Hunting with the Duckman

Phil Robertson, alias 'The Duck Commander' or simply 'The Duckman', is without doubt the most famous name in Duck Hunting world wide. In the USA he has almost Rock Star status and its not uncommon to see his face endorcing Federal Black Cloud Shot Shells or Benelli shotguns on TV commercials and huge roadside bill-boards.

A highlight of a recent Tannock family trip to the US was being hosted by the Robertson's in their Louisiana bayou home and getting to hunt alongside the Duckmen in the heart of the Mississippi delta swampland. The hunt was the 'real deal', and came complete with a snake encounter. It was teal season and the full contingent of Robertsons including sons Willie, Jase and Jep were present, as was brother Sirus and close friend John Godwin. The hunt was filmed and while the bag for the day was modest, Phil reckoned there was enough action to be able to include footage of his 'Kiwi Mates' in next years Duckman DVD.

Phil hunts every day of the season so the routine was well oiled. A 5-00 am meeting in the kitchen where the coffee pot is on and the TV weather channel is gleaned. Then its out into the darkness where we travel by 6-wheelers to the edge of the swamp. Next its into boats with the latest 'beaver-tail' outboards. The blinds are well camo'd, semi sunken steel constructions which sit low in the water and allow up to 4 shooters to line up together. We see Wood Ducks, Widgeon, Teal and a great variety of non game waterbirds. We share more coffee and compare hunting trends from each side of the world.

When the teal action comes, its fast and furious. Phil and Jase 'peep' the sweeping and surging flights over the decoys in front of the blind. "Whack-em" is the call and we rise and shoot. At one point a Blue Wing veers over me and I take him cleanly in a snapshot that the Duckman himself congratulates me on. The dogwork is as good as I have seen, the sun is warming up the day, the company is great, and my three sons are there to experience it all!

I learned early on in life that duck hunters the world over share a common bond, so we don't feel over-awed to be shoulder to shoulder with the Robertsons. Their hospitality was the real highlight, as over two evenings we got to meet with their entire extended family and sampled the home cooked cajun cuisine and hospitality the South is famous for.

We also got to meet a TV crew that had arrived to do the background work for the Robertsons next rise in their media profile - a reality TV Show! That's right the TV company wanted to film a family of 'Red Necks' going about their business and as Phil Robertson said to me, "Tannock, for the money they are talking, we'll be as red-neck as they want us to be!".

Duck Commander calls have made an ordinary man, Phil Robertson, a world wide celebrity. The reason is simple, they are the easiest to blow and sound more like a duck than any other call we know of. Each is hand assembled and tuned individually by either Jase Robertson or John Godwin. This is a family business and a success story of which Hunting & Fishing New Zealand has been a part since we first introduced, and were appointed NZ's exclusive outlet for Duck Commander calls 20 years ago. The Robertsons too are proud of their Kiwi profile - as by our calculations, Duck Commander calls are this country's most popular brand of duck call!