St. Lawrence Legacy
Decoy carver and longtime DU supporter and volunteer Tom Humberstone joins the DU TV cast and crew for an exciting hunt on the famed St. Lawrence River in Upstate New York.
August 05, 2020 •
3
min read
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Aug. 5, 2020 -This week on DU TV, decoy carver and Ducks Unlimited supporter Tom Humberstone hunts the St. Lawrence river with DU TV co-host Doug Larsen and friends.
This is the second installment of back-to-back episodes showcasing decoys carvers with a rich DU legacy.
Humberstone grew up in the region and decoy carving has been his passion for decades. He carves and collects working decoys made for the water and the hunt.
"I go to bed at night thinking of patterns I&squo;m going to draw, decoys I&squo;m going to make,&dquo; Humberstone said. "I&squo;m not into mint condition decoys, I like the old warriors. The ones that I know have seen water and been hunted. It&squo;s an obsession with me.&dquo;
The St. Lawrence River area is steeped in waterfowling tradition going back to the days of market hunting. People came from the surrounding cities to enjoy the bountiful wildlife and beautiful scenery, as co-host Doug Larsen explained.
"Historically this was a tremendous waterfowling area,&dquo; Larsen said. "Back in the days of the Industrial Revolution, a lot of people had summer cabins here, had hunting camps here.&dquo;
DU&squo;s Region 6 Director of Fundraising and Volunteer Relations Dan DeLawyer was along for the hunts and fellowship. He explained the importance of decoy carving and its impact on hunter success.
"Decoy carving was not considered an art form, it was part of your toolbox,&dquo; said DeLawyer. "If you were going to be successful in this culture, you needed to know how to create and carve these birds yourself or become friends with someone who did.&dquo;
Humberstone&squo;s dedication to DU&squo;s mission goes back over 30 years. Ducks Unlimited named him the 2009 New York Volunteer of the Year. He continues to donate his time and creations in support of Ducks Unlimited.
Humberstone and others like him blazed a conservation trail for future generations to follow, and it&squo;s important to him that the work continues.
"I&squo;m at the end of the trail,&dquo; said Humberstone. "I&squo;ve done everything that I could do. I&squo;m not saying I&squo;m going to stop now, but it&squo;s up to the younger generation to carry it on so that down the road their kids still have what we have. If we don&squo;t, what we will lose is shameful.&dquo;
DU TV airs Mondays at 1 a.m., Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. (all times Eastern) on the Pursuit Channel. All episodes, plus bonus content and classic episodes, can be found at www.ducks.org/dutv.
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DU TV is sponsored by Browning Arms, Browning Ammunition, Drake Waterfowl Systems, Plano Synergy and Zink Calls, Higdon Outdoors, Purina Pro Plan, Mossy Oak Camo, Mossy Oak Properties,Mossy Oak Biologic, Mossy Oak Nativ Nurseries and SecureIt Intelligent Firearms Storage.
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 nearly 15 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:
John Gordon
901-758-3753
jgordon@ducks.org
