Christian Waterfowler Magazine Winter 2015

Christian

DECEMBER 2015

WATERFOWLER P R E SERV ING OUR C HRISTIA N, WAT E RFOWLI NG HE RI TAGE | THE CWA .ORG

FEATURES

GOOSE HUNTING TIPS STORY OF ELI HAYDEL

www.clearimagecamo.com When compared to other camo patterns on the market, The Difference is Clear!

TABLE

of

CONTENTS

OUR HISTORY

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GOOSE HUNTING BAGGING MORE BIRDS!

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Learn about how the Christian Waterfowlers Association came to be.

Gain insight in “Bagging More Birds” by one of the best in Goose calling and hunting.

S I M P LY P U T

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STO RY O F E L I H AY D E L

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CWA CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT: WESTERN BENTON COUNTY

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CHOOSE NOW

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CHALLENGES

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Training lessons for puppies.

Discover the journey of a man who overcame a tough life with sheer determination and faith in God.

Check out what the chapter in Siloam Springs, Arkansas is up to.

You’re not guaranteed another moment in this life. Make the right choice with the one you have.

Learning to lean on God’s Power

SENIOR EDITOR T i m S a l l e e CREATIVE DESIGN & EDITING Va n c e K l e m p l e COVER PAGE PHOTO D e n n i s D a v e n p o r t

CONTACT INFO TIM@THECWA.ORG 479.957.3033

PHOTO BY ROD COCKRELL CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER |

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OUR HISTORY How it All Began The Christian Waterfowlers Association was formed by Tim Sallee in September of 2009. However, the idea for the CWA originated back in 2002 while on a duck hunt with his brother Anthony Sallee on the banks of the Arkansas River.

Tim was first introduced waterfowling while serving as a youth minister in Fort Smith, Ark. almost thirty years ago. One of his youth members demonstrated using a duck call during a “Gong Show” talent night. He was fascinated with the call and after inquiring about the call and duck hunting was invited to go on a hunt by the youth and his older brother.

The hunt experience was incredible, with awesome weather and the perfect sunrise.

Right after daybreak about fifteen mallards flew over our backs and circled back with their wings cupped and feet down. “Take Em,” yelled the youth, as Tim raised his gun to shoot. He was so moved by seeing ducks decoy, that he shot three times and did not hit one duck.

However, a few weeks later on his second hunt he bagged his first ever mallard and was hooked on duck hunting for life.

Tim then introduced waterfowling to his older brother Mark Sallee, his younger brother Anthony Sallee and Mark’s sons Mitchell and Matthew. He always looked forward to spending time in the duck blind with his family and friends each year.

Anthony moved to Nashville, Tenn. in the 1980’s and early 1990’s to play bass for the Christian band “White Heart.” He went on to play for Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant and Matthew West to name a few. While taking a break from the road, he drove in to spend time with family as well as some time in the duck blind.

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While on a hunt in 2002, Tim and Anthony first brought up the idea combining a passion for Christ with the passion for waterfowling, as well as the idea of a Fellowship of Christian Athletes for waterfowlers, but the idea didn’t get much further than Anthony designing a sample logo or two.

Waterfowler’s Trap Shooting Competition, 3D Archery Competition and Wild Waterfowl Cook-off Competition. Other activities include our Blue Wings Youth Kidz Zone featuring a fishing derby, seminars, Outreach/ Fundraiser Dinner, Sportsman’s Chapel, concerts and more.

After hosting a Wild Game Dinner in September of 2009, Tim saw firsthand the impact of bringing sportsmen together for fellowship and introducing them to Christ. The idea for CWA resurfaced.

After much prayer and consideration, he felt it was time move forward with the launching of the CWA website and forum as well as crafting the CWA mission statement:

In 2012 the CWA held its first Blue Wings Youth Waterfowl Hunting Event during the Oklahoma youth waterfowl hunt. After receiving requests to organize a Wounded Veteran’s Duck Hunt, the first ever CWA Wounded Veteran’s Waterfowl event took place in January of 2014 at the Crooked Slough Hunting club in east Arkansas.

“Preserving our Christian, waterfowling heritage” Since that time the CWA has launched close to fifty chapters in fifteen states and continues to add new chapters each month. Chapters meet monthly for food, fellowship, pro-tips, devotion and an invitation to know Christ. Chapters also hold annual outreach/fundraiser dinners, along with various youth hunting, conservation and CWA Wounded Veterans Waterfowl Events.

The CWA also hosts an annual meeting and festival. In 2014 the CWA celebrated its 5th Annual International Waterfowl Festival & Outdoor Expo. Over the past five years, thousands have attended from nineteen states and Canada, with many accepting Christ during the two day event.

The event features many competitions including the CWA International Duck and Goose Calling Competition, Duck and Goose Call Maker Competition,

Since the beginning of CWA, hundreds of lives have been impacted by the Gospel of Christ. We invite you to join the Christian Waterfowlers Association today in preserving our Christian, waterfowling heritage. To become a member visit www.thecwa.org or call 479-957-3033 for more information.

(The Christian Waterfowlers Association is incorporated in Arkansas as a non-profit religious organization. The Christian Waterfowlers Association is also registered with the IRS as a 501 (C)(3)non-profit religious organization. All donations are tax deductible except for any gift items and magazine received with your support membership)

CWA Founder - Tim Sallee

Anthony Sallee (Left) Tim Sallee (Right)

Wigeon Duck in a water approach PHOTO BY JEFF COATS

GOOSE HUNTING Bagging More Birds!

WRITTEN BY DAVID STALLARD

1. SCOUTING

2. DECOYS & HIDING

This is the most crucial part of the game! Knowing where to hunt and when to hunt and understanding the terrain of the area is essential to successful goose hunting.

When it’s time for the hunt, decoy placement is crucial. There is much that can be said on this topic, but the biggest challenge that hunters face is proper hiding of the hunters. If you can’t hide, great calling won’t do a thing for you.

TIP 1 • K N OW W H E R E T H E BI RDS ARE COMI N G FROM Whether the birds are roosting at a lake, pond or reservoir, knowing where the birds have been will give you valuable information and will allow you to better understand the timing of the bird’s arrival to your field or loafing spot.

TIP 2 • K N OW W H E N TO H UN T It’s important to have a good understanding of weather conditions and wind direction before you set up. If we know that the wind is blowing in the opposite direction of what we need, we may choose to hold off until the wind changes for that field.

TIP 3 • K N OW W H E R E TO H UN T Avoid hunting near the roost. If you have the option, hunt a field that won’t disturb roosting geese when your first gun blast goes off!

TIP 4 • WH E R E T H E GE E S E FE E D T HE FI E LD Is there a good food source? If the geese are moving quickly through the field from one end to the other, that is a good indication that there is not much to munch on! If geese are vocal and bickering with one another, this is probably a good indication that there is a lot of food and they are going to fight over every last piece of corn.

TIP 5 • D O YOUR H OM E WOR K Getting permission to hunt is the name of the game. Spend the time needed to develop relationships with the farmers…it goes a long way! Inform the farmer of what will take place during the hunt so there are no surprises. Be courteous in leaving the field the way you found it. All of these things give the farmer or land owner the assurance that you respect him, his family and his land.

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TIP 1 • KEEP TH E INTEG R ITY O F TH E FIELD Geese that have visited a field several times know the area better than you do. If you and your team scuff up the field with your vehicles, you will change the general look of the field and geese are going to notice! Avoid making tracks as much as possible and stuff your blinds with foliage from the edges of the field (if the foliage is identical), rather than the middle so you don’t disturb the general field environment.

TIP 2 • S IT TOWA R D S TH E BACK Too often, I am guilty of setting up the blinds right in the middle of the decoy spread where all the action is. Geese are getting tougher and tougher to hunt. If you’re able to put more decoys between you and the geese, sitting towards the back of your spread, the geese will be looking more at the decoys and where to land than right at your blinds. Calling and flagging brings a lot of attention to your blinds. If decoys are set up out in front of your blind/shooter pocket, you will have geese focusing on the decoys rather than your blinds. Consider setting up the blinds completely outside the decoy spread. Put the decoy formation out in front and let the geese work the spread without staring down the blinds. Whether you are running a U pattern, X pattern, J pattern or multiple groups, it’s much more effective to blow your final call and finish the geese when they are out in front of you amongst the decoys.

TIP 3 • CH O O SE WISELY Don’t solely choose your field based on the number of geese you see. If you have multiple hunting spots to choose from, choose fields that have a lot of geese and provide good cover for your team. Example: If you are choosing between a field of 400 geese with great cover, and a field of 1,000 geese with little cover, choose the field of 400 geese.

“As an avid outdoorsman and waterfowl hunter, I have found that there is nothing more exciting than being out in God’s beautiful creation! There is a great sense of blessing when all of your preparations, knowledge of hunting, weather conditions and the goodness of God align together to allow for a great hunt. There is something truly awesome about grabbing your buddies and getting out in the field, no matter what the outcome! But here are a few simple tips that may help your team bag a few more birds.”

3. CALLING

4. FLAGGING

Realism combined with proper timing of the various calls kills geese! Goose hunters are faced with countless variables and knowing how to read the geese leads to more informed and effective calling.

Correct flagging is crucial. Knowing when to use and not use flags can make or break your goose hunt.

TIP 1 • K N OW W H E N TO CA LL I often hear guys calling like crazy when the geese are far out and then completely shutting up as soon as the geese come in close.

Swinging from one extreme to the other actually portrays the opposite of what you want to portray (geese feeding!). Geese are often extremely aggressive and vocal in good feeding locations.

As geese respond to your hail calls and come in closer, pick up tempo and cadences.

TIP 2 • P U T I N T H E T I M E Learning how to call as a team is crucial! Remember, the objective is realism. A hunting situation and a calling contest are not the same! Yes, being able to make all the sounds is important but three average callers working together will beat out one elite caller in the field any day! Learn how to call back and forth with your teammates. Use different notes and tones to sound like a whole flock versus calling over the top or against each other.

Team calling goes a long way in the field.

TIP 3 • U S E D I F F E R E NT CA LLS Utilizing different calls in the field will help increase the dynamic of sounding like a real flock. You don’t want to sound the same as your buddies. I typically use a higher pitched call because I believe they cut through the elements. I have found that more geese respond better to higher tones.

TIP 1 • EXP ER IENCE G O ES A LO NG WAY In most hunting experiences I’ve seen, the flag gets stuck in the hands of the least experienced hunter. This is backwards! The leader of the team and other experienced hunters should have the flags. An inexperienced hunter may not understand the timing or technique of flagging and may contribute to your team being noticed by geese.

TIP 2 • KNOW WH EN TO P U T TH E FLAG D OWN When geese get closer, lay off the flagging and coax them in with calling by using some talkative goose chatter. Likewise, when geese are coming straight at you and are locked in on your location, avoid flagging. This will draw their attention to the movement and your blinds.

TIP 3 • KNOW WH EN TO LET IF FLY The best opportunity for successful flagging comes at the corners.

When geese are flying horizontally to your spread and you can see their direction shift slightly for a turn, this is the most optimal time to flag. If they see the flag while they are turning in, the movement will catch their eye and confirm their decision to turn into your spread. Geese will also respond to flagging when they are far off in the distance. The movement of the flag will bring the geese in for a closer look at what you’ve got.

David Stallard Bio Co-Founder & Director : The Call Outdoors Ministry

TIP 4 • K N OW T H E L A NGUAG E There are several different tones and calls that geese use.

Mastering some of these notes can increase success with calling in geese. When geese are way out in front of our spread and you can tell they are considering our field, I will often switch back and forth from a single cluck to a double cluck. This change of sequence adds excitement and often gets the birds to make that turn right into your spread.

A Ministry of BCM International at Camp Sankanac: Chester County, PA 2008 PA State Goose Calling Champion Field Producer & Editor of The Call Outdoors online YouTube show (tcothecalloutdoors)

David Stallard Team Leader, The Call Outdoors Ministry Pro-Staffer, Zink Calls Inc. www.thecalloutdoors.com

Aired on national television as one of The Hitmen on the Pursuit channel (January of 2016) Zink Calls Pro Staffer since 2007 CWA Pro Staff & Call Team

CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER |

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SIMPLY PUT Pup Training Tips WRITTEN BY HANK HOUGH PHOTO BY VANCE KLEMPLE Simply put, a puppy that cannot sit, or refuses to sit, cannot learn; and a puppy that does not learn will never be all that he can be. Our job as a trainer, a coach, and a parent is to make those we love do the things that they don’t want to do in order for them to become the things they need to become to fulfill their purpose in life and glorify their master. The Bible says that the first step to wisdom is fear of the master. It does not say to fear the master. It says to have fear of the master. You, as the master of your puppy, can see and understand things he cannot. The same is true of your master.

Have you noticed that most puppies (and children) think that they have to rebel to be free? They will dig out, jump over, and run away every chance they get. Why? So they can be free. How do you tell them that the Bible is true and that if they will just sit, stay and learn their master will give them true freedom? It is this rebellious puppy that refuses to sit with patience and be taught that usually ends up forced to walk through life on a short leash, or locked behind a fence, or tied to a tree, or even made to live in a cage.

Think about it. The results of his choice to rebel in order to be free leads to just the opposite of his desire and he becomes confined. Why? Because serving himself is more important to him than serving his master. Why? Because he cannot be trusted nor will he trust and obey. The irony is that the dog that is willing to be

obedient, the dog that is willing to sit in patience, the dog that is willing to deny himself and follow his master is the dog that is allowed to run free. He does not have to be kept behind a fence, or tied to a tree, or kept on a short leash to walk in the park. His master can trust him to obey his voice.

So here is your beginner’s tip for the day.

If the first step to wisdom is fear of the master, then the first word a puppy needs to learn is ‘no’. “No you are not in charge of this house. The world does not spin around you. No, my purpose in life is not to just entertain you. Yes, you do have to learn. Yes you do have boundaries and responsibilities. And yes, I do love you very much.”

Let’s get back to the beginning. How do we teach our puppy to obey the word no? He already knows that word.

His mother has already taught him ‘no’, just in dog language. Think about it. One growl from momma dog and every puppy will freeze in their tracks.

A mother’s bite is a very serious consequence for not stopping immediately. She does this because it could save his life if a predator is in the area. So all we have to do is reinforce what she has already taught him. We just have to change the language from dog to human. Momma uses a growl, we use ‘no’. The only difficult part of continuing this training with your puppy is that we must also have consequences for his disobedience. I don’t suggest you use teeth to bite him, but I will tell you that it must be a strong and understood consequence.

A real consistent spanking for his moving after the word ‘no’ is a must for his freedom. It could save his life someday. Once he has transferred that command, teach him to sit. It is in the word ‘sit’ that James 1:2 comes alive. “…for it produces steadfastness (patience), and let steadfastness have its full effect, that he may be perfect and complete, and lacking in nothing.”

When your puppy can sit in patience with his eyes fixed on you, he can hear. When he can hear, he can learn. When he can learn he can become perfect and complete.

Lacking in nothing. The world will have another warrior for the kingdom.

If your puppy (or boyfriend/girlfriend) is so self-serving, proud, and in need of control that he will only sit when he wants to, do not put your reputation into his hands or stay with him, marry him, do business with him, or employ him. He may be cute puppy, a great athlete, he may be very intelligent, but if life must center around him, and if he does not have a heart to please others, nor the desire to honor his master, then trust me, neither you nor he will ever be very happy. The ability to sit in patience and learn is a powerful, powerful strength. Most consider it a weakness and have to be taught by those that love them the most just how powerful it is.

Hank Hough Kingdom Dog Ministries 24915 Canston Ct Spring, TX 77389 281.351.9094

CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER | 10

RECIPE by CHEF JESSE MORRIS of KILLERCHEFS

SOUTHERN GRILLED BLUE WINGED TEAL + GREENS Greens

Turnip and mustard greens 3 T olive oil Small white onion, diced 6 sliced of uncooked bacon, diced or cooked ham Salt and pepper 1/4 c apple cider vinegar Hot sauce, if desired Pour olive oil in pan, render bacon/ham, add onions and saute for 4 minutes.

Add greens and constantly stir until they begin to wilt. Add salt and pepper to taste and apple cider vinegar. Finish with 5-10 dashes of hot sauce if desired.

Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes on low.

Corn

Corn kernels, cut fresh from 4 ears of corn 2 T olive oil 2 T butter 1/4 white onion diced 1 cup of chicken stock 5 sprigs of fresh thyme, whole In a skillet add olive oil and butter. On medium high heat, saute onions and corn together. After a couple of minutes add the chicken stock and thyme.

Allow all liquid to cook out then reduce heat to medium and constantly stir to allow sugars to come out of the corn.

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Teal marinade

3 cloves garlic, finely minced 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or other fresh herbs if desired) Salt and pepper Olive oil In a bowl add all above ingredients with duck breasts. Marinate for 1 to 24 hours, as desired.

Grill duck breasts on high heat until medium rare, then remove from heat and let rest. Slice thin.

Garnish 1 sweet potato, peeled 1 T corn starch Salt Using a Japanese mandolin, with the fine tooth cutter, slice the potato then rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly. When dry, dust with corn starch and deep fry until crispy. Salt while hot.

CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER | 14

The Story of

ELI HAYDEL April 5, 1940 - November 25, 2013

AS TOLD BY SON ROD HAYDEL

Eli Anthony Haydel was born on a sugarcane farm in the small South Louisiana town of Raceland in 1940. Life was tough then, but like any good story goes, he overcame it through sheer determination and faith in God. His parents were Catholic and he even served as an alter boy for a few years. At the age of 14, he started playing the saxophone and realized he had an ear for music. He then put a band together which eventually led to bigger and better gigs. During this time, he also played football as the team’s fullback so that he was able to take his future wife (the head cheerleader) to Homecoming. However, as soon as Duck Season started, he quit the team so that he could hunt.

Moving forward, he married his high school sweetheart, and moved up to north Louisiana. He was in the Air Force by day, was a musician by night, had a nap here and there, and hunted in between. When I was born, my first memories that I recall of my dad were always of him going hunting and being excited to see what was for dinner. That being said, we ate a lot of game.

Whether it was ducks or doves, frogs or fish, crabs or crawfish, we had it all. I also remember the half a dozen bird dogs we had and, if my dad wasn’t working, he was “grocery shopping”, (hunting). We were also raised in the Catholic Church and attended most every Sunday.

One Saturday afternoon in 1974, dad came home carrying a big trophy after placing in a local duck calling contest. The next year, he switched calls and came home with the Texas States Regional in the fall. He would practice and record himself with a cassette player. Even though he never came home from Worlds with a trophy that year, I could see his passion and wanted to be a part of it. The next summer, as practice sessions continued, I asked him to teach me. I had started the 7th grade playing, you guessed it, the saxophone, so my dad would write out the routine, 15 | CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER

similar to a piece of music, for me to understand. He never learned to read music because he played strictly by ear, but he did this to help me. After a lot of practice, I went to my first contest and won in the JR. Divisions. That same year, after blowing his written music and practicing for the short time of 3 months, I placed 3rd in World.

Dad, his brothers Cliff and Kelly, and myself competed for many years until 1981 when dad decided to try and make his own call.

This marked the birth of Haydel’s Game Calls. Since he wasn’t a wood worker, dad played around with molds and eventually came up with something he liked. He then used fiberglass resin to pour the parts and cut up plastic tubing for the barrels. The calls were crude to say the least, but they worked, and in the days of wooden calls sticking, being that they were plastic, didn’t swell or stick either! We continued calling competitively to build our credentials and in 1985 he developed a real injection mold for the DR-85. Dad continued at that time working as an outside salesman for WW. Grainger. By day he was a call-maker, by night he was a musician, and in the time in between, he spent promoting and building the call business even up to his last days.

He divorced and remarried. After a few years they became active in the Baptist faith and searched around from one church to the other. He played in a lot of church bands as well and started actively reading the Bible. This was new to him as he recalls in his testimony that in Catholicism, not much emphasis was placed on self- readings. On October 13th, 2005 he suffered through 2 major strokes, which left him totally paralyzed from the neck down on his left side. He could not talk, walk, swallow, and his sight was seriously impaired with his eyes bulged. During his six week stay, he stated, “God had gotten my attention”. Dad was all the while wondering how the company was doing and

wanted me to bring him his mail. One day I remember printing a stack of comments, “get- well wishes” and prayers that he had received from various forum boards that I had asked for prayers for my dad. I had a stack that was about 2 inches thick!

As I walked in the hospital room, he spotted them and asked, “What is that”? I told him they were prayers people had sent him on the computer. “From who”? He asked. I replied, “Most you don’t even know”. We both chocked up at that point and I still do today. Some were from people he had an impact on 20 years prior and he had maybe given a call to their kid. Like I said, most were strangers to Dad, but it was here that I think Dad started to realize that because of the Power of Prayer, he almost made a full recovery. Dad continued to work on his recovery and also his faith. This change was odd for us at first and while I continued going to mass, changes continually took place in my life as well.

I had also found a church and Dad had become part of it as well.

Dad came to live with me and it was nice just to have him say the blessings at mealtime. We both looked forward to Sundays Services and talked a lot about our faith and family. During his stay, we worked out some differences we had in the past and often prayed together. The night of Nov 24th, Dad was going out to meet some old friends he played music with years ago. He told me he would be back early because he knew I was cooking some Sandhill Crane for dinner. He was having such a good time with his old friends; it lasted into the wee hours of the night. I then found him peacefully in bed the next morning with a sort of relief expression on his face. I know up until his last breath that he was still in prayer. His work here on earth was done. The power of prayer is a mighty thing.

“I just want to be able to walk through the gates of Heaven and have Jesus Christ look at me and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”

ELI’S TESTIMONY As I have gotten older, I have started realizing that God has been in control of my life since the day I was born. For many years though, I took full credit for every good thing that ever happened to me and I blamed someone else when I failed. I was at a point in my life where I felt that things were going fairly well and honestly speaking, I pretty much had everything I needed to make a man happy. But, little did I know that when I woke up the morning of October 13, 2005 and went into the kitchen to make coffee, my life was going to go through some major changes. Before daybreak that morning, I suffered two very serious strokes. I was left unable to move my entire left side from the neck down. I could not talk, walk or swallow, plus my sight was seriously impaired. After making it through the first

critical 72-hours and regaining some motion on my left side, I was moved to a rehab hospital where I spent six weeks. It was during these weeks in the hospital that God began dealing with me. Of course, he had already gotten my attention with the strokes, but then I began thinking, “Well, I lived through the strokes so maybe he’s giving me another chance to get my life in order”. I had been born and raised in a Catholic family in south Louisiana and although I went to mass throughout the years, I never really gave a lot of thought to my salvation. I went simply because that’s all I knew to do. When I married my wife, Linda, who was Baptist, we agreed to alternate each Sunday between our Churches. That worked fairly well for a while until I had my strokes. During those first 72-hours, when the doctors weren’t sure that I was going to make it, Linda called numerous Catholic churches trying to get a priest to come to the hospital as well as the elders from her Baptist church. Two elders from her church came and visited me at the hospital immediately and even came back several times as I improved. Also, my son, Rod, put the information regarding my strokes on our company website and within hours, there were over 300 responses saying that they were praying for me. We even had dear friends in Winnsboro, LA and they notified us that they had called every church in their area and asked people to pray for me.

I am telling you all this because I know, beyond a doubt, that I am here today because of prayers and because God still had plans here on this earth for me. While lying in that hospital bed, I begin to realize that God placed me in a position where I could be a witness for him and yet, in all of these years, I had done nothing for him. I have been blessed in so many ways in my life, but for so long, I just took it for granted. Last year, I converted to the Baptist religion and was baptized at the willow point Baptist church in Shreveport, where my wife is also a member. I am doing everything I can to soak up more knowledge from the Bible so that I can apply it not only to my own life, but be able to witness to others who do not know the Lord. As proud as I am of my success in the game call industry, and as proud as I am of the many accolades that I have been presented, I am even more proud that I can stand here today and call myself a Christian. Do I still make mistakes, and do I still disappoint God at times? Absolutely!!!! I probably will never be the man that He really wants me to be. But, I can tell you that for the first time ever, I care about what I do, what I say, what I think, how I treat others and I am now making a very conscious effort to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. When my life on earth is over, I would rather be remembered as a God-fearing man instead of a Champion duck caller and/or someone who has been inducted into numerous halls of fame. I just want to be able to walk through the gates of Heaven and have Jesus Christ look at me and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”.

(Thank you very much and may God bless each of you).

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CHAP TE R SP OT L IG H T W E ST E R N BEN TON COUN T Y ARK AN SAS SILOA M SP R ING S, A R

BY SC OT T SM Y T H

CWA State Rep. - Alabama

The Western Benton County chapter of CWA is working hard to make Christ known through many top notch events and ministries throughout the year. And boy, are their efforts paying off in a big way!

Under the leadership of chapter leader Kevin Hutcheson, associate leaders Scott Metcalf, Joey Stovall, and Roger & Amy Davis assist with chapter meetings every month on the 2nd Tuesday evening at Camp Siloam, a local assembly grounds of the Arkansas Baptist Association. Local and regional pro staff hunters from various companies and ministries bring their valuable knowledge of waterfowling skills as an offering to the group and share their passion for the outdoors and the one who created them for us to enjoy. These meetings alone would make for a great chapter of CWA. But the Western Benton County chapter goes the extra mile beyond this to impact their community.

Over the last year, the chapter has worked with over two dozen local Boy Scouts to help clean up around City Lake in Siloam Springs and build wood duck boxes. Following a hard day at work, the group enjoyed a great meal fresh off the grill as well as a retriever demonstration hosted by River Valley Retrievers. The club invited the local TV station to come cover their event for more exposure of their service to the community. This is a great example of a chapter working hard with groups like the Scouts

to give back to the community and make a positive impact for Christ.

The chapter also conducted a canned food drive to benefit Hunger and Thirst Ministries, a local food pantry in Siloam Springs. Their efforts helped ensure that families in need did not go hungry due to the generosity of a dedicated group of hunters.

They also held a BBQ cook-out as a fundraiser for their chapter’s ministry efforts that featured Bard Clay of Final Descent Outdoors as the guest speaker along with terrific prizes, including a new Remington 870 shotgun. Working with hunting industry Pro-Staff hunters and local ministries that meet the needs in the community-that’s the recipe for success of any chapter!

Looking to the future, the group plans to continue making plans to draw more people in through another wild-game dinner after the first of the year and a chili cook-off fundraiser in February.

There seems to always be something going on in the Western Benton County chapter!

If you would like to be a part of this chapter or wish to uncover more information to help your local chapter, please contact Kevin Hutcheson at khutch@hotmail.com.

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Canadian Goose in flight PHOTO BY ROD COCKRELL

CHOOSE NOW

BY C H U C K M c A L I S T E R

PHOTO BY ROD COCKRELL There is a reason why the hair stands up on the back of your neck when you watch the ducks as they prepare to land in your decoys or even when the tip of your fishing rod snaps down towards the water.

God made you to know Him and is seeking you through the outdoors...And through His Son Jesus. In the outdoors you will see the greatness of God and in Jesus you see the grace of God.

WE HAV E ALL MIS S E D T H E M A R K Romans 3:23 - “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” It’s like trying to make a clear shot when the sight of your rifle is off. No matter how hard you try - you are going to miss. We have all missed the mark of the perfection that is required to get into heaven.

YOU ARE BE IN G H U N T E D Hunting, as we know, involves pursuing game. The Bible tells us that we don’t have the ability to pursue God, but He is pursuing us!

Romans 3:10-11 - “As is it written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”

However, you are also hunted by another!

1 Peter 5:8 - “Be self-controlled and alert, your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

You are being pursued by Satan as well as by God. You get to choose who captures you.

W E H AV E AL L MI SS ED TH E MARK How do I let God capture my heart?

Romans 10:9-10 - “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scriptures say, anyone who trusts Him will never be put to shame.”

TO CONFESS JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOR OF YOUR LIFE AS WELL TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR TRUST IN HIM, YOU CAN PRAY THIS SIMPLE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I want You to capture me. I believe that You are God’s Son. I believe that You gave your life for me on the cross and was raised from the dead to save me. I surrender control of my life to You. I invite You to come into my life. I will follow You for the rest of my life. Thank you Jesus for saving me.

If you prayed that prayer, please contact us as (479) 957-3033 or email tim@thecwa.org and we will send you some information about the decision you just made as well as where to go from here.

HE PURSU E S YOU BE CAUS E H E L OV E S YO U Romans 5:8 - “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Chuck McAlister is the founder of Adventure Bound Outdoor TV Program, Promise of Hope Ministries, as well as one of the Christian Waterowlers Association Board Members

CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER | 24

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CHALLENGES

BY CH UC K M c A L I S T E R

Recently, I had the opportunity to do something that was a great deal of fun but was also very challenging. I went sea duck hunting off the coast of Massachusetts at Cape Cod. While I’ve become accustomed to hunting ducks in Arkansas, this was a most unusual duck hunt. Instead of spreading the decoys and calling in the ducks as we do here in Arkansas, we spread the decoys on the open water and hoped that the sea ducks who were flying by would deviate from their path and come by our location. Then came the challenging part: we bounced up and down on ten-foot waves while we tried to shoot a duck flying by at what seemed to be supersonic speed. I realized that we had to hit the duck exactly right with our shot, or, because of its hardy nature, he would keep right on flying. I’ll have to confess that I had many misses, but thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon; I was actually able to bag a drake eider, which will soon be gracing my wall.

As I sat in the boat and tried to compensate for the motion of the waves, as well as the speed of the ducks that we were trying to bag, I realized that this particular hunt was a tremendous parable for life. We all face challenging situations.

For some, it can be habits that need to be broken; for others, it may involve 27 | CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER

relationships, finances, or even attitudes that we have embraced that need to be addressed. Ask yourself in what area of your life do you face challenges right now? Is it the pace of your life? Are you excessively worrying? Are you holding on to the past? Are you struggling with an addiction? Have your expectations not been met in a relationship? Do you feel a need to control others?

How do we compensate for those things in life that toss us up and down and for these circumstances that fly by us at alarming speeds? The scripture says this: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34 NIV). We can only give attention to what’s happening right now. God will help us deal with what’s coming up. Your challenges were not created in a day, and you won’t make the changes you need to make overnight to deal with them. Thank God for each challenge you face, and deal with one challenge at a time. You can’t change thirty things in your life at once, so focus on that one thing you can change, on that one challenge you can meet. Ask God which challenge you need to work on first.

Have you heard the saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

When you face your challenges, you have to break them down into bite-sized pieces.

When you get up in the morning, ask God: Will you help me deal with this one challenge today? It may involve controlling your temper; you may need to forgive someone, or it may mean eating less or having a positive attitude. For some, dealing with that challenge today may be too big a bite. You may need to say: God, help me deal with this challenge for the next hour, or even just the next thirty minutes.

As those eider came in, I recognized that they were coming at me faster than I had anticipated. As the flock flew by, I had to pick out one duck to focus on, just as we must focus on that one thing that needs to be changed in our lives. Proverbs 3:7 says it this way: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil”. (1) We try to change our behavior first....However, we must first change our thinking, which changes our beliefs, which changes our attitudes, which finally, changes our behavior.

(2) We wait for God to change our circumstances...more often, God wants to change us more than He wants to change our circumstances.

(3) We wait for circumstances to change our behavior. That just doesn’t work.

Drake Eider PHOTO BY DANNY KLAUSS Ultimately, the greatest challenges we face are not the circumstances around us, but those in our own heart. Proverbs 27:19 says it this way: “As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man” (NIV).

In other words, just as you can see the reflection of your face outwardly in a pool of water, so a man’s heart reveals what he really is.

When I was hunting sea ducks, it wasn’t long before I began to gain the confidence that I could really meet this challenge, and soon that confidence became reality. I not only met the challenge, but I took a banded drake eider. For duck hunters, that’s the equivalent of hitting a home run. The challenge had been met; the victory had been won. I had figured out the right thing to do, and I just kept doing it until I had faced the challenge of my performance.

We change our lives as we consistently do the right thing. However, we should never fall into the trap of thinking that God isn’t going to love us until we finish facing our challenges. God looks at us right now, wherever we are in the process of facing our challenge, and says, “I love you and I want to help you.” God wants to meet with you and help you face the challenges of your life. He wants to help you

change, and He will if you let Him. That is why He sent his Son Jesus Christ. Jesus came to face the challenges we face so that He could sympathize with us, and, ultimately, deliver us from those challenges.

Trusting your life and your challenges to Him is the greatest victory of all.

From “Adventures in God’s Country, 31 Outdoor Devotions” by Chuck McAlister, CWA Board Member.

To order this book or book Chuck to speak at your event call 501-627-5179 www.promiseofhope.org

That’s the truth...about facing challenges, in God’s country.

CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER | 28