Zink Calls Field Staff

Wyatt Baker

I'm Wyatt Baker, age 14 from LaMoure, North Dakota. At age 8 I got my first 20ga, over/under, shotgun and began to hunt ducks with my dad. After about two years Dad could see that I was making good, sensible shots and gave me an automatic. Ever since I was little, I would save money received from birthdays or Christmas and spend it on decoys or other hunting necessities. I remember using some of my first decoys to pretend being in the field decoying ducks and geese.

I started out with three dozen Canadian goose shells, with my Dad going in half on decoys provided I would take my older brothers hunting as I got older. Last fall I got a paper route here in town. You can bet most of that money is spent on my passion, waterfowl hunting!!! Sitting in the decoy spread is definitely worth delivering those papers at 3:30 am every morning!

I've since sold the Canadian shells and worked my way up to seven and a half dozen full body Avery FFD Lesser and Honkers. I have also managed to add 20 dozen full body Avery snows and blues and four dozen shells to my decoy collection. One of my goals is to start hunting in Canada - hopefully this coming year. After papers in the morning I enjoy setting my Avery Power Hunter blinds and Avery full body FFD decoys. Bringing those big honkers into the spread is one of the most awesome hunting experiences any hunter could dream of. On most mornings I can take a limit and be back to school before the bell. In September, 2010 I shot my first banded bird - that had been a dream of mine for some time!!

At age 11 I was given a duck call by Ducks Unlimited at a water fowl dedication. This was the start of my duck and goose calling addiction. Over the past three years I have taken a very large interest in Fred Zink and Zink Calls. My friend, Shane Swenson, Verona, ND, helped me along with decoying and calling. I got my first Zink call through Shane, a Power Maximus. Since then I have added an LM-1, Money Maker, Open Water, two PH-2's,a Paralyzer XR-2 and the new NOS.

For the past two years I have taken an interest in competition duck calling. I learned by watching videos and lots and lots of practice. In Aug. of 2010 I decided to enter my first contest. With the support of my family, we traveled to Mankato, Minnesota, to enter Scheel's Waterfowl Expo where I took first in the Youth Duck, 2nd in the Youth Goose and 2nd in the Novice Duck. The following weekend we traveled to Ramsey, Minnesota, to the Minnesota Game Fair. I entered the Novice Duck, where I was the youngest of 21 callers, and placed 1st. That win qualified me for the Open Duck where I placed 5th out of 10 contestants. That was an awesome experience, as there were many great callers participating, including the 2009 World Champ. The call I use for competition is my Zink Open Water which has had the same reed and cork in it since new (over a year old). My family and friends are very proud of what I have done in calling. I would like to thank my family for their support and for putting up with my practicing for hours on end. Thank you to Shane Swenson for getting me interested in Zink Calls. Thanks also to John Molkenbur, Andy Thill, Jeff Anderson, Marty Dietz, Mike Anderson and the Minnesota Duck and Goose Calling Association for their support, encouragement and help.

My goal for the last two years was to become a member of the Zink Field and Pro Staff Team. I'm proud to be a staff member and excited to be a close part of the Zink family. My next goal includes participating in the world duck calling championships this fall in Stuttgart, AR.

Thank you to Fred Zink and Zink Calls for the opportunity to realize some of my dreams.

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