WATERFOWLING --  Abel Cortina of Prosser won the premier solo event in the Washington State Duck Calling Championships last weekend, earning a berth in the prestigious World Duck Calling Championships held over Thanksgiving holidays in Stuttgart, Ark.

John Plughoff of Yakima dominated goose-calling, winnng the Washington State Goose event as well as the Open Goose event.

Cortina -- chairman of the Washington Waterfowl Association and one of the judges in the state event -- won the Washington premier contest in 2003 and went on to place 16th at Stuttgart.

Cortina missed several years of competitive calling while serving in the military, although he won the 2005 Arizona state title while stationed there and returned to finish second hin the Washington state event last year.

Cortina teamed with another WWA member, Mike Maier of West Richland, to top the Two-Man Duck event.

Apparently Cortina’s position with the WWA judges doesn’t help him in the competition. Judges never know who’s competing at any time; they’re in a segregated area and can only hear (and grade) the calls — not seeing the callers.

Read on for the list of top callers in each division.

Washington State Sanctioned Duck: 1, Abel Cortina (Prosser); 2, Josh Harris (Lynnwood); 3, Josh Cook (Richland). (Winner advances to World Championships in Stuttgart, Ark.)

Washington State Open Duck: 1, Josh Harris; 2, Mike Maier (W. Richland); 3, Tate Douglas (Hainesville, Utah).

Washington State Novice Duck: 1, Josh Harris; 2, Brockton Devol (Enumclaw); Carson Mackey (Selah).

Washington State Junior Duck: 1, Tate Douglas; 2nd: 2, Mitch Workinger (LaGrande, Ore.); 3, Carson Mackey.

2-Man Duck: 1, Abel Cortina/Mike Maier; 2, Mitch Workinger/Tate Douglas; 3, Tyrel Bean (Star, Idaho)/Tate Douglas

Peewee Duck: 1, Tristan Eims, Naches; 2, Brooke Bennett, Selah; 3, NA.

Washington State Goose: 1, John Plughoff (Yakima); 2, Abel Cortina; 3, Scott Honeycutt (Grandview).

Washington State Open Goose: 1, John Plughoff; 2, Jacob Low (Idaho); 3, Mitch Workinger.

Washington State Jr. Goose: 1, Mitch Workinger2; 2, Kole Lane (Eagle, Idaho); 3, Carson Mackey.

Two-Man Goose: 1, Kole Lane/Jacob Low; 2, John Plughoff/Chad Eidson (Moses Lake); 3, Tyrel Bean/Jacob Low.