by Jessi Cole Walters
Jim Ronquest is a certified legend in the waterfowl world. He's a world champion duck caller and a heckuva duck hunter. If there's anyone that can convince a mallard to come visit your little section of the flooded timber, it's Jimbo.
Jimbo and Drake Waterfowl invited a group of writers down to Arkansas this December for a couple of days of world-class duck hunting at a storied waterfowl cabin aptly named the Drake Place Lodge. (The tales of Bill Clinton exploits at this very cabin are legendary.)
We had representation from Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, and, of course, Mossy Oak. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a bunch of well-mannered and excitable black labs and a homemade barbecue dinner that would rival any side-of-the-road bbq joint (which are always the best.)
The first morning, our group of 7 met up well before sunrise to head out and begin set-up for the morning. We set up on the edge of flooded barnyard grass and volunteer rice crop, using the concealment the woods would offer to our advantage. The decoys were set out, trees were assigned, and we waited for the first glimpse of sun to peek above the horizon.
Wood ducks were the first to arrive, and we dropped one out of a speedy group of three--we were just warming up, we told ourselves.
But for whatever reason, the ducks just weren't wanting to be at that spot that morning. It was, however, a great excuse to pepper Jimbo with questions and observe him working birds up close and personal without distraction. We ended up packing it up around 10:30 and headed back for a hardy breakfast of bacon, eggs, biscuits, and sausage.
After breakfast, our group headed to Stuttgart for a tour of RNT Calls, guided by Jim Ronquest himself. We saw the latest CAD machines and the one-of-a-kind calls made right there in the shop. They had even recently opened a bar right there in the shop, making for exactly the ideal kind of setting that'll soothe the sting of a slow morning on the water for any duck hunter.
Here duck calls are being turned at the lathe at RNT Calls.
The new bar at RNT Calls.
Vintage Ducks Unlimited buttons at the Grand Prairie Museum in Stuttgart, Arkansas.
We also toured the Grand Prairie Museum, a must-see for any duck hunter that finds themselves in the historic and storied Stuttgart area.
Back at the cabin, we watched old duck hunting videos and played with the dogs while dinner was prepared. Certainly, it was a pretty great day if you're at all interested in the great sport of waterfowling and you know exactly who you're hanging out with when Jim Ronquest is giving you personal tours.
The next and last morning, we hunted in a blind on the edge of another natural food field and had some luck with teal and a couple of groups of mallards that Jim convinced to come work down right in front of us.
Nobody limited out but the spirits were still incredible high--it was pretty impossible to have a bad time. Sometimes the birds just don't cooperate the way you think they're going to--even if you have someone like Jim Ronquest on your side.
The bottom line is, if you ever find yourself lucky enough to share a tree with Jimbo, you're going to have a great time and learn a whole lot of new skills.
