Volunteering: You Can Help Secure the Future of Duck Hunting, but Steer Clear of the Ponies and the Pull Tabs
By Tori J. McCormick - Associate Editor
They are investment bankers and public school teachers, union masons and college students.
They come from big cities and suburbs, the hinterlands and all whistle stops in between. They are young and old, male and female, rich and poor, Republicans and Democrats. Defining this particular demographic is like employing pari-mutuel betting as a long-term retirement strategy. You can try to prognosticate the ponies to pad your social security or 401K, but you'll likely do so in vain.
Some are extremely ambitious, alpha dogs who've attained professional success and crave positions of leadership. Others want to be a small cog in a larger operation, and have multiple social interactions with like-minded individuals. Still others—perhaps the vast majority—simply want to do more for ducks and duck hunters.
They are volunteers.
Delta Waterfowl is blessed to have volunteers aplenty across North America. They are the "broad shoulders," as Carl Sandburg might have written, that keep Delta up and running and working to fulfill our mission.
Even with an energized volunteer base, however, the most common question I get (in letters, emails and phone calls) is how can I help? Good question. Here are some ideas:
● Purchase two federal duck stamps. The idea isn't sexy, but it is one of the best investments you can make in the future of waterfowl hunting—and it requires no time commitment whatsoever. Imagine if every U.S. duck hunter purchased two federal duck stamps? It would double the money used on the breeding grounds to secure, through voluntary easements, indispensable waterfowl habitat. Put another way, it would help make more ducks for you, the duck hunter.
Consider: Since its inception in 1934, the federal duck stamp has generated more than $750 million in sales, securing more than 5.3 million acres of waterfowl habitat, including as much or more than 2.7 million acres in the prairie Duck Factory.
That's good news. Here's the bad: The stamp's price (currently $15) has not been raised since 1991 (and federal legislation to raise the price and borrow money from duck stamp sales to secure habitat at today's prices has languished), the longest stretch in its history. Adjusted for inflation, a federal duck stamp purchased today would cost roughly $24. Trust me. The money isn't going to waste, either. Ninety-eight cents of every dollar goes directly into the ground.
I've started buying federal duck stamps for my non-hunting "birder" friends who haven't connected the dots on how such a stamp benefits them. It allows me to get on my soap box. I try to be nice, but sometimes I blow like a volcano and use shame as a weapon. "Waterfowl hunters are required by law to purchase federal ducks stamps each year to hunt, but you won't even though you enjoy the same birds?" I often intone, and rather smugly. "We hunters do our part for habitat, but most of you birders don't? What gives? How can you live with yourself?"
My shame-as-weapon tactic doesn't stop there, either. I have old friends who bitch and moan about the price of hunting and "all those stamps." Getting too expensive, they say. Really, I retort, their hypocrisy hanging before us like a ripe fruit.
I often remind my buddies that when they're drinking their lunch or supper (or both) at the local watering hole, and when they're ankle deep in pull tabs, part of their daily "investment" could have gone to purchase another federal duck stamp. The upshot: shame sometimes works, and pull tabs are for suckers.
● Get active, get educated, show up. It's been said that Democracy is run by those who show up. True enough. If you're really concerned about the future of waterfowl hunting, you have to get involved—and educated— on the issues that affect our heritage. The pay is bad, the hours are often long, and the prestige is minimal. But in the end the work can be extremely satisfying.
Much of the heavy lifting on natural resource and hunting issues is done in meeting rooms across the country. Public meetings are where decisions are made that affect hunters. If you don't show up and give voice to those issues, you won't have a say in their outcome. Nor should you, frankly. Apathy rewards no one.
Sitting in a public meeting room can cure insomnia faster than a belly full of Lunesta—the work can be a real snore, that's for sure—but it's important work, too, and very much needed.
Another idea: contact your legislators and urge them to support (or defeat) a particular bill. I've been told by legislative aids that lawmakers often calculate that each constituent letter they receive represents a similar view of at least 100 others. I can't confirm this, but I do know from personal experience a well-written letter can make a big difference on a particular issue. If you do write or e-mail, keep the letter focused and concise. Include your name, address, phone number and other pertinent information. Most legislators will want to verify that the letter they receive is from one of their constituents, I'm told.
If the issue is hot but you don't have time to send a letter, place a phone call. Again, be brief and to the point; state why you're calling, give a bill number if possible, and articulate the action you'd like the lawmaker to take on the issue. Lastly, if you have enough time and the inclination, make a personal visit. Some lawmakers actually reward such dedication by listening to what you have to say. Imagine that. If you want to be taken seriously, be courteous and professional. Mind your manners.
Use the media, too. If there's an issue that needs to be covered and isn't, contact your local newspaper (or other media outlet). Here again, emails work well. Be sure to put "story idea" in the subject line. Reporters like stories, and exposure on a particular issue can sway public opinion and put lawmakers on notice.
If you disagree with an editorial or a news story, write a letter to the editor and set the record straight. Such letters are well read by lawmakers and community leaders who like to gauge public sentiment about current newsy issues. If you're really ambitious, write a commentary piece for the opinion page. In either case, know the rules that govern writing such letters. No personal attacks, either. Those letters/commentaries never make into print.
Like I said, democracy is run by those who show up. Make a difference; get involved today.
● Become a First Hunt mentor. Few things are more rewarding than passing on something you love deeply to someone else. Mentoring is a covenant between two people—the teacher and the student. And teaching someone—anyone—the wonders of waterfowling can change the trajectory of that person's life. I'm living proof that such wonders occur.
To me, being a mentor implies a long-term commitment, not just some one-and-done state-sponsored hunt on a crisp Saturday morning in October. If you're serious about teaching the culture of waterfowl hunting, push all your chips into the middle of the table and get busy, year-round. Scared money never wins, and neither do wishy-washy mentors. Trust me on that.
Waterfowling is a skills-intensive, year-round pastime that can be intimidating to student-novices. There's shooting and calling, decoy placement and ethics/safety training, dog handling and game preparation. And that's the short list.
Keep in mind, however, that most of these skills can and should be taught in the off-season—and not necessarily during the sensory blitzkrieg of an actual hunt. Make the time commitment and get it right. If you do, I'll take odds right now you're half way to home to making a life-long waterfowler-conservationist, and that's the juice of being a mentor.
Besides, it's a safer bet than playing the ponies or pulling tabs. Trust me on that. I know about which I speak.
