The Black Call | P.S. Olt


Availability
More than century old, the OLT brand now has an Online Store featuring customizable Hard Rubber calls, modernized originals and newly designed models for waterfowl, turkey, predators and big game.


Lightbox View | Click on Images to Enlarge
 “I learned as a teenager using a P.S. Olt D-2 duck call, which was designed by Philip Stanford of Pekin, Illinois in the early 1900s. It was an Arkansas-style call, which is a one-piece insert with a straight reed and a curved tone board.”

Photos
The call shown is not a new one, but instead a call that was first purchased by the author’s father-in-law from a rural Wisconsin farm supply and probably in the 1970’s. The author was given this call after spotting it in his father-in-law’s workshop.

“Philip Olt converted a chicken coop on his family’s farm into a wood shop and started making duck calls. Olt’s D-2 Duck Call and A-50 Goose Call were some of the first manufactured duck calls in the world, which is why he is often called the “father” of the manufactured call.” 



Material
P.S. Olt was not only the originator of efficiently manufactured calls, he was also the original call maker committed to developing game calls resistant to weather conditions, climate, humidity and moisture. 



Major Philip Olt IV (retired U.S. Army Major and retired Air Force employee) of P.S. Olt, LLC®, in a February 2014 interview, announced that laboratory analyses of call samples revealed that Olt game calls were never made of Bakelite (an early, brittle plastic  of phenol, formaldehyde, and wood). Olt maintains that their calls have been made of Horn (Hoof) Powder, Hard Rubber and ABS (Acrylic + Rubber). Philip Olt (Feb 2014 INTRV) mentioned that his grandfather switched to plastic material as part of the war effort when the supply of natural rubber from Southeast Asia was blocked. Nowadays, Olt sells models that are made of the original Hard Rubber material as well as models made from “an innovative, new material (that) increases durability for long life and trouble-free operation”   - psolt.com

Early on, P.S. Olt experimented with Horn Powder as a call material. Horn Powder, (which usually contains very little horn) is a Molding Powder made from ground hoof and horn meal or flour. Horn Powder was well liked by (clothing) button makers and was later refined into one of the first Natural Thermoset Plastics.



To better understand articles made from horn; here is an example unrelated to Olt Co.

“The hardened product can be molded at a temperature ranging between about 130 and 150 C. to form permanently glossy shapes which do not swell, are not subject to changes of volume or shape and can be turned, planed and bored.” – Production of thermosetting molding compositions and molded articles from natural horn 1939



Lego, the most profitable toy in the world, is also formed of ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and attributes its durability to ABS’ natural rubber component.  

Design
Olt is an iconic Game Call and Field Sport Brand typically characterized by neat, stick forms and the darkest possible black color.  

The barrel portion of Olt’s D-2 Duck Call is a single part. A large bead profile with a flat serves as the band used by other call makers to prevent splitting and a small bead forms a cove for attaching a lanyard.




Inside of Olt’s duck call, a single part serves as the stopper/insert, reed/cork/wedge socket, tone channel, tone hole and bell.



Olt’s duck call design persists as the normal design for most modern duck calls and although from Illinois, Olt’s design has been misbranded as the Arkansas Style.
Olt’s curved tone board design (without the reed socket) is also part of the Louisiana Style of call.

Knock-Out | Reverse Type Design
"SkilcraftUSGovtPen" by User:Tom - User:Tom. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SkilcraftUSGovtPen.jpg#mediaviewer/File:SkilcraftUSGovtPen.jpg

 A black body with important white imprinting is a time-honored symbol of uncomplicated design, epitomized by Bell’s Rotary Dials, Skilcraft Pens, Combs, Label Makers and so on.


"Rotarydial" by R Sull. Dhscommtech at English Wikipedia - Own work (Original text: “self-made”). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rotarydial.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Rotarydial.JPG




Modern Art
Historically, Illinois was the top producer of early, original duck calls and call makers. Although many early calls from Illinois have a slender, bare form, P.S. Olt’s D-2 Duck Call is an elegant masterpiece of pure design, worthy of Modern Art Design Collections.



Reliability
While other early call makers are famous for beautifying the exterior of bulky, kludge calls, Olt went much further by perfecting the usefulness of the duck call.

Olt’s engineering accomplished long-term duck call performance goals resulting in
“…the most popular duck call ever produced” and “The largest selling duck call in the history of duck calling.”  –psolt.com

A makeshift audio analysis of Olt’s D-2 call revealed that Olt's D-2 bears more of a resemblance to a live duck’s quack than a double-reed Polycarbonate call.


A double-reed Polycarbonate call's quack appeared (visually) lopsided compared to to a live duck's quack.

Although Olt calls produce an effective perception of duck utterances, they were discovered to be highly customizable, broadening their popularity and adding monikers like the
 “Black Stick of Death” -en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_call
Nowadays, Olt sells a customizable call kit:

1970's Magazine Advertisements


1970's Magazine Advertisements


Decals and Calls Available at:
 psolt.com




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Preview GAME FAIR 2014 | Six Days | August 8th | $10,000 Calling Championship


America’s most personal and engaging sporting convention, Game Fair easily outclasses other shows. Held outdoors, towards the fall, Game Fair is an example of the European tradition for sporting expositions called “Country Shows” or “Game Fairs”.

Click On Photos for Lightbox View

Naturally set in America’s interior and Upper Midwest, Game Fair is a neutral site for this national convergence of Field Sports and is a worthwhile travel destination.


Dates | Hours
Two Consecutive Weekends
AUGUST 8th, 9th, 10th
AUGUST 15th, 16th, 17th
9AM-6PM / 9AM-5PM Sunday


Venue | Site
80 acre setting of lush woods, water and fields:
Armstrong Ranch Kennels/Ramsey, Minnesota
*Ramsey is West of Anoka and is a suburb of The Twin Cities, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota USA.




Game Fair website:
http://www.gamefair.com



Special Notes:
Game Fair is a substantial event; make use of Game Fair information, maps, listings and schedules.

Click On Photos for Lightbox View

Game Fair has complete amenities such as generous seating, shaded areas, bathrooms, filtered water stations and food courts. If you need some downtime; bring a blanket for a nap.


Tim Bradley
Benelli Pro and Exhibition Shooter, Tim Bradley is a total outdoorsman, defense specialist and sharpshooter from Arkansas. 


Tim Bradley | The Ultimate Shooter
 2014 Game Fair performances
August 8th, 9th, 10th 
Twice daily at 11:30AM and 5:00PM [4:30PM Sundays]

Tim Bradley | Websites
https://www.facebook.com/BenelliExhibitionShooter
http://www.benelliusa.com/benelli-pro-staff/tim-bradley-exhibition-sharpshooter
http://www.timbradley.net/


Team Shooters
Minnesota’s Gould Brothers Exhibition Team or GBX features spirited, trick shooters Aaron and Steve Gould.

“The Gould brothers perform highly unique and entertaining live exhibition shooting shows for events across the country. From Aaron's push up shot to Steve's limbo shot to the unique two person throw and load shots, we guarantee you have never seen anything quite like this!” -gbxshooting.com

The Gould Brothers 
2014 Game Fair performances
August 15th, 16th, 17th 
Twice daily at 11:30AM and 5:00PM [4:30PM Sundays]









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Updated Reading Pick | THE TOTAL OUTDOORSMAN MANUAL | A Field and Stream Book


Value
Field and Stream (an essential curator of the North American Field Sport narrative) has finally transcended all the usual sins of adventure manuals and handbooks. The Total Outdoorsman Manual is a dependable manual worth owning. 


Restart Adventure
Discover how to thrive in all seasons and situations. The Total Outdoorsman Manual is a practical activities handbook as well as an exciting amenity for any camp, boat, trip, pack, den, office, coffee table, resort and library. 


Language and Title
The Total Outdoorsman Manual is related to The Total Outdoorsman Challenge; a long-running competition, print, television and web series. 


User-friendly
This is a number and color-system, quick-reference book.
Full-page illustrations are realistic and easy to understand. 


Availability
A hot commodity, The Total Outdoorsman Manual has been spotted by this reviewer at Home Improvement Stores, Walmart, Barnes and Noble and Half Priced Books.




What’s Inside:













About This Book:

THE TOTAL OUTDOORSMAN MANUAL
A Field and Stream Book 

10th Anniversary Edition
Updated and Expanded 

T. Edward Nickens

Flexible Cover
7-3/4 inches by 9-1/2 inches
ISBN 9781616286101
320 Pages 

[Editions/Conditions]
Online Price Survey $14.56 - $35.95
[eBook, iBook, iTunes]
Online Price Survey $13.99




About This Review
The reviewer obtained The Total Outdoorsman Manual in a shabby grocery bag as a giveaway from The Maine Outdoorsman’s fall sweepstakes.


The MaineOutdoorsman is a web series by Steve Vose, The Rabid Outdoorsman. Rabid (Steve V.) has 
“A deep, set interest and passion for introducing children, women and novice sportsmen to (our) outdoor traditions”. He publishes the “Wonders of the great outdoors” and “A wide variety of outdoor activities” -themaineoutdoorsman.com


The Maine Outdoorsman
themaineoutdoorsman.com
http://www.themaineoutdoorsman.com/

https://plus.google.com/+SteveVose/posts



http://www.fieldandstream.com/











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