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This issue of the DU Newsletter proudly brought to you by:
Tohatsu Outboards
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• Duck Calling 101
• Chapter Spotlight:
Northern Tazewell
• Why Waterfowl Migrate
• Landowner Spotlight:
Brad Magness of SD
...and more
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Favorite Member Photos
Check out our selections for the past month
We've picked our favorite member photos of the day from September for our monthly slideshow. Check out these great photos and download them as wallpaper for your desktop!
View the slideshow »
Member Tip
Stay Mobile
If you find yourself in a bad setup, don't just sit there and hope it will get better. If the ducks are flying but not decoying, then change the spread. More decoys, less decoys, different decoys, whatever. But don't just stay there doing the same thing and expect different results. If you're not seeing birds at all, then get the heck up and move.
–Scott Tucker,
via the DU Facebook page
Monthly Dog Training Tip
Avoid Diversions in the Field
Mike Stewart provides training tips to keep your dog's attention on the retrieve and not on distractions in the field.
Watch video » | Older tips »
Chapter Spotlight
Northern Tazewell Chapter
It wasn't long ago that the Northern Tazewell DU Chapter in E. Peoria, Ill., struggled with event attendance. When Chairman Bill Hartter came on board in 2008, that all changed. Teaming up with a handful of new committee members, Hartter took charge of the chapter and adopted new policies designed to get more people through the door.
Read more »
Partner Spotlight
DU Holiday Cards
It's that time of year! Order your DU holiday cards today!
Our partner of 25 years, Barton Cotton, has designed another great collection of Christmas & general holiday cards for you this year.
View the entire line of holiday cards and order today!
With every order, you'll receive two FREE GIFTS:
*Personalized return-address labels
*Decorative holiday seals
PLUS:
*FREE IMPRINTING with your purchase of 3 or more boxes!
ALSO AVAILABLE: Our popular:
*Ducks-themed notecards
*Santa jigsaw puzzles
*Photo-frame ornaments |
Feature | Duck Calling 101
Four steps to better calling
 Stand on Main Street in Stuttgart, Ark., during the Wings Over the Prairie Festival and a hunter might start thinking that the only successful caller is one who can create a 90-second symphony of sounds on his favorite call.
But if you strip away the elaborate hail calls and the rolling feeding chuckle, what you have left is a basic framework of sounds that any hunter can master. And according to one world-champion caller, the simple stuff is all you need to call more ducks.
Read more » | More calling tips »
Opening Day Update | Migration Map
Field reports to get you excited for the season
The DU Migration Map is lit up like a Christmas tree as hunters all over the country report waterfowl migration sightings in their area. Many reports show "increasing numbers," which provides an optimistic outlook for hunters everywhere. And Opening Day is here to help you get ready for the first flight.
Opening Day, the ultimate waterfowl hunter's resource, offers tips and tactics, videos, gear features, photo contests and Avery Pro-Staff hunting reports from the field. Before you head to the blind, check out the most comprehensive collection of waterfowling knowledge on the web!
Read recent reports » | Submit your report now »
Gear Up | October Gear Guide
Attention waterfowl gear junkies everywhere—it's October! If your waterfowl season hasn't begun yet, it will soon, and you better get prepared. The October gear guide features "must-have" items for early and mid season. Also make sure to check out Opening Day, where a new piece of gear is featured every day.
View the guide » | Past gear guides »
DU Magazine | Why Waterfowl Migrate
Ducks and geese fly long distances to find the resources they need to survive and reproduce
"By three o'clock, large flocks of mallards began to leave the lake and prairies and headed east and southeast for the river and refuge from the stinging blasts of wind and snow. The bands of waterfowl sensed that this was the end for them at this latitude," wrote William C. Hazelton in Days Among the Ducks. 
Actually, the ducks Hazelton described "sensed" key changes in their environment long before the December blast ultimately pushed them southward. While a dramatic change in weather was the immediate signal for the birds to find food and habitat elsewhere, the internal clock that determined their departure was set months before by the gradual lengthening of spring daylight.
Read more » | More DU Magazine features »
Featured Member Video | Pre-season Duck Call Maintenance Tips
Before you go out to the blind this season, it's important to assess the condition of all your gear. One of the most important items on that checklist is your calls. DU Member Chase Moore offers his tips for making sure your calls are ready for opening day.
Watch video » | Submit yours!
DU News | Recent Headlines
Migration Update: Bayou Bluewings
Check out DU videographers' Clay Baird and Brett Cantrell footage of blue-winged teal in the Louisiana marshes and get an update on this year's migration.
Read more »
More headlines
Landowner Spotlight | Brad Magness
Stewardship comes naturally to this South Dakota rancher
 Brad Magness was raised to be a good steward of the land. So working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ducks Unlimited to protect his family's South Dakota ranch with a conservation easement made perfect sense to him. "It was an easy decision because it wasn't going to alter any of our operation," Magness said. "When a conservation program comes along that will compensate us to keep our land as close to prairie as God made it, we'd be foolish to turn it away."
Read more » | DU's Land Protection program »
Partner Spotlight | Jack Daniel's
Get your 2010 Ducks Unlimited gift set today!
Jack Daniel's is supporting the efforts of Ducks Unlimited to conserve the wetlands of North America by once again offering a limited-edition bottle of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel whiskey. Presented in a commemorative gift tin, the bottle features a special medallion with the official Ducks Unlimited logo. The gift set also includes two limited-edition glasses and a custom print by famed artist Jim Killen. A portion of every purchase is donated to Ducks Unlimited. To date, more than $500,000 has been donated to DU's conservation efforts through this program.
Please contact Jack Daniel's at www.jackdaniels.com/contact.aspx or call 888-551-5225 for more information on the 2010 Jack Daniel's Ducks Unlimited commemorative gift tin.
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
Duck Chili |
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submitted by Craig Heyer |
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| Ingredients |
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 to 1½ lb. cubed duck breast
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 jalapeņo peppers, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
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- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes
- 4 potatoes, peeled & cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 15-oz. cans dark red kidney beans
- 1 15-oz. can black beans
- 1 15-oz. can pinto beans
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| Cooking Instructions |
- Heat the oil in a 6-quart stockpot. Stir in the ground beef, duck, onion and garlic. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the ground beef is crumbly, stirring frequently. Drain.
- Stir in the jalapeņos, bay leaves, salt, tomatoes and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Stir in the kidney beans, black beans and pinto beans. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves.
- Serves 8. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and sliced green onions.
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For more recipes like these, check out The Hunter's Table, the all-new cookbook from Ducks Unlimited. Order your copy of The Hunter's Table at hunterstable.com or by calling 1-800-358-0560.
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