MONROE - A shop crammed with well-worn woodworking equipment, a flare for designing creative wood products and a passion for perfection all mark a Monroe man's efforts to become one of the best turkey call makers in America.
After Grand National Call Making Contest judges graded hundreds of game calls on appearance and sound quality, Steve Kundert of Monroe had earned second place in the Decorative Box Call category.
Kundert received the award at the National Wild Turkey Federation's annual Convention and Sports Show Feb. 22-24 in Atlanta. The award is one of several he has won over the past couple of years.
After retiring from Monroe Telephone Company, Kundert needed new challenges and decided his lifelong love of woodworking was the place to start.
"I grew up butchering my fingers as a kid on the farm and decided to try making a living at woodworking," he said with a laugh.
Kundert soon found a niche market for drop spindles used for spinning wool and other fibers. The effort paid off. Kundert had customers throughout the United States, United Kingdom and northern Europe.
The spin-off into game calls began when a friend brought him a box call with a broken lid. After repairing the piece, Kundert decided it might be an interesting diversion from his daily routine.
"There's no reason I can't do this," he said.
Kundert soon discovered, however, that getting the right sound was not that easy.
"At one point, I threw away all my jigs and templates," he said with a grin.
The turning point came when he paid a visit to one of the nation's top call makers, Eugene Upward of Hazel Green. Kundert was familiar with Upward's achievements, but didn't know him.
"I was a little intimidated. A lot of people are reluctant to share their expertise with others," Kundert said.
He soon learned, however, that anyone who has ever met Upward knows he and his wife, Lois, are the most gracious and friendly people one could ever meet.
"I went over there just to ask his opinion about the sound of the calls I had made and what I might do to improve. He convinced me the calls were pretty good," Kundert said. "Gene was always helpful; always gave me a straight answer."
That's why Kundert couldn't have been more proud the day he won the Eugene Upward Award at a Midwest National Turkey Call Competition.
The student had become a master - with a sense of deep gratitude directed back to his call-making colleague.
"I wouldn't be where I am today without him," Kundert said.
Kundert realizes, however, that perfection is elusive. Getting it just right takes a lot of time, he said, and sometimes "you might as well throw it away and start over again."
Kundert likes to work with all types of woods. Poplar and butternut are the best for getting the right sound, Kundert said. Other favorites are walnut and red cedar.
Kundert is always looking for something unique to add variety to his craft. One of his favorite oddities is a call made from the wood of an old utility pole he believes was installed around the turn of the 20th century.
In addition to selling some of his calls, Kundert donates some to fundraising efforts of local sportsmen's groups as a way of giving something back for all the help he has received along the way. Benefactors include the Pecatonica Valley Turkey Trackers chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.
The NWTF is a non-profit organization with more than 550,000 members in 50 states, Canada, Mexico and 14 other foreign countries. It supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate lands, as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport.
Some of the world's best call makers showcase their work during the NWTF convention in front of thousands of sportsmen and women who understand how a call is supposed to look and sound, according to Bob Keck, NWTF CEO.
The NWTF call making competition is considered the largest and best known of its kind.
"Call makers enter our contest, because it's North America's premier call making contest," Keck said. "If they can win this contest, they know they're the best there is." Jim Winter 3/24/08 Tere Dunlap 3/24/08
- Lee Fahrney can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
After Grand National Call Making Contest judges graded hundreds of game calls on appearance and sound quality, Steve Kundert of Monroe had earned second place in the Decorative Box Call category.
Kundert received the award at the National Wild Turkey Federation's annual Convention and Sports Show Feb. 22-24 in Atlanta. The award is one of several he has won over the past couple of years.
After retiring from Monroe Telephone Company, Kundert needed new challenges and decided his lifelong love of woodworking was the place to start.
"I grew up butchering my fingers as a kid on the farm and decided to try making a living at woodworking," he said with a laugh.
Kundert soon found a niche market for drop spindles used for spinning wool and other fibers. The effort paid off. Kundert had customers throughout the United States, United Kingdom and northern Europe.
The spin-off into game calls began when a friend brought him a box call with a broken lid. After repairing the piece, Kundert decided it might be an interesting diversion from his daily routine.
"There's no reason I can't do this," he said.
Kundert soon discovered, however, that getting the right sound was not that easy.
"At one point, I threw away all my jigs and templates," he said with a grin.
The turning point came when he paid a visit to one of the nation's top call makers, Eugene Upward of Hazel Green. Kundert was familiar with Upward's achievements, but didn't know him.
"I was a little intimidated. A lot of people are reluctant to share their expertise with others," Kundert said.
He soon learned, however, that anyone who has ever met Upward knows he and his wife, Lois, are the most gracious and friendly people one could ever meet.
"I went over there just to ask his opinion about the sound of the calls I had made and what I might do to improve. He convinced me the calls were pretty good," Kundert said. "Gene was always helpful; always gave me a straight answer."
That's why Kundert couldn't have been more proud the day he won the Eugene Upward Award at a Midwest National Turkey Call Competition.
The student had become a master - with a sense of deep gratitude directed back to his call-making colleague.
"I wouldn't be where I am today without him," Kundert said.
Kundert realizes, however, that perfection is elusive. Getting it just right takes a lot of time, he said, and sometimes "you might as well throw it away and start over again."
Kundert likes to work with all types of woods. Poplar and butternut are the best for getting the right sound, Kundert said. Other favorites are walnut and red cedar.
Kundert is always looking for something unique to add variety to his craft. One of his favorite oddities is a call made from the wood of an old utility pole he believes was installed around the turn of the 20th century.
In addition to selling some of his calls, Kundert donates some to fundraising efforts of local sportsmen's groups as a way of giving something back for all the help he has received along the way. Benefactors include the Pecatonica Valley Turkey Trackers chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.
The NWTF is a non-profit organization with more than 550,000 members in 50 states, Canada, Mexico and 14 other foreign countries. It supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate lands, as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport.
Some of the world's best call makers showcase their work during the NWTF convention in front of thousands of sportsmen and women who understand how a call is supposed to look and sound, according to Bob Keck, NWTF CEO.
The NWTF call making competition is considered the largest and best known of its kind.
"Call makers enter our contest, because it's North America's premier call making contest," Keck said. "If they can win this contest, they know they're the best there is." Jim Winter 3/24/08 Tere Dunlap 3/24/08
- Lee Fahrney can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.