• Scouting 101 • Summer Training:   Keeping Your Dog Cool • Chapter Spotlight:   Wa-Nee Chapter, Ind. • Passing on the   Hunting Tradition • Landowner Spotlight:   The Carlson Family ...and more

Favorite Member Photos
Check out our selections for the past month

We've picked our favorite member photos of the day from July for our monthly slideshow. Check out these great photos and download them as wallpaper for your desktop!

View the slideshow

Member Tip
Line Guide

Here's a tip for addressing the issue of adjusting decoy line for variable water depths. I attach a metal shower curtain ring on the keels of my decoys. Alternatively, large fishing swivels can be used for the same purpose. When you set your decoys, simply unwrap line off the keel to the desired depth, open the curtain ring, place the line inside the ring and snap it shut. This will prevent any more line than is necessary from coming off the keel.

–Lance Crawford, Delano, Texas

Monthly Dog Training Tip
Deke vs. The Heat

Mike Stewart offers some tips for keeping your dog cool during preseason training in the high heat of summer.



Watch it now | View older tips

Chapter Spotlight
Wa-Nee Chapter

In the face of economic struggle, the DU members in Wakarusa, Nappanee and Elkhart, Indiana, banded together to form a better, stronger Wa-Nee Chapter. This joining of forces spelled success for Wa-Nee in 2010, with increased event attendance, sponsors and new ideas for future events.

Read more

Ducks Unlimited's GiftLegacy eNewsletter
Subscribe today!

Click here to subscribe to Ducks Unlimited's GiftLegacy eNewsletter, which features information on current tax issues, helpful tips for retirees and many other resources for those who want to give to DU through gift and estate plans. Not only can you find out how to receive a free Guide to Wills & Trusts, but GiftLegacy also allows you to request other information to assist in your gift and estate planning needs. Opt in here.

Partner Spotlight
Affinity Doors

Affinity Doors has partnered with Ducks Unlimited as a provider of one-of-a-kind, handcrafted wooden doors and entranceways. Ducks Unlimited members receive a 25% discount on our full range of custom door designs. A portion of the sales of each custom door order is donated to DU for ongoing wetland conservation initiatives.



Affinity Doors has created original designs of waterfowl, including scenic depictions of mallards, loons, pintails and canvasbacks. Visit the Affinity Doors website or call 877.438.1414 for more information.

Feature | Scouting 101

Year-round scouting leads to success

As the 2010-'11 waterfowl season creeps closer, preparedness is the key to success. There are decoys to rig, dogs to train and blinds to build, but the one aspect many hunters overlook is scouting. Stay ahead of the game with these scouting techniques and you may find yourself on the "X" on opening day.

Read more | More hunting tips

Gear Up | August Gear Guide

With the season on the horizon, make way for some new products that will improve your chances for success. This month's gear guide features many unique products that will take your hunting experience to the next level. Get ready, because the countdown has begun!

View the guide | Past gear guides

DU Magazine | Passing on the Tradition

Today's waterfowlers have a responsibility to recruit new hunters, especially youth, for the sake of our heritage and the resource

I wonder how many of us remember overhearing our dads making plans to go hunting only to have our hopes dashed when we were told that just the grownups were going on the hunt. My dad often attempted to placate me by promising to take me "soon" or "next time." And while I was greatly disappointed to be left behind in those early instances, he eventually took me hunting, and I've been an avid hunter ever since. Many Americans, for many reasons, have a far different experience than I did growing up, and as a result do not hunt.

Read more | More DU Magazine features

Featured Video | Aerial Surveys

When you're concerned with the lives and habitats of North American waterfowl, sometimes it helps to have a bird's-eye view. Check out First Migration - Aerial Surveys for an overview of how aerial surveys aid in DU's conservation efforts. To learn more about aerial surveys, visit the DU website.



Watch video | More videos

Events | Secretary of Interior visits DU national headquarters to unveil new duck stamp cachet

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar visited Ducks Unlimited national headquarters on July 27 to unveil the new Federal Duck Stamp cachet, which will fund Gulf Coast wetlands restoration efforts. Before the unveiling, Secretary Salazar took a tour of DU's headquarters to meet and talk with employees. DU CEO Dale Hall walked Secretary Salazar around the building, along with Rowan Gould, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Johnny Morris, owner of Bass Pro Shops. Click here to see more photos of Secretary Salazar's visit.


Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and DU CEO Dale Hall unveil the new Federal Duck Stamp cachet at DU national headquarters.

DU News | Recent Headlines

DU says "Open Fields" will maintain hunting traditions

DU Texas conservation efforts welcome southbound waterfowl

Oil from Michigan spill could threaten important wetlands

Rescue the Duck Factory nearly halfway to goal

Ducks Unlimited: CRP sign-up comes at critical time
for ducks

Landowner Spotlight | The Carlson Family

A Minnesota family makes a gift to wildlife while protecting their farm

"Wildlife doesn't just happen—you have to provide for it," said Larry Carlson, an Evansville, Minn., farmer who has incorporated a number of conservation programs into his corn, soybeans and wheat operation.

Larry and his wife, Vicki, along with her brother John Cunz recently donated a 180-acre conservation easement to Ducks Unlimited. They are also benefiting from incentives from the federal farm bill.

Read the Carlsons' story | DU's Land Protection program

Partner Spotlight | Bass Pro Shops

August is Ducks Unlimited Conservation Month
at Bass Pro Shops!

During the entire month of August, Bass Pro shoppers are encouraged to donate $2 to Ducks Unlimited when they visit any Bass Pro Shops retail store, or even online at www.basspro.com/ducks. Your $2 donation will also enter you in the Wetlands For Tomorrow drawing for your chance to win great prizes, including Bass Pro gift cards, a Browning Silver shotgun and an all-expenses-paid duck-hunting trip for 2 to Buckshot Duck Lodge, just outside Stuttgart, Arkansas!

For more information, please see a Bass Pro Shops representative at your nearest Bass Pro retail store, or visit www.basspro.com/ducks.

To print the recipe, use your mouse to highlight the recipe text. Go to File > Print and choose "Selection" for Print range. The recipe will be in color unless you set your printer to grayscale.

Recipe Spotlight Ducks Gone Dixie
submitted by Walter Bundy
Ingredients
3 green tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch slices 1 c. + 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar ¼ c. water ¼ c. fresh basil, chopped 1 Tbsp. sugar 1 c. sour cream 1 c. buttermilk	1 Tbsp. garlic, minced 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped ½ c. crumbled bleu cheese Salt and pepper to taste 4 boneless mallard breasts 1 pkg. hardwood-smoked bacon
Cooking Instructions
Place tomatoes in a bowl. Mix 1 c. vinegar, the water, ¼ c. basil and the sugar in a bowl and pour over tomatoes. Marinate for 30 minutes. Pour into colander and let drain 5 minutes. Whisk sour cream, buttermilk, garlic, 2 Tbsp. vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and 2 Tbsp. basil in a bowl. Stir in bleu cheese and season with salt and pepper. Season duck with salt and pepper. Wrap bacon slices around duck breasts, completely covering each. Secure bacon with a wooden pick on each side. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Turn and cook until bacon is crisp and duck is medium rare. Remove duck to paper towels to drain. Slice duck thinly and serve over tomatoes. Drizzle bleu cheese mixture over top. Serves 4 to 8.
This month's recipe is taken from The Hunter's Table, the all-new cookbook from Ducks Unlimited. Check out more recipes like these and order your copy of The Hunter's Table at hunterstable.com or by calling 1-800-358-0560.