Daniel Kemper
President & Trust Officer, First Community Bank
Number of days you hunt a season: 15-20
Where do you hunt? Eastern White County
Club name: The Bend. I’m a guest at “Lost Hill” some too.
What kind of gun do you use? Beretta Pintail
Favorite duck call? Elite Edge
Preferred wader: camo or solids? LaCrosse – camo
What’s your go-to duck hunting story?
My brother-in-law fell out of my boat in a slough off the Cache River several years ago and totally disappeared. It was 14 degrees. I proceeded to jump in too in order to “rescue” him, keeping a hand on the boat, but luckily he popped up and got to shallow water pretty quickly and we put the heaters on him and he was OK. Dry bags and heaters are a must if you are far from the truck.
What got you into duck hunting?
My father duck hunted with his friends when I was a boy and I thought it was about as manly of a thing as there was. Looking back, I probably just thought my dad was the coolest guy to don camo. So, when he finally took me and my brother Lance and we got some birds I was pretty much hooked.
What is your most unusual “must have” in the duck blind?
I keep it all pretty simple. Some earplugs and a compass are pretty much staples.
Favorite meal after a hunt?
At Lost Hill, I look forward to Chad Smith cooking some pan-fried teal or wood duck breasts and eggs.
What stage of the hunter are you?
Sportsman (Measures the total experience—appreciation of outdoors, the animal being hunted, the process, companionship of others and conservation.)
What’s your favorite memory of hunting with your children?
My older two sons, Chase and Tate, enjoy duck hunting very much. They can drive and have gotten bigger and stronger than me, so they take me and their friends now. A great memory for me is when I got them to race each other through the water in waders a few seasons ago. It makes me smile to think about.
Why do you duck hunt?
I fell in love with it as a boy and now I love how it is a team game. I have a group of duck hunting friends, which includes my brother, who we call the “BUG Crew.” If one of us gets on a good hunt we all feel like winners. The social aspect is the key. My sons and their friends enjoy it now too, so it just gets sweeter every year for me.
Which Arkansas executive calls ducks the best?
I don’t hunt with many executives. I would say a young man named Calvin Lackie, out of Searcy, is the best caller and duck hunter I know. Perhaps he’s a future executive, even if he doesn’t know it yet; right now, he’s an excellent young man.
