Matt Rustad (with his wife Liz and Labrador pup "Ice") took 1st place in the Minnesota State Duck at the 2022 Game Fair to punch his ticket to the World Championship Duck Calling Contest in Stuttgart, Arkansas. Matt also placed 2nd in the Game Fair Regional Duck, 3rd in the Bernie Boyle Regional Duck, and 3rd in the Open Meat Duck contests.
August 23, 2022
By Chris Ingram
One of America’s longest running and most popular waterfowl-centric outdoor summer sporting events, the annual Game Fair was held in Ramsey, Minnesota, Friday-Sunday, August 12-14 & 19-21, 2022.
Since 1982, Game Fair has been a prominent event to celebrate a shared passion for the outdoors. Well-known for a series of duck and goose calling contests and retriever events , Game Fair also features dozens of vendors, exhibitors, activities, concessions, and other happenings for all things outdoors. With nearly 30,000 people having attended the 2022 show, Game Fair is proving to remain as a strong summer tradition for waterfowlers and outdoor enthusiasts.
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Setting the Stage Lucas Adamski, a contest caller, organizer, and MC, has been facilitating the series of duck and goose calling contests at Game Fair for the past few years. He mentioned that while participation had taken a slight downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic, things are really looking up now. “If you would have asked me before this year’s event, I would have said that we’ve been seeing the same old crowd, but after this past weekend, I saw so many more people involved, with many new faces I’d never seen before, especially with young and novice callers. I heard from several seasoned callers that we had one of the best novice competitions of the summer—we had 16 competitors for novice goose!”
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The numbers don’t lie; contest calling is on the rise with a surge of new entrants. Adamski agrees. “I’ve been seeing the names of several individuals pop up consistently in the placings. Like Alden Pugh, a 16-year-old kid from Virginia. This was his fourth competition event this summer, and now he’s heading to North Carolina this weekend. Seeing this gives me hope that we’re doing the right things to get youth and new callers involved. Without them, we won’t be able to have these events in the future.”
Youth and novice callers are eagerly flocking to the contest stage for a chance to win cash, prizes, and take home some titles. (Photo courtesy of Lucas Adamski Game Fair also features three sanctioned duck calling contests, including the Bernie Boyle Regional, Game Fair Regional, and Minnesota State, giving Main Street duck callers multiple chances to punch their ticket to the World Championship Duck Calling Contest in the mallard mecca of Stuttgart, Arkansas, later this fall. While the state-sanctioned competition is reserved for state residents, anyone and everyone is eligible to enter the regional sections for a chance at the “big dance.”
2022 Game Fair Contest Calling Results Youth Duck 1st - Alden Pugh
2nd - Carey Mitchell
3rd - Jason Smith
4th - Josh Elchynski
5th - Wyatt Warweg
Youth Goose 1st - Alden Pugh
2nd - Josh Elchynski
3rd - Carey Mitchell
4th - Kyler Auseson
5th - Sloan Sherrett
Bernie Boyle Regional Duck 1st - Cahill Horner
2nd - Cody Palen
3rd - Matt Rustad
4th - Mike Anderson
5th - Chandler Martin
Game Fair Regional Duck 1st- Mike Anderson
2nd - Matt Rustad
3rd - Cody Palen
4th - Kyle Dennis
5th - Chandler Martin
Minnesota State Duck 1st - Matt Rustad
2nd - Jeff Foster
3rd - Wyatt Warweg
Open Meat Duck 1st - Chandler Martin
2nd - Cahill Horner
3rd - Matt Rustad
4th - Mike Benjamin
5th - Chance Wadsworth
Novice Goose 1st - Austin Schelander
2nd - Chance Wadsworth
3rd - Alden Pugh
4th - David Goos
5th - Tony Strauss
Open Goose 1st - Mike Benjamin
2nd - Austin Schelander
3rd - Joe Heintz
4th - Cody Palen
5th - Josh Elchynski
2-Man Goose 1st - Chance Wadsworth/Alden Pugh
2nd - David Goos/Cody Palen
3rd - Chance Wadsworth/Tim Steele
4th - Jordan Keil/Austin Shcelander
5th - Jordan Keil/Joe Heintz
Get in the Game With a schedule stretching across six days and two weekends, Game Fair isn’t just for stage callers. This longstanding, waterfowl-focused event is the ideal way to get in gear for opening day. “There are several dozen vendors, from guns, ammo, and decoys, to calls, retrievers, and other gear,” added Adamski. “There’s something for everyone, and Game Fair is the perfect venue to get your hands on gear before you buy it. Where else can you walk up to a booth and talk with some of the biggest names in the industry? And all of them are ready to have a conversation, not just make a sale; it’s an opportunity for community and connection.”
Don’t be left out of the flock, be sure to put Game Fair into your calendar. To learn more about all of the fun and festivities for you and your entire family, visit www.gamefair.com
