If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck ...
Published Saturday July 19th, 2008
Imagine being able to talk to the animals, to have them respond when you call.
When it comes to ducks, Matthew Wilson is able to do just that.
Since I can rarely get my dog to respond, the idea of having waterfowl pay attention intrigued me.
Matthew was the winner of the first annual Ducks Unlimited Canada Canadian Duck and Goose Calling Championship held in Amherst, N.S. last year. And not only is he good at it, he loves doing it.
He's got a duck caller and he's devoted a lot of time to making sure he knows how to use it. It isn't simply a matter of blowing into the caller, he says. It takes a lot of practice to develop your skill, just as it would a musical instrument.
The goal, he explains, is to sound as much like a duck as possible. In a competition, who achieves this is up to the judges. Last year, Matthew took home the Canadian title, which meant a trip to Arkansas to compete in the World Duck Calling Championship, which was a dream trip as far as he was concerned.
Give him a choice between the Dominican Republic and Arkansas, and he'd pick Arkansas any day.
Out of the 69 competitors in the world championship, Matthew placed a respectable 40th.
Now he's is busy practising for the second annual Ducks Unlimited Canada Canadian Duck and Goose Calling Championship. The event is taking place Aug. 23-24 at the Forestry Complex and is being hosted by the Ducks Unlimited Canada Fredericton waterfowler's committee as part of its annual waterfowler's weekend.
Duck and goose callers are encouraged to come out and compete for some great prizes. The one-man senior duck calling winner will receive a trip to Arkansas - including airfare, hotel and $350 spending money - to compete in the World Duck Calling Championship. First prize for the one-man senior goose caller is $1,000.
Divisions for callers will be designated at senior, intermediate and junior levels in one-man and two-man teams for both duck and goose calling.
The duck calling competition begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23. The goose calling competition begins at 10 a.m. Sunday. Competitors can register for the events until Aug. 16. For registration forms and complete rules, visit www.ducks.ca/callingchampionship or call 1-800-665-DUCK.
Saturday's competition will be followed by the 13th annual waterfowler's dinner at the Fredericton Inn. The dinner will feature a Ducks Unlimited Canada silent auction and raffles including limited edition merchandise that has been acquired for the event.
Will Matthew take the championship again this year or will another contender grab top spot? When I asked him what he thought his chances were, he'd didn't seem overly optimistic that he would be heading back to Arkansas, though he would certainly love to have the opportunity.
He hasn't been able to practice as much as he'd like, but says he's putting the push on now in hopes of being ready for the August event.
For a moment or two while chatting with Matthew, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I had some hidden talent in the arena of duck and goose calling. Maybe I had what it takes to travel to Arkansas and pit my abilities against some of the best quackers and honkers in the world.
I checked out the Stuttgart, Arkansas website - home to the world championships, as well as being the rice and duck capital of the world - and discovered that not only were the top 10 from 2007 all American, they were all men. Or at least I think they were going by their names. Imagine the upset if I took home top prize.
Sadly, no one locally seemed keen to give me duck calling lessons, so I guess this dream will remain unrequited - for now.
Lori Gallagher is a staff writer at The Daily Gleaner. She can be reached at gallagher.lori@dailygleaner.com.
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