Harper newest member of Ducks Unlimited TV
Welcome to Ducks Unlimited TV’s newest member, Cara Harper.
And, even if she does have 50,000 followers on Instagram, Harper has her priorities in order. We’ll let her explain why, though she is happy to have so many fans, it’s the life in the duck blind that she prefers.
“I don’t have time to post every day,” she said. “I like to live my life. I don’t always have my head in my phone.”
So, there you have it. Move over Doug Larsen, another new member of the DU TV team and returning hosts Field Hudnall and Ashley Ward and make way for Cara Harper, who started duck hunting with her father and older brother when she was six. That’s right – six!
“I remember I was always upset that I couldn’t go (duck hunting) when I was little,” said Harper, whose family had a cabin near Stuttgart, Ark. “I hated being left behind. Finally, when I got big enough to go duck hunting for the first time I absolutely loved it. They had to sit me on the dog stand. I didn’t have any waders. They would float me across (the water) in a decoy bag. I have a lot of great memories.”
Now, she’s in the memory-making business as part of the Memphis-based Ducks Unlimited TV team. It is, as they say, a memory come true for Harper, whose husband of less than a year, Grant, is also an avid waterfowl hunter. In fact, it was her husband who played a part in her joining the DU TV team.
It seems one of her husband’s duck hunting friends knew there was a vacancy on the DU TV team and thought Harper, through her passion for duck hunting and a degree in science in agriculture business public relations, might fill the spot.
“Apparently they had seen me duck hunting with Grant,” Harper said. “It was like seven degrees that day and I was toughing it out like everybody else. Someone said, ‘that girl is serious about duck hunting.’’ “Whenever it came time to have a new co-host for DU TV, my name came up.” The rest, as they say, is history. “I am thrilled to begin the journey as a co-host for Ducks Unlimited TV,” Harper said. “Supporting wetlands and waterfowl conservation is something I hold close to my heart. I aim to encourage more women and youth to get involved and experience the unique camaraderie that is shared in a duck blind among friends and family.”
Harper said most of her hunts for DU TV were in Arkansas. However, she did make her first hunting trip to Mississippi with a hunt near Grenada. She admits she was nervous when she watched the first episode of the show’s 2018-19 season.
“Oh, I was so nervous,” she said. “I was shaking. I thought I might look silly, but it turned out pretty cool. It was like when I came in for my first interview. I thought it was so cool that DU would even consider me. I did my lines. I had some impromptu questions. I guess it went well.”
Not that those who know her expected anything different.
One of those is John Gordon of Hernando, Miss., media/public relations manager for Memphis-based Avery Outdoors and Banded Holdings, who also operates a North Mississippi waterfowl guide service.
“I know she will be a great addition (to the DU TV team)," Gordon said. “I watched her work with the Super Retriever Series. She does a great job. She represents a really growing segment of the outdoor world, which is women in the outdoors.”
Ducks Unlimited TV is available on the Pursuit Channel at 12:30 a.m. on Mondays, 7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays. All episodes and bonus content are also available on the DU website at www.ducks.org/dutv.
Got an item or note? E-mail Larry Rea at lroutdoors@att.net or go to his web site at lroutdoors.com; listen to Larry Rea on Outdoors with Larry Rea on Saturday mornings from 6-7:30 on ESPN 790-AM and 1520-AM and 95.3 in Brownsville, Tenn., and 6:30-8 on News/Talk 101.5 in Jackson, Tenn.