Blue Hen Outdoors Podcast
Hunting,travel,outdoors,comedy
Blue Hen Outdoors Podcast
Episode 72: Art Ducko Calls
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This episode we have Gilbert the genius behind Artducko calls. We talk about how he got into hunting and waterfowl hunting, as well as his progression through call making and what got him started. We also discuss his making of honk boxes as well as his unique call designs and what made his brand different from the rest, and how he mainly uses hand tools to create functional art pieces that work as calls. Finally we talk about what’s on the horizon as far as calls and new projects/ideas for future calls
if you want a true 1 of 1 art piece and call hit him up
@Art.Ducko.Calls
Alright, there we go. Welcome back to another episode of the Blue Hen Outdoors Podcast. I'm pleasured and blessed to have with us tonight Mr. Gilbert, aka Art Ducko Calls. Love the name. How are you doing?
SPEAKER_00Doing well, doing well. Excited to be here.
SPEAKER_02Awesome. Awesome. Thank you. Um let's start off with how to start every show off. How did you get your start?
SPEAKER_01Sorry, cut out of there.
SPEAKER_02How did I get your start?
SPEAKER_00Oh, um, as far as uh duck calls or or hunting in general.
SPEAKER_02Uh hunting in general.
SPEAKER_00Um, so I did not grow up hunting. Um and uh really nobody in my family, uh, my immediate family hunted. Uh so when I was in college, a buddy of mine took me fishing um and really fell in love with fishing, and then I ended up getting into hunting like totally backwards. Like I started trapping before I started hunting, actually. Hence the big beaver pellet behind me. But okay, um yeah, so I did a little bit of muskrat trapping, a beaver trapping, um, and that was kind of my first uh experience with um taking an animal and the one I ended up catching this beaver, and I lived in like this basement apartment um and had nowhere to clean it. So I like cleaned this beaver in the shower of this apartment that I was renting, which I never told the landlord, of course. Um yeah, so uh eventually um a buddy of mine let me borrow a shotgun. Um, and I I did a little bit of squirrel hunting, um, and it just kind of built my way up there. Uh now I I kind of do everything, I have too many hobbies, so um deer hunt. Um, waterfowl hunting was a lot more of a process to get into. Um, you know, I didn't have any of the gear, didn't have any friends who waterfowl hunted. So I was when I decided I wanted to try it, I just like looked up some YouTube videos and I bought these terrible used decoys on Facebook Marketplace. Um, and half of them had like cracks and holes in them, and that I didn't realize. And so, like first couple hunts I went out, I had a couple decoys that were just like slowly sinking throughout the hunt to until I had a couple little duck heads just sticking out of the water. And but now I have um bought new decoys and build calls, so it's a little less janky uh than it used to be.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, for sure. What's the um hunting kind of like out there in Missouri? I mean, I've heard mixed things, mostly good.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um it it really varies like throughout the state. I I don't want to like present myself as a super knowledgeable on like there, there's a lot of other guys that are way more experienced than I am, but we have we do have like a pretty good amount of public land, um, and it's kind of a mixture of um walk-in open areas where you don't have to like do a draw or register. Um, and then we have quite a few like big waterfowl management areas that run on like a lottery system. Um those can be, I mean, like any, I like anything duck hunting, they can be great um or they can be not good. And it really just depends on water levels. Um, we've been in a drought for the past like six years, five or six years. Um, this last year, I mean, basically, since when I I've been waterfowl hunting intentionally for about six years, and it was like when I the year I got into it was great. Um, we had a lot of water. Um, I was seeing a lot of birds personally, and then um it's been a little rough um over the past five years after that. It's been it's been either like our weather's just been wacky. Um, like this last November, it was uh like 80 degrees opening day of deer season. And you know, it just like the pattern is it's too dry until it's super cold, or the birds show up at the very end of the season, um, unless we have a big like weather event that pushes them through. So it's kind of I don't know, like I it's not I I feel like from the people that I talk to, people have had a pretty rough past like three or four seasons. Um but people there's we're still killing birds, like you know, I had a phenomenal hunt um this last I think it was December 15th. Um you know, that's a whole long story, but the there is good duck hunting opportunities, there are birds, um, but like everywhere, things have changed a lot. Um climate has changed a lot, the birds' migratory patterns seem to be different than they used to be. So, you know, I don't know. It's I'm sure there's there are people out there who are doing great. Um and I'm just happy to like see birds, shoot a couple if I can. Um, that's generally my goal.
SPEAKER_02So oh yeah, for sure. Well project in the duck or the the call making side of things.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so very different.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um so initially my interest in calls was um kind of sparked by like the turkey call world. Uh and I went to um the NWTF show and you know got to see uh all of the different call makers there, and you know, was just like, man, this is this is cool. But at the time it was, you know, I didn't really think it was something that I could do myself. Uh and then I stumbled on a uh Dale Borderon video, and you know, he was if I I don't know if people are familiar with him or not, but he he makes cane calls out of Louisiana, um, and he does most of it by hand. Um, and he's a big like into the historical type of call making. Um, and so I was like, I can I can do that. Of course, I had no idea like all of the layers of uh complexity that go into making calls. Um, but it got me you know like trying, and so uh I spent like a couple weeks over Christmas, um this is about four years ago, uh just trying to make a duck sound. Um I made some truly awful calls. Um, I actually have one here. Um the the first calls that I was building, I was using uh beaver sticks, and so you know, I had no tools. Um, so I went out and I picked up a couple willow sticks off of a beaver hut because they were already um, you know, oh that was fun. I don't know why I celebrated there, but uh I I picked a couple uh willow sticks, um, and I used uh you know just a hand drill, drilled them out, and then um I was using sparkling water cans to make the reeds. Um, and then this foam is like a piece of like an old camping. So, you know, it's just whatever I had laying around. Um and yeah, it's just broke and you know, had no had no tools or real like woodworking knowledge. Um, but I was like, yeah, you know, like I and that too kind of coincided with I had on and off waterfowl hunted a little bit, and I was like, you know what, I I need to really like focus on this, and I was like, what better way to just like get myself into putting more attention to it um than trying to build my own calls and hunt with my own calls? Um the uh the goose boxes are a little bit different of a story. Um they uh my neighbor who is a big waterfowl hunter, um, he was given one that a buddy of his found in a barn. And you know, he texted me one day and was like, Hey, I got something really cool to show you. And you know, I was like, you know, just blown away. Like, I have no idea that that was ever a thing. Um, and you know, I was pretty familiar with the world of turkey calls and turkey hunting. Um, and I'd never heard anybody talk about goose box calls, and we couldn't get it to work, you know. We tried a couple different things, and we're like, doesn't sound like a goose to me, but um, you know, that just kind of I was like, all right, I gotta I want to figure this out and see if it's possible. Um, and so I just built uh a bunch of prototypes. This is one of the prototypes that I built. Um this one is pretty close to what my kind of final design ended up being. Um, but it doesn't, it'll do the uh, but it doesn't have a high note to it. Um and then you know, this was the this is my goose box. This is the one that I hunt with. Um and I've put little wood burn details on it and stuff, and this is uh that one is that's the I want to say that's the second one that I built that was that worked. Um and the rest of the the there's a guy out in California um who has my first one that I built that worked. Um and he's uh shout out to him, John um is his name. He uh he's kind of bankrolled, individually bankrolled the early days of my my call making. Um he's picked, I want to say he has three or four, I think he has five of my calls, um, something like that. And so shout out to John making the the goose box a thing.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, because even before we started doing this episode, I looked I looked it up to see if it was actually a thing before I started talking, and I was like, Oh, maybe he saw it somewhere and like tried to perfect it or did something different with it. And you're the only person or thing that came up when I looked it up. Oh wow. So he he's trailblazing this.
SPEAKER_00I do have to give credit. There's one other guy. Um uh what is the guy's name? I think it's poverty hill outdoors, um, that made a uh he he made a goose box, but it it's designed differently. It's more like a turkey box. Um, it doesn't use slate, uh, which is different, obviously different from the original call that I based mine off of um that my neighbor had, had slate on it. Um so I know there's one there's one other dude that I know of that makes a goose box call, but uh not to throw shade. I like my design better. Um, I think it it has a more uh updated tone. It has it, at least it can, it's I feel like it sounds has it exceeds the sort of you listen to it and you're like that's a goose versus like yeah, I could kind of see how that's a goose. Um, but no shade to him, you know. But I do want to I did want to throw that out there of like oh yeah, for sure, for sure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it was definitely something different, and I sent it to a whole bunch of guys when I first saw your first video that were and um there I remember it was funny. I remember saying to one buddy, he's like he's like, dude, why you send me a turkey call box that looks so big? Like that's not a like that's not practical for turkey. And I'm like, did you watch the video? He saw the clip, and I was like, why is that me a oversized turkey box? I'm like, video, and then give back to me. And he was like, dude, that's badass. Imagine hunting like so they work, man.
SPEAKER_00It's uh it's I I've had a surprising amount of success turning birds with them. Um and I don't know, I I think they sound great, especially as you get distance. You know, in some of the videos, you can tell, like when you're up close, it's it's very harsh tonally. Um, you know, it's not because it's not a read, like you're vibrating a piece of wood with a piece of stone, like there's a a certain amount of like acoustic difference from that sound. And once you especially like out on the water, ooh, they sound so good. Like, that's my favorite. Um, especially when I go out and record videos to demo them for people. I love doing it over water because that's you know, unless you're field hunting, like most of the time I'm hunting geese over water, and so you know, that's when I hear geese, that's the sound I'm looking for. Um, but yeah, they especially at a distance, they're like, I love the way they sound.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, for sure. I could definitely see that being a good first turn or kind of get them to like lock on a rat from a distance call and then use a regular goose call to kind of like finish them off with.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So how did you so you see your first duck call with the uh can read and all that? How do you go from that to make what you got now? You have some pretty basic unique designs, if I do say so myself. And I like how you have uh uh the center insert for the read and stuff like that instead of like just a two piece.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um god. The short answer is suffering so much, so many bad calls. Um and um I could have gone, so uh I what I could have done is bought a jig, um, and you know, had a pre-kind of set tone board, um, which is what a lot of guys do. Um, or they'll make a call and then they'll make a jig. Um, but part of what I was interested in when I was building calls was trying to understand why calls make the sounds they do, you know, how to change the tone of a call, how to change the volume of a call, um, how to manipulate different components. And so um I I was oh, and also I was, you know, had no tools. And so over time, um, I I literally just bought a lathe um two months ago, I think. Um so until two months ago, I was building ever yeah, I was building everything on uh belt sanders and with Dremels and um a table saw. Or not a table saw, pardon me, a bandsaw. Um and so had very little impressive. It really sucks, let me tell you. It's not a fun way to make calls. Um but uh I I wanted to um I wanted to build calls that um when I when I looked out kind of at the call landscape, um, there was a pretty limited visual uh repertoire of style. Um there are uh some standout call makers. Um Cloud Jacobs from Big Duck Energy is my like favorite callmaker. Um, okay, I wrote his name down. I knew I'd forget it, but JB Melton, I like his calls a lot. Um, obviously, um John Stevens from Rich in Tone calls, but um you know I was like, am I really going to you know make an earth-shatteringly better sounding duck call? Um, and I I was like, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to create some crazy innovation as far as sound goes. Um, so I might as well take the time, learn how to make a call that's good enough that I like that I can hunt with, and then use more of my energy focusing on just doing crazy stuff and trying to come up with the weirdest ideas that I can come up with. Um, and so I wish I had um, I wish I had brought down a kind of one between what I first made and what I made now, but um yeah, I mean that was a very long answer, but um essentially it I just kept messing with stuff. Um and um I had I did have some some input from some different people. Um James Harrison, who's a really fantastic um turkey uh locator callmaker, um, who can also make duck calls, he gave me some good pointers um on how to improve my sound. Um and then you know, I again just listened to a lot of people blowing calls and tried different things to change the tone. And you know, I'm still I I no by no means arrived as far as like tone goes. I I'm always experimenting, trying different read shapes. Um and as of right now, I build all my duck calls, aren't I use a jig, so they're all individualized, hand tuned, all in the same ballpark. But I don't know, one of these days I might make a jig and and do that. Probably make my life a little easier, but uh that's what I'm doing right now, so nice.
SPEAKER_02What um what kind of made you want to do all these cool funky crazy designs? Because you have some designs that are out of the park, out of the imagination, and it's like not your typical duck calls that you'd normally see somebody have on their lanyard. Like the eggplant you just see not too long ago, for example. That is also so very different.
SPEAKER_00Um yeah, the well, okay, so I I have one of my hot dog calls. Um so like with this call, um literally um I just uh a friend of mine who does like photography. Yeah, the um he he had done like a photo shoot um and that was just like hot dogs for like a restaurant. Um and it just kind of like struck me as like, oh my god, I should make a hot dog call. Um and really with all of my designs, um I was water, I don't know, I feel like waterfowl hunters can be like really serious. Um and like your gear has to be cool and like everything's like you know, you gotta kill them and blah blah blah. And I just saw this huge opportunity um to make calls that were just fun and like that the it wasn't about you know smacking limits and whatever. It was just like, hey, you know, we people that duck hunt like they like calls, um, and you know, they'll a lot of guys will get personalized calls for you know, have their dog ashes or something put in them or that are engraved with their name. And I was like, I'm just gonna like build whatever like stupid idea comes to my head that I think is like, oh, this is fun, um, and just like enjoy it and not have any sort of preconceptions of what a duck call should or could be. Um and that's where a lot of those kind of weird design and uh ideas came from was just thinking about like why why are duck calls the way that they are? Do they have to be that way? Um, and in a lot of ways, the answer is like no. There's like any sort of folk art, there's kind of layers of tradition where people just do things because that's the way they think they're supposed to be done. Um, like building things on a lathe. Obviously, there are things that are like having a lathe makes building inserts very uh a whole lot easier, but um it also significantly um restricts the kind of shapes that you can build with um and the kind of design ideas you can implement. And so, you know, kind of reaching outside of those aesthetic norms and looking for different options uh has always been like one of my main interests with callmaking. Um and so yeah, my my designs are a reflection of that. They're I want to do stuff that's different, um and you know, kind of break outside of the established sort of form and idea of what dot call should be.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah. And you definitely have done that with what you're doing. I mean like I plant the hot dog, some of your other stuff. I mean, it's definitely definitely different. At least in my opinion, cool one would love to get one eventually. Um just my get every get out Yeah, absolute chuckle or get absolute like wow, that's cool and it works.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that I mean that's exactly what I want people uh to experience when they pick up one of my calls is I just want them to be like, what? Like, what is this? And um, if that is people's reaction, to me, that's like success. Whether or not it's like the best sounding call ever, you know, I'm like, eh, I want people to be like, it's good, you know. Obviously, I want my calls to sound good, but really I just want people to have fun and enjoy them.
SPEAKER_02So oh yeah, yeah, for sure. So, how did you get the name Art Ducko? I mean, it'll play on words, but how'd you come up with that name for your stuff?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um, God. Well, so I was trying to figure out um the it's this would have been two years ago. Um, I wanted to uh make a because I I was posting my calls on like my personal Instagram, um, and I was like, you know what, I should just make like a dedicated brand for my duck calls. Um, and I didn't have really any good ideas. Um I just knew that I was like, I want it to have like something like art in it, something that communicates that like this is an aesthetic forward kind of uh endeavor. And I went to um Excelsior Springs, Missouri, which is like an hour north of Kansas City, um, and they have this incredible um public bathhouse that um in past times like all these celebrities, uh like Frank Sinatra visited it, um, would come and they would they would pay to have like spring water, you know, spa treatments, that kind of thing. Um, because they have all these natural um springs there. And uh I really loved the architecture um of this this building. It's very um kind of uh Art Deco, hence the name. And you know, I was up there just kind of sketching some of the um the architecture when we were there and taking pictures of it. Um and that that idea struck me as like, oh my god, art deco, like of course, and so initially when I uh started posting, you can see a lot more of that kind of uh design focus of and like the music that I chose, and some of the a lot of the calls that I made were a lot more um like art deco inspired. Actually, um this is one that I've been working on recently. Um this shape is called the Pendergast, and that's the name of this mob store. He was a a mayor in Kansas City with like known mob ties, and you know, from the 30s and 40s, and um you know, so it was like art art deco architecture was an inspiration for some of the style of calls that I was making. Um, and yeah, so that just seemed like a natural fit. And it informs my style.
SPEAKER_02So oh, yeah, for sure. And that's it's definitely like a very unique and very, at least in my opinion, one of one kind of design, and especially way definitely fitting for your style of calls and your style of what you do. You have more of an art approach to it than a caller's or a callmaker's approach to it, which I love also.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, that was a big um a big thing for me too, because it was, you know, I I wanted to be able to um not just make something that was a tool, um, because what really draw me to call drew me to calls in the first place was that art aspect of it. Um, and you know, it it really is like callmaking is a one a very quintessential American folk art that I do feel like is not as broadly recognized by the art world as it should be. Um, you know, I think part of that is because uh a lot of calls, there's always been this dichotomy of like, um, there are calls that are tools and there are calls that are art pieces. And um, even if you're talking about like a guy like JT Beckhart um or some of the guys that were making calls in the 20s and 30s um and earlier, um, they had calls that were cheap that they would sell to their buddies and to other locals, you know, as hunting calls. Um, and then they had like hand checkered calls and and fancy calls, as they would call them, uh, for wealthier people that came down from St. Louis or Kansas City or uh Chicago, you know, depending on what state you're in, uh, to duck hunt. And so, yeah, it was like again, kind of like what I was talking about before, is I I was not interested in trying to compete um in terms of like uh putting my time and effort and energy into the the tool aspect of it. Um but the art aspect of it, I'm a I'm a nerd, I have a creative writing degree, like I love art. Um, and so that was just like like of course that's what I'm gonna the direction I'm gonna take it.
SPEAKER_02Oh, for sure. Do um did you ever see it growing or being to what it is or is starting to become now? And do you have any different ideas for calls down the pipeline?
SPEAKER_00Oh god. No, I I've I was shocked. Um, I honestly was surprised that anybody bought any of my calls. Um, I remember the first call, um the first call order that I got that was like a request was from um that gentleman out in California that I was talking about. And he wanted me to make him a duck call that also functioned as a guitar slide. And so I was like, okay, why not? Um, and so you know that was from then on, uh I built that, and um that's I I would say even then it sort of felt like um I'm mostly building these for myself and just for the love of the game. And uh it wasn't until really like the the goose boxes um hit that I felt like I had um the ability to uh sell any volume. Um and I saw quite a few of those goose boxes. Uh obviously I'm still building them, but um that was when it was really like oh my god, um I have something that people want to buy, and so that was cool. And as far as um new ideas, um, I constantly have stupid, insane plans for like weird calls. Um I I I have uh uh an a few that are inspired by um different artists um on the duck call side of things that I am going to get to once uh so I'll be down at Collapalooza at the end of May, which is a big event in Stuttgart. Um so a lot of my time over the past couple months has been spent preparing for that um and just trying to build enough calls to have a booth. Um so if people are down in Arkansas at the end of May, it's May 28th through the 30th. Um, you know, they can come check me out there. Um, and once that's over, um, I have some more um concepts that I've been developing. Um one that's based off of uh some Andy Warhol pieces. Um I have another call that's based off of uh an artist named Keith Herring. And so those are forthcoming. Um I'm sure I'm gonna make some more Pokemon themed ones. Um those are always fun. Um but yeah, I I don't know. This actually, here's one that I can show you that's in process that I was working on today. So the the Miami Vice call that I built, um, I don't know if you saw that one, but uh this is inspired uh specifically the uh the gradient there is inspired by those kind of like 80s synth wave uh Miami graphics. Um and I was gonna turn this, but uh I made it too short, so I had to glue this piece on there to be able to put it in the lathe um and turn it. But that's uh that one's coming soon. Um nice. So yeah, I have too many ideas, not enough time to execute them all.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, sure. For sure, man. For sure. Do you um are you guys are you gonna do just mainly like uh cracking calls, or do you have any ideas for like any like pintail whistles or stuff like that down the line as well?
SPEAKER_00I've thought about it. Um I've built one pintail whistle. Um they're like more difficult to build than you would think, um, or to build them well, I should say. Um I did make a teal call for a guy recently. Um, he he was actually had bought my Squidward's house call. Um, and so I made him, he has the Squidward House uh mallard call and a mini Squidward House teal call. Um so he's got two of the same design but different sizes. Um so I I don't know. I it's it's hard because I have a lot of people that ask me to make turkey calls. Um and turkey calls are another beast entirely. Uh I've I've tried to make turkey box calls and they have all been terrible. Um so like you know, just because they're just because I can build goose boxes does not mean I can build turkey box calls. The those turkey box call guys, I mean, incre incredible at what they do. Um, I I would have a lot of catching up to do to transition into that. So I kind of would prefer to kind of stay in my lane. Um what my what I'd like to do eventually actually is um mess around more with like cut downs and some of that style of call and see if I can come up with something of my own in that realm. But that's that's it's more misery on my part having to figure out all of that.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, but it's fun though, it's fun. It's like uh I see it as kind of like a puzzle. I mean, I have no not not saying that I don't have the talent or could couldn't do it if I put my mind to it and tried, but I I definitely am probably way farther behind than you were when you were doing it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, oh god, it's uh it it is one of those things like when it works, it's very rewarding. But even now I have days where like I just get so frustrated and I just have to like walk away for a day or two because it's like you'll you'll get in this rut where it's like nothing sounds good, and every change you make just makes it worse, and so yeah, it is uh I don't know, props to those guys that can build like every type of call. That's like uh a talent in and of itself.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah. What is your favorite part of call making?
SPEAKER_00That's a good question. Um I think it's probably I think it's probably the I like kind of ideation phase of um really uh trying to to find concepts and designs that just like when when you like the hot dog design, um that moment where it's like, oh my god, that is an amazing idea. That's my favorite thing. Um, is just hitting upon those kind of like fun ideas. Um, and then when they work out, um the feeling of like, yes, like that worked. Um, because like today, uh that other call that I showed you, um, I'm trying a new uh construction on that, and it didn't work. Um, so I'm going back to the drawing board on that. Um, and that's like a bummer. Um, but when a call works out, um then it's that's probably the most rewarding thing. And then a close second is like actually your calls working um and turning turning birds. Oh, yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_02Do you plan to use any of your uh interesting calls this year this upcoming season? Yeah, and like try to get them in action, like videos and stuff like that of them in action.
SPEAKER_00Yes, so I need to do that more. Um, I my duck season's gonna be weird. Um, my wife is expecting in September.
SPEAKER_02Oh, congratulations!
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Yeah, so that'll be um, I will have a a sm an infant um leading right into the kickoff of hunting season. So um still planning on getting out, probably gonna be pretty cut back this year. Um, but yeah, I'll I'll definitely be getting the goose boxes out. Um, I actually don't call with any other goose calls. Um, I can kind of call on like a goose tube, but um just like with my duck calls, I was just like, you know what, I'm just gonna like figure this out with my stuff. And if I fail and it's terrible, then I fail and it's terrible, like whatever. Um but yeah, we'll definitely get some hot dog calls out in the field and some uh some of my other designs as well. Um, and obviously the goose boxes, um, they'll make some appearances. So awesome.
SPEAKER_02Can't wait to see it. Can't wait to see it. Well, Gilbert, we're at the point where I like to ask everybody, and my final question is my favorite question that I love asking all my guests, especially the first timers on the show. And it is what is your why that keeps bringing you back for more?
SPEAKER_00Um, I would say so I'll kind of answer in two parts because um as far as hunting goes, um I just feel like um there are so many ways that I could spend my time um that would be fine. You know, I could be spending my time skateboarding or playing Zelda or whatever, like all things that I've I've done at different stages in my life. Um, but there is just something about um the difficulty um and the uh connection with nature um that you get from going out and duck hunting and um just being out, especially in the the fall and winter, um being in marshes, seeing birds. Um it's just I don't know, it's it you don't have you can't have those kind of experiences anywhere else. Um and so my call making is kind of an extension of that, um, where like there is no substitute um for making things with your hands that take time to build, that take years to um you know accumulate the tools and the the knowledge to actually have it work the way you want it to work. Um and so, you know, I when I think about like meaning of life and all of that stuff and um how I want to spend my time, it's doing those kinds of things, things that are difficult, things that um challenge me intellectually, um, and that I can put myself into. Um, and also, you know, I get food out of the deal, and so that's nice.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah. Can't be getting the most organic food and best food you can get for for the body, um, especially with the whole organic, and everybody's gotta get the old natural stuff now at the grocery store. It's like we can just go out and get the most all natural things we can get, hunting or fishing.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah. Well, and and I also just feel like it is a uh it's this incredible window into um, I I think as modern people, um we often sort of live in um this state of um disconnection from uh like the kind of core fundamentals of reality of weather and um you know the seasons and whatnot. And you know, we've built our our environment as people to sort of insulate ourselves from those uh dangers and pressures. You know, we have heated houses and which is great, like I love having a house and a bed and all of that. Um, you know, but like um to be able to have that sense of I live in an ecosystem, um my actions have an impact on on this ecosystem, and um my actions have a direct impact on on the birds that I hunt, you know, if I'm taking too many of them, if I'm trashing the place or whatever, like um, you know, having a sense of uh ownership and and responsibility around the places that we live, uh, I think is just a much more rewarding uh life than you know, everything comes from a grocery store or whatever, which is like it's such a cliche, but um it is really true. And yeah, it's just I I think it's much more rewarding that way.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, and it's like, and I know for me, it's like like you said, kind of like experiencing nature and being in the ecosystem. It's like I love bringing new experiences to people that never would have thought things that they've seen in nature or that nature could do. Like my my biggest example is I've I brought a friend out uh a couple years ago. My folks have a beach house in uh Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. So we went down there during turkey season. I was like, Yeah, let's go turkey hunting, let's go do the thing, it'll be cool, it'll be fun, you know. And it was, it was a blast. We had fun, but I'll never ever forget. He he shot at a turkey and missed, and the turkey flew away. And he didn't say anything. The first thing he never said to me was like, Oh, I missed this and that. He's like, he looks at me, he's like, Turkeys can fly. I'm like, I'm like, Yes, dude, turkeys can fly. Like, what do you mean? Can they fly? But it's just like things like that. Yeah, man. I mean, he never thought that until he'd seen it, and I was like, Oh well, you know, like us as hunters were like, Oh, yeah, of course turkeys can fly, or like biologists and people like that, like, yeah, turkeys can fly. Like, how do you think they stay off the ground from predators?
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah. I mean, there's so much of that stuff that that so many people just have just take for granted. Like, the fact that beavers exist is insane. We have like 50-pound rodents that just like swim in all of our rivers. That's crazy. Oh yeah. Like, you know, we people go like are so stoked to like go to a zoo and see stuff like that from other countries. Um, and it's just like literally in their backyards, and sometimes it just takes that like perception change of like looking around and saying, Oh my god, like we have alligator gar and paddle fish and all sorts of crazy animals in the United States that are so underappreciated. I mean, geese, like everybody takes geese so for granted, but there was a time at which there were people putting a lot of effort and energy into goose conservation and making sure that geese weren't extirpated, and like now, you know, people are just like ah, it's a goose on a golf course, but you know, geese are awesome.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, for sure. Well, even I mean, I'm looking at uh so I have the goose obviously right there, but I have a couple uh feather patches of uh ducks that I framed, and then I have my swan in the middle, and it's like when I got my swan, it was like you know, I knew they were big birds, but like when I held it up to me, I'm a big six-foot tall dude, it like went down to my feet basically from how long the neck is, and like the wingspan was like pretty much my arm span across.
SPEAKER_00I'm like, whoa, yeah, they're cool birds. Oh, yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_02Well, Gilbert, we're getting ready to sign off and head off for the evening. Do you have any last thoughts, final uh shout-outs, plugs, or anything like that you'd like to have out before we get out of here?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh, if you guys uh want to follow me, um my Instagram account is art.ducko.calls. Um, I'm on TikTok under the same name. Um, I do post on Facebook occasionally, but most of my most updated content is on Instagram and TikTok. Um if you want uh a call, um, I do have a website, r ducko, artduckocalls.com. Um, I do take special orders occasionally. Um, so you know if you want something that you don't see on the website, reach out to me and um I'll get it worked out. So um other than that, man, uh yeah, I guess just good luck for everybody on their their upcoming season. Get get practicing on your calling and get out to the range so you miss less birds.
SPEAKER_02So oh yeah, for sure, for sure. Well, thank you for coming on, man. I always like to extend the invite forever out this way. I'm located in Delaware, so if we're looking around Maryland, Jersey, PA, well PA is big, but around the Philly area or uh even in and around Delaware, just hit me up, man. Would love to get up with you or uh take you out hunting if it's hunting season or take you fishing if it's fishing season. And uh I'll definitely have to hit you up if I'm out in Missouri because Missouri is definitely on the list of places I gotta come hit.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. I can't promise that you'll have a successful hunt with me. You'll have fun.
SPEAKER_02Hey man, that's that's all that's all I love having. I mean, I could care less if it's successful or you know, if if if we're killing the birds or we kill one bird, or even if it's fishing for hauling a man, or we're just you know, we're out there all day for one fish, you know. As long as I'm having fun, that's all that matters to me.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02Well, thank you again, Gilbert, for coming on tonight, and thank you all again for tuning in to another episode of the Blue Hen Outdoors Podcast.