Calling the Wild The History of Arkansas Duck Calls; a Legacy of Craftsmanship and Rich Hunting Tradition

CALLING THE WILD: THE HISTORY OF ARKANSAS DUCK CALLS; A LEGACY OF CRAFTSMANSHIP AND RICH HUNTING TRADITION, chronicles and celebrates the collection of author and collector, Mike Lewis. This renowned collection is the largest private collection of Arkansas duck calls in the country. This epic historical photographic journal with some 700 images of one the most impressive collection of calls will be cherished for generations by all who revere waterfowling and the history of American art. The vast numbers of migrating mallards, the most vocal of all waterfowl, along the Mississippi Flyway leads to an almost religious experience for duck hunters in the flooded timber and fields of Arkansas. Arkansas has long been known as the Mecca for duck hunting in the United States. Backwoodsmen in the sunken lands of Northeast Arkansas around the turn of the 20th century early on adopted the duck call as a means to lure the talkative, but wary, mallard within shooting range. Creating duck calls that are equal parts function and folk art, Arkansas call makers have long stood at the pinnacle of their craft. Perhaps as important is the connection with the history and lore of wildfowling. While early duck hunters relied on decoys and abundant ducks, the call, from its beginnings, has shown how the sport has evolved. Duck hunting is entrenched in the state's culture, where Stuttgart is known as "the duck hunting capital of the world," and the site of the annual "World's Championship Duck Calling Contest" and hunters come from all over the world to hunt at this spot along the Mississippi Flyway. --Mike Lewis "Calling The Wild"