FREEMAN ADDS TO WOOD CARVING HONORS

Kent Freeman of Cape Girardeau won the 1998 Wild Turkey Federation's Grand National Decorative Callmaking Competition Feb. 27 at the annual NWTF Convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

Freeman won the Best of Show award with a carved duck call in the Duck and Goose Call Competition and Second Best of Show with a carved box turkey call in the Turkey Call Competition.

The win continued a series of national championship honors for the local woodcarver. Freeman won the Callmakers and Collectors of America National Championship in 1992, 1993 and 1996. He had previously won the Best of Show award at the NWTF Grand National Competition in 1996 and 1997.

This year's winning duck call featured a high relief carving of a successful hunter standing by his pirogue in a marsh accepting a duck from his Labrador retriever. The turkey call was a box call covered with carved oak leaves that were made of walnut. The paddle of the box call was a realistically carved and painted turkey wing feather.

Both calls were donated by Freeman to the NWTF for a auction to benefit habitat and resource management. The duck call was auctioned for $1,800. Last year, he had a winning turkey call auctioned for $3,300.