3x World Champion: Goose Calling, Competition & Craft with Chance Wadsworth (Ep 770)
But you can't have this nasty, hasty attitude towards each other. So we just we just try to have fun, and then when it's about Yeah. Three callers up when you're about to go up on stage, like Lock you. That's the time to lock in.
VO:Can we do a mic check, Everybody, welcome back to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast. I'm your host, Doctor. Mike Brasher. I'm your host, Katie Burke. I'm your host, Doctor. Jerad Henson. And I'm your host, Matt Harrison. Welcome to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast, the only podcast about all things waterfowl. From hunting insights to science based discussions about ducks, geese, and issues affecting waterfowl and wetlands conservation in North America. The DU Podcast Podcast sponsored by Purina Pro Plan, the official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited. Purina Pro Plan, always advancing. Also proudly sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. Whether you're winding down with your best friend or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.
Matt Harrison:Hey, everyone, and welcome back to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast. I'm your host today, Harrison, and joining with us today on the Ducks Unlimited Podcast is mister Chance Wadworth, who is a three time undisputed world live goose calling champion. Yes, you heard that right. Three time undisputed world live goose calling champion. Chance, how are you doing today?
Chance Wadsworth:I'm terrific.
Matt Harrison:Wonderful, wonderful. Well, we're gonna talk a little bit about goose con, also conservation, gonna talk about how you ended up where you are because you also own a call company, so it's really, really cool story that you have here. So let's just go ahead and dive straight into it. Why don't you give our listeners a little bit of a background history on who Chance Wadsworth is?
Chance Wadsworth:Yeah. So ever since I was a kid, my dad has taken me hunting. We started off trapping. That's like my first memories of being in the outdoors and and then the hunting and fishing and trapping. And then slowly, he took me waterfall hunting, deer hunting, turkey hunting, and those things.
Chance Wadsworth:And as I got older, my love for waterfowl hunting grew. There was a time I remember my first hunt that hooked me, and I knew that this is what I wanted to do. And then I got into college, and I had heard about contest duck and goose calling, and I saw a video, and I was just absolutely mesmerized by what people can do on a goose and duck call, and I was like, I gotta do this. And I'm I'm very competitive, so it kinda just fit.
Matt Harrison:That is really cool. And now, I know I've already mentioned it once, and we're gonna talk about it now. You know, winning a world championship once is is huge. Right? There's people that compete for their whole life, never even come close to winning a world championship, but you've won three.
Matt Harrison:You've won three championship live goose calling, which is unbelievable, unbelievable. But what separates a champion from everyone else, in your opinion, in the calling competition space? Right? Like, you know, I know that it's I'm sure everybody has a different answer. That's won a championship, but in your opinion, Chance's opinion, what do you feel like really separates those that have won championships before?
Matt Harrison:And I'm sure that you've, you know, taught other people that's won championships as well. What's kind of that common denominator that you really see that separates champions from others?
Chance Wadsworth:Desire and repetition. That I mean, as long as you never stop until you achieve your goal, like, you set your mind to something, do not stop until you achieve it. I saw a very famous stock market exchanger from Europe, and that was that was what he said, like, desire and repetition. You can do anyone can do anything that they want as long as they set their mind to it. There it
Matt Harrison:Yeah.
Chance Wadsworth:And just do the reps. It's boring. You know, I I can't tell you how many times I've I've practiced or did my practice sessions, and, I don't wanna do it, or I'm sick, and I just Yeah. You just gotta do it.
Matt Harrison:What does a practice session look like for you?
Chance Wadsworth:In the beginning, it's a lot different than what it is now for me. In the beginning, it was large amounts of time. Like Mhmm. My mentality was, I'm gonna do the next ten years worth of work today, right now. So, like, I would practice Wow.
Chance Wadsworth:For six hours straight in the like, in my dad's shed. It no AC, so in the summertime, it'd be like I'd be dripping sweat, practicing, calling, because, like, if you're doing it over and over and over again, it's actually it's not I'm not gonna say it's exercising, but it does get the heart rate up a little bit, and in a hot shed, it's it's a lot. But I would practice constantly. And now I've learned to practice very efficiently. I still practice a lot, I practice every day, but it's more focus driven practice where I pick something that I absolutely wanna perfect and get better Mhmm.
Chance Wadsworth:And I strictly just practice that. Like, I don't just blow my call just to blow my call. Like, it's Yeah.
Matt Harrison:You're working on something specific that day. Yep. Wow. That's incredible. And, you know, when you compete on a level like that, you know, I'm sure there's a lot of things going through your head whenever you're preparing, whenever it's the competition day.
Matt Harrison:So what's going through your head when you step on a stage for world competition? Like, what is Chance thinking about whenever he is getting ready to go step up on that stage? Are you thinking, okay, here's what I've gotta do, or are you just going in, now you're just fully relying on muscle memory where you know that you've put in the time, you know that you know the cadence you're going for, you know the pressure you're going for? Like, is it just that time just getting up there and doing your thing, or is it where you're truly stepping on the stage saying, okay, I know that I've gotta do this, this, and this. What's going through your head whenever you step on that world competition stage?
Chance Wadsworth:For me, and what I know most of my competition friends do is muscle memory, like, do it as what is the verbiage? I think it's
Matt Harrison:Do it don't do it until you get it right, do it until you can't get it wrong.
Chance Wadsworth:Exactly. Yep. Yep. That's exactly it. That took the words right out of my mouth.
Chance Wadsworth:So, like, getting getting prepared, like, you know, we try to always have fun with it. Right? Like, it's hunting, and it's not really hunting, but, like, it's a form of hunting, what we all love
Matt Harrison:For sure.
Chance Wadsworth:What we all love to do. So you gotta have some fun with it, but, you know, we're there to win. Like, my buddies and I, we're all competing against each other, but it's known, like, we're trying to beat each other, but we can't have this nasty, hasty attitude towards each other. So we just we just try to have fun, and then when it's about Yeah. Three callers up when you're about to go up on stage, like
Matt Harrison:Lock in.
Chance Wadsworth:That's the time to lock in.
Matt Harrison:Wow. In your opinion, what's harder, winning the first title or defending it?
Chance Wadsworth:I think defending it because, like, the first time I won, like, it was, like, absolute happiness, like, just just apps. And then the the second time, I was like, I don't wanna be a one hit wonder, you know, kind of a deal. And then the third time was even more so because, like, you have an opportunity to do something that only a couple other people have ever done.
Matt Harrison:For sure.
Chance Wadsworth:So it was yeah. The the first one was, like, absolute happiness, like Yeah.
Matt Harrison:It'll I heard something the other day. I heard the Major League ball manager talk, and he said anytime you you hang a banner, you also hang a target on your back. As far as, like, people now, they know that they gotta step their game up. They know that, hey, Chance is gonna be competing today. I gotta bring my absolute best.
Matt Harrison:So anytime you know that you've won something of that nature, you're gonna get everybody's best. So I do imagine once you won it once, you know, it's kinda a little bit of sigh of relief, but then also, like you said, it's okay, can I do this again? Like, was that, you know, something that I just had the best day of my life, or I'm gonna prove to people that, hey, this is actually something that I know that I can get up there and do again? So it makes total sense. For someone who don't quite understand goose calling, what actually makes a goose call good versus great in your opinion?
Matt Harrison:And, again, a lot of these questions are gonna be opinion based, and I like to say that because I know that when people hear just somebody answer something, they may say, well, that's not true. You know, and everybody, especially in the calling world, has their opinions, right? But in your opinion, what actually makes a goose call caller really good versus just really great? I know that we hit on this just a little bit when it comes to determination, but as far as, let's say, sound goes, like, what are you truly trying to achieve whenever you step on that stage? And I know it's live GooseCon, so you're trying to sound as live as you can, but is it volume?
Matt Harrison:Is it cadence? Is it all that combined? In your opinion, what would you say makes a great car versus a good car?
Chance Wadsworth:Yeah. I think it's a combination of all those things, but absolutely, first and foremost is your foundation. Like Mhmm. The individual notes themselves, like, can you can listen to some of these guys, and it's just perfect. Like, every single note that comes out of their call is is perfect, and what I mean by that is there's no scratchiness, there's no, you know, sticking where you lock the read up in the call.
Chance Wadsworth:Mhmm. Every note that comes out of the call now, everybody has their bad days, like, I've stuck on stage, Everybody everybody's stuck on stage. I don't know a single person that can say that they haven't. It's just how many times do you consistently always do it. Yes.
Chance Wadsworth:That's the kind of realm. But when you're doing a routine, in my opinion, especially even in the live goose, the open goose, that's a that's like a NASCAR track, that's something a little You can apply it to hunting situations if you're trafficking geese or, you know, multigraders or something like that. But the live situation where you're trying to sound like real geese, if you ever sit at the park and you listen to them, there's flow. Like, you can tell Right. You can tell when the geese are how how far away from each other they are.
Chance Wadsworth:Mhmm. You know, they just kinda they're quieter a little bit, they're starting to get a little rowdy, especially in the breeding season when they're fighting for their territory, and like, where they're put their nests and stuff, it's a it's, you know, it's a little slower paced, but then as they get more upset with each other, you know, it starts to get a little faster, and it gets a little louder, and then you can tell when they're flying around at each other and stuff. So the same thing kind of applies with the live goose is you gotta have flow, and what I mean by that is the timing in between each note. Yeah. So like a guy that starts and stops like all the time, and you can tell when he's taking his breaths, he's not gonna do very well.
Chance Wadsworth:But if you can get these people like, if you get some guys that can have a routine where it's like flowing and you can almost not tell ever where they took their breath, those guys are gonna do really well. But you still need the basic foundations of completing the
Matt Harrison:For dose sure. Yeah. Wow. That makes total sense. You know, anytime you hear any type of wild animal, you know, whether it's a turkey, a duck, a goose, a squirrel, anything, and to some, this may sound completely off the wall, but there really is a cadence.
Matt Harrison:Right? Like, even when a hen is yelping or a duck is quacking, like, there is a cadence and a rhythm to their calling in, like you said, whether it's they're getting aggressive, whether they're feeding, whether they're, you know, telling another, you know, ghost, hey, you're getting a little too close over here. Like, there is a cadence and there is a sound that it differentiates, and so it makes total sense what you're talking about, and it's really cool to, you know, hear, because I've never I've been to some DuckCon competitions, which is really cool. Never been to a live GooseCon competition, which I would love to do, but it's cool to kinda hear, you know, what you're looking for as the caller for you to, you know, perfect as a caller, so that's really cool. How much of calling is a natural talent versus practice and repetition, in your opinion?
Chance Wadsworth:In my opinion,
Matt Harrison:I think zero.
Chance Wadsworth:I think zero.
Matt Harrison:Really?
Chance Wadsworth:Yeah. Like, anybody can in my opinion, anybody can do anything that they set their mind to as long as they have the desire, and then they do the reps. Like, I'm just a small town kid from Wisconsin that was in the middle of the pack with grades that wasn't anything athletic. Like, I I am literally, like, just like I don't know. I you when you get the mentality, it's the mentality of never stopping.
Chance Wadsworth:Like Wow. If you wanna go and be an astronaut, if you wanna go and be one of the best basketball players, I guarantee you, you go look at, like, Michael Jordan, like, that was his mentality, win at all costs. If you have that mentality and you put in the work in the practice, you can have what you want. It's it's it's really simple, but it's also hard to be consistent like that.
Matt Harrison:For sure. For sure. And it make it makes total sense because you look at greats all across the board, whether, like, you've mentioned sports or whether it's, you know, any any type of competition, the greats always say that as, you know, whatever you put your mind to and you dedicate time, you dedicate your true, true want to to whatever it is you're trying to perfect, a lot of times you can you can achieve it. Right? And I know that there's some things, right, like, I was a baseball player, played college baseball.
Matt Harrison:Like, I would never be able to throw a 100 miles an hour, right, but, like, there was things that I was decent at that I believe that I could have crafted maybe even better. So it's with everything that we do, right, is that we can if we truly spend enough time and focus on that dedication, you can achieve you can achieve a lot more than you think you're capable of. So that's a great point. What is a mistake you hear beginners make all the time when it comes to goose calling. You know, I know that you've being a three time world champion, I'm sure that a lot of people come up to you, ask you a lot of questions, you know, how can I get into this sport, or how can I become a better goose caller, or how can I prepare myself one day to be in your shoes?
Matt Harrison:I'm sure you get a lot of different questions, I'm sure, through social media, through face to face, through competitions, whatever it might be. I'm sure a lot of people seek your advice because you're I mean, you've proven you have what it takes. So what is that mistake that you hear a lot of beginners make that you would want the listeners of the Ducks Unlimited Podcast to hear? Because there may be some that are trying to get into this line. So what is something that you would say, hey, stay, you know, stay away from this, or make sure you're doing this as a competition caller?
Chance Wadsworth:There's there's a couple things that I would like to say because it's that's kind of a complex question, in my opinion. If if if someone really wants to be great, and really wants to dedicate their time and do very well, you have to be okay with sucking at first.
Matt Harrison:And that's tough to swallow.
Chance Wadsworth:It is. You know, I did I don't know a single person in my friend group in the contest stage that has won the very first contest that they ever went to, or the second. Like, have gotten my butt kicked in the when I first started, you know, all the time. Mhmm. But you have to understand that it's just like anything, a new job that you start, you know, a new profession, you know, a new a new sport or hobby that you start, you're not gonna be good at first.
Chance Wadsworth:It's the time, it's the reps. When you it's part of the process, and I think For sure. I think when you realize that, and you kind of see the, when you look back, and you look at how far you've came, that should be, you know, motivation to continue going. Now, I believe that you shouldn't believe in motivation, you should be a disciplined person, where even on the bad days when you don't see results, you need to keep going, and just focus on that. But it is nice to look back and be like, wow, I I've came far, you know?
Chance Wadsworth:Stay humble, stay humble for sure, but give yourself a little bit of credit, and and and that'll help you continue going. One thing is trying to, like, run before you walk. Like like I said, the foundational things matter so much more than all the cool stuff, because if you can't do the foundational stuff right, you're not gonna sound great, or you're not gonna do well, even if you're trying to do all the fancy trick note stuff, and all that stuff. Yep. So understanding that it's gonna suck at first, be okay with that, and accept that, and then work on the foundations, get those down pat, and then start working towards And, you know, there's tons of other guys that are fantastic, great callers that love to help people.
Chance Wadsworth:Yeah. So there there's all the resources in the in the country for that.
Matt Harrison:Yeah. That's great advice. I'm a firm believer in if you can't do the little things right, you'll never be able to do the big things right. Firm believer in that, and great advice there.
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Matt Harrison:Let's shift gears just a little bit. Now talking about your history, kinda talking about your career path, you also started a game call business, and what made you decide to start Quill Creek Calls? Was that something that came about because you got into the competition business? Was this something prior to competing, you had a a goal to do? How did that business come about?
Chance Wadsworth:Yeah. I always wanted to be, like, in the outdoor industry for my job and and stuff like that. And it always been a dream of mine to like have a call company. But as I started contest calling, I realized there is so much more that goes into a call than you really realize. And I just felt that none of the calls really fit me, like, perfectly.
Chance Wadsworth:And it's actually kinda funny, like, I'm trying to make more iteration. We only sell one Goose call right now.
Matt Harrison:Mhmm.
Chance Wadsworth:And it's really hard for me because a lot of other people like different things, like a longer Goose call or a shorter Goose call, and it I make the Mark one specifically for me, so, like, and the people that use my style, it's really hard to make a different goose call because, like, the Mark one is just perfect for me. Like, I can't it's it's hard. It's hard to make a different one because I just love it so much.
Matt Harrison:What goes into designing a call like that? So you just talked about your, I'm guessing it's called the mark one, which is the call that you blow. What goes into creating that? Is that something where you you blow a call that may not be yours, and you're like, I wish it would sound a little bit different here. I wish I could get a little bit more high note here, low note here, whatever it might be.
Matt Harrison:How did you kinda go about creating your call from scratch? Because I can't even imagine the process that that takes because it's not just, I'm gonna go design a call, and the next day you've got your call. Right? Like, I mean, you can be a tenth of an inch off in every single aspect of a call, and it'd be completely, completely a different sound. So how did that look like whenever you started to design that Mark one?
Chance Wadsworth:So I started off with learning CAD software so I could design the call and see the variables that I'm changing.
Matt Harrison:That's awesome.
Chance Wadsworth:So I went to went to college for chemistry. So, like like, experiment is like my my forte. Right? Like, do an experiment, see what happens, only change one variable at a time Mhmm. And see what the results of that are.
Chance Wadsworth:So we did the same thing with the goose calls. We did eight or nine different sets of iterations of inserts and barrels in each type. So we made 34 barrels and 32 inserts, which makes up about a 88 different goose call combinations, and that's not even touching on the guts that go inside of them, which that's a whole another can of worms that I'm actually in the process of doing right now too, see if I can come up with something better. But everything you change, like how long is the barrel? How long is the insert?
Chance Wadsworth:What does that change? The thickness of the barrel, the thickness of the insert, the contour on the inside of the insert, the contour on the inside of the barrel, how how much do they overlap when you put them together? Like, if you do it short versus long, what does that do? And then not only do you have the sound of the call, but you also have the feel. So like, right, when you go to an expo and you pick up someone's call, and you try different calls from different companies, they have a different feel, right, when you're blowing them?
Chance Wadsworth:Yeah. You're listening to the sound, but also, how how does it feel in your mouth? And that it's another thing that was just huge. So like, the Mark one for me, it sounds fantastic, and it feels fantastic for me, and the the people that use my style of calling an air presentation.
Matt Harrison:That's awesome. That's really cool that you went out on your own, created your own business. You've won a world championship. You've kinda kinda done a little bit of it all, which is really, really cool. Now let's talk a little bit about hunting in real world application as far as calling goes.
Matt Harrison:How different is contest calling compared to calling live birds in the field whenever you're, let's just say, you step on a stage versus you're going hunting with your friends? And know that there's for sure difference. Right? Like, I know that there's, I'm sure, different mindset because, again, like you talked about, whenever it comes to hunting, there can be so many different variables. It could be a flight day, it could be, you know, what type of birds are you calling at today, the weather could be good, it could be bad.
Matt Harrison:So I know that there's all those types of variables, but what would you say one of the main differences is between hunting calling and competition calling?
Chance Wadsworth:Well, that really depends on the situation. So,
Matt Harrison:like Mhmm.
Chance Wadsworth:I'm I'm pretty sure that, you know, familiar with the ex hunt versus the traffic hunt style. Right? So like your ex hunt, especially for geese, hide really well, clock maybe a couple times, try not to mess it up. Right? Because they're coming there, you're you're just trying for them not to pick you out.
Chance Wadsworth:Now, traffic situation, that's where con that that's where contest calling shines, is because if you can traffic a bird, whether it be ducks or geese, because I've seen some incredible things happen with duck calling that I I never thought it could work as well as what goose calling could, but then I was hunting with some of my contest duck calling friends, and I've watched them turn mallards that had no business, no business coming to where we were in the goose spread, and they turned them, and we got them right in the hole. It was it was incredible. But it was a traffic situation. Right? So like
Matt Harrison:For sure.
Chance Wadsworth:You got it. And and for me, if if you told me I could never hunt again, if I contest called, had a goose call company, whatever, I would still hunt, and I would give it all up, because hunting is what I love to do. And that's why I've done all this, is because I want to be the best that I can possibly be so I can have the most success in the field. So that's why I've I've done all this. So the traffic situation, being able to use a call at the level that me and and my contest calling friends can, and when we all get together and use it together, it's incredible.
Chance Wadsworth:Like, you can I'm bad. You can traffic geese so much farther away, you can you have more options. So like, say, you can't get on the axe because someone else is there, or the landowner doesn't allow it. You can go halfway between if there's a mild difference between the axe field and the roost, you can get underneath of them and traffic them.
Matt Harrison:Mhmm.
Chance Wadsworth:Same with ducks, you know. Or if you're just in a high traffic area where ducks like to ducks and geese like to trade around on different bodies of water and stuff in the morning or in the middle of the day, you can do that. So that's that's that's my difference between contest calling and hunting calling, is it really depends on x or traffic.
Matt Harrison:Yeah. Good answer. Really good answer. Alright. I'm gonna ask you some personal fun questions now.
Matt Harrison:What's the craziest thing you've seen happen during a hunt or competition?
Chance Wadsworth:Which one do you want?
Matt Harrison:Let's go competition. K. Is there has there ever been anything happen while you were on stage, while you're getting ready to go on stage, while your friend was on stage? Has there been anything that just crazy happened while you were competing?
Chance Wadsworth:This one's kind of me and what I did. My first year at Worlds, I got into the final round, and I tied with Bobby Haim, and I was so stunned that I had tied with him that I forgot to so in contest calling, you say the announcer asks you, caller, would you like a warm up? And you you're not allowed to talk, so you shake your head. When you're ready for score, you shake your head again, and then the announcer says, four score. Well, I never shook my head for four scores, so No.
Chance Wadsworth:I did my whole entire routine, and I walked off the stage in my warm up, so I never got a four score. So he ran over, and I was just, like, shaking. I was, like, so nervous because it was my first time there, and I was Yeah. With Bobby Hymies and great caller, and I was just so happy, but I I got I got that was that was probably the craziest thing I've seen happen.
Matt Harrison:So did you have to recall? Yes. Did was your run good whenever you when it wasn't scored?
Chance Wadsworth:I think
Matt Harrison:Which run was better? Was it the one when it was just the actual practice round or the The actual round was better. But Okay. Well, that's good.
Chance Wadsworth:They did because I walked offstage without doing it, they did, like, DQ that round or whatever, so I lost the tie off, the tie. So but the judges still scored me, and I got to look at the scores after the contest, and Bobby still would've beat me, so it
Matt Harrison:Got you.
Chance Wadsworth:It Got you. Whatever.
Matt Harrison:Yeah. Do your buddies still give you a hard time, or are you the guy now? Like, are they still Still give you a hard time?
Chance Wadsworth:Yeah. It it comes up every once in a while.
Matt Harrison:I bet it does. That's awesome. That's fun, though. If someone had one day to learn from you, what would you focus on first? And I know you've talked about the foundation, so that may kind of answer itself.
Matt Harrison:Would you just go over the basics, and like you've said previously, just really focus on what the standard should be for a beginner caller?
Chance Wadsworth:Yeah. Just be It it takes time. Anything great takes time. And the the one thing you do, though, have control over is how much time you put towards that end of the day. Like, know Yeah.
Chance Wadsworth:I know we only have 16. You've got eight hours for sleeping. Some people have eight hours to go to a job, and then you've got eight hours left over at the end of the day. What you do in that eight hours and how much time you practice will dictate how fast you progress.
Matt Harrison:Last question, What keeps you motivated after already reaching the top multiple times?
Chance Wadsworth:I just have a really big goal. I have a really big goal.
Matt Harrison:That's awesome. The way it should be. Never quit. Never quit learning. Never push them for the top.
Matt Harrison:Yep. Well, Chance, we thank you so much for taking time to hop on the Ducks Unlimited Podcast to give not only our listeners, but myself kind of a history background of yourself. It's been great to be able to hop on and learn more about you and what you've achieved. We also want to thank our Ducks Unlimited Podcast listeners for tuning in to the DU Podcast and also want to thank our podcast producer, mister Chris Isaac. Thank you all so very much.
Matt Harrison:Y'all take care, and God bless.
VO:Thank you for listening to the DU Podcast sponsored by Purina Pro Plan, the official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited. Purina Pro Plan, always advancing. Also proudly sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. Whether you're winding down with your best friend or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.
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