“duck calls”

Have you ever wondered about the impact that sales of decoys, duck calls, blinds, waders and other gear have on the economy?

One evening many years ago a wise old man was sharing the secrets of life with me over cold drinks. "Tell me, Frank," I said, "What's been the key to your long and healthy marriage?" "Oh, that's easy," he replied, a twinkle in his eye. "If I give up, my wife wins."

A group of duck hunters from Chesapeake, Va., have assembled a parade float that just about everyone can appreciate.

All honest men deserve three things: a good dog, a good shotgun, and a place to hide from their wives. Oh, I can hear the lady huntresses chiming in now: "I hunt! I love guns! My husband wants to be around me all the time!"

Phil Robertson is 76. He hunts every day of duck season, and when he’s not hunting, he’s building blinds, working on his levy or catching catfish. He spent a hot minute with our man reflecting on the Duck Commander legacy he created 50 years ago that today promotes faith, family and duck hunting.

Among all the duck-hunting haunts up and down the Mississippi Flyway, a spot in the middle of a water-filled woods just south of Tunica, Miss., between the Mississippi and Coldwater rivers provides wingshooters with a glimpse of Southern tradition. This is Beaver Dam Lake, made famous not only by its fabulous fowling but by one of the South’s prominent sporting scribes, Nash Buckingham.

Filling your strap with ducks can be difficult if you can't see the birds and they can't see your spread. Consider this advice when hunting brush-choked ponds, wooded creeks and flooded timber and even in fog to convince ducks to drop in.

It’s time to get outfitted for turkeys with the year’s latest gear.