Jodie Daniels
Marketing, CCF Brands, Rogers
Number of days you hunt a season? Never enough. In a good year I’ll squeeze in 25 days. On a few occasions I’ve been fortunate enough to sneak in an extra week of hunting in Canada with fellow fowl hunters from CCF Brands.
Where you hunt? Anywhere it’s legal. … While I will hunt anywhere, most of my hunting over the past few years has been in Phillips County.
Club name? Cypress Creek Farms.
Pump or semi-automatic? Semi-automatic. Nothing against a pump — it just sounds like too much work.
Duck call? Rich-N-Tone Microhen, when my buddies will let me use it. I think I sound great but some disagree. … I do play a pretty mean jerk string. Rig’Em Right Jerk Rig, to be precise.
Fields, reservoir, river or timber? I’ve hunted all of the above but, if given the choice, drop me in the timber. I want to feel the wind off of the wings before shooting time.
Rainy, nasty or bluebird sky? Tricky question. It really depends on the spot we’re hunting. If we get to choose the location, my vote goes to nasty and cold. Cold mornings just feel right when you’re duck hunting.
Favorite place to eat during duck season? Traylors in DeWitt. On your next visit, order every appetizer on the menu. You won’t regret it. Well, you might regret it but you’ll enjoy it.
What got you into duck hunting? My father-in-law, David Williams (Pop), introduced me to duck hunting a little less than 20 years ago. To set the scene, I’m a city boy from Australia who was lucky enough to meet a beautiful girl from Northeast Arkansas. As you might imagine, I didn’t know what to think the first time my future father-in-law drove me to a secluded field before dawn, led me across a quarter mile of knee-deep water and told me to sit on a bucket. We sat in cold silence for the next half hour. Then I heard it. Whistling wings. For me it didn’t have a name yet but the sound was instantly captivating. I didn’t have to shoulder a gun. I knew this was for me. My first duck hunt ended with a new addiction, a limit of greenheads and, above all, a lasting memory of time spent with Pop, who passed away this March.
If you have children, do you take them duck hunting? My son, Greyson, has been in the blind with me at least once a season since he was 3. He shot his first solo duck when he was 8. He loves to hunt and I love to have the time with him. As hunters, we all know it’s not just about pulling a trigger. If you really want some quality time, take your kids hunting.
