Legend Biography

• Born in Memphis, TN on 7/30/25 (currently 97 years old)
• Married her high school sweetheart, Frank Lee Camp, Jr. immediately following WWII
• The newlyweds joined OK Hunting and Fishing Club in Weiner, Arkansas and bought one of the first cabins there which Gail and the family still enjoy today
• Gail took up hunting so she could spend more time with her new husband who insisted on hunting every day of the duck season. Gail fell in love with the sport on the first trip with him, and Frank never went on another hunting trip without her.
• Gail picked up a duck caller and started calling one day while sandwiched in between two men in a duck blind because she didn’t have any room to swing or shoot her gun. She quickly became better than all the men at duck calling and from then on, they always wanted to include her on hunts
• Not only was Gail a good caller but she was and still is an excellent shot.
• Frank suggested that Gail enter a duck-calling contest and asked his friend Darryl Cates, a former Stuttgart champion, to teach Gail the routine
• Gail was introduced to Chick Major and he made all the duck calls that she used in competitions; Gail often competed against Chick’s daughter, Pat Peacock and they remained great friends even though they were competitors
• Gail won the Women’s State in Tennessee and also competed and placed in other contests such as Gulf Coast Championships. While competing around the South, Gail made friends with many great callers like Butch Richenback, Cowboy Fernandez, Bill Dowdle and Herb Parsons
• In 1959 and 1960, Gail competed in the World Championships in Stuttgart and won the Women’s World Championship both years
Gail mostly retired from contests after having her daughter, Ann Camp Lee in 1961 but she still managed to win the Herb Parsons International Championship Contest in 1962

• After retiring from contests, Gail continued duck-hunting annually with Frank and her only child Ann who was hunting and calling by the age of 12.
• Gail was frequently featured in the local Memphis newspaper for her duck-calling achievements, and she accepted many invitations to judge calling contests over the years
• In one blind duck-calling contest at Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, she accidentally awarded first place to her daughter without realizing it was her, and she was proud and embarrassed at the same time
• When Gail and Frank were not hunting, they were training and running their retrievers in Hunt Trials all over the Mid-South. Although Gail won many dog trials, she received a feature story in a retriever magazine for winning first place in the Master Hunter division as the oldest handler with the oldest competing dog
• In Summer, 2012, Gail was featured in Delta Waterfowl Magazine for continuing to call and hunt with Frank at the age of 86. The author spent several days hunting with Gail and interviewing her before writing the story and he captured her excitement for the sport in her quotes and pictures

• In 2011, Gail (86) was honored at the World Championships where she was interviewed on stage about how she got started and what waterfowling means to her. She gave a moving speech about how important it is for young people, especially women, to learn about the outdoors and conservation, and to get involved in the sport of waterfowling. She presented the Women’s World Championship trophy to that year’s winner and she also met the Junior Championship winner.
• Throughout her whole life, Gail never missed an opportunity to introduce the sport of waterfowling or duck-calling to young people everywhere, and she willingly offered and gave free duck-calling lessons to people of all ages but mainly kids.
• Gail continues to support Ducks Unlimited which she and Frank have been members of for over 60 years, and she still plans to hunt this year at OK Hunting Club as she has done most every year of her marriage except for the 6 years Frank was sick before he passed in 2021.
• Gail’s house is filled with taxidermied ducks that she killed and stuffed herself, duck paintings, duck sculptures, duck pillows and blankets, hunting dog portraits, and her khaki World Championship Duck-calling Jacket with a mallard patch on the back. She shows everyone her extensive collection of duck calls including her award-winning Chick Major calls plus a variety of Yentsens, Olts, Mallard Tones, goose calls and assorted other brands.