Veteran crow hunter and call maker Darrell Gibson was exposed to crow hunting at an early age by his father. And after developing his own style and combination of calling techniques, he became dissatisfied with the quality of crow calls on the market.
So, in 1979 he began the work of developing a better-sounding crow call. Soon thereafter, Gibson Custom Calls was born.
“Most call makers approach making calls as a woodworking project,” Gibson said. “They turn the wood on a lathe, and work it into a call. I was more interested in designing precision-fitting calls. I approach call making like it is a machine shop project.
“That means creating precise-fitted mouthpieces and reeds like they were machined parts.”
Gibson offers two distinctive types of calls. The first are production calls that retail in the $25 to $30 range and are made from walnut.
While all of his calls are hand tuned by Gibson himself, he also offers a line of high-end custom calls made from exotic woods like koa, African blackwood and Mediterranean briar — the same materials used to produce high-end woodwind and stringed instruments.
“I started making calls in the late ’70s, and by the mid ’80s I was selling quite a few,” Gibson said. “Once I teamed up with the owners of Crow Busters and started wholesaling to vendors like Crow Mart and Midwest Turkey Supply the business just took off. My calls are now shipped worldwide, but to me each one is an individual project and I want it to be the best.”
The results are quality look and function.
“These calls are truly magnificent-looking calls and sound as good as they look,” said Skip Woody, one of the Crow Buster staff advisors. “Having one of these is like owning a Stradivarius violin.”
Gibson custom calls are available through CrowMart at 410-742-1445 or www.crowmart.com, Midwest Turkey Call Supply at www.midwestturkeycall.com or by contacting Gibson directly at 828-287-9277.
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