Delta Waterfowl Duck Hunters EXPO to Showcase Decoy Carving and Louisiana Hunting Heritage

Featured waterfowl artisans Dale Bordelon and Pat Gregory will share tips and techniques July 26-28 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — Whether your waterfowl hunting gear is shiny and new this season, or whether your trusty jacket, shotgun, calls, and decoys have weathered dozens of seasons in the duck blind, the tools you use to hunt ducks and geese is part of a grand tradition that spans centuries in North America.

Pat Gregory, master decoy carver

The Delta Waterfowl Duck Hunters EXPO celebrates every aspect of waterfowling, so it’s fitting that The Duck Hunters Organization is presenting a special booth this year to showcase time-honored traditions unique to our favorite activity. The 2024 Delta Waterfowl Hunting Heritage Booth will feature a pair of master waterfowl artisans: Dale Bordelon and Pat Gregory.

“We’re excited to bring the Delta Waterfowl Duck Hunters EXPO to Baton Rouge, and we’ve designed this year’s Waterfowl Hunting Heritage Booth to have a true flavor of Louisiana,” said Brad Heidel, senior director of corporate relations.

Wood chips will be flying as Bordelon and Gregory demonstrate the art and technique of making essential waterfowl gear such as hand-carved decoys, custom-made duck and goose calls, and even a classic dugout Louisiana pirogue at the EXPO.

Bordelon, of Effie, Louisiana, has dedicated his life to keeping alive the old-school ways and traditions of waterfowl hunting. The owner of Bayou Beast Calls, Bordelon crafts handmade his cane duck and goose calls one at a time, just like waterfowl hunters made them a century ago. A true throwback outdoorsman, Bordelon hunts waterfowl with a shotgun made in 1915. He makes dugout pirogues and traditional Louisiana-style duck decoys.

“I’m honored to being part of Delta’s EXPO, and to show people some of the traditional tools used to hunt ducks in Louisiana,” Bordelon said. “I’m an old-school waterfowl hunter, and my goal is to keep our hunting heritage alive.”

Gregory, of Bloomington, Illinois, has been making decoys since 1984, and produces more than 100 birds annually. He has carved almost every species of duck and goose found in North America, and fashions his birds from white pine, white cedar, and cork. He has twice been selected as a Master Carver by the Ward Foundation Museum of Collectible Decoys and was the featured carver at the 2018 North American Vintage Decoy & Sporting Collectibles Show. He was a featured carver at Delta’s 2023 Duck Hunters EXPO.

Dale Bordelon, Louisiana waterfowl artisan

“As an avid decoy carver and duck hunter, I look forward to talking with people at the EXPO about waterfowl hunting in Louisiana and the surrounding areas that are so rich in waterfowl heritage,” Gregory said. “I welcome people to stop at the booth to watch the techniques that go into making decoys and to ask questions. I hope people are inspired to try making their own decoys.”

The Waterfowl Hunting Heritage Booth is just one among hundreds of exhibits attendees will discover filling the 120,000-square-foot exhibit floor of The Duck Hunters Expo presented by Federal Premium Ammunition. The Expo’s many attractions include the Duck Dog Stage presented by Eukanuba and Lucky Duck, the Duck Hunters Stage presented by Benelli, Realtree, and Blindspot Outdoors, and the Delta Waterfowl Field-to-Table Stage presented by BOSS Shotshells and First Lite. In addition, the Expo features a Duck Dog Parade, Callmakers Championship, the Delta Grand National Duck Calling Championship, and the Duck Hunters Grand Banquet.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit deltawaterfowlexpo.com.

Delta Waterfowl is The Duck Hunters Organization, a leading conservation group working to produce ducks and secure the future of waterfowl hunting in North America. Visit deltawaterfowl.org.

For more information, contact Brad Heidel at (651) 403-1772 or bheidel@deltawaterfowl.org.