Ottawa's Robbie Iverson answered the call Saturday.

The 17-year-old Marquette High School junior took the laurels at the 33rd Annual World Goose Calling Championship in Easton, Md., beating out more than 30 other competitors — most of whom were much older than he — to claim title as the globe's best goose caller. A Beretta Xtrema 2 shotgun and $10,000 came with the title.

His achievement gave his parents, Eric and Krista Iverson, goosebumps.

"It's hard to believe. Not that I didn't think he could do it," Eric beamed.

"This is obviously his passion. He puts in quite a bit of his time. We're awful proud of him. People tell us what a fine, young man he is beyond his talent. That means more. That's the best part of it," added Krista.

As for Robbie, his victory hit him as if it came from behind a duck blind.

"I was kind of surprised. I was just in shock," he said in describing his reaction to winning. "I felt I had a good chance, but I never count my cookies too early."

He also scored high in competition duck calling and has won state contests for goose and duck.

Returning to school Monday morning, Robbie said his friends believed his championship was "pretty cool," but also believed it was "pretty weird" to win that much money for blowing a goose call. Robbie himself found irony in that he won $10,000 and a shotgun worth about $1,000, using a goose call that cost $60. He said he plans to put the money toward college and the gun toward geese.

Robbie credits call maker Tim Grounds, of Johnston City, Ill., with producing a top flight call. He uses a call made of polycarbonate, rather than the acrylic ones he blew in the past, because he believes polycarbonate allows a louder sound.

Robbie first took to goose and duck calling about four years ago, while he was recuperating from injuries suffered in an all-terrain vehicle accident that cooped him up in his house for several months with little else he could do. He puts his ability to use bringing in the honkers with his dad, usually around La Salle Lake.

This year marked the third year Robbie competed in the championships, but the first year he competed in the adult world competition; the other years he was in the junior contests for those age 16 and younger. He plans to defend his title in 2010, an especially big contest because every five years — 2010 will be a fifth year — former world champions compete against each other.