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SAMILSPEC · November 20, 2009, 05:26 PM

Starks was Junior world champion in 1967, Champion in 1981 and 1984 and then Champion of Champion in 1985. After one hits C of C, they are done, they can go no further.

Those guys amaze me with what they can do. You definitely hunted with one of the best. I grew up in South AR and my father keeps a Camper near Bayou Meto outside of Stuttgart. At 73 years young, he is there right now with baited breath waiting for tomorrow's opener. Hopefully, I will get to hunt with him again this season.

I hunt out of a 125 year old duck camp just South of Dallas currently. We have 11 blinds and roughly 1,000 acres. It is the oldest, continuous for profit hunting club in the state of Texas. We are blessed with some incredible shooters. Most them are shooting the older 16 gauge Auto 5's or Winchester Side X Side 16's and Bismuth shot. Those men can shoot better with 16's and 20's than most do with 10 gauges or 12 gauge 3-1/2 inchers. It is a privilege to call there.

I run an Old Black P.S. Olt Keyhole Duck Call made in the mid 1940's. They are hard to blow but they sound just like that old dominant hen mallard. Many cut them down or modify the tone board for the low, throaty raspy sound and to make them easier to run. I usually run them as it but use a different reed. They are still the go-to call many AR guides use today. David Starks blew a Chick Majors call in his first youth contest. The Chick Majors call served as the foundation for the Rich-n-Tone calls of today.

Here is the old black Olt. Philip Sanford Olt was ahead of his time in creating a call made out of something besides wood-----they do not distort when the weather is damp, cold or both. Notice how they abbreviated Illinois when this thing was made. In the second picture, you see the end of the tonal plug with what looks like a keyhole in the end of it thus the moniker keyhole Olt. This one was not cleaned up when it was pulled off the old rubber mold as you can see on the left bottom side but it is the best sounding one I have. For what it is worth, that old mold was made in 1904 and they never changed it up until the company went out of business in 2002, they just kept repairing it.

I don't know what it is BigJim but at age 45, I still love the nostalgia of the wood stocks and blued steel. I know I should shoot a smooth bore with polymer stocks but I like the patina of the worn bluing. Browning wood stocks seem to be as good as any out their for weather resistance.

I plan to hunt tommorow. Hopefully, we will get some good shots with both the camera and the shotgun.

Back to the subject at hand, I would buy a shotgun at least in the middle of the price range. Shotguns usually get shot a lot relative to other firearms because they are so versatile. You get out of one what you put into it. If you get a semi-auto, take the time to keep it clean and it will take care of you. If you do not like to clean a weapon except for wiping it down, get an O/U.

November 20, 2009, 05:26 PM	#19
SAMILSPEC Member Join Date: November 10, 2009 Posts: 34	Starks was Junior world champion in 1967, Champion in 1981 and 1984 and then Champion of Champion in 1985. After one hits C of C, they are done, they can go no further. Those guys amaze me with what they can do. You definitely hunted with one of the best. I grew up in South AR and my father keeps a Camper near Bayou Meto outside of Stuttgart. At 73 years young, he is there right now with baited breath waiting for tomorrow's opener. Hopefully, I will get to hunt with him again this season. I hunt out of a 125 year old duck camp just South of Dallas currently. We have 11 blinds and roughly 1,000 acres. It is the oldest, continuous for profit hunting club in the state of Texas. We are blessed with some incredible shooters. Most them are shooting the older 16 gauge Auto 5's or Winchester Side X Side 16's and Bismuth shot. Those men can shoot better with 16's and 20's than most do with 10 gauges or 12 gauge 3-1/2 inchers. It is a privilege to call there. I run an Old Black P.S. Olt Keyhole Duck Call made in the mid 1940's. They are hard to blow but they sound just like that old dominant hen mallard. Many cut them down or modify the tone board for the low, throaty raspy sound and to make them easier to run. I usually run them as it but use a different reed. They are still the go-to call many AR guides use today. David Starks blew a Chick Majors call in his first youth contest. The Chick Majors call served as the foundation for the Rich-n-Tone calls of today. Here is the old black Olt. Philip Sanford Olt was ahead of his time in creating a call made out of something besides wood-----they do not distort when the weather is damp, cold or both. Notice how they abbreviated Illinois when this thing was made. In the second picture, you see the end of the tonal plug with what looks like a keyhole in the end of it thus the moniker keyhole Olt. This one was not cleaned up when it was pulled off the old rubber mold as you can see on the left bottom side but it is the best sounding one I have. For what it is worth, that old mold was made in 1904 and they never changed it up until the company went out of business in 2002, they just kept repairing it. I don't know what it is BigJim but at age 45, I still love the nostalgia of the wood stocks and blued steel. I know I should shoot a smooth bore with polymer stocks but I like the patina of the worn bluing. Browning wood stocks seem to be as good as any out their for weather resistance. I plan to hunt tommorow. Hopefully, we will get some good shots with both the camera and the shotgun. Back to the subject at hand, I would buy a shotgun at least in the middle of the price range. Shotguns usually get shot a lot relative to other firearms because they are so versatile. You get out of one what you put into it. If you get a semi-auto, take the time to keep it clean and it will take care of you. If you do not like to clean a weapon except for wiping it down, get an O/U. Last edited by SAMILSPEC; November 20, 2009 at 08:03 PM.