Del Penner’s passion for the outdoors began in the small southern Manitoba community in which he was raised. He spent many childhood, summer days cycling the four miles to fish the Red River.
Although he was not raised in a hunting family, he felt a calling towards hunting even as a child. He built makeshift blinds in the family’s yard to pretend hunting migrating geese in the fall, and he explored surrounding farmlands with BB gun in hand. He took his hunter safety training at age 12 and purchased his first firearm at 14. Eventually, he took his first real goose over homemade decoys and blind – a memory Penner cherishes.
He says has fallen in love with hunting ever since and has been fortunate to hunt and fish in various locations in North America. He first became a member of Delta waterfowl as a gift from a friend whom he introduced to waterfowling. Penner added, “I have always deeply supported organizations and groups involved with preservation of hunting and habitat protection. It’s absolutely a dream come true for someone like me to be directly involved in promoting responsible hunting and habitat conservation especially with the support from an organization like Delta Waterfowl.”
Penner brings more than 15 years of experience in various trades and construction to his new position at Delta Marsh. He has faced adverse conditions and situations from the heat of a mine site in West Africa to the frigid north of Nunavut and all the logistical challenges that come with them. He says he’ll rely on the adaptability and resourcefulness he has developed to overcome challenges he anticipates in the job.
The outdoors is his favorite place to be, especially with his three boys and wife, Jackie. Some of his favorite hunts are stalking whitetails on the granite ridges of the Canadian Shield and early teal season in the marsh. All said and done, the thing Penner would never be able to give up is being outdoors and exploring new places.