The Eastern Shore Experience
For more than 50 years, the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland, has celebrated the Chesapeake Bay’s unique culture while raising money for conservation
March 03, 2025 •
6
min read
By Joe Genzel
Todd Sacks
John Walls and Bobby Heim stood side by side on the auditorium stage at Easton High School in Easton, Maryland. The two men had just finished competing in the World Goose Calling Championship, held annually at the Waterfowl Festival, and were awaiting the results. At the previous year’s contest, Walls had edged out Heim for the win, capturing his second consecutive World Goose title. This year the kid from Hockessin, Delaware, a self-described deer hunter who decided to pick up a goose call, was vying for a third straight championship.
Walls stood stoically as the second-place finisher was about to be announced, hands crossed in front of his Mossy Oak camo vest. Heim kept his head down, looking at the stage floor, the bill of his cap hiding his face from the audience.
The result came over the loudspeaker: “With a score of 781 1/2, from Whitman, Maryland . . .”
Joe Genzel, DU
The World Goose Calling Championship is one of the festival’s marquee events. In 2024, John Walls (above) won the contest for a third straight time—a feat that only three callers have accomplished since the inaugural contest in 1976.
Right then, Walls, his fellow competitors, and most of the crowd knew he had done it. Walls had won the contest for a third straight time, something no caller had done since the late 1990s. Since the competition began in 1976, only six callers have won the contest three times, and only three competitors have won in three consecutive years.
Walls put his head in his hands. You could tell that the stress of a potential three-peat had weighed heavily. Now, he could finally breathe easy. He pumped his fists in the air in celebration as he accepted the Charles Jobes Canada goose decoy that is awarded to the winner. This would be his last chance to hoist that famed trophy over his head, because three-time champs are retired from the competition and may only compete in the Champion of Champions division, which is held every five years.
“This means so much to me,” Walls said. “All the history in this place and the greats that have called on the same stage . . . it’s unbelievable.”
Joe Genzel, DU
The competitive duck and goose calling community is a small, tight-knit group. All of the callers sharing the stage with Walls the night of his win gathered later in an Eastern Shore garage to celebrate with the champ.
“People will think of Johnny as a three-time champ who went back-to-back-to-back,” said Kile Jones, who won the title in 2018 and 2019. “I see a guy who has basically placed in the top five every year since 2010, so he’s earned his titles. He’s always smiling and happy for others when they win. The guy is a true champion.”
Many callers start young, competing for junior titles with kids their age. Families travel across the country to support their sons and daughters as they chase the dream of winning a world title. When it happens, everyone shares in the success, which was no more evident than when JT Johnson of Illinois bested his buddy Logan Heibner for the Junior Goose title. Johnson hugged his parents for several minutes as his years-long pursuit came to fruition.
Walls understands Johnson’s reaction. “The sacrifices that the people around you make so that you can become one of the best callers in the world . . . I’m just thankful I have an understanding wife who knows how much I love this,” he said. “Our parents used up their vacation time and savings when we were younger, driving and flying all over the place. That’s a big reason why you see us celebrate the way we do. Everyone in your life is invested.”
DavidStimac.com
How It All Began
The goose calling championships are among the marquee events at the Waterfowl Festival, which traces its origins back to 1970, when a group of sportsmen and women began building the framework for a conservation-focused event that would showcase the Eastern Shore’s unique heritage. The following year, Easton’s first Waterfowl Festival featured three exhibits of decoy carvings, artwork, and waterfowl artifacts.
One of the festival’s co-founders, Dr. Harry M. Walsh, grew up on the Chesapeake Bay during the Depression and knew many of the last market hunters who had eked out a living by selling the waterfowl they harvested to restaurants in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and other East Coast cities. In 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act outlawed market hunting, baiting, and other practices that threatened waterfowl populations.
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Walsh published a book, The Outlaw Gunner, in 1971, the same year as the first Waterfowl Festival. The book details the exploits of Chesapeake Bay watermen, including those who risked their lives shooting massive punt guns, which could weigh more than 100 pounds, from small sneak boats. Market hunters often launched their boats under the cover of night. The gunners paddled close to a raft of unsuspecting ducks so that they could kill as many birds as possible when the shot charge from the punt gun detonated. The explosion shot the lightweight sneak boats backward and sometimes caused them to tip over, sending their occupants into the bay’s icy water.
“My dad saw how these men put themselves in danger just so their families could eat,” said Harry’s son Joe. “But he was also a conservationist and knew that market hunting was not sustainable if waterfowl populations were to thrive. He loved hunting and the history of the Eastern Shore. The Waterfowl Festival has helped keep both alive.”
Todd Sacks
Harry Walsh, who passed away in 2009, served as the first chairman of the Waterfowl Festival. The event began as a gathering of like-minded hunters and conservationists on Maryland’s opening weekend of goose season. That first year, Ducks Unlimited received $7,500 from the festival’s proceeds to benefit wildlife habitat. Since then, the festival has raised nearly $6 million for wildlife and habitat conservation, education, and research.
Something for Everyone
The Waterfowl Festival looks much different today than it did 50 years ago. It now attracts people with various interests, from art and decoy collectors to retriever enthusiasts to families with small children. It has become an annual destination for many and a boon for Easton—between 18,000 and 20,000 visitors inject over $3 million into the local economy during the festival every year.
Todd Sacks
“We’ve tried to spread things out for parents, so they can take their kids fishing, listen to music, or shop,” said Deena Kilmon, executive director of the Waterfowl Festival. “There really is something for everyone, whether you’re a hunter or just want to come to downtown Easton, enjoy some food, and check out the exhibits . . . it’s all here.”
It isn’t easy to see and do everything the festival offers in one visit, but depending on your interests, there are a handful of events you won’t want to miss.
Premiere Night
The festival kicks off on Thursday evening with VIP access to all six art galleries in downtown Easton. Each gallery features different food and drink. Patrons of Premiere Night have the first opportunity to view and purchase artwork from attending artists. Every year, there is a featured artist. In 2024, it was Ronnie Wells, whose bronze Gale Winds and Mallards is on display at Ducks Unlimited’s national headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.
Todd Sacks
Guyette & Deeter Decoy Auction
Highly collectible vintage decoys from the likes of the Ward Brothers, Joseph Lincoln, Charles and Edna Perdew, and other master carvers are displayed Friday night at the Country School. The next morning, the carvings are auctioned to the highest bidder. Some of the decoys can sell for six figures, and even if you aren’t a collector, attending the auction and getting an up-close look at these historic decoys is an experience you won’t forget.
Outlaw Gunner Exhibit
Talbot Historical Society has several items on display from Dr. Harry M. Walsh’s collection, including punt guns, sneak boats, vintage decoys and calls, and more. Walsh often accepted these antiques in lieu of payment for his medical services.
Joe Genzel, DU
Sportsman’s Pavilion
Just across the street from Easton High School, the pavilion includes a laundry list of outdoor industry vendors. This is where you’ll also find the “dock dog” retriever jumping competition, live music in the afternoon and evening, and kids’ calling clinics.
Bay Street Ponds
This is another excellent venue for families. There are fishing derbies, fly-fishing clinics, retriever demonstrations, cornhole, and disc golf—plenty to keep the kids busy every day of the festival.
The 2025 Waterfowl Festival is scheduled for November 14–16. For more information, visit waterfowlfestival.org.
