NWTF Announces 2023 Grand National Calling Championships Hall of Fame Class

EDGEFIELD, SC — As the National Wild Turkey Federation prepares to celebrate 50 years of conservation work and the wild turkey’s incredible restoration story in 2023, it will also pay tribute to the elite competitive callers who made the Grand National Wild Turkey Championship Called the NWTF what it is. has become.

From 1977 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, site of the first GNCC, to today’s big contest in Nashville at the annual NWTF Sports Convention & Expo, many great callers have played a critical role in promoting the sport of turkey calling. competitive and paved the way for the future. men and women outdoors. Without his efforts to champion wild turkey hunting and song in the early days, millions of hunters who pursue America’s largest game bird each spring would not have the opportunities available today.

Voted on by former GNCC champions and their peers, five individuals have been selected for induction into the fourth class of the NWTF Grand National Call Championship Hall of Fame ceremony, to be held on Saturday, February 18. 2023 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention in Nashville. Center. This free event in the Governor’s Ballroom is open to the public to honor and celebrate five extraordinary guests.

“The NWTF Grand National Singing Championship has deep roots in the history of turkey hunting, which has benefited wild turkey conservation for decades,” said NWTF Co-Executive Director Jason Burckhalter. “These five calls were integral to the growth of competitive calls and the explosion of interest in turkey hunting over the years. We are grateful for their dedication to the NWTF and the Grand National Calling Championships, and we believe the example they set will encourage future outdoor men and women to join the NWTF and make their mark in turkey hunting, conservation of wildlife and competitive calls.”

The 2023 NWTF Grand National Call Championship Hall of Fame class includes:

Ricky Joe Bishop — Bishop has hunted turkeys for more than 40 years and began calling competitively in the late 1980s. His victories include the 1994 and 1995 NWTF Grand National Senior Championships, the 1997 NWTF GNCC Two-Man Titles and 2001, the 2002 Two-Man Team world championship, the 2002 US Open title, and the 1999 and 2002 Grand American championships. He also won the Mid-America championship and has many more wins and top-three positions in more of 100 contests throughout the country. Bishop has served on the professional staff of many major outdoor companies including Realtree, Lohman and Flambeau. He has been designing outdoor products for over 27 years, has patented over 12 products and has brought many others to market. He owns a company that has manufactured diaphragm calls for most major manufacturers for the last 25 years, with over 1 million calls produced.

crispy tucker — Crisp has 11 GNCC titles, including the first Champion of Champions (1997), three Gobbling championships and seven Owl wins. His other titles include: World Natural Voice, two World Gobbling wins, four World Owl Championships, two Mississippi State Turkey Song titles, five Mississippi Owl wins, the Louisiana State Open, the Louisiana State Open Friction, the Gulf States Classic, four Gulf States Classic Owl wins, Levi Garrett Turkey Calling title and Levi Garrett Gobbling contest.

matt morrett ? Morrett began her career calling turkeys at age 6. Inspired by his father, Tom, Morrett competed in his first called contest in 1976. In 1987, after competing for 10 years anywhere close, Morrett won the NWTF Junior Grand Nationals title. That year, he also won his first world friction championship and the US Open Friction title. Also that year, he began working with Hunters Specialties (HS Strut) and stayed with the company touring the country and developing products until 2012. In 1990, Morrett won the Senior Grand Nationals title. He went on to win four more world drag titles and two US Open championships, then ended his professional career by winning the 2006 Master’s Invitational title in Pennsylvania. In 2012, he joined Zink Calls / Avian-X Decoys as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He leveraged his 30 years of experience in the hunting industry to work for the Pennsylvania Game Commission as director of the Office of Marketing and Strategic Communications, giving back the resources that have given so much to his career and his life.

brand prudhomme ? Prudhomme has a record 17 overall GNCC titles (one Gobbling, five Owl, five Champion of Champions, six Team Challenges). He also won eight world championships, including four world owl hooting champions and two world gobbler titles. He is a two-time NRA World Game Calling Champion, a two-time US Open Owl Hooting Champion, and a two-time Grand American Turkey Calling Champion. He is a seven-time South Carolina State and Open Turkey Calling Champion, and holds multiple North Carolina titles (two NC Owl Hooting titles, four NC State Open Turkey Calling titles, one NC State Natural Voice Turkey Calling Championship and three NC State Open Gobbling titles). Prudhomme is the only caller to win SC State in all game calling categories (turkey, owl, duck, and goose). He was the first runner-up in the world turkey competition, twice the first runner-up in the US Open turkey competition and made the cut for the GNCC senior finals 10 times. Prudhomme, a 40-year turkey hunting veteran, is also a renowned custom call maker and winner of the 2021 Tom Turpin Award. He has co-chaired the NWTF GNCC Committee since 2018 and has judged many world and national competitions. .

lewis-stowe (after death) ? Stowe was a renowned call maker and won several turkey call titles, as well as two runner-up finishes in the NWTF Grand National Call Championship, in 1978 and ’79. Stowe’s accomplishments include wins at the World Championship (1981, ’82), the North Carolina State Championship (1977, ’78, ’81, ’82), the Georgia Drag and Open Championship (1980), and the South Carolina Open Championship (1976, ’77). , ’79, ’80). He also won the title of Amateur National Champion in 1976. Stowe placed 2nd at the National Championships (1977 and ’78), 2nd at the Mid-Atlantic Championships (1979), 2nd at the US Open (1977), 3rd at the World Championships (1978) and was a Southern Open champion and winner of the Southern Appalachian Open. Stowe, who passed away in May 2022, created the acclaimed Stowe-Away All-Weather Slate and Cob Turkey Caller.

About the National Wild Turkey Federation

Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested more than half a billion dollars in wildlife conservation and has conserved or enhanced more than 22 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The organization continues to advance wildlife conservation, forest resiliency, and robust recreational opportunities across the US by working across borders at the landscape scale. Today, the NWTF is investing heavily in wild turkey research to ensure the future of wild turkey populations and is working to ensure Healthy Habitats and Healthy Crops.