MEMPHIS, Tennessee - July 6, 2016 - Ducks Unlimited's newest online film, Bo Whoop, is live on the DU website at www.ducks.org/dufilms.

"Most of the films in the DU Films series are about people," said DU Chief Communications Officer Tom Fulgham. "But this one is about a shotgun-probably waterfowling's most famous shotgun-and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hunt with that shotgun on the lake that helped make it famous."

"Bo Whoop" was the name given to outdoor writer Nash Buckingham's prized 12-gauge HE Grade Super Fox shotgun, custom made for him by Philadelphia gunsmith Burt Becker. Through hundreds of books and articles, Buckingham chronicled the adventures of waterfowling in the early 20th Century. His favorite gun, named for its distinctive sound, was Bo Whoop. His home base was Beaver Dam Lake near Tunica, Mississippi.

Famously, Buckingham lost Bo Whoop somewhere near Clarendon, Arkansas, in 1948. Fifty-eight years later, the shotgun resurfaced when someone walked into a South Carolina gun store carrying an old shotgun with a broken stock. Eventually, Bo Whoop was purchased at auction by Hal B. Howard Jr., who then donated it to Ducks Unlimited to be placed on display at its Memphis, Tennessee, headquarters.

Last winter, as a tribute to Buckingham and Bo Whoop, Ducks Unlimited brought the legendary shotgun back to Beaver Dam for one more hunt.

"It's more than just a shotgun," said Mike Boyd of Beaver Dam Hunting Services. "It was something that Nash had that he wrote about to describe a time in waterfowling history in America, and especially in the South. He wrote around this gun. The gun was the centerpiece for some of his stories. And to be able to bring that back to Beaver Dam was really, really incredible."

"I texted some friends and said 'Nash is smiling right now.' Because this is what he enjoyed, Bo Whoop was his favorite companion of all, and here we are being able to do it in the same place and honor the tradition of hunting the way that he did,"said DU CEO Dale Hall. "To have Bo Whoop as part of the history of how we got here, part of the foundation of who we are and what our ethics are, is such an honor and such a privilege."

Participating in the hunt were several DU volunteer leaders and Will Brantley, Hunting Editor for Field and Stream magazine. Look for Will's feature article about Bo Whoop in an upcoming issue of Field and Stream. DU Films explore the lives and stories of duck hunters across the country. Viewers find out why they became hunters, what drives their passion, and how they are passing on our outdoor traditions. Going beyond the confines and formulas of traditional duck hunting shows, DU Films present the beauty of waterfowling in new and unexpected ways. At the heart of this series is a drive to conserve the habitats that make it all possible.

The 2016 season of DU Films includes six films. DU is releasing one film per month this spring and summer.

DU Films is produced by Rock Road Creative and sponsored by Sitka Gear andYeti.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13.6 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

Media Contact:
Eric Keszler
901-758-3924
ekeszler@ducks.org