acrylic Working Duck Call – Category for traditionally-made, acrylic duck calls with plastic reeds that are hand-tooled and traditionally lathe-turned with the main emphasis on sound reproduction and quality of craftsmanship. Sleeving and laminating are acceptable, but the call must be acrylic. Tips, guards, and banding on any part of the call will be considered as standard construction items, and their presence on an entry will not affect the entry’s placement into a category. Signatures, brands, and maker’s marks anywhere on the outside of the call will automatically disqualify the entry.
C. Open Working Duck Call – Category for traditionally-made duck calls with a plastic reed to include calls made from nylon, glass, Delrin, micarta, Corian, metals, cast resin, hybrids, or any stabilized and dyed woods or other similar materials. This is an open category for calls that are hand-tooled and traditionally lathe-turned with the main emphasis on sound reproduction and quality of craftsmanship. Signatures, brands, and maker’s marks anywhere on the outside of the call will disqualify the entry.
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Five (5) judges will be selected by “The Contest” Board of Directors.
- All judges selected will meet the criteria of being fully capable of running the calls within the class they are selected for. All Judges will be proficient at running calls in a traditional hunting/calling scenario.
- “The Contest” reserves the right to remove ANY judge prior to the start of judging if the “The Contest” officials feel that a judge is not capable for ANY reason.
- Scoring will be based on 10 categories with a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest) in each category with a maximum score of 100. The highest judge’s scores and the lowest judge’s scores will be eliminated, leaving the three other judges’ scores. The scores of the three remaining judges will be added together to achieve the final score, with a maximum possible score of 300 points.
Working Duck Calls
Judging Criteria:
- Quality of quack
- Quality of low end
- Quality of mid-range
- Quality of high-end
- Quality of transitions
- Quality of feed
- Ease of use
- Quality of sound reproduction
- Overall impression
- Fit and finish
10 points possible per category, for a possible score of 100 points
TIE BREAKERS
In the event of a tie in the top three (3) competitors of any division or an overall tie, the first tiebreaker will be the higher score of “Quality of Sound Reproduction.” If a second tiebreaker is needed, the higher “Fit and Finish” score will be used.
AWARDS
Each category (Wood, Acrylic, Open) will have a First, Second, and Third place winner, who will receive the following:
- First Place—“Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” Ribbon and $500
- Second Place—“Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” Ribbon and $400
- Third Place— “Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” Ribbon and $300
The highest score of the three first-place calls from each division will determine the Delta Waterfowl Callmaker of the Year. That award will also include The Butch Richenback Cup and $1000.
CALLMAKERS CHOICE OPEN CONTEST
Callmakers may enter one (1) call using their own call shape in an open-style contest. Materials used are at the callmaker’s discretion.
CONTEST RULES
- Division for traditionally-made duck calls with a plastic reed to include calls made from wood, acrylic, nylon, glass, Delrin, micarta, Corian, metals, cast resin, hybrids, or any stabilized and dyed woods or other similar materials. This is an open category for calls that are hand tooled and traditionally lathe-turned with main emphasis on sound reproduction and quality of craftsmanship.
- Callmaker’s name, signature, or maker’s marks MAY be displayed on the calls.
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Five (5) judges will be selected by “The Contest” Board of Directors.
- All Judges selected will meet the criteria of being fully capable of running the calls within the class they are selected for. All judges will be proficient at running calls in a traditional hunting/calling scenario.
- “Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” reserves the right to remove ANY judge prior to the start of judging if the “Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” officials feel a judge is not capable for ANY reason.
- Scoring will be based on 10 categories with a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest) in each category with a maximum score of 100. The highest judge’s scores and the lowest judge’s scores will be eliminated, leaving the three other judges’ scores. The scores of the three remaining judges will be added together to achieve the final score, with a maximum possible score of 300 points.
CALLMAKERS CHOICE WORKING DUCK CALLS
Judging Criteria:
- Quality of quack
- Quality of low end
- Quality of mid-range
- Quality of high-end
- Quality of transitions
- Quality of feed
- Ease of use
- Quality of sound reproduction
- Overall impression
- Fit and finish
10 points possible per category for a possible score of 100 points.
TIE BREAKERS
In the event of a tie in the top three categories of any division or an overall tie, the first tiebreaker will be the higher score of “Quality of Sound Reproduction.” If a second tiebreaker is needed, the higher score of “Fit and Finish” will be used.
AWARDS
This contest will have a First, Second, and Third place winner who will receive the following:
- First Place—“Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” Ribbon and $400
- Second Place—“Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” Ribbon and $300
- Third Place— “Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” Ribbon and $100
Click to Expand: Taylor Made History
New for 2024
OPEN CUTDOWN CONTEST
Callmakers may enter one (1) call using their own call shape in an open-style contest. Materials used are at the callmaker’s discretion.
CONTEST RULES
- Division for handmade, cutdown-style duck calls with a plastic reed to include calls made from wood, acrylic, nylon, glass, Delrin, micarta, Corian, metals, cast resin, hybrids, or any stabilized and dyed woods or other similar materials. This is an open category for calls that are hand tooled and traditionally lathe-turned with the main emphasis on sound reproduction and quality of craftsmanship.
- Callmaker’s name, signature, or maker’s marks MAY be displayed on the calls.
- Exhaust length maximum of 1.6″ measured from the back of the cork notch to the back of the keg.
- Minimum tone board length of 1.85″ with no maximum measured from the back of the cork notch to the tip of the tone board.
- Top three finishing calls will be pulled apart and measurements checked. Any call failing inspection will be disqualified and the next highest finishing call will move up.
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Five (5) judges will be selected by “The Contest” Board of Directors.
- All judges selected will meet the criteria of being fully capable of running the calls within the class they are selected for. All judges will be proficient at running calls in a traditional hunting/calling scenario.
- “Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” reserves the right to remove ANY judge prior to the start of judging if the “Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” officials feel a judge is not capable for ANY reason.
- Scoring will be based on 10 categories with a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest) in each category with a maximum score of 100. The highest judge’s scores and the lowest judge’s scores will be eliminated, leaving the three other judges’ scores. The scores of the three remaining judges will be added together to achieve the final score, with a maximum possible score of 300 points.
OPEN CUTDOWN WORKING DUCK CALLS
Judging Criteria:
- Quality of quack
- Quality of low end
- Quality of mid-range
- Quality of high-end
- Quality of transitions
- Quality of feed
- Ease of use
- Quality of sound reproduction
- Overall impression
- Fit and finish
10 points possible per category for a possible score of 100 points.
TIE BREAKERS
In the event of a tie in the top three categories of any division or an overall tie, the first tiebreaker will be the higher score of “Quality of Sound Reproduction.” If a second tiebreaker is needed, the higher score of “Fit and Finish” will be used.
AWARDS
This contest will have a First, Second, and Third place winner who will receive the following:
- First Place—“Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” Ribbon and $400
- Second Place—“Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” Ribbon and $300
- Third Place —“Delta Waterfowl Callmakers Championship” Ribbon and $100