This week on Ducks Unlimited TV, co-host Cara Harper hunts ducks and geese in the legendary Mississippi Delta with DU Volunteers Tucker Tims and Colton Walker and DU Regional Biologist Nick Biasini.
“The delta of Mississippi is different than any other place I’ve been,” Tims said. “It’s got a lot of deep history in it. There are so many places throughout the Delta that you wish could talk just so they could tell you what they’ve seen through the years. These sloughs and fields we hunt have seen countless numbers of ducks here. We’ve made lots of memories. I’ve been to California. I’ve been to New York. I’ve hunted turkeys in Nebraska, but the Mississippi Delta has something that keeps bringing us back.”
For Walker, taking care of the Delta is a family tradition.
“For me and my family, being farmers, it goes back to our faith, really,” he said. “We treat the land well that the Lord gave us.”
And taking care of the land means giving back.
“Colton is our next generation of hunter and farmer,” Biasini said. “It’s extremely important to tie together the importance of farming and conservation.”
It’s hard work, but the rewards are plentiful.
“When you get vegetables, they just don’t appear out of thin air,” Walker said. “Somebody actually grew that. They worked hard for it. When you farm you get to see the full circle of life. You plant it, it goes onto the trucks then on our table. It’s rewarding.”
Duck hunting the Delta also requires some effort in order to reap the rewards.
“To me, duck hunting is about hard work,” Harper said. “You never know when you walk out there what the morning might hold.”
Also on DU TV this week: DU CEO Dale Hall talks about the smallest North American dabbling ducks, the green-winged teal. DU Magazine Shotgun Columnist Phil Bourjaily shows you how to practice your gun mount for the upcoming waterfowl season and retriever trainer Mike Stewart explains how to teach your duck dog to track a bird.
DU TV airs Mondays at 1:30 a.m., Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m., Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. (all times Eastern) on the Pursuit Channel. All episodes, plus bonus content and classic episodes, can be found at www.ducks.org/dutv.
DU TV is sponsored by Drake Waterfowl Systems, Higdon Outdoors, Federal Premium Ammunition, Purina Pro Plan, Mossy Oak Camo, Mossy Oak Properties, Mossy Oak Biologic, Mossy Oak Nativ Nurseries and SecureIt Intelligent Firearms Storage.
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world‘s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 14 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.