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I am Scott Huschle, the owner and chief artisan of Down River Game Calls. In addition to being a husband, father, and life-long hunter/outdoorsman, I am a crafter of quality wooden duck calls, goose calls, crow calls, and deer calls for Whitetail.
In 1971 I shot my first mallard on the water with a BB gun, 4 feet from the boat. That day was the start of my 30+ years addiction to duck hunting. Since that day, I haven’t been able to give it up. Ultimately, it was my father who started me in the sport of duck hunting. When I turned 5 he bought me my first duck call, an M295 mallard tone, which I still have in my call bag and occasionally use.
Over the many years I have taken trips with some of the best waterfowl hunters in the industry. I have hunted in Canada, and down through the Mississippi and the Central Flyways. I grew up as a boat hunter on Caryle Lake, Rend Lake and Crab Orchard Lake in southern Illinois.
Since that first call I have acquired and purchased many different kinds of duck and goose calls from all across the country and that is what started my second addiction; making duck calls. Whenever I would add a new call to my collection, if the sound wasn't quite right, I would take it apart and start adjusting the tone board and reed in order to achieve the sound I was looking for. I always wanted to try and make my own calls but I didn’t have a lot of money as a youngster, so I continued to fiddle with calls. I even worked on some other people's calls if they didn't like their sound. As a young boy and teenager, I won several calling competitions.
In 2002, after a major surgery, I decided to chase my dream as a call maker and outfitter. Now that I have the sound and style that makes Down River calls what it is today, I have decided to enter the competition circuit again. I've been a member of Ducks Unlimited since I was 5, as well as a member of Delta Waterfowl and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. I've been affiliated with the Mississippi Valley Duck Hunters' Association since I started duck hunting and now I am a yearly donor for the Call Makers' Auction to raise money for several youth organizations and wildlife conservation as well.
From a young age, hunting has been my passion, but as a call maker it is a life long dream to make a living doing something I love. It is very gratifying to take something that starts out as block of wood or acrylic and turn it into a piece of art that also functions and works as a duck call. Being in the field and seeing the wildlife react to the sound of one of my hand-carved calls is very gratifying. Most importantly, I like hearing the praise of the clients who have used my calls. Knowing that I helped to create a great hunt experience for them is more than an ample reward for the time and care I put into each call.
Blessings to you and your family. May you have only successful hunts!
Sincerely,
Scott Huschle
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