Concordia Nebraska staff, students enjoy guided hunt through Delta Waterfowl University Hunting Program

Delta Waterfowl is a conservation group that works to produce ducks through intensive management programs and conservation of breeding duck habitat. Founded at the Delta Marsh in Manitoba with U.S. headquarters in Bismarck, North Dakota, Delta Waterfowl conducts vital waterfowl research and promotes and protects the continuing tradition of waterfowl hunting in North America. 

Delta Waterfowl launched its University Hunting Program in August 2017. The program allows participating university students to receive instruction as part of a regularly scheduled wildlife course. Participants may also receive credits for completely a hunter safety course, learning additional shooting skills and participating in a weekend hunt at a select hunting location.  

Recently, Delta Waterfowl university program contacted reached out to Concordia University, Nebraska’s Professor of Geography and Chair of Department of History, Geography, Intercultural Studies and Modern Languages Dr. Joel Helmer to determine if any Concordia Nebraska students would be interested in participating in the program. Delta Waterfowl contacted Helmer after he took former Concordia Nebraska student Brynna Bruxellas turkey hunting. Helmer posted photos of their successful hunt on Facebook. Nebraska Games & Parks shared that post, which led to Delta Waterfowl reaching out to him. 

In our increasingly digital and technology-saturated world, young people benefit greatly from being outdoors. They need time outdoors; relaxing, exploring, learning, doing adventurous things and connecting to the natural world that God gave us to use and enjoy.

Helmer recruited five students to participate: Josh Meyer, Hayley Miles, Justin Otten, Madelyn Graham and Lindsay Palmer. On November 9, the group was introduced to shooting shotguns, and on November 10 they experienced a guided waterfowl hunt near Gretna, Nebraska.  

“After meeting with them, I decided it was a great opportunity for our students to be introduced to waterfowl hunting and the role hunting plays in wildlife conservation,” he said. “The program pays for the student’s ammunition and guide fees, and also provided waders, hats, calls and hunting jackets. The group had fun and learned a lot about the role of hunting in wildlife conservation. The number of hunters has been declining for decades, and young people are not participating or being introduced to hunting.”  

Helmer said the trip was not only educational but also memorable and fun. 

“Delta Waterfowl bought each student neoprene waders. After our hunt, the guides were picking up the duck decoys floating in the wetland. I told the students they needed to wade out and try out their waders. Neoprene waders feel strange in the water since they suck to your legs and you feel like you are getting wet, but of course you aren’t. The students were laughing and talking about how weird it felt,” laughed Helmer. “It made me smile.” 

The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is based on funding from users, meaning federal agencies like the United States Fish & Wildlife Service and state agencies like the Nebraska Game & Parks are funded mainly through hunting and fishing license sales.  

“Getting young people involved assists in habitat conservation and wildlife management,” explained Helmer. “Also, many young people going into conservation- and wildlife-related careers having never hunted, so introducing them to it helps them understand the important role it plays in their future career paths. And in our increasingly digital and technology-saturated world, young people benefit greatly from being outdoors. They need time outdoors; relaxing, exploring, learning, doing adventurous things and connecting to the natural world that God gave us to use and enjoy.” 

Participating Concordia Nebraska students said the experience was simply unforgettable. 

“It was great to partner with Delta Waterfowl for this experience,” said Miles. “I have never been hunting before, so the whole experience was new and exciting. I appreciated them taking the time to teach us to shoot and hunt the next day. I think the purpose of this opportunity, to provide conservation biology students hunting awareness and experience, is important and a great way to connect these fields which often work hand and hand. 

Concordia Nebraska plans to partner with Delta Waterfowl to again offer this opportunity to students in fall 2025.  

“We learned how to shoot safely and efficiently at clay decoys, then were set loose on real ducks,” said Palmer. “We only got two, but it was really great just being there to learn in the first place. We got to wake up early and drive up to a wetland with our group, swapping stories and watching the sunrise. Hunting is so important for a healthy ecosystem, and it is a good way to build community as well.”  

“The concept of the program is really rather ingenious. Introducing students whose careers and interests are in the environment and conservation hunting so that they can experience one of the main ways that conservation is funded is really smart,” added Meyer. “As a whole the experience was a lot of fun. We were all new to shooting and hunting for the most part and so learning about hunting, firearms, safety, and then getting to use that knowledge was a really cool journey to take together. While unfortunately, we didn't have the best day for hunting as not too many ducks were present, it was really cool to go and experience just what a hunting trip is like and to spend a morning together outside.” 

The environmental science major at Concordia University, Nebraska prepares students for careers as leaders in understanding and addressing complex environmental issues from a problem-oriented, interdisciplinary perspective. Graduates of the environmental science program will work to conserve our environment in the face of increasing human population growth and anthropogenic activities that degrade natural resources and ecosystems.