Courtesy of Dick Kirby

"Whenever Dad went away to hunt or promote the business, I couldn’t wait until he came back home and hear about his experiences. I always wanted to be like him. He helped me develop a tremendous passion for the outdoors."

— Chris Kirby, about his father

Dick Kirby

Let’s go back to the 1970s and imagine a series of conversations taking place between a barber and a beautician, also husband, and wife. The duo repeatedly discusses the pros and cons of quitting their proverbial day jobs and venturing into the turkey call manufacturing business.

The decision to do so was made little by little and eventually meant the end of the Quaker Boy Barber Shop and Quaker Girl Beauty Shop and the formal beginning of Quaker Boy Game Calls in Orchard Park, N.Y. Now, more than three decades later, Dick and Beverly Kirby remain as chief operating officers of one of the most successful game call companies in America.

An Outdoors Tradition

Dick’s fascination with the outdoors did not begin with the entrance into the game call business, says son Chris who now oversees the company’s day-to-day operations.

“I grew up fishing and hunting with my dad, and on family vacations we’d go on camping trips,” he recalled. “Whenever Dad went away to hunt or promote the business, I couldn’t wait until he came back home and hear about his experiences. I always wanted to be like him. He helped me develop a tremendous passion for the outdoors.

“When I was older, my guy friends were going to parties. But all I wanted to do was be outdoors.”

Chris emphasizes that another admirable trait of his father is his appreciation of the entire outdoor experience and being safe.

“Dad always told me to make sure that I had fun outdoors, that being outside wasn’t about the kill,” said Chris.

“Two of the biggest lessons that he stressed were to always treat every gun as if it were loaded and to never take a gun for granted.”

His First Mouth Call

Quaker Boy incorporated in 1981, but perhaps the “eureka moment” was when Dick took a pair of baby scissors and fashioned aluminum siding, a balloon, and duct tape into his first aluminum mouth call. Demand was so great for this and other early mouth calls (such as the raspy style mouth call, the “Old Turk”) that eventually more people seemed to come to the shop for calls than haircuts. Dick and Beverly closed the beauty shop before the barbershop, but soon more money was coming in from the calls than the hair cutting, and the game call business became their sole focus.

“Bev, at first, was a bit scared concerning our change from the hair business, but quickly supported the decision,” recalled Dick. “She worked extremely hard in caring for our three kids: Scott, Christian and Rebecca. When I started traveling in the mid 80s, we kept close — the telephone bill was very high — and she and the early staff worked to keep all our orders filled. Without Bev’s commitment to working all hours of the day or night to keep everything going, we would never be where we are today.”

Praise from an NWTF Volunteer

NWTF volunteer Chris Walls, director of Beyond the Backyard, a West Virginia outdoor youth organization, was still in high school when he met Dick Kirby in the mid 1990s. Hoping to record a Grand Slam while afield with a pistol, Dick had journeyed to McDowell County, West Virginia, where Walls lived.

“I was already a big fan of Dick’s,” said Walls. “I had studied and studied the Quaker Boy video ‘The Art of Calling Wild Turkeys,’ which I still consider one of the best videos ever made on how to use all of the different types of turkey calls. It was instrumental in my early development as a caller. I must have watched it 100 times. Dick’s promotion of the boat paddle, wingbone and tube changed the way I call gobblers.

“What I remember most about that hunt was how encouraging and kind Dick was to me. I was just a kid and a nobody, but he called me a ‘phenomenal little caller’ and signed me to the Quaker Boy Calling Team.”
Six months later, Walls won the 1995 junior world turkey calling title in Birmingham, Ala. Whenever Dick was at these competitions, he would constructively critique Walls’ performance. After one disappointing contest where Walls didn’t do well, his late mother Tammy approached Dick to complain about the judges. Walls recalls the conversation.

“Mr. Kirby, I think Chris won,” said Tammy.

“Are you his mother?” asked Dick.

“Yes, I am,” she said.

“As his mother, I wouldn’t expect you to say anything else,” replied Dick.“But, Chris, you called ‘nervous.’ Keep practicing; you’ve got more work to do.”

Since then, Walls has endeavored to always call confidently and has captured a number of regional and national calling titles, including two NWTF Grand National Gobbling Championships. — B.I.

A Family Affair

Scott and Christian began participating in turkey calling contests when they were still in grade school and even won junior championships against high school students. Those competition results, said Dick, helped promote the young company.

Dick and Beverly have emphasized the family part of a family-run business. A number of the core personnel (such as department heads Ernie Calendrelli, Dave Streb, Bob Wozniak and Rick Couell, plus Lori Rizzo, the first employee ever hired, and John Kelley, in-house plant manager) that started with the company are still with Quaker Boy today.

Still in the Game

Another thing that has not changed is Dick’s enthusiasm for turkey hunting. When I first called Quaker Boy about interviewing Dick, Chris told me his father was hunting in New York State and had left instructions that he “would not be home until he tagged out.” And that’s when I finally heard from Dick.

“I just got home on Sunday morning at 2 a.m. so I could be with my family and celebrate Mother’s Day,” said Dick. “My mom was 95 on Mother’s Day and that was special. I ended up the season with 18 gobblers, including my 27th Grand Slam in a row and a total of 57 turkeys, all recorded with the NWTF.”

Dick takes pride in a number of other accomplishments, stating that he has perhaps helped tens of thousands of individuals become involved in turkey hunting. And, of course, there’s the satisfaction that comes from call making.

“The calls I believe were the most rewarding to make were the early, first cut latex mouth diagram calls,” he said. “They revolutionized the turkey call industry. Had I patented those first designs of the cut mouth calls, I’d be a very rich person, as all companies make the cut reed calls today. The curved paddle or curved lid design is another of my many patented designs that have revolutionized and made using a box call simple.”
devoted to the nwtf

Dick remains one of the biggest boosters of the NWTF today.

“I have countless, rewarding memories of volunteering and working with the NWTF,” he said. “An original NWTF member since the 1970s”, I have worked with local and state chapters and was a national board member for nine years in the 90s. I have traveled to every state except Alaska promoting the NWTF, and during that time I saw the Federation grow like never before and become a major force in conservation.

“I know that no one has a greater commitment to conservation than the NWTF volunteer. We are an awesome organization, including men, women, youngsters, the disabled and families — with differing opinions at times — that together as friends and dedicated workers have and will continue to make a positive impact for conservation and the wild turkey.”

A Stand Up Guy

What kind of person is Dick Kirby? Marty Huber, a regional director from New York, said it best:

“First of all, Dick has been the most generous person to individuals and local chapters that I have ever met,” he said. “Dick personally made more than 100 custom calls for the state chapter to sell in order to help them out of their financial trouble back in 2006. Dick has, and will always, put the good for all above any individual or personal gain.” — Bruce Ingram

WANT MORE? > For more information about Quaker Boy Game Calls, visit www.quakerboy.com. Reach Dick Kirby Collectibles at (716) 662-3979.