South Carolina youth takes North Carolina duck-calling contests

Daryl Hodge

Blake Hodge added to his reputation as a duck-calling phenom Aug. 21 by winning the "Calling for Hope" contest in Wallace.

Fourteen-year-old Blake Hodge will be a rising ninth-grader at Buford High School this year in Lancaster, S.C., but he’s already a phenom in the waterfowl-calling community. He visited Washington, N.C., in February and won the Junior Southern Classic state goose-calling contest, and then he returned Aug. 21 to win the top three junior divisions in the ‘Calling For Hope’ Contest in Wallace.

With 10 contestants in each division, Hodge literally blew away the competition in the junior open duck-calling contest, or Stuttgart-style contest, using a single-reed RNT call made in Arkansas.

The Junior Open Meat duck-calling contest is deemed a ‘main street’ competition where callers use their proven hunting calls and not any high-pitched hail calls, and Hodge blew a double-reed Hobo duck call made in Arkansas. He won the Junior Open goose-calling contest with a Lodge Creek goose call made in North Carolina.

Despite his youth, Hodge is a seasoned competitor having won the South Carolina Junior state duck-calling contest in 2008 and 2009. He also is a member of the www.WinnTuck.com pro staff out of Rock Hill, S.C., and is on the Drake Jr. Competition Calling Team.

“I like calling ducks, and these contests are lots of fun,” Hodge said.

Blake gets plenty of experience in the field working for his father Daryl’s guide service. September goose season is almost here and the www.WreckingCrewGuideService.com has already begun scouting out this year’s hotspots for big honkers.

“The geese don’t stay in any one place too long, so we have to move quick to hunt them right when they appear,” the younger Blake said.

Sound advice from a young caller with a winning cadence.