Delta Waterfowl's Million Duck Campaign Goes Live

Delta Waterfowl is excited to announce the Million Duck Campaign – a program that will put more ducks over the decoys for every waterfowl hunter in North America. It's an ambitious goal whose time has come! Delta knows the duck production science. We’ve created the right tools, and we know where the work must be done. Now, with the support of American and Canadian waterfowl hunters and the backing of great partners like Benelli, Delta will add a million more ducks a year – every year – to the fall flight. 

If that's not enough to set your heart racing like a flock of bluebills just rocketed through your decoy spread, here's a quick Q&A that answers all the questions you may have. 

What is Delta’s Million Duck Campaign? 

The Million Duck Campaign is Delta Waterfowl’s groundbreaking initiative to create a perpetual endowment fund to pay for duck production programs that will make it possible for Delta Waterfowl to add at least 1 million ducks to the fall flight every year ... forever. 

How will the endowment be funded? 

The success of the campaign will be achieved based upon the support of North American duck hunters — the group that has long proven itself to be America’s greatest wildlife conservationists. The Million Duck Campaign, or MDC, will rely on the generous contributions from donors and supporters at all levels. Every single contribution will make a difference! 

How much money needs to be raised? 

An endowment fund of $250 million will pay for the massive expansion and maintenance of Hen House and Predator Management programs to make 1 million additional ducks each year. 

How will Delta’s MDC produce 1 million ducks each year? 

Hen House nesting structures and direct Predator Management have been researched and refined by Delta for more than 30 years and proven to be the most effective and cost-efficient way to produce ducks in the premier waterfowl breeding grounds of the U.S. and Canadian Prairies. Contributions to the MDC endowment fund will pay for more installation and maintenance of Hen Houses, more trappers and more trapping sites in perpetuity. 

How long will it take to fully fund the MDC? 

The goal that Delta has set is to gather gifts and pledges of $250 million by the end of 2024. The extreme generosity of an initial group of donors has provided a strong start, which could well lead to reaching or exceeding this goal even more quickly than planned. However, The Duck Hunters Organization is counting on every hunter who wants to enjoy more ducks over his or her decoys to support the cause. 

Will the MDC become the exclusive focus of Delta Waterfowl? 

Absolutely not! Delta’s mission has long been and will always be to produce more ducks and secure the future of waterfowl hunting in North America. Four important pillars have long supported and will continue to drive that mission: 

• Duck Production: Hen Houses and Predator Management 

• Habitat Conservation: Seeing to it that habitat remains viable and available in critical areas where ducks breed, nest and make more ducks 

• Research and Education: Conducting key waterfowl management studies and educating tomorrow’s professional waterfowl managers 

• HunteR3: Recruiting, retaining and reactivating waterfowl hunters and defending and promoting waterfowl hunting access and opportunity 

How many ducks do Delta Duck Production programs currently produce?  

In recent history, Delta’s duck production programs are credited with producing approximately 100,000 ducks a year. With the slated expansion of Hen House installations and the addition of more Predator Management sites on high-density nesting areas for 2023, it’s estimated that Delta’s efforts in the U.S. and Canada will produce 112,728 ducks next breeding season. 

The majority of new Delta-produced ducks that fly south in the fall are the result of direct Predator Management work, followed closely by Hen House nesting structures that protect hens, eggs, and ducklings. More than 30 years of research and records are irrefutable evidence of the success of Delta Duck Production programs. Every gift to MDC will help ramp up these programs to produce 1 million new ducks a year, every year! 

Where will the results of the MDC be seen? 

The million ducks per year that MDC will produce will benefit hunters in all four flyways -- as far south and as far north as ducks migrate (and are hunted) in North America. The expansion of boots-on-the-ground duck production practices, funded by the MDC, will be intensely focused on the Prairie Pothole Region and Canadian Parklands, where as many as 70 percent or more of the ducks migrating in all four flyways are hatched every year. 

Which kinds of ducks will the MDC impact the most? 

Nearly all species of ducks popular with hunters will be impacted by increased production from Delta’s Million Duck Campaign.  

Hen Houses are primarily used by mallards. Mallards are also the most populous and adaptive ducks in North America — and in the world, for that matter. More are taken annually by North American hunters by a factor of at least 2X-3X more than any other individual species. Delta’s duck production efforts are highly effective in boosting mallard numbers. 

The equally great news is that Delta’s highly-targeted predator management is a boon to nearly all duck species! No matter which is your favorite to see pitching into your decoys, contributions to the Million Duck Campaign will enable Delta to produce more of them — a million more ducks — season after season — forever. 

How can I help in the Million Duck Campaign? 

That’s easy. Consider making a gift to the Million Duck Campaign. Learn more and make your contribution at: deltawaterfowl.org – Bill Miller