Jillian Woodruff
Owner & Operator, Waderbuddy
Number of days you hunt a season: I try to go during a week of each split
Where do you hunt? Southwest Arkansas
Club name: Moccasin Bayou
What kind of gun do you use? Benelli M2 20-gauge
Favorite duck call? I’m not much of a caller myself but some family favorites are RNT and Echo
Preferred wader: camo or solids? Banded, bottomland camo
What got you into duck hunting?
My father was always a big duck hunter. He was the one who got me into it. He always told me stories of him and his friends going and some of my favorite memories are when I got to go on the hunts with them.
Favorite meal after a hunt?
Family friend Dr. Lester Sitzes makes sure we are always stocked up on biscuits and sausage. He typically makes them before we leave and we snack on them in the blind with a cup of coffee and if we’re lucky there’s some to eat when we get back too.
Why do you duck hunt?
I love the community behind it. Listening to my dad and his friends talk in the duck blind has taught me so much. We talk about all kinds of things over a cup of coffee in between groups of birds. There’s just nothing that compares to it. The sound of birds flying over or watching the dog on high alert looking up at the sky — it’s just an experience that you really can’t explain.
Your go-to duck hunting story?
It was a late season hunt and the weather was not great heading to the blind. It was sleeting pretty hard and the weather looked like it would be pretty bad all morning. We started shooting and getting our limit and close to the end of the hunt we got a fully plumed blue winged teal. I had never seen one before and was really excited about it.
What is your most unusual “must have” in the duck blind?
Our snack bag is always stocked full of Oatmeal Creme Pie cookies. They are the best morning snack. I usually have about three or four of them before we head back.
Which Arkansas executive calls ducks the best?
Dr. Lester Sitzes and Randy Bobo do the calling for us and they do a mighty fine job of it.
