T. EdwardNickens

T. Edward Nickens

Contributing Editor of Ducks Unlimited magazine

T. Edward Nickens is a North Carolina-based freelance writer who has a passion for the outdoors and conservation. You can learn more about him by visiting his Instagram @enickens

All articles by T. Edward Nickens

Cupped Wings: Buried Treasure

Cupped Wings: Buried Treasure

There is no limit to what a hunter will do to recover a lost duck call

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Leading a Legacy

Leading a Legacy

After decades of conservation leadership, Jim Kennedy is determined to stretch the boundaries of what is possible in the ongoing fight to safeguard North America’s wetlands and waterfowl

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Cupped Wings: Riding Around

Cupped Wings: Riding Around

With the right company, you can learn a lot about ducks—and life—simply by taking a drive

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The Mallard Report

The Mallard Report

An update on the conservation challenges facing the ever-popular greenhead and the status of its populations across North America

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Duck Camp Cocktails

Duck Camp Cocktails

Five spirited recipes for after-the-hunt-celebrations

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Wood Ducks: Play-By-Play

Wood Ducks: Play-By-Play

Follow the author’s game plan to bag more woodies this season

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One Acre at a Time

One Acre at a Time

How Ducks Unlimited delivered a record 1 million acres of conservation in the past year

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Cupped Wings: The Radius of Truth

Cupped Wings: The Radius of Truth

When it comes to protecting a honey hole, you shouldn’t lie, but you don’t have to tell the whole truth either

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A Big Win for Green Bay

A Big Win for Green Bay

With help from the legendary Packers franchise and grassroots DU supporters, this historic hunting and fishing hot spot has made a remarkable comeback

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Cupped Wings: Friends

Cupped Wings: Friends

Whether you’ve just met or have known each other for decades, good hunting buddies are worth their weight in shotgun shells

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Rescuing the Great Salt Lake

Rescuing the Great Salt Lake

Conserving vital habitat and raising public awareness about this iconic western ecosystem

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Delta Blues

Delta Blues

The author travels to south Louisiana for a rendezvous with blue-winged teal in the rich coastal marshes at the mouth of the Mississippi River

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Cupped Wings: Gotta Go

Cupped Wings: Gotta Go

You can’t shoot’em from the couch

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Cupped Wings: Lost

Cupped Wings: Lost

The ducks deserve our best efforts to reduce crippling losses

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Time Traveler

Time Traveler

A master decoy carver and creator of painstakingly accurate scale models and dioramas, Tom Boozer is keeping history alive from his workshop in South Carolina's Lowcountry

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Cupped Wings: Afterglow

Cupped Wings: Afterglow

Between getting skunked and getting a limit, there's a lot to appreciate about a duck hunt

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A Waterfowler’s Retirement Plan

A Waterfowler’s Retirement Plan

Sage advice to help you prepare for the opportunities and challenges of hunting in your golden years

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The Golden Years

The Golden Years

Hunting with an aging retriever can be simultaneously joyous and heartbreaking

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Opening Day Odysseys

Opening Day Odysseys

It’s the most anticipated day of the year . . . and often the most memorable too

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How Duck Hunters are Saving the Planet

How Duck Hunters are Saving the Planet

By supporting efforts to conserve wetlands and broader landscapes across North America, waterfowlers are doing their part to make the world a better place

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Cupped Wings: Another Sunrise

Cupped Wings: Another Sunrise

There are many different ways to measure waterfowling success

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Can We Save the Great Salt Lake?

Can We Save the Great Salt Lake?

On a waterfowling trip to Utah’s famous inland sea, the author gets a firsthand look at the crisis facing one of the most important wetland ecosystems in the arid West

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Cupped Wings: Breathing Life into Wood

Cupped Wings: Breathing Life into Wood

Making a duck call by hand is a unique combination of art and science

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Cupped Wings: The Quest

Cupped Wings: The Quest

There’s a duck hole out there with your name on it

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DU Special Report: Pintails on the Brink

DU Special Report: Pintails on the Brink

With a record-low breeding population surveyed last spring, pintails just missed the threshold that would have required a closed season. Following is an update on the status of these highly admired birds

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Cupped Wings: Silhouettes

Cupped Wings: Silhouettes

Powerful images inspire memories of past hunts and influence the shape of things to come

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Modern-Day Waterman

Modern-Day Waterman

On Maine's Merrymeeting Bay, boat-builder and decoy-carver Frank Middleton has immersed himself in the customs and traditions that define this unique region

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Cupped Wings: Gobsmacked

Cupped Wings: Gobsmacked

You know that getting skunked is part of the game, but that doesn't make it any easier

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Photo Essay: Fall is in the Air

Photo Essay: Fall is in the Air

A photographic tribute to the fall migration

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The Duck Chase

The Duck Chase

After a two-year pause, the dedicated men and women who survey North America’s most important waterfowl breeding grounds were back in the field this spring

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Ducks at a Distance

Ducks at a Distance

This classic ID guide, first published nearly six decades ago, is still a go-to resource for waterfowlers

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This Land is Your Land

This Land is Your Land

Ducks Unlimited and its partners are working to improve waterfowl habitat and hunting access on public lands across the United States

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Cupped Wings: Blind Ambitions

Cupped Wings: Blind Ambitions

Whether ramshackle or regal, duck blinds represent the hopes and dreams of their builders

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The Camp

The Camp

With apologies to Thomas Wolfe, you can go home again

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Crosswinds: The Flush

Crosswinds: The Flush

This thrilling moment is a float hunter’s ultimate rush

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Crosswinds: The In-Between Times

Crosswinds: The In-Between Times

The lull before the final act serves as a time to prepare

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Crosswinds: Picked Clean

Crosswinds: Picked Clean

The author reflects on the simple pleasure of plucking a fat duck for the table

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Crosswinds: Going Crazy

Crosswinds: Going Crazy

The chaos of duck season can force hunters into unusual tactics

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Crosswinds: Saskatchewan Feels

Crosswinds: Saskatchewan Feels

A sense of calm and belonging amidst the chaos of a Saskatchewan goose field

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Crosswinds: Wood Duck Complex

Crosswinds: Wood Duck Complex

This beautiful, acrobatic species is the symbol of early fall for many hunters

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Crosswinds: Of Teal . . . and Excuses

Crosswinds: Of Teal . . . and Excuses

These aerial acrobats can serve up humble pie for shotgunners

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Crosswinds: The First Taste of Duck Season

Crosswinds: The First Taste of Duck Season

The author details his unique early-season reminder that ducks are on the way

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Lessons for the Late Season

Lessons for the Late Season

The author self-evaluates and revamps his approach for the final weeks of duck season

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Crosswinds: Waiting

Crosswinds: Waiting

Patience is a virtue that waterfowlers have learned to accept

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Hunting the Freeze Line

Hunting the Freeze Line

Magic can happen when you are on the edge

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Crosswinds: Smells Like Duck Camp

Crosswinds: Smells Like Duck Camp

Some smells are difficult to forget

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Crosswinds: Christmas Breather

Crosswinds: Christmas Breather

Enjoy a Christmas break from the duck blind

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Science of Waterfowling

Science of Waterfowling

Four DU biologists, who are also hard-core waterfowlers, share their proven tactics for a successful day in the marsh

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Crosswinds: I See Spots

Crosswinds: I See Spots

The author's retriever senses that change is in the air

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Crosswinds: Back in the Groove

Crosswinds: Back in the Groove

The many “firsts” of the season are soon upon us

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Crosswinds: Christmas in September

Crosswinds: Christmas in September

The author revels in the beginning of hunting season

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Fall Break on the Prairies

Fall Break on the Prairies

On a freelance hunting adventure in North Dakota, a father and son find themselves at the intersection of waterfowling dreams and reality

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Crosswinds: Cool Breeze

Crosswinds: Cool Breeze

Even the slightest shifts of wind are noticeable to those who are paying attention

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Crosswinds: Turn the Page

Crosswinds: Turn the Page

The author’s end of summer isn’t based on the calendar

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Crosswinds: Road Tripping

Crosswinds: Road Tripping

Fall road trips begin as a glimmer of hope in the author's mind

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Going Alone

Going Alone

When you're all by yourself in the duck woods, every moment is yours to treasure

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Crosswinds: Dog Days of Summer 2020

Crosswinds: Dog Days of Summer 2020

The author’s Labrador retriever is living her best life, but change is coming

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Crosswinds: Making Plans

Crosswinds: Making Plans

Even in these uncertain times, we can all look forward to a glorious fall

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Crosswinds: Two Kinds of People

Crosswinds: Two Kinds of People

Those with an obsession with waterfowl are easy to identify

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Crosswinds: Nesting Time

Crosswinds: Nesting Time

Across the breeding grounds, ducks and geese are getting down to the business of procreation

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Crosswinds: Spring Cleanup

Crosswinds: Spring Cleanup

Sheltering in place gives waterfowlers time to sort through gear and relive memories from last season

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