Federal Duck Stamp

But we're so far past the point where... all wildlife and landscapes are being managed and is managed, that we can no longer just let nature sort itself out.

And so I think people need to understand that The money you're spending on a hunting license, the money you're spending on a duck stamp, the money you're spending on shells and guns, whatever, some of that money all flows back to the land.

Pittman-Robertson.

Pittman-Robertson.

I used to do these events.

What did they call them? It doesn't matter, but people would go and spend like three or four days with Ducks Unlimited or go on a hunt or do these things, and I would go shoot photos.

Got to do this cool one with DU out of Bismarck, and they went through a whole rundown on how much money they're spending on easements and protecting habitat, how much ground that they have protected, and then leveraging duck stamp dollars and all that stuff.

You get to learn a bunch of cool stuff.

Here's a little bit of that great conversation.

This is an exciting thing, the 2026 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest.

Tell us all about it.

Well, first of all, I'd like to get back to the fact of that you have done something in Memphis that I haven't done yet.

I know people at the Peabody.

That's great.

Yeah, so the federal duck stamp.

So the real name of it is the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, and it was started in 1934.

it, it may appear that we've hit a little bit of a lull with this, but we actually [laughs] ha- you know, we mentioned on the show a few weeks ago that we wanted to, uh, leverage some of the brands.

Chris Harrell with the idea that, hey, we should do some drawings, prove you bought two duck stamps, and we'll do some drawings with some of the products w- because we've had this overwhelming support by so many of the brands, uh, in the waterfowling space that, uh...

Yeah, it was a great idea, and, and you've talked to a handful, and they were on board.

But then we start looking into it and, and talking to a few people about it, and Arkansas's got some pretty strict lottery/raffle/sweepstakes rules, um, that we actually had Robert Riley, who was a guest, uh, you know, a couple shows ago, who is an attorney, uh, and been way helpful on, on a lot of this stuff related to what we're trying to do.

There's been a whole bunch of that, but it's, it's every time, you know, any of these, any of these ponds, you know, they, they shrink by a foot or two foot every year, you know? And, and y- I know, I know we need water for them to rebound, but I also know that, that once they're tiled and once they're farmed, you know, those, those aren't coming back.

So yeah, it's death by a thousand cuts, and this is a great opportunity, uh, not only through what we did with DU the first time around as far as signing all that.

You know, if everyone shows out and buys a whole bunch of duck stamps this year, suddenly that, that voice gets a lot louder from the hunting community and carries a lot more weight.

Um, so again, cannot encourage enough for everyone to go out and get two stamps, uh, or more.

It's like right now, We could probably sign up another 250,000 acres or something.

If we had the money in either that, you know, migratory bird habitat fund, you know, from the sale of duck stamps, or if DU had a gift directed to that sort of thing, like we could do more conservation in the prairies.

We just need the cash.

You know, the landowners are standing in line.

but we'll take DU specifically because you work for Ducks Unlimited.

But I had a comment the other day about, I was talking about the duck stamp and how much money goes directly to conservation.

And the comment in reply to the post was, duck stamps are better than DU because 98% goes compared to I don't know, it's 84, 87% of the money is.

Yeah.

the European adventure really had an incredible influence on his life.

And as you said in the introduction, everyone knows Ding Darling today as the individual who created the duck stamp, the federal duck stamp.

If you put in context in his life, the federal duck stamp was one very small part of an incredible life.

And what he saw in Europe was, really expanded his horizon.

It developed an appreciation for other cultures.

Every time he ever got with a group of people, again, he was tall, he was charming, and he simply had natural leadership skills.

And you're right, he did take over that committee.

And the federal duck stamp program was his idea.

Do your part.

If you're a duck hunter and you're going to whine on Facebook about your duck numbers, go buy two duck stamps or three.

Sam and Josh doing great work, and congrats, Sam Soholt, on the birth of his second child.

He liked my mobile idea.