Ryan Barnes for Split Reed
This year crowned a new king for the title of “World Goose Calling Champion”. Joining names like David Coleman, Tim Grounds, Sean Mann, and many other greats is John Walls. Seventeen years he’s been in the running for the world title, and after three solid routines in Easton, and multiple years of close calls, he took home the check, the decoy, and all the excitement that comes with winning the world goose-calling championship.
I happened to have a front-row seat at the event. Even a backstage pass for the first round. I got to see John sitting on the ground in the bullpen, getting ready to get on stage and let 90 seconds of goose music rip. I remember listening to Walls’ first round and hearing someone behind me, I believe it was Teddy Hoover, say, “Holy fuck, Walls is bringing it this year”.
When asked what it was like to win it all, Walls says, “It’s incredible. I’ve put a lot of time and effort into winning in Easton, and to finally be up on that stage and get that win, it was awesome. It’s like a big sigh of relief”. With multiple top-five finishes and even a couple of close second-place finishes, John says that there hasn’t really been any feeling like winning that world goose title.
“I was just overwhelmed. After years and years of practicing every day for hours, trying to make sure I hit the right notes and get everything perfect, it was just so cool to finally get that win, in that auditorium, with all the history that’s there. I really don’t think it’s all even settled in yet, to be honest”.
During the contest, for the spectators, it seemed pretty cut and dry that Walls was commanding a lead. However, John didn’t agree. In his words, “I’m a note for note caller, and during my warm-ups and my first round there were a few parts that felt a little shaky, and that if I kept them in my routine I might mess up, so I had to take them out”. This in turn led to Walls feeling like he may not have had as strong of a third round as he would have liked, but with the prior two rounds being as strong as they were, he does mention that he still felt like he was in good shape, but with a tie-breaker to finalize the finishing order, and a few other callers having put together some strong routines, he notes that he was in no way thinking that the check already had his name on it.
Once the contest had come to an end, the last of the contestants were called to the stage, and the MC, Mitch Hughes, called out John Walls’ for the world champ. Everyone on stage was excited about the new champion, but no one was more elated than Mr. Walls himself. “I did it!” he yelled at his dad, who John mentions has been a large support to him for years as he’s traveled from contest to contest. “That was such a big moment for me. I was up there screaming and hollering and yelling ‘I did it’ to my dad, who really has been so supportive of me, and it was really cool that he got to be there to see me win”. In regards to the celebration afterward, John laughed and said “I drank a lot of beer. Then I went home and drank with some of my friends and we just celebrated man!”. A worthy celebration for a worthy champion
While John has won a myriad of goose-calling titles, he does say that this one, in particular, means the most to him. “I’ve finished 2nd three or four times, 3rd a handful of times, 4th and 5th a handful of times. One time I lost by half a point which stung. Luckily that just lit the fire underneath me that much more. But this one by far means the most to me, just because I’ve been so close so many times before and this one has been so hard to win”. John says that the next contest in his sights to win will be the Champion of Champions contest. However, winning that title retires you from competing in the open contest at Easton, so he says he’s still going to try to win a couple more times before he goes for that one in 2025.
For John, blowing a goose call became a passion in 2005. “My first call was a Sean Mann Eastern Shoreman, but my first short reed was a Buck Gardner Canada Hammer II. That’s the one I really cut my teeth on”. After a few years of hashing things out and learning the art of blowing a goose call, Walls made his first trip to Easton, MD in 2008, where he says his passion for contest calling was solidified. “I was lucky enough to make the top 5. I took 5th, but being up on that stage and being in that auditorium with all those good goose callers- man the competitive side of me really came out and that was all I really wanted to do”.
While talking about those who helped him get to where he’s at on a goose call, Walls mentions some of the greats that helped him take those “next steps” in becoming a world-class goose caller. “Hunter and Tim Grounds were a huge help to me,” John says, “from 2007 to 2009 I blew their calls. Tim Grounds was such a big help to me. I could call him anytime and send him routines and he’d be nothing but help. Two other people that really helped me were Jimmy Wren and Fred Zink. I actually worked with Zink Calls for a little while, just tuning calls out there and Jimmy and Fred were a tremendous help to me. Just breaking down little pieces of my routine, changing things up, and blowing goose calls all day while you’re tuning calls was a big help with that as well”. Walls, now using Bay Country Calls, also notes that John Taylor has helped him reach his goal of winning a world title as well.
Having grown up a Delaware kid, John says it’s pretty special to be able to bring back the championship to the East Coast where the history of goose hunting and goose calling is so rich. “I’m fortunate that the contest is held an hour and twenty minutes from my house. And with all the tradition and heritage with waterfowl and waterfowl hunting in this area- to have my name in the books, it’s special,” says Walls.
Unlike some previous world champions, Walls didn’t grow up in a goose blind. It was a friend of his that introduced him to goose hunting that lit the fire for waterfowl hunting. “I went out with my friend Alex a few days before Christmas in 2005. Shot my first goose, and that did it man. I was hooked”. From that point, the fire was lit, and John Walls began the process of becoming an avid waterfowl hunter, and goose-calling champion.
However, hunting waterfowl and winning trophies with a goose call isn’t John’s only pastime. He mentions that he does love to get out and chase big whitetail. Not only with their antlers still on their heads, but he also loves looking for sheds. Something he’s become quite fond of during the off-season. An addiction that seems to grab hold of anyone that gives it a shot.
Now, after seventeen years, Mr. John Walls has his name etched into the history books of goose-calling history, and the Joey Jobes decoy to show for it. With three unbelievable rounds in Easton, Maryland, he broke through that wall of top-five and runner-up finishes and had his name called last. Now he gets to enjoy the spoils for a year until it’s time to try to go back to back in 2023.
