This week on Ducks Unlimited TV, co-host Ashley Ward travels to the Lowcountry of South Carolina to hunt ducks with a group of women who passionately support Ducks Unlimited.
“This was actually my first trip to South Carolina,” Ward said. “When we first pulled up, I was in awe. It’s beautiful. Massive oak trees with the Spanish moss hanging down. It was a breathtaking place.”
Women are the fastest growing hunting demographic.
“This was an all-women’s hunt,” Ward said. “It’s always great to share a blind with like-minded women and like-minded conservationists.”
DU Volunteers Lalla Lee Campsen, Linda Demmer and Pam Kadlec and Ward broke the ice by shooting a few rounds of clay targets.
“All the women hit everything out of the sky,” Demmer said with a grin. “I think we went through about four boxes (of shotgun shells) each.”
The next morning, it was time to get down to business. After a few adjustments to get to where the ducks wanted to be, Ward and Demmer had a hunt to remember.
“Before we knew it, the birds were falling in left and right,” Ward said. “I’ve never seen so many wood ducks in one place. That is really all we saw, and it was so interesting to me, especially being out in more of an open-field setting. Where I grew up hunting, you only saw wood ducks in December. It was fun. There for a while, it was all me and Miss Linda could do to keep our guns loaded.”
Campsen enjoys the action and the scenery that goes along with duck hunting in the Palmetto State.
“It really is a way to revive and refresh your soul,” Campsen said. “To see all the hues, the pinks and purples, and see them turn to oranges and yellows, it’s marvelous to experience that. I think we are all called to be good stewards of this land.”
12 – Southern Women from DucksUnlimited on Vimeo.
Also on DU TV this week: DU CEO Dale Hall talks about mallard population declines along the Atlantic Flyway. DU Magazine Shotgun Columnist Phil Bourjaily gives you tips on how to shoot doubles and retriever trainer Mike Stewart explains how to make the transition from on-lead to off-lead field work with your duck dog.
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.