MEMPHIS, Tenn. – July 10, 2020 – Ducks Unlimited released the latest film in its online series. In “Beaver Dam,” decoy carver Charles Jobes and his sons share a blind on Beaver Dam lake just south of Tunica, Miss.
Watch the film at www.ducks.org/dufilms.
The hunters used Nash Buckingham’s legendary shotgun, Bo Whoop, during the hunt. This is the gun’s second appearance in DU Films, the first was captured in 2016, and you can see the episode here. But this time the gun wasn’t the star, it was family and friends gathering together to enjoy the hunt and each other’s company.
The journey to the Beaver Dam blind began at DU’s National Convention in Hawaii last May. Mike and Lamar Boyd, owners of Beaver Dam Hunting Services, offered the hunt for auction at the convention.
Decoy carver Charles Jobes knew he had to buy the hunt. A trip to Beaver Dam as a gift to his sons would be a perfect fit for his family.
Charles grew up under the watchful eye of his father, Captain Harry Jobes, on the shores of the historic Upper Chesapeake Bay in Havre de Grace, Md.
Harry started carving decoys at the age of 9, in 1945, and turned that into his lifelong occupation. He passed along the trade to Charles, who continues to carve and paint decoys in his father’s style today. Many Ducks Unlimited fundraising events feature Jobe’s decoys at auction.
Keith and Andrew Jobes grew up waterfowling with their father and grandfather in Maryland. They relished the chance to travel south and hunt among the towering cypress trees of Beaver Dam. Charles was with them, but they brought another special guest along.
“Dad brought down a couple dozen decoys that he made for the hunt,” Andrew Jobes said. “We also brought one of my grandfather’s decoys with some of his ashes in it, so he was here with us too.”
Keith had a great time on the hunt.
“It was a great experience to be able to hunt with my dad and my brother and Dan and Doug, it was truly special,” he said.
DU Executive Secretary Dan Thiel and new DU President Doug Schoenrock joined the Jobes and Boyds in the blind.
Thiel talked about Buckingham and his contribution to Beaver Dam’s legacy.
“He made Beaver Dam famous,” said Thiel. “He made this part of Mississippi and that old oxbow lake incredibly famous. To this day, people come from around the nation to hunt at Beaver Dam.”
DU Films is a unique online film series from Ducks Unlimited, the world leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation. Each film features thrilling hunting footage but also tells a story about waterfowl hunters passionate about hunting, conservation and giving back to the resource. DU Films presents all of this through breathtaking waterfowl footage and intimate conversations with hunters across North America.
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DU Films is produced by Rock Road Creative and sponsored by Mossy Oak, Drake Waterfowl, Winchester Repeating Arms, Winchester Ammunition and Yeti.
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 more than 14.5 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.
