Christian
FALL 2017
WATERFOWLER P R E S E RV I N G O U R C H R I S T I A N A N D WAT E R F OW L I N G H E R I TA G E | T H E C WA . O R G
FEATURES
SPECK-TACULAR GOOSE HUNTING HEROES AFTER THE STORM CANINE TUNE-UP
TABLE
of
CONTENTS
OUR HISTORY
3
SPECK-TACULAR GOOSE HSuccessful U N TSpeck I N GHunting in the Heart of the Arkansas Delta
7
HEROES AFTER THE STORM
12
CANINE TUNE-UP
18
WATERFOWL ENGINEERING
21
HONEY GINGER SPECKLED BRecipe E LbyL Chef Y GPaulO OUherS E
23
CGodH made O O you S Eto know N O him W
26
Learn about how the Christian Waterfowlers Association came to be.
Helping those in need after Hurrican Harvey
Tuning up your canine hunting companion for future hunts
Preparing to bring your spread to life
SENIOR EDITORS Ti m & R a c h e l l e S a l l e e CREATIVE DESIGN & EDITING Va n c e K l e m p l e COVER PAGE PHOTO Brandon Fien
CONTACT INFO INFO@THECWA.ORG 479.957.3033
PHOTO BY JOEY MELVIN CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER |
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OUR HISTORY
“Preserving our Christian and Waterfowling Heritage” The Christian Waterfowlers Association was formed by Tim Sallee in September of 2009. However, the idea for the CWA originated back in 2002 while on a duck hunt with his brother Anthony Sallee on the banks of the Arkansas River. Tim was first introduced waterfowling while serving as a youth minister in Fort Smith, Ark. almost thirty years ago. One of his youth members demonstrated using a duck call during a “Gong Show” talent night. He was fascinated with the call and after inquiring about the call and duck hunting was invited to go on a hunt by the youth and his older brother. The hunt experience was incredible, with awesome weather and the perfect sunrise. Right after daybreak about fifteen mallards flew over our backs and circled back with their wings cupped and feet down. “Take Em,” yelled the youth, as Tim raised his gun to shoot. He was so moved by seeing ducks decoy, that he shot three times and did not hit one duck. However, a few weeks later on his second hunt he bagged his first ever mallard and was hooked on duck hunting for life. Tim then introduced waterfowling to his older brother Mark Sallee, his younger brother Anthony Sallee and Mark’s sons Mitchell and Matthew. He always looked forward to spending time in the duck blind with his family and friends each year. Anthony moved to Nashville, Tenn. in the 1980’s and early 1990’s to play bass for the Christian band “White Heart.” He went on to play for Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant and Matthew West to name a few. While taking a break from the road, 3
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he drove in to spend time with family as well as some time in the duck blind. While on a hunt in 2002, Tim and Anthony first brought up the idea combining a passion for Christ with the passion for waterfowling, as well as the idea of a Fellowship of Christian Athletes for waterfowlers, but the idea didn’t get much further than Anthony designing a sample logo or two. After hosting a Wild Game Dinner in September of 2009, Tim saw firsthand the impact of bringing sportsmen together for fellowship and introducing them to Christ. The idea for CWA resurfaced. After much prayer and consideration, he felt it was time move forward with the launching of the CWA website and forum as well as crafting the CWA mission statement: Since that time the CWA has launched close to fifty chapters in fifteen states and continues to add new chapters each month. Chapters meet monthly for food, fellowship, pro-tips, devotion and an invitation to know Christ. Chapters also hold annual outreach/fundraiser dinners, along with various youth hunting, conservation and CWA Wounded Veterans Waterfowl Events. The CWA also hosts an annual meeting and festival. In 2014 the CWA celebrated its 5th Annual International Waterfowl Festival & Outdoor Expo. Over the past eight years, thousands have attended from nineteen states and Canada, with many accepting Christ during the two day event. The event features many competitions including the CWA International Duck
Waterfowler’s Trap Shooting Competition, 3D Archery Competition and Wild Waterfowl Cook-off Competition. Other activities include our Blue Wings Youth Kidz Zone featuring a fishing derby, seminars, Outreach/ Fundraiser Dinner, Sportsman’s Chapel, concerts and more. In 2012 the CWA held its first Blue Wings Youth Waterfowl Hunting Event during the Oklahoma youth waterfowl hunt. After receiving requests to organize a Wounded Veteran’s Duck Hunt, the first ever CWA Wounded Veteran’s Waterfowl event took place in January of 2014 at the Crooked Slough Hunting club in east Arkansas. Since the beginning of CWA, hundreds of lives have been impacted by the Gospel of Christ. We invite you to join the Christian Waterfowlers Association today in preserving our Christian, waterfowling heritage. To become a member visit www.thecwa.org or call 479-957-3033 for more information. (The Christian Waterfowlers Association is incorporated in Arkansas as a non-profit religious organization. The Christian Waterfowlers Association is also registered with the IRS as a 501 (C)(3)non-profit religious organization. All donations are tax deductible except for any gift items and magazine received with your support membership)
CWA Founder - Tim Sallee & wife Rachelle Sallee
Anthony Sallee (Left) Tim Sallee (Right)
SPECK-TACULAR
Successful Speck Hunting in the TIPS BY MATT
I sipped my coke and double-checked my meager spread in the legal light of a newly minted and rainy day. Two dozen, Hard Core Brand realistic full-bodies are positioned in the mud 30 yards downwind. The first yodels are distant, but unmistakable. I screw the cap on my coke bottle and hide it in my laydown blind. I yodeled back, and the bird answers.
Call, answer. Call. Answer. The sprinkling rain and the blind’s flaps obscure my vision. I don’t dare raise my head to look, but I can tell the bird is close. The call takes a considerable burst of air to operate, but I can’t slow down now. I continue to call. The goose continues to answer. The lead bird is still talking when they finally appear — three geese — wings set, gliding toward the decoys. I rise deliberately, shoulder my gun and focus on the head of the trailing bird. It folds upon a single, muffled shot in the open rice field. Before the splash, I swung on another bird. Two more shots — a second goose falls. Bright white rings at their bases accentuate pink bills. The first bird is young. Plucked and roasted, it will make a fine supper this evening. The other is mature and wears a suit of rich black bars across its breast. The adult goose is just the specimen that any hunter would be looking to put on their wall. After picking up the two birds and just having time to get seated back into my laydown blind, A flock of five geese are headed straight towards the decoys. I quickly close the flaps on the laydown blind and sink further in. I gave a two note yodel, and the bird answers. The flock is cupped and committed and losing altitude. Call, answer. Knowing I can only shoot one bird for a limit, I focus on the lead bird. My heart is pounding out of my chest, knowing I’m about to limit out. I feel like a basketball player on the freethrow line about to win the championship game with one good shot for my team. I spring out of my blind while shouldering my gun. One shot and the bird folds and falls into the open field. I’ve done it! I limited out on specks again like I’ve done many times but the feeling never gets old. 7
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Alone in this rice field, you can hear volleys of gunfire in the distance. Here in the heart of the Arkansas delta other hunters enjoy flocks of ducks and camaraderie. I have achieved a limit in minutes, and now picking up decoys. But offering me the promise of a limit of greenheads in exchange for this experience would be a waste of breath. Greater white-fronted geese, often called specklebellys or just specks, are fascinating birds with a cult-like following of hunters. No other waterfowl species hunted in North America interacts so plainly with a hunter and his call. The geese are stunning to the eye and delectable on the table. Bag limits for specks are typically modest in most states (Arkansas - three per day), so many hunters regard a speck in the bag as a trophy bird and Rightfully so.
SPECKS SPECIFICS For the most part, white-fronted goose populations are stable. Specklebellies making up the Mid-continent population winter primarily in the southern United States, mostly west of the Mississippi River. The rice fields and open marshes of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas are prime wintering habitat. A Pacific population of specks winters in California and other areas along the West Coast. Both the Mid-continent and Pacific whitefront populations are estimated at about 600,000 birds. A subspecies of white-fronted goose, the Tule goose, winters almost exclusively in California. Populations of Tule geese are low. In fact, they are one of the least abundant of any goose subspecies, according to the Arctic Goose Joint Venture. Both Pacific and Tule white-fronted geese breed primarily in Alaska. The Mid-continent population has a wider breeding
Hard Core Brand Decoys
GOOSE HUNTING
Heart of the Arkansas Delta ROBERSON
range, nesting primarily in tundra wetland habitat in northern Canada, Alaska, Russia and Greenland. A separate species of white-fronted goose, the lesser whitefront, is found in northern Asia and Europe. It is similar to the greater whitefront, but smaller as the name indicates. Specks feed in open fields and shallow marshes on a variety of vegetation. Rice fields and shallow mud flats are particularly attractive on the wintering grounds, but they’ll readily hit other crop fields as well. As with other goose species, breeding pairs and their offspring often remain in family groups during the course of the migration. Typically, you can expect to see specks in southern rice fields during the first weeks of November, just about the time the first flocks of snow geese arrive. Numbers of specks are increasing here in Arkansas and are getting more popular to hunt. I’ve basically quit duck hunting all together. I know that sounds crazy, I’m a resident in Arkansas and have quit duck hunting. The reason is simple – I’ve gotten hooked on hunting specks and there’s no turning back for me.
DECOY STRATEGIES Many outfitters in East Arkansas and Louisana feel that at the beginning of the season it only takes a few decoys to fool specklebelly geese. Toward the end of the season, as the birds become wary and body up more, these guides put out upwards of two to three dozen decoys. I don’t add to my spread. As far as numbers go, generally throughout the year I’ll hunt anywhere from six to maybe three dozen decoys. During the middle of the season I’ll keep running two dozen until I think or see something that needs to be different. Placement is more important than numbers. When putting them out, people have different opinions. Some place them bunched up in family groups, whereas others place them facing different directions. The one thing I think everyone can agree on is that you need to have decoys upwind of where you’re hunting. Having them upwind, if the specks do what they are supposed to do, they’ll finish up into the wind right over the top of the blind. I typically arrange my spread so the alert sentinel decoys are on the perimeter, looking away from your blind. Working geese will instinctively look toward where the sentinel decoy is looking, so it’s very important that their attention is focused away from your blind. Downwind spreads can be counterproductive, with birds
staying on the extreme outside edge of the decoys and more often than not passing or even landing beyond gun range. I recommend that decoys be placed upwind approximately 30 to 50 yards from the blind. Think of decoys like road blockers, with guides and outfitters using them to direct traffic to tell geese where to land or make their final pass. Most guides and outfitters that I know who decoy specks, also believe in using fully flocked full-body decoys, and I totally agree! You need to have the best (decoys) for specks, I’ve been using Hard Core Decoys for years and have plenty of success with them. But, whatever you use, it’s essential to have lifelike decoys. You have to be as real as possible with everything you do. Your calling, your decoys, your setup, your blind — everything — because they’ll pick you out in a heartbeat.
YODELING FOR SUCCESS When calling specks you have to know what to do and when to do it. For example, when on the ground, specks do a lot of clucking that goes from a string of low to high notes. You can hear it. It goes up and down. Another thing they do is murmur on the ground. If you mix those two calls together and know when to do it, you’ll be very successful. A lot of guys just yodel at them. But, I do clucks most of the time because that is what they do most of the time. I’ve also learned, by reading the behavior of white-fronted geese, that hunters shouldn’t do a lot of aggressive calling when birds are coming right at a blind. It’s only when they pass up a blind or are not looking like they’re going to break the right way that’s when I hit them a little harder on the call. You’ll want to get more excited with your clucks or calling. You’ll want to mix in some yodels, which is what they do when they are flying. With singles, a lot of times they will come in yodeling at you. All I’m doing then is just responding to them, going back and forth with them. I’m starting a conversation or dialogue with them. Most of the time, that will do the trick. If not, then you mix in your clucks and ground murmur.
(Con’t on page 11)
CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER |
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SPECK-TACULAR GOOSE HUNTING (CON’T) FOWLING FAVORITE Specks can be somewhat elusive, difficult birds to hunt. It’s rarely a high-volume shooting endeavor, and the bag limits are modest. But I hold these quirky geese in high regard. When I see a flock of birds, it’s like a math equation. When they don’t come close enough, I begin to think, What do I need to do? Sometimes I think, Did I hit them too hard with my calling? Do I need to hit them softer? Do they want to hear higher-pitch calling or lower pitch? Do they want to hear more clucks or yodels?’ There are a ton of different variables that make you think. There’ll be days when you see them turn and their wings set, and you know you did something they like. That may work the rest of that day. Other days you can’t get them over the top. It’s really a never-ending question of solving, Why didn’t that work and what can I do different? What I think makes specklebelly hunting so exciting is the fact that you don’t have to have a spread of 500 decoys to be successful. I can take half-a-dozen decoys, a call and a decent location, and I feel pretty confident that I can go hunting and get my limit of three of the finest-eating waterfowl around, rib-eye in the sky.
Photo by Brandon Fien
Matt Roberson CWA L’Anguille River Chapter Leader Hardcore Decoys MS Flyaway Pro-Staff Manager Xciter Calls Pro-Staff
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HE RO E S A F T ER T HE STORM CWA members TREY TOUNZEN, DANNY TOUZEN, and WESLEY NASH recognized a need to help rescue people after Hurricane Harvey swept through south Texas with a deluge of water flooding everything in its path. Within a short amount of time, these men raced down to the areas hard hit such as Cypress Springs, Port Arthur, and Orange, Texas to help rescue people from two nursing homes as well as many from their homes. Well over 100 people were rescued by these men. We recongize these men who gave of themselves for others when there was a great need. Thank you TREY TOWNZEN, DANNY TOUNZEN, and WESLEY NASH. Well done.
Specks flying PHOTO BY BRANDON FIEN
CANINE TUNE-UP BY KEITH PARVIN
We all want to be proud of our retriever when we are with our friends on opening morning. Unfortunately, we often get busy and don’t realize until we are on our way to duck camp that our dog could have used some tuning up. I’m sure every waterfowl hunter can relate to the stress and frustration that comes when ducks are working and, out of nowhere, the dog goes ballistic and flares the birds. The following steps will help to guide you through tuning up your retriever so that this upcoming season can be full of stories of your dog making excellent retrieves.
START EARLY WITH A FOUNDATION OF OBEDIENCE Basic obedience is an important foundational skill set that you can use to make sure you have a successful season with your retriever. Most of a dog’s time is spent waiting patiently and quietly on the opportunity to fulfill it’s favorite duty: the retrieve. Often times, however, we spend our training sessions skipping obedience and moving right into the fun stuff, retrieving long or multiple marked retrieves or working on drills to sharpen blind retrieves. The better investment throughout preseason tune up is to focus on obedience and social manners. Once you sharpen up on obedience, maintain a high standard as you move into basic, intermediate, and advanced gundog skills in the field.
EVALUATE YOUR DOGS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Think about what you want their performance to look like, and consider options to help your dog develop the skills necessary to move toward that mental picture. All dogs have certain skills that come naturally and others that need to be further developed. Don’t leave it to chance. Develop a plan to hone in on the skills that need the most work. Don’t toss pointless hand-thrown marked retrieves over and over to get your dog into shape. Instead, work through specifically focused drills and setups.
PRACTICE LIKE YOU HUNT
Photo by Cornerstone Gundog Academy hunt only to find their dog had major problems navigating the challenges with this type of duck blind. The water level in the timber hole fluctuates dramatically, so much so that the blind might be eleven feet above the water. During low water, the dog has to move down a ramp that was long and narrow with a 90 degree turn midway. In addition, almost every retrieve was a blind, and handling with hand signals was nearly impossible due to the duck blind being so far above the dog’s line of sight. We had never trained for such a scenario before that trip. We were very happy for the heads up, and we got into camp a day early to help the dog figure it out. We worked through it and, to this day, we enjoy taking our retrievers on hunts in that blind. Duck blinds eleven feet above the water may be a very extreme example, but you get the point. Whenever possible, don’t let a live hunt be the first time your dog experiences the controllable variables. As you continue visualizing the upcoming season, consider the types of hunting scenarios you will be experiencing with your dog and look for ways to train like you hunt. It is not very difficult to set up a scenario similar to your hunting situation if you start early and take the time to plan ahead. For more information, visit us at: https://www.cornerstonegundogacademy.com
I remember the first time we took one of our dogs on a Keith Parvin timber hunt at what has become one of our favorite Co-Founder/Partner hunting destinations in West Cornerstone Gundog Academy, LP Tennessee. Prior to the hunt, the gentlemen we were Founder/Co-Owner, hunting with told us stories Cornerstone Retrievers, LLC of others who had good dogs show up the morning of the Photo by Cornerstone Gundog Academy CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER | 18
Blue Wings is our initiative to teach and engage young people with the great recreation that is waterfowl hunting. We all have a call to pass on the knowledge and heritage of our pasttime to the next generation. At the Christian Waterfowlers Association, we do that through our Blue Wings events.
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WATERFOWL ENGINEERING Preparing To Bring Your Spread To Life BY ANTHONY WADE SMITH
I’m a jerk. I said it. Yeah, I know. Not the jerk your probably thinking about though. This article may turn you into a Jerk to. I hope so. When you hunt with a group of guys you may find yourself identifying with what I’m about to say. When duck hunting, you find yourself in one of the following categories. The Call Guy- he’s the one that does most of the call and probably calls the shots. The Shooter- He’s the one that can drop 2 geese at 80 yards with one shot. You know old deadeye. He shoots birds when no one else can. The Sportsman - He’s the guy that started a few years ago, has boat, has a few decoys, and can call good. He enjoys the hunt but wants to get better. The Cook- He watches you shoot all the birds while they are preparing fresh sausage, left over tenderloin, and fresh eggs from the coupe. He may also have a full box of pop-tarts left over from the last hunt. You may identify with one of these categories and trust me there are many more. In this article, we are going to concentrate on the category I call “The Jerk” or probably technically “Decoy Technician” or “Waterfowl Engineer.” He can bring ducks in that wouldn’t work before. The Jerk is the guy who can make ducks work your spread and land in the kill zone. One of the secrets I’ve always had in my bag when duck hunting is the ability to bring a spread to life. My passions for this started over 20 years ago by purchasing and building “wobble ducks” and what we called “robo ducks or spinners” before the name Mojo was really known. At one point I was told when setting up a spread that “I brought the Circus to town.” That spread consisted of 4 Landing Spinning Wing Decoys, 2 Water Splashing Decoys, 2 Duck Butts, 1 dozen swimming on a mechanical pulley system that swam around our spread of 5 dozen standard decoys with a dozen and a half full bodies on the bank. Now that may sound like normal to some people and to some sound like a small spread. This was a spread that was taken up every day and moved. This spread has since lightened over the years and has become more portable than ever. I’m going to give you steps to do the same. Being “The Jerk” is more than just knowing how to setup the decoy spread, it’s also knowing how to prepare for it even before season begins. Preparing for the season you need to know how many decoys you are going to be boating or carrying into a place. You also need to know how you are carrying the decoys. Many boaters build compartments into their boat to hold large numbers of decoys. It’s been my experience that this works great if you are hunting from the boat and not on land when you arrive. 21 | CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER
Everything should have a place in this situation. If you are carrying decoys in you need to know your weight limit. Basically, how many you can carry. In many walk-in situations, it’s always handy to have a sled or game carrier to transport decoys. Keep in mind decoys and equipment always weigh more coming out from the hunt area than they do going in. Many times, you will need to carry decoys. In this situation, it’s important to get a decoy bag with backpack straps or shoulder straps. I personally enjoy using the Rig Em’ Right Long Haul Bag. Another tip when choosing a bag to carry over long distance is to see where the bag sits on your back, if it is a backpack style. Why, do you ask? It is better to spend a little more money on a bag that won’t be hitting you in the back of the calves a half mile in. Well-designed decoys bags will be balanced to keep the pack high and equal on distribution. They will most of the time not bulge or be wider than your body. Keep in mind over loading a decoy bag can quickly tear up straps and make the bag disproportional. Always follow the manufacturers guidelines for the number of decoys to use in a decoy bag. You need to take interest, way before, the season in purchasing, maintaining, or building the best decoys you can afford. If you already have decoys make sure to take time to clean them up by using a bleach and water bath. After dunching the decoy use a firm bristle brush to scrub the dirt and water stain off the decoy. Then hose off with water and dry. If your decoy is still in good condition, which means the paint has good color and there are no holes, use a matte finish enamel spray to spray and highlight the contrast areas. Concentrate on spraying the bill, head, chest, mid-line on the back, and black area of the rear. If your decoy needs some paint or repainting, consider purchasing a product like Parker Decoy Paint. There kits provide a lot of detailed instructions on painting techniques and restoring old decoys. The last thing to bring into this part of this article is “The Jerk!” Every good spread has motion when you need it. Although a large spread is generally more viewable, a small spread with a mixture of size and motion, makes up for the large spreads because in this technique the water displacement will be much more viewable. Just as spinning wings are designed to catch the ducks eye, movement on water can do the same thing. A common Jerk technique of mine is to use 3 jerk cords. 2 jerks will be placed on the downwind side of the spread forming a V. Place 4 decoys on each cord. Separate the decoys 3 feet apart on each cord. The end of the 2 jerk cords should point directly
toward the downwind corner of your hide or blind forming a V. At the V when the 2 jerk cords meet using 100-150ft piece of black para cord or a small black rope. Clip or tie the rope to the end of the jerk cord V. Walk the cord to the hide or blind and tie the rope or cord inside the blind. Next walk directly out at an angle from the upwind side and stop approximately 20 yards out. Next tie or click the third jerk rig end to the cord. Then walk directly out from this location with the third jerk rig tied on and stretch it until it is taught. You may drop the weight but keep hold of the line to attach 4 decoys to on the upwind side. Now start to place 2 dozen standard decoys around the jerk rigs. Leave a large gap in the middle for ducks to land. This area can be used to place other motion decoy like spinners, swimmers, or duck butts but it does not require them. Also note decoys that will be used on the jerk rig do not need to have decoy weights on them because they will be anchored by the jerk. This will help to lighten your load. An important lesson learned in back water areas is to not use decoys with upright heads. Use decoys that are mimic feeding or low heads. If you use a jerk rig with decoys that have high heads, this mimic an alert/ alarm position. This position is similar to a group of ducks when they are fixing to take off. Your last thought may be when do you pull the jerk rig. Good question. Its best to pull the jerk when you can see the wing tips of ducks. Like calling on the corners only put the jerk rig fully when the ducks are on the corners.
Then release the jerk rig when ducks start look back into your spread. When ducks are overhead I use a bump technique. Only bumping the jerk rig a small amount to make the decoys wobble. This will help add more motion to your spread and allow you to control 3 jerk rig as if they are 1 large jerk rig.
Photo from Rig’Em Right Waterfowl
I hope with preparation and these tips you can successfully harvest waterfowl this season. Be safe and enjoy the hunt!
Anthony Wade Smith Owner, American Waterfowl Systems Product Specialist, Rig’Em Right Waterfowl CWA - Pro-Staff
HONEY GINGER SPECKLED BELLY GOOSE
1 OR 2 SPECKLED GOOSE BREAST OR DUCK
HOW TO FIX
COMBINE:
Bring all ingredients except the apples, raisins and walnuts, to a boil and whisk until thickened about 2 minutes.....Add apples, raisins and walnuts, stir to combine.
1/4 Teaspoon salt 1/4 Teaspoon black pepper 1/4 Teaspoon cayenne 1/2 Cup of chicken stock 3 Tablespoons of honey 3 Tablespoons of hoisin sauce 3 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar Pinch or two of chili pepper 2 Teaspoons of lime juice 2 Tablespoons of fresh grated ginger Sliced tart apple 2 Tablespoons of raisins 2 Tablespoons of chopped walnuts
Sear goose breast for 3 to 4 minutes a side, place in preheated 400 degree oven and roast for 5 minutes. Goose will be medium rare. Take from oven and let the breast rest for 5 to 6 minutes. After breast has rested, slice to desired thickness and drizzle honey ginger spice sauce over goose. Garnish with butternut squash and roasted beets. The squash and beets should be steamed and sautĂŠed with butter, honey, ginger, salt and pepper.
Chef Paul Uher 23 | CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER
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CHOOSE NOW BY CHUCK McALISTER
In the outdoors you will see the greatness of God and in Jesus you see the grace of God
There is a reason why the hair stands up on the back of your neck when you watch the ducks as they prepare to land in your decoys or even when the tip of your fishing rod snaps down towards the water. God made you to know Him and is seeking you through the outdoors...And through His Son Jesus. In the outdoors you will see the greatness of God and in Jesus you see the grace of God.
WE HAV E ALL MIS S E D T H E M A R K Romans 3:23 - “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” It’s like trying to make a clear shot when the sight of your rifle is off. No matter how hard you try - you are going to miss. We have all missed the mark of the perfection that is required to get into heaven.
YOU ARE BE IN G H U N T E D Hunting, as we know, involves pursuing game. The Bible tells us that we don’t have the ability to pursue God, but He is pursuing us! Romans 3:10-11 - “As is it written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”
HE PURSU E S YOU BE CAUS E H E L OV E S YO U Romans 5:8 - “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
However, you are also hunted by another! 1 Peter 5:8 - “Be self-controlled and alert, your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” You are being pursued by Satan as well as by God. You get to choose who captures you.
W E H AV E AL L MI SS ED TH E MARK How do I let God capture my heart? Romans 10:9-10 - “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scriptures say, anyone who trusts Him will never be put to shame.” TO CONFESS JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOR OF YOUR LIFE AS WELL TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR TRUST IN HIM, YOU CAN PRAY THIS SIMPLE PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I want You to capture me. I believe that You are God’s Son. I believe that You gave your life for me on the cross and was raised from the dead to save me. I surrender control of my life to You. I invite You to come into my life. I will follow You for the rest of my life. Thank you Jesus for saving me. If you prayed that prayer, please contact us as (479) 957-3033 or email tim@thecwa.org and we will send you some information about the decision you just made as well as where to go from here.
Chuck McAlister is the founder of Adventure Bound Outdoor TV Program, Promise of Hope Ministries, as well as one of the Christian Waterowlers Association Board Members CHRISTIAN WATERFOWLER | 25
Specks feeding PHOTO BY BRANDON FIEN