Hear From Our Hunters
By Samantha Fain
Indiana’s waterfowl hunters have many reasons to return outdoors each year. The action-packed early teal season in September is just one of them. They’ve all experienced the sport’s benefits, whether they’re harvesting their own food or bonding with their fellow hunters. Here are some of their favorite hunting areas, their best waterfowl hunting memories, and their advice for new hunters.
Drew Probst, 20
Favorite hunting spot: Down on the Ohio River.
Favorite part of waterfowl hunting: Spending time with family, watching the sunrise with them, eating breakfast, and drinking coffee.
Fun fact: Being a duck hunter has been a family heirloom for me. My great grandfather was instrumental in starting National Turkey Federation and Ducks Unlimited chapters in our area, which has led my uncles and I to be outdoorsmen and members of Ducks Unlimited for a long time.
Photo by Drew Probst.
Jake Meyerrose, 37
Favorite hunting spot: West Central Plains states.
Favorite part of waterfowl hunting: I enjoy the interaction (with the teal), coupled with the sensory experiences—feeling wing beats, moving air, those moments that can’t be replicated with any other recreational activity.
Fun fact: I taught myself how to use duck calls by listening to the noises the ducks make, understanding when they call, and their purpose. I made mistakes, but the times you do the wrong things are more important than when you learn to do certain things correctly.
James Yuska, 21
Favorite hunting spot: My private lake in northeastern Indiana.
Favorite part of waterfowl hunting: I can go with 4-5 guys and have a successful hunt while still being able to laugh, talk, and make breakfast. A big reason why I hunt is for the shared experience and memories.
Advice: Find someone, like a mentor, who has hunting equipment and will let you tag along for a day to teach you the ropes. There’s not anyone who’s not going to help you.
Amanda Atkinson, 38
Favorite hunting spot: Willow Slough FWA, and southern Illinois.
Favorite part of waterfowl hunting: I like the social aspect of waterfowl hunting and how it’s an opportunity to tell stories. I get to hear about my dad and my uncles’ experiences, and I appreciate the oral history.
Advice: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You’re going to shoot and miss, you’re going to forget to load your gun, your camouflage will be wrong. But each mistake is an opportunity to learn.
Photo by Amanda Atkinson.
Nick Feczko, 20
Favorite hunting spot: Monroe, Patoka, and Brookville lakes.
Favorite part of waterfowl hunting: I like the strategy (part) of it. I like being able to strategize different decoys with the wind and trying to get all the different variables to work together so the bird will do what you want it to do. Being out there with my best friends is pretty cool, too.
Fun fact: 2023 was my second season of waterfowl hunting. I’m currently the event coordinator for the IU chapter of Ducks Unlimited, so I plan fundraisers and volunteer events.
Photo by Nick Feczko, Ducks Unlimited.
Jeff Newkirk, 53
Favorite hunting spot: DNR public and private land.
Favorite part of waterfowl hunting: Trying to outsmart the birds with the whole set up: the blind, the decoys, all of it.
Fun fact: I wouldn’t hunt nearly as much as I do now if I didn’t have a dog. When my son Julian and I got a black lab, we learned how to hunt alongside her.
Julian Newkirk, 17
Favorite hunting spot: DNR public and private land.
Favorite part of waterfowl hunting: I love identifying the birds, and they’re pretty. I enjoy the experience of seeing them flying in the field.
Advice: Try to educate yourself before you go out to hunt and learn how to ID them beforehand.
