Goey Hunting Calls to Donate $25 of Every Swamp Sister Duck Call Sold to Oklahoma Tornado Victims

In an effort to help out those in need, after the devastating tornados that touched down in Oklahoma this week, Goey Hunting Calls will donate $25 of every $30 Swamp Sister sold to the Salvation Army Arkansas-Oklahoma Division to aid in providing food and shelter...

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Waterfowl Scouting: Being Where the Birds Want to Be

We all know that to be successful waterfowlers, we need to be where the birds want to be. Good advice but sometimes easier said than done. It’s Not Easy! Scouting locations early in the season and before is not only a smart move, but also...

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The Call That Started It All Redux

The phone rings in an old building in Groves, Texas, where a legendary business is nearly forgotten. But no one is there to answer the call. Charlie Holder hangs up and dials another number. He finally reaches Jim “Cowboy” Fernandez, one of the creators of...

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Video: Police Officer Protects and Serves Waterfowl

Officer Mark James takes his duty to “protect and serve” in Portland, Oregon seriously, as shown when he puts a potential high speed chase on hold to save a wandering mallard and her ducklings. In the video below, released by the Portland Police Bureau, shows...

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Laying Out the Layout Blind

Back when I first started field hunting for geese and ducks, we didn’t have layout blinds. It’s not that they weren’t available, we just couldn’t afford them. A pit blind was out of the question too, as where I lived, they were illegal. So we camo’d up the best we could...

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Fixing the Unfixable: When Good Hunts Go Bad

You’ve done just about everything you can do. You scouted the fields and learned where the birds are and want to be. You set up well before sunrise and have your dekes nailed as far as positioning. You’re in your blind and totally concealed. You...

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Waterfowl Museum to Auction 3,500 Decoys Worth an Estimated $500,000

The Refuge Waterfowl Museum in Chincoteague, Virginia is putting one of the world’s largest collections of decoys and waterfowl-related artwork up for sale. According to Delmarvanow.com, the first of two auctions will take place later this week while the second is scheduled for September. Among the items are carvings by famed craftsmen Miles Hancock, Steve Ward, Oliver Lawson, Frank Finney, and many others. The collection of decoys is extensive and one-of-a-kind.

“We have been in the decoy business as it relates to auctions for 10 years and never, ever have we been associated with anything this large or this significant,” said auctioneer Zeb B. Barfield.

The museum was founded by the late John Maddox, a businessman and hunter who applied the same techniques used on the field to those in the boardroom. Maddox opened the museum for the public in 1975, but the operation fell into decline after his death in 2011.

“None of us in the family have the same passion for this as Dad had,” said his son Richard Maddox, who is overseeing the sale. The family sought other methods of preserving the collection intact, including contacting the Smithsonian and local interests, but those solutions did not pan out. As a result the Maddox family will be keeping a few of the items and the rest will be auctioned off to interested collectors. While the decoys have always been at the core of the museum, the sale also includes numerous pieces of artwork, commercial items and even a hunting carriage from the 1890s.

After cataloging many unique items from a variety of artists and manufacturers, experts predict the collection will bring in a sizable dollar amount.

“We believe the collection might sell in the half-million-dollar range, but we could easily go up to $700,000,” Barfield said.

Read and join the discussion on Waterfowl Museum to Auction 3,500 Decoys Worth an Estimated $500,000 at OutdoorHub.com.

Found Retriever: Sometimes Your Hunting Dog Finds You

Think of your hunting buddies. You’ve had a lot of great times hunting with them, haven’t you? Now, you didn’t get to select your hunting buddies based on set criteria, did you? If you did, well, that’s just a bit creepy. Of course if we...

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Rigging Your Duck Decoys Can Be Easy

Waterfowl hunting may be the most gear-intensive hunting sport there is, especially when you take all the decoys into account. Prep work before a hunt takes time and care. But heck, that’s part of the fun! There are a lot of ways to rig your...

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“Duck Dynasty” Finale Crushes the Competition with 9.6 Million Viewers

Duck Dynasty shattered A&E network records last year with their Christmas finale, bringing in 6.5 million viewers to watch the Robertson family decorate their home with holiday trappings, good cheer, and of course, ducks. The show’s meteoric rise is still going strong with a hit season finale that aired on Wednesday. According to Entertainment Weekly, Duck Dynasty captured the attention of 9.6 million viewers for the last episode of its third season, easily beating contenders like Fox’s American Idol–which garnered 3.3 million viewers Wednesday.

Duck Dynasty’s success lies in its simple formula. At heart a show about a Louisiana bayou family, the series follows the earnest values and traditions of the Robertson clan. Coming to prominence under patriarch Phil Robertson and his son, Duck Commander CEO Willie, the “dynasty” in the show’s title refers to expansive business empire that grew out of a small family shed. The Robertsons have been in the business of making duck calls since 1973 and only recently ventured into television.

Duck Dynasty became an unexpected hit in its first season and by the show’s second year had already secured a dominating hold among the adult 18-49 age range. Its third season finale cemented its reign as cable television’s strongest performing reality show, and remains the most-watched original series behind AMC’s The Walking Dead.

The finale’s Hawaiian adventure was a departure from the show’s usual environment. Fans were treated to the Robertson boys suited up in floral shirts and getting a tan. Willie also faced a major hiccup when his luggage mysteriously went missing, but Uncle Si is on the case when he is offered $500 to play detective. In the meantime, Willie gets his feet wet with a little surfing.

“Season 3 was fun guys,” Willie wrote on his Twitter account. “Thanks for watching! Good to be home. Stay tuned.”

If you haven’t seen it, you can view the episode in its entirety here on A&E for a limited time only, or watch the recap below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu5DRXD6160

For a glimpse of the Robertsons before Duck Dynasty, check out Outdoor Hub’s Duck Commander playlist:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI9Sd1KDkus

Read and join the discussion on “Duck Dynasty” Finale Crushes the Competition with 9.6 Million Viewers at OutdoorHub.com.

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