Carmical, 63, joined the Delta Waterfowl Board of Directors in October 2018.  He was raised on and still lives on a cattle, timber and ag farm on the edge of the Mississippi Delta.

The Arkansas native is chief executive officer of The Price Companies, a diversified forestry and ag company. This includes FIREHUNT, known for sustainably managing land, balancing wildlife and agriculture.

“There are big challenges in agriculture that negatively impact ducks,” Carmical said. “These changes date back from the original clearing and draining of the nesting and wintering grounds to today’s precision land leveling, earlier harvest of crops, absentee ownership and high input costs.”

Good science, political savvy and committed people such as those at Delta Waterfowl are key to the future of ducks and duck hunting, he said.

“The right to hunt faces many challenges as people become more urban and less connected to the land. In the 1990s, loggers and farmers were unfairly viewed as environmental villains. Today, with the focus on sustainability and a clearer understanding, society accepts farmers and loggers as guardians of our natural resources,” Carmical said. “My hope is with time and clear messages we can affect a similar shift in the perception of hunting. No one has brought back, preserved and protected species better than wise-use conservationist/hunters.

“Delta Waterfowl gets it. More hunters equal more ducks.”