Greenhead presents this year’s Executive Q&A featuring a slate of executives, headed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, sharing the moments, tips, guns and gadgets that have made their time afield special.
Number of days you hunt a season?
Around 30.
Where do you hunt?
We have a lodge close to Humphrey. So most of the hunting is around Humphrey, Wabbaseka, and Almyra.
Club name?
The name of our club is Mallard Grove Hunting Lodge. I’ve got some great partners at the lodge: Mike Rainwater, Andy Vondran, Jeremy McNabb and Matt Hutsell.
What kind of gun do you use?
Benelli Super Black Eagle II, semi-automatic. I’ve had it for several years and I’ve grown to appreciate all the scuffs and scratches on it. They all tell a story. I probably won’t get rid of that gun unless it breaks.
Favorite duck call?
Let me start by saying I’m a below average duck caller. I grew up in Lonoke, and Howard Amadon, who made the Hambone call, lived down the street. I was given one of his calls and I carry it with me on every duck hunt. There is just something about the old wooden calls that I like.
Fields, reservoir or timber?
While there is nothing quite like Arkansas green timber, I like to mix it up.
Rainy, nasty or bluebird sky?
Bluebird sky, but it’s got to be cold. Those are my most memorable hunts, very cold, clear mornings.
Favorite hunting story/memory?
It’s reccurring, but my favorite moment hunting is when I’m in the blind with my kids right before the sun rises. As we see the sun start to peek over the horizon it’s a great time to remind them that all of this is God’s creation. How someone can look at a sunrise and not believe is God in something I will never understand. The cool thing now is that sometimes my 15-year-old, Sam, beats me to the story. I hope that this is a tradition that my children will share with their children.
What got you into hunting?
Growing up in Lonoke you grow up in a hunting culture. Once I left I got out of hunting for a number of years. When I started having children, I jumped back into it. I have three children, one girl (Grace) and two boys (Sam and Andrew). I decided if they were going to learn to hunt, they were going to learn from me. So that motivated me and I really enjoy the time I get to spend with them in the blind or just hanging out in the lodge.
If you have children do you take them duck hunting? If so what are some of the highlights from these youth hunts?
Yes, they are one of the primary reasons I got back into hunting. One of the best things we do every year at our club is put on a huge youth hunt weekend. We average around 20-25 youth hunting, many of which are new hunters. We do a fish fry the night before with about 80 people … and we invite all kinds of guests. In the past we’ve had the Boomtime with Bob and Archie TV show come and film; we’ve had Rick Dunn with Echo calls come speak; David St. John a duck calling champion come do a demo. It’s just a fun time. Probably my favorite thing we do every year.
Which Arkansas executive calls ducks the best?
In my experience it is not the executives that are the best callers. Truly some of the best duck callers I’ve hunted with are guys that grew up in some of the small hunting towns of Arkansas and learned from their parents who learned from their parents. They have just been calling ducks their whole life. Some of them are really, really good.
