A combination of destiny and desire delivered Jake Bushaw to the Delta Waterfowl R3 coordinator position in spring of 2021. He grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota, and previously worked for Delta as a summer technician and then as a graduate student for the last six years. It was always his hope to end up working for Delta, and the opening for an R3 Coordinator provided the perfect opportunity.
Bushaw says that one of his favorite things in life is taking out first time waterfowl hunters and seeing their expressions as they watch that first group of ducks come in over the decoys. He said, “That’s why I love it all – recruitment, retention and reactivation work – teaching people what it means to be a duck hunter.”
His years of work for Delta gave him a hands-on, from-the-ground-up appreciation for the work Delta does. Professionally, he’s known for his graduate work using drones and thermal imaging cameras to conduct breeding duck research in southern Manitoba. Bushaw has an undergraduate degree in wildlife and fisheries science from Valley City State University and a Master’s in renewable natural resources from Louisiana State University.
Just as he’s focused his professional preparation and career on wildlife, Bushaw’s personal life is equally involved in all-things outdoors. His free time is spent hunting, fishing and pursuing other adventures outside. He said, “It may sound cliché, but I could never give up hunting and fishing. It’s a huge part of my life and now my career path! I am a huge sports fan, too, so it would also be difficult for me to give up both playing and watching sports.”
Despite having had the opportunity to travel and hunt widely in pursuit of his education and work, his favorite place to hunt is right at home in North Dakota. And he’ll usually be found in the company of this three-year-old, “idiot” black Lab, Rogue.