Big News from the Custom Callmakers and Collectors Guild...Please look

Coulter · February 15, 2007, 08:15:28 PM

The Custom Callmakers and Collectors Guild officially decided to begin work on a newsletter. As long as there is enough support from call makers and collectors of all kinds, there is no reason it won't be a success. The Guild has been riding "piggy-back" with the CCAA's newsletter since its inception, and it is very much appreciated. However, the guild would like to offer as much incentive for its members to join as possible. If everything goes according to plan the first issue will be launched this summer.
Here is where we need your help. The format of the newsletter will allow for approximately 22 ads. The size is approximately that of a business card. These ads are very reasonably priced:

$15 for 1 issue
$25 for 2 issues
$38 for 3 issues
$50 for 4 issues (1 year)

But wait there is more!!! :shck:

The newsletter will also feature a call in each issue. Anybody that would like to donate a call will receive a half page ad for their callmaking business (or whatever they would like) as well as have the call featured above their ad After the newsletter has been mailed out the call will be auctioned off using E-bay, with the proceeds going to help fund the newsletter. I know there will be some awesome calls being auctioned off...I can't wait to see them.

So who wants to be the first to fill up a space in the first issue? Well, second...I will be claiming an ad in it. Contact me for more info.

FinsnFur · February 15, 2007, 08:28:11 PM

Are the ads being sold limited to calls, callmakers, etc.?

Coulter · February 15, 2007, 08:37:07 PM

Heck no, we'll take anybody's money

Todd Rahm · February 15, 2007, 08:43:29 PM

Yeah but is there any love from the Turkey and Duck Call fellas towards Predator Call Makers?

I prodded a bit and asked a few questions over there a while back when this topic came up, bet felt like they said a whole lot with out saying anything at all.

Coulter · February 15, 2007, 09:08:04 PM

Some of the topics that will be included ion every issue of this newsletter will be...waterfowl calls, predator calls and turkey calls. the order they appear will depend on the time of year. There will also be a section on collecting and one Mr. Dave Constantine has already agreed to head a decorative calls section. You won't want to miss this newsletter! I can guarantee all of the above will be in each and every issue because I am the one putting it together. The Guild is about all kinds of calls, you won't be disappointed

quackerstacker · February 15, 2007, 09:22:17 PM

other than a news letter, what does your 35.00 get you? i have ask this before with no response. if i could get some answers i would be more than willing to join.

steve

FinsnFur · February 15, 2007, 09:24:42 PM

Ok, so if I said I wanted to buy (1) ad for Fins and Fur Forums..in the first newsletter, am I going to look like an idiot?

And if I'm impressed with what I see and would like to do it again in the next news letters, will it be possible?... or is a upfront commitment for the whole boat or nothing, required?

FinsnFur · February 15, 2007, 09:27:13 PM

Ok...where'd the $35 bucks come from?

Do I have to be a member of the CCCG to run an ad?

quackerstacker · February 15, 2007, 09:45:04 PM

the 35.00 or it may be 30.00. is for the membership i believe.

steve

THO Game Calls · February 15, 2007, 11:29:01 PM

What's the 35 for the Guild membership get you?

Well, I wondered that too. There is even an old post here where I resisted joining the Guild. In it's original form, it was started by some guys who were upset with the NWTF Nationals. It was a way to get back at them. But it has evolved.

So, what do you get.

You get to be associated with some of the finest call makers in the world. Bar none. Guys who have won the Nationals, guys who sell one call for more than most call makers make in a month selling 20 calls. Guys who have a 2 or 3 year waiting list.

But the one thing it did for me was to let me know that no matter how good I thought my calls were, there were call makers out there whose work was light years above mine. It gives me motivation to be a better call maker. To not settle for "good enough" because I am associated with the best in the world and there is something personal to live up too and aspire to.

Should you join the Guild? That's up to you. What will you get out of it? That's up to you too.

I joined because I want to be a better call maker. Because I wanted to learn from the best. Some guys are satisfied making the calls they make today, and that is fine. But if you want to grow and build your skills, a Guild membership might be right for you. If you don't think being associated with the finest call makers in the workd will give you a little bit more drive and motivation, then you probaly should not join. But if you do, it's 35 bucks.

Al
THO Game Calls
www.thogamecalls.com

Custom Call Makers & Collectors Guild
Call Makers & Collectors Association of America

Todd Rahm · February 15, 2007, 11:52:06 PM

Al, that seems to be a different stance then our last share of post replies.

What exactly changed?

http://finsandfur.net/forums/index.php?topic=167.0

THO Game Calls · February 16, 2007, 12:40:54 AM

A couple of things changed. Mostly there was a leadership shake up. And that changed the direction the guild was heading. It is still heavily biased towards turkey and duck call makers. Maybe that will change and maybe it wont. At this point, I am not really that concerned about that aspect of it. Is it still a clicque? In some respects, yes, it is. But the people in that clicque have earned the right to be there.

My reasons for joining, as I stated above, were to be associated with and learn from some of the finest call makers in the world. It was a personal decission based upon a desire to become a better call maker. I feel that being a member of the Guild will give me an opportunity to study and learn from guys who are true masters. They may not make predator calls, but they are call makers. For me, it carries with it a sort of responsability to do the best work I can, and to grow as a call maker.

If you don't study and listen and watch those who are better than you, you will never learn and grow. It's that simple to me. Which is why I said it's up to you if you should join or not, and it's up to you weather you will get anything out of it or not.

But rest assured, predator calls will never achive any kind of recognition if we all just keep doing the same thing day in and day out, making 30 calls a week and selling them for 15 or 20 bucks a piece. If we want to be included in he competitions, if we want a predator call catagory, we are going to have to present calls that are worthy of being included. That might not be iimportant to the majority of predator call makers, and winning a competition is not important to me, but making calls tat are worthy of beng included is. That is why I joined the Guild. That is what changed.

Al
THO Game Calls
www.thogamecalls.com

Custom Call Makers & Collectors Guild
Call Makers & Collectors Association of America

Coulter · February 16, 2007, 05:45:25 AM

FinsnFur...membership is not required in the Guild in order to place an ad. Also, you can run one ad in one issue or you can pay for up to a year, it is up to you. Try one and see if you think it is worth it first and go from there. Like I mentioned before, you will not be disappointed to be a part of this. I will make sure those that place ads, and are not members also get a copy of the newsletter when it comes out. Also, a bit of FYI, it was brought up to charge non-guild members more for an ad, but that will not be happening at this time. I think it is best to charge everybody the same, with the hopes of having them join on their own after tghey see the quality of what they are getting.

Well said Al...By the way I was going to hit you up to take charge of the Predator call portion of the newsletter. We need to have the legends involved this to give it more credibility. Maybe the Predator call guys will see the value in your participation. All that would be required of you is to submit a short article every three months in regards to predator calls. The topic is only limited to predator calls...it may be new methods, old tricks, up and coming callers, the bonker style call and how it was developed

, etc. You may also have some of the guys from here write up and article and submit it to you for approval first. Everybody can get involved in this in some way. Think of it this way...if there aren't many predator call makers involved, why would the ever give much credence to predator call making. Personally, I make all kinds of calls, so I will benefit from this immensely. This is just one reason I joined the Guild. I am taking on this newsletter in an effort to ensure all aspects of call making are covered as equally as possible.

Steve....I'm not sure what you want exactly for your $35. I think Al has already summed it up the best, but can I ask you what you get for your $30 DU membership, or $25 dollar DW, or $30 NWTF, etc., etc. I know they all deliver a really high quality magazine and a nice little sticker. Not to mention the fact that some of that money goes back into conservation. But do they give you the drive to be a better call maker? (Your already pretty dang good, I might ad) How about the $25 CCAA membership? That is strictly call making and collecting. What do we get as members from the CCAA other than a sticker and a newsletter? The bottom line here is by becoming a member it will give you a voice to make a difference and just like anything else, you will get out of it whatever you decide to put in. If you are still reluctant to join, buy an ad in the first issue. You will be sent a copy of it for buying the ad and you can decide if it is worth it to you after that.

FinsnFur · February 16, 2007, 09:11:44 AM

Sounds good. Get in touch with me Coulter with what all you need and I'll buy an ad spot regardless of whether or not it's a little higher for non members.

I dont mind helping to support something like this. Heck I even got a call I made that can be featured in it....

ehhhh we better not go there.

quackerstacker · February 16, 2007, 06:01:20 PM

well, i will start off by saying that after al typed his first word in his response to my 35.00 reply, that is the most response i have gotten from anyone from any forum. i have nothing against the guild, as a matter of fact i would like to join. simply did not like the fact someone had their hand out wanting 35.00 of my money but wouldn't answer one simple question. i followed the thread on cco for awhile, when high ranking people started bailing out i stopped reading. thank you al and colter for posting. i have been a member of ccaa for several years now. i know first hand the kind of talented callmakers that there are out there. lets take kent freeman for example.....his call that was in the nwtf show last year brought 3500.00. that call was made of walnut, nothing fancy, just walnut. can you imagine how much one of his calls would bring made from ivory. how about dennis poeshel, pat walsh, jim dester, and countless others, these guys make some of the finest calls out there. these guys and many others are very approachable. i have had many long chats with many high profile makers and found each to be very helpful. one of the most important benefits that i have found from being a callmaker/collector and being a member of various organizations is making new friends, talking to others who are interested in the same things that i am, learning from those people and maintaining and building on those friendships that were not present before. if you want to talk about comorodery and friendships i'll tell you a little story. about 2 years ago i purchased a call off ebay from an unknown (to me) callmaker for 254.00. when i bought the call i bought is soley because of the way it looked. when i received the call and blew it the sound was awesome! that was totally unexpected. through a little bit of research i aquired the call makers phone number and placed a call to him. over the span of several months and countless hours on the phone with albert...(the callmaker) i had made a new friendship. also over this span of time, albert had put me in contact with another callmaker from his area and that developed into a friendship as well. late one thursday evening, while on the phone with albert, i found out that there was going to be a meeting of approx. 10 or 11 callmakers from louisiana that coming saturday. i told albert how cool it would be to be there and meet all of the callmakers. the next thing i know, my wife was on the phone talking to albert's son arranging for my unknown trip to louisiana! next, she got on the computer... bought me a round trip ticket to lafayette louisiana, had my bags packed shortly after, and sent me on my surprise adventure the next morning. she had arranged my pick up by his daughter-in-law camille (keep in mind...these people have never met me in person before!!!) she picked me up and took me to albert's house, introduced me to albert...who was just as surprised to see me there as i was to be going! albert put me up for the entire weekend. we talked calls, we talked hunting, we talked life and had a great time! saturday morning albert and his son richard took me with them to gena louisiana where the meeting was taking place. there...we with all of the other callmakers congregated at doyle breland's house to swap stories, calls, eat good food and just have a good ole time! the get-together was absolutely fantastic and something that i will never forget! there was probably in the neighborhood of $15-$20 thousand dollars worth of calls scattered out in the room that we were gathered in. it was unbelievable! this was just a one weekend example of what callmaking has become for me. the calls have become the secondary link in this new found passion. i have learned more from the acquaintences than i could have imagined! without getting too detailed...another thing that has been extrodinary since beginning making and collecting calls are the family trips, ie, st.charles (my wife loves chicago now!) and reelfoot...2 very different but both awesome trips and locations! as far as what i get for my dues from ccaa...i get a newsletter (4 X a year) a patch, a sticker, i get the opportunity to attend and participate in the fancy call contest in st. charles, i also get the chance to participate in the reelfoot calling contest at reelfoot lake. i get a membership directory and friendships that will last me a lifetime! that's what my $25.00 gets me. but the monetary side of this is insignificant. the other is priceless. without actually hearing the tone and demeanor of al and coulter's post, i am not sure in what context to take the reply. i am pretty certain that their are no negative tones meant. i do want to fully express that i have already experienced the comrodery and sharing that comes from being part of the callmakers and collectors organization and i do look forward to joining the guild. basically in a nut shell all i wanted answered was my one simple question that was asked a long time ago. had someone taken the time to do this...i would already have been a member. some of you know that i am entering into the predator call collecting. all of this is new to me and i look forward to learning more and more about the calls and their history by conversing with several of the veterans involved in this area. FYI... the ccaa is planning on branching out with it's fancy call contest in the near future. they plan on implementing a turkey call and predator call division. they are no longer just a duck and goose call organization. the current president is excited about the new additions, the contest coordinator is also looking forward to the expansion and the current vice pres has a huge collection of calls in a variety of forms. (duck, goose, turkey, predator...etc.) with these kinds of leaders...this is no longer the ccaa from the past (30 YEARS!) it is changing to include ALL call types. thanks!

Coulter · February 16, 2007, 09:19:55 PM

That is a very cool story Steve...You've got yourself one heck of a woman to pull something like that off for ya. And you are absolutely right...the friendships and comaraderie that is displyed among most call makers is priceless. I have only seen this sort of display in one other organization...that would be trappers. I have been involved in many organizations and / or clubs and I ghotta tell ya, IO absoluetly refuse to be involved in something I don't believe in anymore. I don't have the patience for some of the cocky, arrogant, holier-than-thou types that call themselves experts in their field. Whether it be duck, turkey, predator or buck, there always seems to be a bad apple or two that ruin it for everybody else.

Please understand I do not ever intend to put any negative connotations in anything I type on this board or any other. I realize it may come off that way at times, but I assure you, I will not intentionally degrade anybody at any time.

It has been my secret little goal to get you to become a member of the guild, so just give in and let me establish other goals will ya

I am goal oriented and you are holding me back man

In all actuallity, I sincerely would like to see more participation from duck and predator call makers and collectors. If you look at the post I put in on CCO, you will find the same message under turkey, duck and predator calls. Now take a look at the views (ya gotta love technology) the predator call section only has 35 views, duck 75 and turkey 232! A lot can be established from this information. Obviously there are more turkey fanatics than duck or predator using CCO. Maybe it is just because turkey season is coming soon...duck hunting is about over, and predator hunting is winding down. I don't know. I do know that we need more duck and predator guys in the guild. If you guys want to see something good and diverse be made of this it will take more than just turkey hunters to be members. Take the call of the quarter that I mentioned in the initial message...so far I have a minimum of four turkey calls promised...duck -0 predator - 0. I was really hoping to mix this up a bit more and not put a turkey call in every issue.

The Guild is what its members want it to be...If it is nothing but a bunch of turkey guys with a spattering of duck guys, how could anybody expect anything other than turkey to come from it? I'm trying here, so help me out

Steve

Coulter · February 16, 2007, 09:44:24 PM

Ooops, sorry I neglected ya there FinsnFur...I will put you down for 1 ad . I'll get back to you with more info and details on deadlines and such in the next week or two.

We haven't had any predator calls donated yet

Thank you for the support,
Steve

Todd Rahm · February 17, 2007, 12:16:22 PM

Coulter, is Jay Nistetter a member of the "Guiild"? I know he was a member of CCO. He makes a great call and has more info about calls, and its history then anyone I know.

I'm sure you'll get a couple of call makers to step up and I'm sure some others are just shy, look'n to see how ya "Roll"

Coulter · February 17, 2007, 03:38:39 PM

Todd,

Its kinda funny you mention Jay...In a way he was the first to get me interested in call making. He had an article in the Trapper and Predator Caller a bit over a year ago and it really piqued my interest. It was all down hill from there...my wife hasn't seen me since

As far as him being a Guild member, I honestly don't know. I don't have a list of who is and who is not a member. I understand everybody wanting to see what I am all about, I have no problem with that. I used to write a newsletter for our local trappers association, but it got to the point that I was the only one writing in it. So it ended up fizzlling out. I am excited to get another newsletter going, especially with the caliber and diversity of people that will be involved. I will be making contributions to the each and every issue...I'll just say in a big way and leave it at that. I want the Guild to be a success and I am honored to be a part of it. Hopefully, I can post on here enough so you guys do learn how I roll...I am all about having some fun

Steve

Todd Rahm · February 17, 2007, 04:14:39 PM

Well what I meant on " How you Roll" I meant the "Guild" in general, not you, per say.

Jay has been one of the biggest influences in my collecting, and I would be extremely safe to say, he has been the source of 99% of my information and guidence in collecting and predator calls. There was days when I would email him about 5-6 times a day with questions, and he was extremely helpful to me.