first shooting light

a photogr a phic jou r na l r ev e a l s the l egac y a n d lu r e of hu n ti ng clu bs i n the m ississippi fly way

published by ArtsMemphis

executive editor Susan Schadt

text by Anne Cunningham O’Neill

Opposite: 713

FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT was photographed by Murray Riss

12 713 FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT

Sunrise at 713

FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT 713 13

the story of 7 13 begins nine years ago

when Terry McFarland was dining in West Memphis and

overheard a conversation at an adjacent table about “some

great hunting near Marianna.” Ears pricked, he listened

closely for the directions. “Turn right, go three miles and

you will see a bridge in the middle of nowhere. Head

straight and you will see more ducks than you have ever

seen.” This was good enough for McFarland. With a claim

jumper’s alacrity, he telephoned his friend, Mac McKee,

and said cryptically “meet me in Marianna.”

Not long afterwards, section 713 came into being as a duck

hunting club of 1,280 acres in Lee County, Arkansas. It is

perfectly located on the L’Anguille River and the St.

Francis Floodway near the north end of the St. Francis

National Forest, which is historically one of the greatest

hunting areas in the Mississippi Flyway.

The plan was that the club would consist of 10 members.

Everyone approached – to the man – understandably

wanted in on the deal, and in addition to McFarland and

McKee, the group now includes: Casey Bowlin, Jimmy

Dobbs, John C. Dobbs, Trow Gillespie, Steve Morrow, Lewis

Williamson, and Phil and Philip Zanone. What’s more, the

award-winning logo of 713 has been spotted on baseball

caps worn by perfect strangers throughout the South –

surely testament to the club’s outstanding reputation.

The first year the members were temporarily housed in

portable trailers, but a clubhouse of significant

proportions and amenities was part of the plan. Lengthy

and lively discussions were held on whether they would

build their club on a mound or on pilings to protect

against potential flooding. McKee thought pilings were a

bad idea, because even in the trailers “you could feel the

pilings shaking.” Ultimately he was able to convince the

membership to build on what is now known as “Mac’s

Mound,” which is three feet above the highest water level

ever recorded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

It was also understood that the clubhouse must be

comfortable and female-friendly so that wives would want

to come. And it was always intended to be an enjoyable

experience for those people who do not hunt. Gillespie was

designated as a design review committee of one, and he

was determined that the clubhouse would not be a

dumping ground for unused items from members’ homes.

Mostly these rules are heeded, though a serious breach

occurred once when a mounted marlin mysteriously

appeared on the wall.

713

FOUNDED 1999

LEE COUNTY, ARKANSAS

FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT 713 17

Opposite: Steve Morrow and Mark Cook lure ducks from the blind

Above: Mac McKee and Annie stand proud

52 beaver dam lake FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT

Davis Owen Jr. exhibits keen concentration in anticipating the day

FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT beaver dam lake 53

many duck hunting clubs have long

and colorful histories, but when it comes to legacy and

tradition, Beaver Dam just might be the Granddaddy of

them all. One half mile wide and seven miles long, Beaver

Dam Lake is located in Tunica County, Mississippi,

near Evansville, some 43 miles south of Memphis. This

Mississippi River oxbow lake and much of the surrounding

land have been in the Owen family ever since the Civil War.

The coming of the railroad between Memphis and New

Orleans increased the area’s accessibility to hunters, and Dr.

R.W. Owen agreed to lease his land to the founders of the

Beaver Dam Ducking Club, which was formally organized in

1882. Since ducks have come here from time immemorial, it

is not surprising that the duck hunting club considered to be

the Mid-South’s oldest, and the second oldest in the nation,

was established in this very special place. Over the course

of its long history, the club has gone through a few different

incarnations and is presently operated by R.W.’s descendants.

Davis Owen’s particular parcel of this duck hunting

paradise, Twin Blind, is located at the southern end of

Beaver Dam Lake. A Tunica resident, Owen hunts every

chance he gets with family and friends from Memphis,

Birmingham, Atlanta and all over. He points with pride to

the old, hand-drawn map of the club that marks the locations

of duck blinds going back to the earliest days. In fact, the

blinds used by Owen were made famous by the nationally

renowned and locally revered sportsman, Nash Buckingham.

Buckingham’s father was one of the original members of the

Beaver Dam Ducking Club, and Nash wrote extensively in

newspapers and magazines about his experiences hunting

here and considered it his special duck-hunting spot.

In more recent years, the land was farmed by Davis Owen’s

father, who was not himself an avid hunter. In fact, it

was their farm manager who had taken Davis hunting

as a boy and taught him to shoot. Over the past 20 years,

Owen has enjoyed hunting with his good friend Hal Boyd

III of Memphis. As Boyd tells the story, when he and

Owen were looking for a place to hunt, Davis famously

said, “Daddy’s got some land,” which could perhaps

be one of the colossal understatements of all time.

Once upon a time, the friends went to Beaver Dam every

Saturday and Sunday during hunting season, but family

considerations have now made planning a bit more difficult.

The good news is that history is repeating itself, and Owen

and Boyd have the great pleasure of hunting with their young

sons, who are both twelve years old and are themselves

good friends. Davis Owen Jr. began hunting at age eight and

according to his father, he is a good shot and getting better

all the time. The son is fascinated by all things connected

with the hunt, and he routinely examines each duck with

surgical precision to pinpoint exactly where it was shot

and to check for the prized duck band. He will learn to call

next year, but in the meantime his dad is the family caller.

Beaver Dam Lake (t w i n bl i n d)

FOUNDED 1882

TUNICA COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI

90 bobo brake FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT

A well-preserved natural habitat for waterfowl

FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT bobo brake 91

The mystical cypress brakes

118 five oaks FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT

In the belief that “day in and day out,

nobody has hunting like we have in the State of

Arkansas,” the Dunklin family bought the lodge in

1983, renamed it Five Oaks and began to develop

their vision of offering this unique hunting experience to

people from all over the country. Luck shined again when

their first, and long-serving manager, Cecil Kagebein, who

according to George, “had a little bit of duck in him,”

became an intrinsic part of the place from the outset. The

Dunklin family also received a great deal of help in this

enterprise by Herman Taylor, an experienced hunter and

past president of Ducks Unlimited, who helped build a

model for what they hoped to accomplish.

While the lodge was already a nice facility, the family

enhanced it by building several additions, adding a lake and

under Deborah’s direction redecorating from top to bottom.

Dunklin says that “the remodeling has taken our lodge to

another level of comfort for our guests,” and accomplished

chef, Brian Hargis, is in charge of the outstanding cuisine.

Deborah says too that she is especially proud of the state-of-

the-art skeet shooting range, which has five stands and has

greatly enhanced the lodge’s range of activities. Their

outdoor fireplace is another very special gathering place, and

it is lit every afternoon at 4:00 p.m. According to Dunklin,

guests started coming to Five Oaks Duck Lodge from the

very beginning, and many of the same people, including

groups from Louisiana, Ohio, Delaware, Tennessee and

South Carolina, return year after year. The only day that they

do not have anyone staying in the lodge is Christmas Day.

Guides take the hunters out to their designated locations in

five Suburban vehicles. While these guides have day jobs

and do not work full time for him, Dunklin says they

contribute so much to the Five Oaks experience because of

their expertise and spirit. The enthusiasm of these guides

for duck hunting even extends to their families. Shelby

Free, the daughter of Bill Free, a longtime guide at the

lodge, puts her heart and soul into duck calling and in

2006 won the women’s world championship. According to

Dunklin she comes out in the evening to entertain the

guests with her duck calling skills.

For the Dunklin family, duck hunting is not about “the

kill,” and they see their lodge as a gateway that leads family

and guests to a connection with the land and an

appreciation of its resources. As a consequence, the family

works steadfastly every day to improve and conserve this

precious environment, and Dunklin is proud to be both a

volunteer with the Arkansas Game Commission as a

governor-appointed commissioner and a senior vice-

president of conservation with Ducks Unlimited. Dunklin

and Livia, his wife, live across the road from the lodge, and

though she does not hunt, she is “a good sport” about her

husband’s passion for waterfowl and conservation, and

their three daughters like to go out dove hunting. Likewise

Deborah and her son and daughter frequently visit Five

Oaks and enjoy the many outdoor activities offered at the

lodge. There is a family tradition of having a hunt on

Thanksgiving morning with “the cousins.”

Dunklin has founded the unique Five Oaks Wildlife

Services, which has been headed up since 2005 by green

timber and wildlife biologist, Jody Pagan, for whom it is

quite simply “all about the ducks.” The aim of this

program is to help landowners develop their properties to

their highest and best use and to improve or restore

wetland habitat for waterfowl. Five Oaks has developed a

special type of patented millet along with reforestation

practices and is working with other clubs “to spread the

gospel.” There is also a 600-acre rest area at Five Oaks, and

Dunklin feels that “we must be doing something right in

enhancing the habitat.” For instance, for the past 15 years

there has been a nesting pair of bald eagles, which is

considered to be an indicator of success.

Dunklin and his sister, Deborah, both believe they have a

deep responsibility to their land, and they are working at

Five Oaks so that “everything we do today will determine

how the land will look 100 years from now.” They agree that

this mission “makes our decisions to continue to improve

the land very easy indeed” and in their view, “good things

happen when you have the proper spirit and dedication.” v

FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT five oaks 119

Hunting culture pure and simple with guide Harlan Patterson and dog, Chester

FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT greenbriar 133

Opposite: Mr. Olin’s bench holds a unique place in both location and lore

Above: Some believe the .410 gauge “builds character”

178 mallard rest FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT

Backlit through overcast skies, Mikoma blind awaits the hunters

FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT mallard rest 179

The Dunavants’ beloved Labrador, Atom Cat

FIRST SHOOTING LIGHT menasha 189

Opposite: The #26 blind is the centerpiece in “a sea of blue”

Above: Nearly 300 years old, a giant cypress tree reigns over Mink Lake