MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Sept. 18, 2020 - Snow goose hunting is tough. For every good day in the field, the others are a battle against wise mature birds that are masters at adapting to hunting pressure.

Join DU TV Co-host Fred Zink in Missouri with snow goose hunting expert Tony Vandemore as they hunt with Delaware DU volunteers on an annual pilgrimage with Vandemore&squo;s Habitat Flats outfitting service. This area of central Missouri is a major staging ground for light geese returning north to their embattled tundra breeding grounds. With over a million snows and blues in the area, spring snow goose hunters are there to intercept them.

"Every day you show up, you are the underdog,&dquo; said Vandemore. "Snows are at the top of the waterfowl world. Fooling them is fun and it&squo;s rewarding because you are going to have your teeth kicked in nine out of 10 days. When it&squo;s right, it&squo;s all worth it to see that one big spin.&dquo;

DU Biologist Mike Shannon met the crew at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge (formerly known as Squaw Creek NWR) to capture spectacular footage of staging light geese.

"Snow geese are unique because they don&squo;t just clip off the tops of vegetation, they uproot the whole plant,&dquo; Shannon said. "That makes them very detrimental to their tundra breeding grounds full of slow growth rate plants requiring a long recovery. Not only does that affect snows, but many other bird species migrating up there to breed.&dquo;

DU leader and volunteer Peter MacGaffin of Delaware travels to Habitat Flats every spring along with friends and fellow DU Delaware volunteers. Delaware is composed of only three counties, but their conservation commitment is huge.

"Delaware Ducks Unlimited has a very strong tradition that continues today,&dquo; said MacGaffin. "Delaware DU raised over $1 million last year in a state with less than a million people. Our commitment to wetlands conservation is strong and will remain strong for generations to come.&dquo;

Follow DU&squo;s Twitter feed-@DUNews1937-to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

DU TV airs Mondays at 1 a.m., Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. (all times Eastern) on the Pursuit Channel. All episodes, plus bonus content and classic episodes, can be found at www.ducks.org/dutv.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved almost 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

Media Contact:

John Gordon

901-758-3753

jgordon@ducks.org