Delta Waterfowl Calls in Thousands to Iowa for Fifth Annual Duck Hunters Expo

Missed out this year? The largest event in North America dedicated to the duck hunter is headed to Kansas City, Missouri, in July 2027

DES MOINES, IOWA — More than 20,000 duck hunters descended on the Iowa Events Center this past weekend for the fifth annual Delta Waterfowl Duck Hunters Expo, presented by HEVI. Over three days, the Hawkeye State's first turn hosting the event featured duck calling competitions, a packed exhibit hall, expert-led seminars, and the largest banquet crowd in Expo history. 

“Three days in Des Moines gave us more good stories than we know what to do with,” said Chris Williams, senior director of industry partnerships for The Duck Hunters Organization™. “But the one we’ll keep telling is about the partners, volunteers, and staff who put this Expo together, and about every duck hunter who chose to spend their weekend with us.”

On Friday, the Expo's opening ribbon-cutting ceremony featured speeches from guest Kayla Lyon, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and Delta Waterfowl CEO Jason Tharpe, who welcomed attendees and celebrated Iowa's deep-rooted ties to waterfowl conservation and outdoor heritage before opening the show floor to the public.

Inside, a sold-out exhibition hall  featuring more than 200 waterfowling and outdoor vendors turned the Events Center into a one-stop shop for everything a waterfowler could want, including shotguns and calls, guide services and dog trainers, custom leatherwork, duck boats, decoy-carving demonstrations, and even an interactive decoy carving booth and big-gun display where attendees could get hands-on and ask questions.  

The momentum carried into Friday evening’s Duck Hunters Grand Banquet, which drew more than 900 guests — the largest banquet crowd in Expo history — for live and silent auctions supporting waterfowl conservation.

“To everyone who donated to the event, thank you for your generosity. And to everyone who walked through our doors this weekend, whether you raised a bid or simply came to celebrate waterfowl conservation and waterfowl hunting, thank you, too,” said Scott Terning, Delta’s vice president of events. “It was an incredible showing of the passionate people who bring Delta’s mission to life!”

Saturday's schedule ran deep, headlined by the Champions of Delta Luncheon and the Delta Grand National Double-Reed Calling Championship where Mike Anderson of Mankato, Minnesota, took home the trophy.

Throughout the entirety of the weekend, the Field-to-Table Stage and Waterfowler’s Stage offered nonstop programming, with experts covering duck hunting, dog training, land management, and demonstrations on how to cook an array of dishes including duck, pork, and beef. Delta’s Voice of the Duck Hunter podcast also recorded live episodes on-site.

Additional highlights include: 

Second Annual Volunteer Summit: A working session where more than 150 chapter volunteers from across the region traded ideas on how to sharpen their own local events in support of waterfowl and waterfowl hunting.

Delta Waterfowl’s “Restoring Our Refuges” Exhibit: A diorama tracing Delta Waterfowl's Restoring Our Refuges initiative gave attendees a closer look at the history of the National Wildlife Refuge System, its current state, and Delta’s initiative to improve it for waterfowl and waterfowl hunters. 

Meet-N-Greets with Delta CEO and Staff: Attendees had the opportunity to speak with and ask questions to Delta’s CEO Jason Tharpe and staff experts on the organization’s Duck Production, Habitat Conservation, HunteR3, and Policy efforts.   

“The Road to Conservation” Adventure: A hands-on Expo experience that introduces students to waterfowl conservation, wildlife identification, outdoor skills, wild-game cooking, nesting-box construction and duck calling. 

Launch of Delta’s Duck Dog Club: Annual club participants receive an exclusive Delta-branded item for their duck dog while supporting Delta Waterfowl’s work to produce more ducks and ensure the future of waterfowl hunting. This year’s exclusive item is a Delta-branded GunDog Outdoors water dog bottle designed to conveniently water a dog without having to carry around a bowl.

“Iowa welcomed us like we’d been coming here for years, and that means everything to us,” Williams said. “No matter what city we’re in, our job stays the same — make sure every duck hunter who walks through those doors gets the best weekend of their summer. Judging by what we saw in Des Moines, I’d call this one a win for everybody involved. Kansas City, get ready. We’ll see you there in 2027.”

The 2027 Delta Waterfowl Duck Hunters Expo will take place July 23 to 25 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Delta Waterfowl is The Duck Hunters Organization™, a leading conservation group founded in 1911 that uses science-based solutions to produce ducks, conserve prairie wetlands, and secure the future of waterfowl hunting across North America. Learn more at our website.

For more information, contact Chris Williams.