Jim Rankin
Partner, Perkins & Trotter, PLLC
Number of days you hunt a season? 20-25.
Where you hunt? Cache River Bottoms, Woodruff County.
Club name? Cold Cache Hunting Club, Augusta.
Pump or semi-automatic? Benelli Super Black Eagle.
Duck call? Black Ops DFB (Death from Below).
Fields, reservoir, river or timber? Fields and timber along the Cache River.
Rainy, nasty or bluebird sky? Bluebird day, north wind at 5 mph, 33 degrees.
Favorite hunting story/memory? If I had to choose one that stands out, my favorite hunt would have to be with my son a few years ago when he “knew” he’d killed his first duck. He had been shooting his Mossberg Youth 20 gauge with us for a couple of hunts, but the one time he was the only one that shot at an incoming teal and that bird landed feet up in the water was one of the proudest moments in my life. The look on his face was priceless and is forever etched in my mind.
Favorite place to eat during duck season? Cold Cache Hunting Club. The best steaks ever are the ones grilled at duck camp.
What got you into duck hunting? I began duck hunting with my best friend and his Dad when I was about 12. I credit Jeff Foote, Sr. and Jeff Foote, Jr. of Hamburg for introducing me duck hunting. I really became addicted to duck hunting when I began hunting with my good friend Al Ray Taylor, who was the music and youth minister at First Baptist Church, Hamburg, where I grew up. Al Ray and I invaded every public area you can hunt in south Arkansas — Felsenthal and Overflow NWRs and Cut Off Creek WMA. We also hunted some private farms around Hamburg and areas east. I hunted with my Hamburg friends as a youngster through college when I’d go home for Christmas break.
If you have children, do you take them duck hunting? If so, what are some of the highlights from these youth hunts? I have three children, ages 15, 14 and 10. My son goes with me often and my daughters go with me some. I have recently begun taking my son’s friends as well. Introducing young hunters to my obsession has taken my interest in it to new levels.
What is your most unusual “must have” in the duck blind? My blind bag always has a Snickers in it, without fail.
Which Arkansas executive calls ducks the best? While I haven’t heard some of the others execs call, I could say that any of them that call the least call the best, myself included.
