Call Maker - Albert Abraham Sturgeon

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Name: Albert Abraham Sturgeon

Aliases: Pappy

City: Jonesboro

State: Illinois

Country: USA

Company Name: Pappy's Duck Calls

Born: 1910

Died: 1998

Description

Albert Abraham Sturgeon was born March 15, 1910, in Union County, Cobden, Illinois. His parents were Wilburn Allen Sturgeon (1880-1952) and Minerva Evelyn Hufstedler (1882-1952).  Albert married Lucinda Emma Doughty on April 6, 1930, and together they had 4 children: Leola Juanita (1931- ), Darrell Delano (1939- ), Douglas Deon (1945- ), and Linda Jo (1948 - 2014).  Albert passed away November 27, 1988, in Johnson County, Buncombe, Illinois, at the age of 88. 

Albert Sturgeon was a carpenter and woodworker by trade.  He built houses for more than 46 years, before retiring in 1985.  After retirement, he continued to build things, only now it was on a much smaller scale.

 Around 1985, Albert started making duck calls.  Later, he and his son, Doug, bought the necessary equipment for the venture, and began to produce duck calls.  Albert said, “Doug found out there's a lot more to it than taking a piece of wood and just doing it.  He gave it up. But I found out a long time ago that if you make up your mind to something, you can do it."  The elder Sturgeon continued with the project, and after failing on 15 to 20 attempts, began to produce a good-sounding duck call.

 "When I first started, I could make two a day," Sturgeon said. "I can make one in two hours now.  However, it's not uncommon to get close to completing a duck call and having it shatter in several pieces.  It doesn't disgust me for one to bust, I just start on another one."

Duck hunting was a favorite sport of his for 47 years.  Several of his duck calls are patterned after models he'd seen used over the years.  "I can duplicate any duck call on the market," he’s noted as saying.  His calls were designed to attract wood duck, widgeon, pin tail and mallards.  However, most of the calls he made were designed for mallards.  He also experimented, and made a few goose calls too. "When you make 350 to 400 duck calls you begin learning something about them," said Sturgeon. 

Albert’s duck calls were made from osage, cherry, walnut, hickory, white oak, sweet gum, red cypress, maple, black walnut, apple, and mahogany.  Albert made the barrel and insert of the calls, but he had to buy the plastic and brass reeds.  The completed duck calls were then tuned for sound by Don Verble of Jonesboro.  Albert originally charged between 10 and 12 dollars each for his calls.  He didn’t advertise his business extensively, instead, relying on sales from a sign in his front yard, and by word-of-mouth from local duck hunters.

None of the scrap wood was wasted, either.  He used wood from faulty duck calls to make salt and pepper shakers.  

 Duck calls were not the only wood-making projects Sturgeon had undertaken, he also made specially-designed duck boats.  However, he halted that venture when the boats became cost prohibitive to manufacture.

 Sturgeon's father once told him he could make a duck call by whittling it out with a knife.  Sturgeon wished he would have taken an interest then.  "If I had my life to live over, and know what I know now, I'd have started making duck and goose calls," he said.  "I'd have a fortune by now.  But I'll continue to make duck calls even if I don't make any money.  I just enjoy making them."

 He's kept his interest in ducks in the family.  He started hunting with his two sons (and later, two grandsons), by the age of 7.  Sturgeon's long association with duck hunting has not been without mishap.  He was shot in the face with a dozen pellets years ago, and still carries a pellet near his eye, that was never taken out after the accident.  

 It's noted that Albert once said, “I’d rather make duck calls than anything I've done in my life.  If a person needs a hobby, I don't know if they could find a better one."

Excerpts from Reference Southern Illinoisan Newspaper October 8 1987 pg. 17.  With permission from Mike Estel