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Mohler finds success in sport of duck calling

Whitney Nuehring
Staff Reporter

Photo provided by Travis Mohler Travis Mohler, a NIACC freshman and avid hunter (third from left), won a state championship for his duck calling ability.

Travis Mohler, a NIACC, freshman has been duck calling since he was two. “I have baby pictures of me with a duck call in my mouth,” he said.

Duck calls are small woodwind instruments that have a barrel, a sounding board and a reed. Each duck call costs about $125 and a goose call runs about $150, according to Mohler.

Mohler participates in local competitions and has won the Iowa State Championship.

What’s the next step after a State Championship? The World Championship, of course. The World Championship is held in Stuttgart, Arkansas each year and this year’s dates were November 24 and 25. Mohler said the World Championship is a future goal.

“You can’t sit back and wait, you have to just go out and do it,” Mohler said about his competitive nature when it comes to the sport. That’s the attitude that has gotten Mohler where he is today.

A typical competition day starts out with competitors signing in for the event.

A large audience is generally anticipated and there are three rounds in a competition. The first round starts with about 25 callers and is then narrowed down to half for the second round.

The third round consists of three callers competing for the win.

In each round, the callers have 90 seconds to make their calls and when there is ten seconds left a red light signals a time warning.

Mohler explained that duck calling is harder than people think. He has been practicing and perfecting his technique his whole life. “I’m still learning,” he said. Mohler said he plans to continue practicing and competing in the future