An interview with Willie Robertson
Q: Talk about your hunting memories growing up, and the relationships you have with your brothers.
A: One of the most memorable hunts with Dad actually happened on a dove hunt. I was about seven or eight. We were all up and ready to go early in the morning, and I realized that I had only one shell for my .410 gauge shotgun. There weren’t any stores open, of course, so Dad said “son, make it a good one,” and off we went. I followed him all morning waiting for my “big shot.” At 10 a.m. we started to see dove flying into the field. I rose up, took my one shot, and to my astonishment, the dove literally exploded. As I turned and looked up, I saw dad’s gun barrel and knew that we had shot together.“You got him, Will,” he said. It felt good. Now that my one shell had been shot, I returned to the glory days of being Dad’s retriever. That is known as the dove hunt with one shell.
Jase is definitely the “hard core” hunter of the family, and sitting beside him always makes things easier. He dragged me out to the blind a couple years ago after I just had knee surgery. Phil was out of town and it was going to be just the two of us. It was supposed to be a perfect day, 20 degrees and a northwest wind. Jase told me that he would carry me if he needed to, since I was on crutches and couldn’t get around much on my leg. So there we were, me in my leg cast and my toes so cold that they could have been cut off, and I wouldn’t have known it. We only saw three wigeons, and Jase got two. That was it! The big day. We had fun though.
Q: What has been the most challenging facet of duck hunting for you?
A: Growing up with Phil, Jase and other great hunters, it can be difficult sometimes to shoot at something that is not already dead! Just as I get a bead on a duck, he folds to someone else’s shot. You gotta be quick and on top of your game around here, or you will get left behind. I will say that I did not have to call a lot growing up, because the other guys usually took care of it. I would like to perfect my calling to sound more like real ducks. There really is an art and a science to calling ducks.
Q: What is your favorite Duck Commander Call?
A: Duck Commander has built lots of calls over the years, and they seem to get better all the time. My favorite call is the Camo Max. I had been wanting to come out with a new camo call for a while. I like the camo look, and it has the smoothness of the Cutdown Reacher (Phil’s favorite call for many years), and the ease of use of the Duck Picker. This combination is probably the best one yet.
Q: Talk about your background before you came to work at Duck Commander.
A: I got married, moved out of state, and started college on the same weekend and not because I had to! Korie and I were young but Dad always says, “get’em while they are young”. After graduating school with a Physical Education degree, I took a job as a camp director where I worked for about eight years. I was very busy in the summer, but managed to help Duck Commander in the fall, and I definitely had time to hunt in the winter. Dad asked me to come on board in 2003.
Q: Talk about the roles you take on at Duck Commander and the accomplishments you have made so far, and future business plans.
A: I really have a hand in most of the things at Duck Commander. I am in charge of the website, which I like because I get to talk to the customers and other hunters. I work with our sponsors. I think I talk to someone at Realtree everyday. We are always working on the next “Big Thing”. Becoming part of Team Realtree was a big step in the right direction for Duck Commander, and the boys from Georgia are great people. I handle contracts, licensing, and coordinating our calendars (which may be the toughest). Our spice line is also a priority. We are working to expand it to other markets. I am also the company clown and usually love pulling tricks and pranks. Once after a Halloween prank that involved a deer head, the FBI was calling in to investigate. So I can go too far at times. I have plans to use my humor with a comedy hunting video in the future.
Q: Outside of hunting, what do you like to do?
A: My hobbies include golf, poker, and scrabble. I may be the only guy in the world who has looked into doing these things professionally, yes all three! My brothers and I have a natural foursome on the golf course. I have the lowest handicap, but I do not always win the most money. Most of the games we play get heated and the competitive juices flow freely. Since Jase and I are only two years apart, we usually do the most arguing. I also like spending time with my family Korie, and my children John Luke, Sadie, lil’ Will, and Bella. I love watching the Colorado Rockies baseball games. I also run up my cell phone talking to my baseball player buddies who are huge hunters when they are not on the ball field. They are all big Duck Commander fans, and we have a lot in common.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: My favorite movie is “The Shawshank Redemption”. When I think things are bad I know that they could always be worse. It is a great story of overcoming obstacles in life. I like learning things from movies.
Q: Favorite food?
A: My favorite food is anything with crawfish. It has the wild taste that I crave!