Name: Chris Utke
Address: 24836 Dogwood Avenue; Tomah, WI 54660
Phone: 608-374-3045 Fax:
E-mail: tribute@mwt.net
Personal Website: www.tributecustomcalls.com

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 Tribute Custom Calls

Chris like many Wisconsin turkey hunters didn’t have a clue what this sport was all about ten years ago. Wisconsin simply didn’t have turkeys to hunt. But since that time the conservation efforts of the state and it’s hunters has raised an outstanding population of these woodland monarchs. Chris quickly became hooked on hunting turkey. The season wasn’t enough. Chris wanted to continue his interests into the off season. Call making became a hobby, then a passion. Like many call makers there is a real thrill that comes from hunting your own call and getting the response from the gobbler as he works his way to you.

Born in the cranberry country of central Wisconsin Chris and his family used the lands natural resources to help support and feed their family. Trapping, fishing and hunting were activities the family actively took part in. It was these times that gave Chris his understanding of the woods, a love for the out of doors and a tremendous respect for it’s natural resources. This has lead to Chris’ involvement, along with his wife Karyl, with the NWTF. Both have served or are serving as their local chapter presidents and both sit on the Wisconsin Chapters Board of Directors. As Chris puts it; "Turkeys have become an obsession" for him.

The calls Chris makes are double sided box calls. His current design has evolved over many years and today he feels he makes a caller with not only a quality sound but also a unique design as well. This double sided box call features a curved base that fits nicely into one’s hand. Yet the working parts of the caller are a traditional double sided box design. Chris has been selling his calls since 1997 and already has a waiting list for them. He selects and harvests all his own woods taking great care in their selection. All the wood is air dried. Favorites are Cherry, Sumac and Walnut.

He is also starting to work with many of the more unique woods out there such as the exotic woods that are known to produce excellent tone quality. The calls are all cut and tuned by hand to achieve just the right sound. Chris comments that he has the sound of the hen turkey burned into his brain and works hard to achieve just that tone. As his calls are tuned, Chris runs them dry, without chalk. He feels that if he can get it to sing that way then when it is chalked it will enhance those sounds ever so much more, this becomes the determining factor.