CAROLINE HARKER 

A local boy has won the New Zealand Duck Calling Championships for the second year in a row. Luggate apprentice builder Hunter Morrow, 18, quacked his way to success in Tauranga on Saturday (July 9), beating more than 20 other duck callers from all over the country.

"The best bit of winning is you get a free trip to the US,” Hunter said. He’ll be heading stateside for the World Championships in November where a win would earn him US$10,000 and "heaps of other prizes”. Although he came fifth in the World Championships last year, he hasn’t yet dwelt on the possibility of winning this time - he couldn’t tell the Wanaka App what he would spend the money on if he did win. "Dunno. Maybe some ammunition for next season. Definitely something hunting related,” he said.

Duck calling requires a fair bit of skill and a lot of practise. Hunter started calling when he was five years old, and is rumoured to practise for up to four hours a day.

Duck callers use a small woodwind instrument which many say requires the same level of skill as any musical instrument. During the competition entrants had 60 seconds to do a "live duck routine”. Hunter said the more time he spends with ducks, the better he can understand what their calls mean. "You can tell just by the attitude of the call what they mean,” he said.

"I live for duck shooting”, he said. "It’s what I do every weekend. I love it.” The duck shooting season ends in three weeks time, and this past weekend, when he was in Tauranga for the competition, was the only one he’s had off this season.”

"I travel all over the South Island to hunt,” he said. "I go wherever the bad weather is. Windy and stormy is best. The ducks love it.” Although, by his own admission "I’m a pretty good shot”, Hunter doesn’t compete as a shooter. "It would take up too much of my hunting time.”

He loves to eat duck ("otherwise I wouldn’t hunt them”) and he’s keen on cooking them too. "Duck burritos, stir-fry, you name it, Mum will cook it,” he said. Hunter lives with his parents Tracey and Brett Morrow.

The duck shooting season finished at the end of July, but that’s not too drastic for Hunter because he also loves hunting geese, and they can be hunted all year around.

"Goose hunting is actually more exciting. The goose is a bigger and noisier than a duck and they’re extremely smart.”

You can hear Hunter and others duck calling on the NZ Duck Calling Championship facebook page.

PHOTO: Supplied