Duck Dynasty – Have the Bearded Boys Helped Increase the Numbers of Duck Hunters?

Have you been watching Duck Dynasty on A&E?  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that show!  Duck Dynasty is a reality tv series about the Robertson family, creaters of the Duck Commander and Buck Commander brands.  Mostly through sales of duck calls and other branded outdoor gear, the Robertsons have gone from down-home, self-proclaimed rednecks to down-home, self proclaimed redneck MILLIONAIRES.  The show gives us a little insight into the family-run business, but more so into the quirky antics of the family members.  If you don’t hunt you may think you wouldn’t enjoy the show but you’d be wrong!  These guys are so hilarious in their one-liners and their homemade projects that everyone can find something to relate to.  I love the show so much that for Halloween, I dressed as Willie Robertson (the main “character” on the show and CEO of Duck Commander)!   I even carried a Duck Commander teal call with me 🙂

Yup, that’s me, a 25-year old girl, as Willie Robertson from Duck Dynasty on Halloween!

For those of us that do hunt, you’ve probably noticed the wide-spread popularity of Duck Dynasty.  Many of our friends who’ve never picked up a shotgun enjoy the show.  So the question is, will the Robertons’ new fans move over into an active conservation role?  Will more duck hunters be born from Duck Dynasty?  Guest blogger Travis Brenson sheds some light…

Duck Dynasty – Have the Bearded Boys Helped Increase the Numbers of Duck Hunters?

Well, that’s the million dollar question and unfortunately it’s too soon to tell. Certainly there are those who work in State Regulated Fish and Game Agencies that might hear of stories about hunters who retrieved those dusty duck hunting caps to revisit those frigid duck blinds of their youth only after watching A & E’s wildly popular reality series, “Duck Dynasty”. Or there are those who’ve been seen trading hikes into the mountains with their scopes and rifles for waders, shotguns and duck calls.

The bearded boys doing what they do best, duck hunting.

But without hunting or license statistics, duck stamp purchases and ammunition sales, it is hard to predict. Even looking at the most recent copy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Migratory Bird Hunting Activity and Harvest During the 2009 and 2010 Hunting Seasons can’t prove or disprove the numbers since it was released in July 2011, long before the show first aired in March of 2012. So, is there any evidence to support the claims?

Duck Commander brand duck calls, available in their online store: http://store.duckcommander.com/

There is. Namely, duck calls. As in millions of dollar’s worth. According to Celebritynetworth.com, Willie Robertson has a net worth of ten million dollars directly related to his family-owned and operated duck call business. Well, that and an ever-increasing cult popularity that Duck Dynasty has created with their diehard duck fans. On their website you can find episodes to download and watch in case you missed anything big that might have happened between this week’s show and lasts or you can find the location of their next live appearance. That’s right, you can meet the bearded boys in person. Trade frog leg recipes or talk turkey (or duck) about which of the many duck calls work best in each and every duck hunting situation.

It’s a family business. Phil Robertson, the creater of Duck Commander, along with his brother Si, his son Jase, and his son and current CEO of the company, Willie Robertson.

But best of all, if you grew up hunting then you can experience firsthand the love of family and tradition and how hunting can be the glue to tie generations together with. Either way, Duck Dynasty is sure to please with its light-hearted humor, bumbling brothers and their juvenile antics. Something that is always in short supply it seems. But whether or not the show will end up reviving the age-old traditions of duck hunting is only left to anecdotal evidence, for now. Or until we get the most current U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Migratory Bird Hunting Report.

Who knows, maybe the beards will be the catalyst for a whole new generation of duck hunters.

Travis Brenson is an avid hunter and marksman who enjoys the big Texas outdoors and appreciates a good venison steak. When he’s not in his deer stand he’s working for Scopes n More, home of the best deals on scopes.