Showcase,THO Game Calls by Al Woodard

[THO Game Calls]

The Featured Call this month from THO Game Calls is actually a matched set of Fall Brown Camo Acrylic calls, one turned as a raspy closed reed Bonker, and the other in a more traditionally shaped open reed with brass accent band.  Hope you enjoy them whoever wins.





Born in Ohio and raised in Northern Illinois, Al grew up hunting and fishing by his father's side.  He shot his first "rack" deer at the ripe old age of 11, in Webster, Wisconsin, and was deemed responsible enough the next fall to chase squirrels and rabbits on his own in the woods near his home with an old single shot 20 gauge shotgun.  When he wasn't hunting, he was usually fishing off the family's dock. 

After high school, Al joined the Marine Corps and while stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, was standing in the base game wardens shack one evening.  A rather old and weathered Marine came busting in and asked if there was anyone there that had a lantern to help him track a deer he just shot.   The base game warden turned and looked up at the clock on the wall and asked with a smirk, "exactly what time did you shoot this deer?"  Since by now it was pretty dark outside.   The old weathered Marine looked him dead in the eye and replied, "I don't know, what time was sundown?  Must have been before that."  Little did he know they were old friends, and little did he know that by being the only other person there, and of course the lowest rank, Al would the job of helping to track and later dragging that deer out.  The old Marines name was Chief Warrant Officer Winston and he and Al became hunting buddies.  He taught Al to shoot the long bow, and to hunt deer on the ground as well as track shot game.  Although Al often thought the only reason he kept him around was to do the dirty work of dragging out his deer, they hunted together almost every day for four seasons until Winston's retirement.  But he had left his mark on Al and for over 20 years, the long bow was the only weapon he hunted with, taking deer, bear, turkey, wild boar and even a moose with the stick and string.

After retiring from the Marine Corp and moving to New Hampshire, Al got more involved with the politics of hunting.  He served two years as the president of his state's bow hunting organization, and was a director and then vice president of his hunting and fishing club.  He contributed a column to the state bow hunting newsletter on tracking each month, and wrote for one of the local hunting publications on maters relating to the regulations and proposed rule changes that would affect bow hunters.

Al's fascination with hunting coyotes came after getting talked into going crow hunting with a friend in late March 2000.  While moving to a new spot to call crows, they watched a pack of 5 or 6 coyotes take down a deer on the edge of a small swamp.  It was then that he decided he was going to learn to hunt coyotes.  A rifle was easy enough to come by, but finding calls proved to be the hard part, no one in NH had any.  So, one day, after a long drive to the biggest sporting goods store in the area only to discover that they had the same two calls he already owned, he stopped at a Rocker Woodworking shop on the way home and bought a lathe.  He figured he would learn to make his own.   Back then, the only information on making calls was a single post by Jay Nissiter giving the size hole to drill for a closed reed call and a tutorial by Rich Cronk on how to make antler calls.

With no other resources readily available, Al set about learning the craft of making predator calls by searching the duck call making and wood working forums for everything and anything he could find, and by making lots of sawdust out of perfectly good lumber.  Soon he was making two piece closed reed predator calls that didn't look like screw driver handles and using them with some success in the field.   In 2003 he began offering them to other predator hunters under the name THO Game Calls.  He has been making and offering calls to hunters ever since.

Al was the first predator call maker to bring brass bands to predator calls, and his later work with acrylic combined with the tutorials on his web site have helped bring hand turned acrylic predator calls to the fore.   He continues to explore new designs as with the Bonker style call featured here, and help new call makers through his web site and personal interaction.

Al currently lives in New Hampshire with his wife Linda, and sons Justin and Jeremy.  He owns and operates THOGameCalls.com, an online web site offering custom game call supplies as well as CustomPredatorcalls.net; a site that showcases's his finest work.

Al can be contacted at THOGameCalls@AOL.com

His calls can be seen at www.custompredatorcalls.net

[desert dog]

Very nice write up Al.

Loren

[wv_yoter]

Great bio, those are some good looking calls too.

[FinsnFur]

  Wow!.....what a write up. 
Nice job all the way around Al, as usual.

You got that CustomPredatorCalls.net site looking good Bud...

[Purgatory_Predator_Calls]

Freakin awesome as always Al.  We're ALL fortunate to have you onboard here at FNF.  There is more than one of us who got our start watching you.  Thanks for all you do sir!

Yoey

[bowjunkie]

Al your work never seizes to amaze me the writeup is awesome as are the calls thanks for all the time you take to help beginers like me your an inspiration to us all 



Ed

[Troy Walter]

Nice write up Al and your calls all I can say is wow.Thanks for being on this board and thanks for all the help you give us.

[Hawks Feather]

Al,

I have more of your calls that any one person should, but I really like them.  Your turning ability is first rate, as are your calls.  But, even more than the quality of your calls, is your quality as a person that is willing to help anyone with call problems.  While some builders try to keep their secrets you openly share, and for that I truly commend you.

That is a nice looking set of calls and the bio helps all of us get to know you a little better.  Born in Ohio, what more could we ask for? 

Jerry

[Arkyyoter]

Very nice indeed!!! 


Joe

[CypressSlough]

Great write up Al.



Brian.

[Todd Rahm]

Those are beautiful calls, but as expected, with the same flair, quality ad classy style were used to from THO calls.  

Al I remember the first day I saw your calls on PM. Back then they weren't nothing as compared to what you do now, but they were levels ahead of what was being put out there at the time.

Matter fact ya told me you weren't selling them yet, not even to a beggar.  

Not sure how long after that but seen them up on Ebay, under, get this historians Al and Sons (Pre THO)   I think I bought everyone ya would let me buy back then, and then a few more a week or so later.   I even recall when ya started tuning your reeds. Your calls were as effortless to blow as the Rhinos I campared everything with back then.

I knew back then you were special and gona be special to the hobby, and in my opinion, you have had the largest impact on the custom predator calls since the internet, and probably even more.

I applaud ya for what ya done and what ya continue to do for the hobby,

Your friend, and biggest fan,

Todd


Home of the THO Crumpler  

[iahntr]

Very nice write up Al.  Beautiful calls ! Thanks for putting them up, and all you do for this board, and call making in general. Much appreciated. Scott

[Brad H]

Great job Al!!

Still got the bloodwood openreed you made, and like the rest of your work, it's like a fine wine.

Exquisite job on the pair of calls showcased, and cheers to you and yours, and everything you've done for the hobby and this board!!

Brad

[Nelson]

Beautiful calls and a very nice write-up!!

Nelson

[Bills Custom Calls]

Great write up and extremly nice looking calls

Thanks for all you have done for the board,and everything you have done for me,and my call building.

Who would have ever thunk it. Al from Ohio 

[kkbait]

Great write up . As usual calls beyond description.
Dave

[THO Game Calls]

Wow, thanks for all the nice comments.   It's kind of humbling to read this stuff with all the great call makers out there today.

Rich Cronk probably got more guys started making howlers and antler calls than anyone alive.

Brad, I have two of your calls.   Just the other day I pulled that antler open reed out and played it in the shop to compare it to a new tone board I was working on.  Just to check.  If I could spell Stratavarious, I would tell you that that is what that call is to me.

There are just too many great call makers, and too many guys to list that have in one way or another helped me, so I will just give you all a big Thanks for what you have done.

You are going to see some changes to the THO Game Calls web site here real soon.  It will have a completely new look and be a lot easier to navigate.  But the biggest change is going to the tutorials.  I had thought about putting them in PDF format and then onto CD's and selling them in the shop.   Instead, I am just going to put them in PDF format and leave them on the site so people can down load them and take them to the shop or share them with their friend who might live in caves and not have internet access LOL

You are also going to see some price reductions in many items.  I am finally able to buy in quantities that allow me to get a bit better prices so those will be passed aong to the call makers.


The other big change is the Call Makers Photo Gallery and the Call Makers links pages are going to be put back up.  I picked up some industral strenght anti virus software and that should solve the problems I had before that made me take the photo pages down.

So stay tuned to the site.  I think you will like it a lot better than now. 

Again, thanks for all the kind words and the support over the years.

AL

[WhiteHare]

I knew there was something special about Al - besides all the helpful information and great calls that he puts out there for all to see and learn from.  He's a born "Buckeye".

Keep up the good work Al.  I look forward to seeing your new and improved site.  Thanks for all the quality information that you provide to all.  You are a true call makers gentleman.

Richard

[Lonehowl]

Beautiful Al! Awsome writeup.

[HuntnCarve]

"A Master call maker, and inspiration to us all.  Finally gets his just homage"  You are one of the elite Al.  The world of predator calls is richer because of your efforts.  We have all benefitted from your expert advice.  Thank you!