Below are the festivals and shows that you can meet Buck and the Mallard Militia while they are traveling across the United States and Canada this hunting season:

NEEDS TO BE UPDATED!

December, 2004

Buck,

Here are some photos taken of you and the Buck Gardner Booth at the recent World's. Thought they came out pretty well. Brian thinks highly of you and what you do for the youth. He vividly remembers the "great Buck Gardner"helping him tune his call in his 1st Regional Competition at the Mississippi Regional Contest. He has come a long way since you first helped him at that event. He blew the 2004 Sophie-Major Competition and did well for his 1st time blowing on the big stage in Stuttgart. Perhaps in the future you might listen to him and give him some pointers.

If you have any youth hunts in the future, please keep Brian in mind; he would be honored to just go along and help call.

Thanks For All You Do" For the Youth "In Duck Hunting,
Steve Hand

We were in our booth at the World Championship Duck Calling Contest in Stuttgart, AR on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  That's Patrick, Brad and me. - Buck
 
November, 2004

We have just come back from a week in Idaho and had a great trip. Lots of Mallards up close and getting whacked. It was cloudy the first 3 days, but we still had lots of ducks to work with even though the folks there said they hadn't had a cold front and any new ducks since Oct 15th near opening day. We had two days of real pretty sunshine and the footage and scenery were awesome. We got some of the best audio I have ever heard of just live birds in close with no other sounds. The kill shots are up close and personal. Full Limits for everyone, everyday.

The highlight of the trip was John Shaw's retrieving German Shepherd, Mo. He is about 18 mos. old and will go get’em on land or water as long as he gets a bacon treat when he get back with the bird. John's brother, Lee and Lee's son were there and had a great family hunt.

We will be going back in December to see what it is like when it is really cold up there.
Arkansas opened on Saturday with 60² temps and lots of mosquitoes, but we had lots of ducks of every description. My family and I had a great time and hunted in two shifts at Mr. John's field and got our Mallard limit for everybody and most of the family got their bonus ducks too. The ducks left overnight and went back north to get away from the hunting pressure and the mosquitoes. Sunday and Monday were tough, but still ok. We really need a big cold front with lots of snow in the plains.

October, 2004

Oct. 27th drive to Stonewall MB with my son Brad, old friend Blake Burrus and cameraman Mike Miller. We are going out to the Shoal Lake area and hunt with Daryl Stanley and Paul Concherat. They are guides and their season with customers will be over. We do this every year, kinda like a guys night out. Come back on about the 3rd of November.

We plan to stop on the way and see Mike Emmick and his family at E Circle E near Yankton SD and shoot some roosters. They have got a great place and are extra nice folks.

On November 5th, John Vaca, Mike Miller and I will be heading to Great Bend KS for the waterfowl opener to hunt Cranes, Specks and ducks and Canadas with Doug Harter of Marshland Enterprises and Dallas Woolf (Pro Staffer).

Arkansas season opens on November 20th and I will open the season as usual with my wife Marlene and my sons Brad and Patrick and hopefully my daughter Elaine and fiance Danny Metcalf at our place, Maggie's Retreat.

Bro is 8 years old this season and earlier this summer he told me he wasn't ready for a replacement, but he wouldn't mind an assistant. Wally Riffle, maker of Delta Drake duck calls has a fantastic little female named Tara that will be accompanying me on quite a few of the hunts near Memphis this season. That will allow Bro to have a few days rest now and then.

We were lucky enough to draw a license for South Dakota and will be hunting with an old friend Murral Stark in South Dakota during the December 5 to 17 time frame. We will also be going to visit Justin Vondrak and Tony Herting during that same time.

Pray for cold weather and lots of snow cover in the upper Midwest just before Christmas so the Mallards will make it to Arkansas.