GET THEIR ATTENTION

Kevin Popo

Hometown: Claymont, Delaware

Résumé: 2001, 2002 World Goose Calling Champion

Favorite late-season call: Sean Mann Sweet Talker

For the two-time world champion, hunting call-shy honkers is about grabbing their attention and giving them what they want. “My first call is a loud single note. At a distance, you don’t hear a good clear honk; you just hear a rhythm, a sound that gets your attention,” says Popo. “That’s all I’m trying to do with geese at first—get their attention.”

Popo uses a loud, open-handed honk to turn geese and then follows it up with more attentive calling, all while looking for signs of interest. “Watch the birds. If you see a foot come down, a wingbeat change or anything, give them more of what you were just doing. If you’re selling a thirty-second commercial and they’re buying the first seven seconds, give them more of those seven seconds. It’s about what they want to hear, not what you want to hear.”