Jefferson Talbot V
Professional Development Manager, Stanley Black & Decker
Co-owner, Hot Springs Marina
Number of days you hunt a season: I try to hunt as many days as I possibly can. If I can get in 40-45 days, I call that a success.
Where do you hunt? Wherever I can find birds. I love putting in the work on Arkansas public land and spending most of my time in the White River Refuge and Bayou Meto.
Club name: Hell’s Half Acre
What kind of gun do you use? My wife, Kassi, surprised me with a Super Black Eagle 3 in Bottomland that I’ve hunted with for a few seasons, and I love it.
Favorite duck call? My Stinson call – hands down. Chatting with the mayor, Jim Stinson, on the way through Clarendon is always a highlight of my trips. Jim and I have become buddies over the years, and I will cherish my Stinson calls made by him.
Fields, reservoir or timber? 1,000% timber
Rainy, nasty or bluebird sky? Any day of duck hunting is a good day. However, that bluebird 10 mph-north wind kind of day is one I’m not going to miss.
B. Talbot V (Provided)
Favorite duck hunting story/memory? About 10 years ago, I put a post on Facebook Marketplace looking for a new robo-duck. After about 30 minutes of chatting with a stranger about meeting up to purchase said decoy, we just decided it made perfect sense to make this transaction in a gas station parking lot at 2:30 in the morning and then just go ahead and hunt together. As I’m situating my gear for the hunt, my wife asks who I was going hunting with. The priceless look of confusion and concern on her face when my response was, “Oh, some dude I met on Facebook a minute ago!”
I shared many laughs in the woods with my new buddy, Brad, especially over the mutual concern our wives had of, “What if the guy you’re meeting is crazy?” and our exact response to them individually of, “Babe, we’re duck hunters – we’re all a bit crazy!” Since then, Brad and I have become close friends and have shared quite a few hunts together but still get a kick out of telling people the origin story.
What got you into hunting? I was born into it. Nearly every male in my family was into the sport of waterfowl hunting. This may have to do with the fact that the majority of them are unable to stay still and quiet long enough to have successful deer hunting. Whatever the reason, I am glad that I was introduced to the sport and hope we can protect this wonderful resource for many future generations to enjoy.
What is your most unusual “must have” in the duck blind? You can almost always find some donut sticks and my 30-plus-year-old Thermos full of hot coffee in my backpack. That makes for a good morning in itself.
Where is your go-to spot for breakfast/meals on a hunting weekend? I feel like something is missing if I go more than a week during the season without a brown paper bag full of Craig’s BBQ sandwiches from De Valls Bluff. I make sure and take a pic of the sign every time and text it to my absent buddies to let them know what they’re missing out on.
If you have children, do you take them duck hunting? If so, what are some of the highlights from these youth hunts? I have two amazing daughters, Eevi and Liv. They are my deer hunting partners. They seem to be a little spoiled with a big comfy deer stand with buddy heaters and a bag of snacks. Because of this, I have had a bit of difficulty selling them on the cold and wet that is duck hunting.
Which Arkansas executive calls ducks the best? Rusty Rogers of Rogers Construction in Hot Springs can really make a duck call sing. My cousin and business partner at Hot Springs Marina, Gabe Galster – owner of Cajun Boiler’s and Coast & Canyon Outfitters – really knows how to read the birds and tell them what they need to hear to talk them out of the sky and into the decoys.
