Duck and goose callers flock to Burlington

BURLINGTON - On Feb. 2, thousands of people will be converging on Burlington for the 21st annual Mississippi Valley Calling Classic held at the PZAZZ! Convention and Event Center. Hosted by the Mississippi Valley Callers Association, this event brings the best of the best in the calling competition circuit to the Midwest. Last year, Bernie Boyle Regional Duck Calling Contest and the Mississippi Valley Open Goose Calling Contest were ranked as the third and fourth best contests in the world and have consistently ranked among the top 10 contests in the world for 15 of the last 16 years.

'When it comes to waterfowl calling,” said Ron Vorwerk, charter member of the MVCA, 'we have the best right here in Iowa. Since our contest began, five Iowans have won the World's Championship. That says a tremendous amount about the quality of the competition you'll hear in Burlington this February.” All the contestants are trying to win their chance to compete in the World's Championship in Arkansas this fall. 'Due to our high level of success,” said Vorwerk, 'we consistently draw crowds of over 2,000 individuals from locally here in southeast Iowa and from across the Midwest.”

The Calling Classic kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with the Mississippi Valley Youth Duck Calling Contest (open to those 16 and under) followed by the 2019 Iowa State Duck Calling Contest, an Open Goose Calling Contest, a 2-Man Meat Duck Calling Contest, and the final event will be the 2019 Bernie Boyle Regional Duck Calling Contest. The event includes free admission, raffles, and over 150 vendors.

'We expect to have a good turnout from both spectators and callers alike, with some of the best callers in the nation competing for prize money of up to $1,000 for first place,” said Vorwerk.

The entire day will be filled with good competition, excellent food and drinks, and numerous raffles for guns and championship duck and goose calls. There will also be numerous local and national vendors displaying their products for sale. Founded in 1999, the Mississippi Valley Callers Association was formed to support and enhance outdoor sporting activities such as duck and goose calling competitions, waterfowl preservation and involvement of youth in outdoor sporting activities in the Burlington area. A goal of the Association is to promote and expand southeast Iowa's rich waterfowling heritage right here on the shores of the Mighty Mississippi River.