History

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         When our ancestors first came to Louisiana, they moved to the bayous and marshes.  There they saw many ducks and wanted to hunt them.  Since they did not have any duck calls, they decided to design their own. They took bamboo cane and made a body for a call.  Bamboo cane was very plentiful and with a preexisting hole it was ideal for this use.  Inside the body they used cedar and a piece of hard rubber.  The cedar was the sound unit and was used because it was easy to whittle.  All these parts were put together to make a duck call.  The call was held together by string, later replaced by the brass off spent shotgun shells.  As these old Cajuns passed away, the art of making these calls died with them. 

Kendall and Mervis Saltzman realized their heritage was being lost and decided to preserve the tradition.  In 1984, they started to make duck calls like the original Cajuns did when they arrived in this land.  Kendall spins bamboo cane on a lathe and Mervis completes the call with the insertion of the sound unit.  This all took place in an old hunting camp, Le Chien Caille.  It is French meaning “The Spotted Dog.” They decided to call the company by this name and from there they started to preserve the Cajun culture of duck calling. 

Today, Kendall and Mervis continue to make these beautiful duck calls in the same manner as when they started.  Chien Caille has been a family owned and operated company since it began.  They will continue to keep the Cajun Culture alive forever.

                                   (Kendall at Le Chien Caille)                                                                  (The original Bamboo Cane Calls)