Three years ago, David St. John of Conway finished second in the World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest at Stuttgart, placing behind a good friend, Brad Allen of Judsonia. Two years ago, St. John and Allen would again vie for the title, having to compete in three overtime call-offs and again St. John fell a little short. But last fall, St. John’s 90-second routine played out perfectly.
Brian Deloney, proprietor and top chef at his Little Rock restaurant Maddie’s Place, has become something of a “duck chef to the stars” for the batches of gumbo he prepares for local hunters to enter in the World’s Championship Duck Gumbo Cookoff each November in Stuttgart.
Cache River National Wildlife Refuge is a waterfowler’s paradise, and hunters come from near and far for a chance to hunt there. Every year, thanks to the efforts and generosity of many, dozens of youth get a chance to hunt without paying a dime.
Chuck Browning seemed to be a perfect fit for Banded Brands. The Arkansas native had been an avid outdoorsman and duck hunter most of his life. So when the opportunity arose last year to buy the Banded Brands license from Maxx Outdoor of Council Bluffs, Iowa, he took it.
The United States Fish and Wildlife service had become concerned with the effect that the large numbers of light geese were having on their breeding grounds. As the population has grown, the damage they are causing to the tundra in the Northwest Territories of Canada is alarming. They are literally eating their house and home.
In November, Watts opened Waterfowl Solutions and Machining Inc. of Cabot, which makes duck and goose calls for companies. The companies then sell the calls under their brand names to retailers and wholesalers. Watts declined to release revenue figures, but since launching the business, Watts has vacuumed up orders, starting with about 500-600 in November to 3,000 by early July.
For many of the state’s executives and business owners, a weekend of hunting can be a welcome distraction. It’s not only a chance to prove one’s prowess and limit out, it’s a chance to reconnect with friends, nature and, most important in many cases, one’s children.
What if, instead of booting our children out the door, we took them by the hand to places remote and majestic? What if we taught them skills they could use the rest of their lives? What if we shared stories and some of our accumulated wisdom and introduced them to new friends? What if we gave them the most valuable gift an adult can give — some of our time? Imagine the moments, memories and love we would get in return.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation announced the 2015 Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame inductees and the Legacy Award winner and tickets are available for the event on August 21st.
Conway's David St. John and his Echo duck call took home the title in the 79th World Duck Calling Championship this past weekend in Stuttgart, Arkansas.
