Pioneer Times photo/Gloria Austin
HOMEMADE — Cody Gould, a senior at Greater Houlton Christian Academy, holds two of the deer calls he crafted. Gould has been making the calls for just about two years. To order a call, email Gould at cody_gould@hotmail.com.
Deer call making turns from hobby to business venture
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
HODGDON — Looking for a special gift for a sportsman on your list this Christmas? Seventeen-year-old Cody Gould, son of Danny and Alison Gould, of Hodgdon may be able to help with filling that wish.
Gould has been crafting handmade deer calls for about two years, starting as a hobby and now turning into a small side business.
“My grandfather bought a lathe a few years back so I decided to give it a try and turn some deer calls,” Gould explained.
Gould is an avid outdoorsman, as he noted, “My Dad has always been a big hunter so I followed in his footsteps and I love the outdoors. I deer and partridge hunt.”
Duck calls have been made popular by the Robertson family and Duck Dynasty, but Gould is hoping that his homemade calls draw an interest.
“I have my own creative design,” he said. “They sound like a young buck and they have an adjustable reed to make it sound more like a doe.”
The deer calls are shaped from two blocks of wood.
“One block of wood is two-inches long and the other is four,” explained Gould. “I turn each piece on the lathe into a cylinder and drill out a hole through each piece. Then I turn the shape that I design for each of the calls. The two-inch piece is turned so that it can be fitted into the four-inch piece.
“I assemble the reed and tube onto which creates the sound,” he added.
The calls are designed with tight angles and smooth curves.
“And, the wood adds the rest of the character,” said Gould.
The design and shape are the same, but the uniqueness is brought out by the wood grain, which is never the same in each call.
Cody Gould
Gould uses an array of wood choices — cherry, maple, spalted birch, walnut and apple — to carve his creations. Each wood grain is distinctive to a specific wood, creating a custom-made look to the calls.
“The most unique wood grain I have is spalted birch, which is partly rotten grain. The black grains give the call a lot of character,” Gould noted.
“I plan to use more of a variety of wood if I can get my hands on different woods,” he added.
Each call costs $25, except the ones of walnut, which are $30.
“If someone orders a call, it takes me a couple of hours to make one plus a day or two to apply the oil to it,” Gould said.
As Gould continues to hone his craft, he has already improved upon his first models.
“I have improved upon the shape of the call by making transitions of the angles more smooth so it has more defined edges,” he said. “And, I have also improved the finish I put on them. When I was in the field and it was raining, the finish came off. So, now I put true oil, which is waterproof and gives them a nice shine.”
Gould said he rarely gets frustrated when making his calls.
“It is all fun,” he said. “I like taking a block of wood and seeing it turn into a deer call.”
Gould is a senior at the Greater Houlton Christian Academy and after graduation he plans on attending Pennsylvania Institute of Taxidermy.
“My parents think it is great that I’m selling a few,” said Gould. “I have probably sold five or six to a few people, but I am getting great feedback.”
Another aspect of the deer call that Gould is exploring is making them more personalized.
“I am thinking about wood burning scenes onto them,” he added. “But, for now, I am sticking with just making the deer calls themselves.”
Anyone interested in viewing or ordering a call, contact Gould at cody_gould@hotmail.com and he will address each message.
This year, Gould wants to expand what he hunts.
“I am going to predator hunt,” he said.
Which in turn leads him into another facet of his call line.
“I also want to make coyote calls,” he added.
