In the winter of 2005, Severen Pedersen's vision of some day starting a small business that would embrace his passion for great outdoors began to take focus with the acquisition of a Herter’s famous No. 283 Vit Glodo-type master duck call.  This was not the first vintage call he had collected  (which began some 20 years prior), but by far the most enchanting. The finely-grained Circassian Walnut was mesmerizing and knowing that Herter’s only produced around 500 of these calls a year had Severen completely intrigued.  

After a 3-month study of wood turning and finishing techniques, Severen purchased a lathe, some fine woods and the tools necessary to turn a call in the spring of 2006.  By mid summer, he had converted his garage into a  basic woodworking shop and in early July turned his first call barrel and Arkansas style stopper.  Number 1 was not exactly the most graceful specimen, but good enough for a first call. Now he needed to figure out how to fabricate a reed.  With a sacrificial spark plug gapper and a pair of tin snips in hand, Severen cut off each gapper blade and placed it in the Arkansas style stopper with the intent on generating a sound.  After multiple attempts, he finally came up with a blade (reed) with a thickness that could mimic the sound of a duck.  Actually, it sounded a bit more like a kazoo, but it was enough to fuel the creation of his next call. 

By the time Number 4 rolled off the lathe, Severen had tweaked the body style to represent that what would eventually be the signature trademark of his duck calls. He also learned that Mylar presented a more realistic duck sound as reed material goes, then that the metal blades cut from spark plug gappers. By then, Severen had decided to change the stopper and gut style from Arkansas to Louisiana so he would have the ability to change toneboards without having to replace the stopper as well. Feeling more confident in his craftsmanship, Severen presented five newly created calls to some of his friends, and much to his delight, received positive responses in the form of “I’d like one made for me”. That led to the creation of a business model that would focus on producing custom game calls.  

To honor his late father, Severen “Pete” Pedersen, the name “Severen & Severen Ltd.” was chosen for the company name. This gave tribute to a dad who not only nurtured his son's appetite for pursuing furred and feathered game but also instilled in him a passion for the magnificent craftsmanship of a bygone era. The elder Severen had been a collector of Colt and Winchester rifles along with other fine sporting arms, exposing his son to these collections at an early age. The beautifully worked stocks and engraving on some of his father's guns prompted the son to embrace similar “classic” characteristics in the calls he was beginning to make.   

“I wanted to create calls that were as graceful in figure as that of a Winchester Mo. 21 or fine English double shotgun and included some of the characteristics embellished on these masterpieces, such as refined checkering, elegant inlay and hand engraving,” said Severen. 

In late August of 2006, Severen contacted master craftsman and renowned long rifle builder Warren Sellke to ask if he would embellish a pair of his calls.  Warren agreed to take on a commission for two exhibition-grade duck calls (serial numbers 25 & 26) that involved gold and silver inlay, hand engraving, and rococo wood carving.  It was an expensive proposition for Severen, but a worthwhile investment that provided valuable insights on the cutting of precious metals, carving techniques, wood coloration and all-weather finishes.

In the fall of 2007 Severen served a second apprenticeship under another world-renowned custom long rifle builder and master craftsman, Jack Brooks. Jack also accepted a commission to decorate two duck calls and once again Severen was exposed to a whole new set of invaluable disciplines including advanced understanding of wood preparation, inlay techniques of wire and precious metals, and the art of hand engraving, all of which would result in a matched set of exhibition-grade calls (serial nos. 100 & 101) that to this day rival the best of any competitive callmaker.

“It was a great honor and privilege to learn from the talents of Warren and Jack,” said Severen. “I would not be where I am today without the wealth of knowledge that these two gentleman shared with me. I owe them a lot, and the mastery of their craft is what makes me strive for perfection in the calls I create."