Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Tradition continues
Hunting created profound legacy in Lawrence family
Doves did not fly in a certain part of Pulaski County Saturday and Sunday, but that didn’t stop three generations of the Lawrence family from making memories.
Jeff Lawrence, Tyler Lawrence, 35, and Tyler’s son Pierce Lawrence, 6, enjoyed an annual dove hunt at a friend’s farm near Little Rock. Jeff Lawrence, a longtime regional director for Ducks Unlimited, was recently inducted into the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation’s Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame. Tyler is the Game and Fish Foundation’s events coordinator. Retirement gives Jeff more time to spend outdoors with his progeny, but as a fundraising specialist for Ducks Unlimited, he has helped create and enhance some of the duck hunting opportunities they enjoy.
“Tyler is kind of following my footsteps,” Jeff Lawrence said. “I took him as often as I could through school and as an adult.”
Tyler killed his first duck and his first wild turkey at age 9. It is not known when he actually killed his first dove.
“He probably ‘claimed’ his first dove,” Lawrence said. “Actually shooting one came later.”
“That’s absolutely quite possible,” Tyler Lawrence said with mock annoyance. “I’d say I was a pretty good shot. It’s always a joke with dad and all the guys out there on the dove field that Tyler’s the one that always gets all the shots.
“I’ll never forget that first year going out there,” Tyler continued. “Dad, not knowing what to expect, made me shoot millions of rounds of skeet to get my skill set right. When we got out there, he set a bunch of shells down beside my chair and said, ‘You can kill 15. Here you go!”
After hunting on opening day of dove season Saturday, members of the group left their spinning wing decoys in the field overnight. When they arrived, Jeff Lawrence said that Pierce bounded into the field and activated the decoys.
It was Pierce’s first hunt. Only one dove was shot.
“It’s kind of funny,” Tyler said. “I almost broke down seeing how happy Pierce was going out in that field Saturday, being with guys, having his little single-shot .410 and retrieving that one dove. It really was a special experience to have Pierce out there for the first time in the field. To have Dad there with us sharing that whole experience was really neat.”
As a youngster, Tyler accompanied his dad afield, but he also accompanied him to many Ducks Unlimited functions. On those long car rides, Tyler said he remembers Jeff finalizing preparations with Ducks Unlimited staff and volunteers on the phone.
At the venues, Tyler helped Jeff set up the event and break it down. Occasionally he also helped sell raffle tickets. That was before the multi-ticket packages were conceived, so sales were one ticket at a time. The experience prepared Tyler for his first big job as a regional director for the National Wild Turkey Federation. In his position with the Game and Fish Foundation, he has helped modernize fundraising by conducting live auctions online. Auctions start long before the events, maximizing exposure to bidders.
When Jeff Lawrence started with Ducks Unlimited, most of the organization’s staff came from law enforcement or biology backgrounds at game and fish management agencies. Jeff was unique in that he came from a retail background with Dillards.
Likewise, Tyler Lawrence worked for Hewlett-Packard before joining the National Wild Turkey Federation. Tyler said his father was the template.
Growing up with Dad working for D.U., my friends would ask, ‘What’s your dad do? He works for D.U.’ To them, that was the absolute coolest, greatest dream job a dad could have. I wanted to follow in Dad’s footsteps, making the connections he made with people in the outdoor industry, loving what you do and supporting conservation and our hunting heritage.”
A lot has changed through the generations. When Jeff Lawrence started with D.U., duck hunting was almost a niche sport. Arkansas sold about 16,000 duck stamps in 1981. That number is about tripled now. In terms of participation, it’s a premier sport.
One thing that hasn’t changed was the social aspect of conservation fundraising. It relies on relationships, goodwill and integrity, Jeff Lawrence said.
“D.U. is unique in that members are not necessarily waterfowl hunters,” Jeff said. “They come for the camaraderie. It’s a social thing. We built that concept in 1967, and it’s the same blueprint that other conservation organizations use. I’ve met a lot of my best friends through D.U.”
Increased participation translates to increased pressure on ducks, Jeff said. Technology contributes.
“Social media, OnX maps and things like that, people are selling GPS coordinates for open holes on WMAs,” Jeff said. “People are not as courteous as they were. It’s harder on the resource. Heavy hunting pressure will affect birds, but it’s still a lot of fun. There are still a lot people doing it.”
That’s why it’s as important as ever for fathers and mothers to instill in their children respect for the game and for hunting traditions.
“A mother or father can have an impact on their children and their grandchildren,” Tyler said. “Pierce wants to hunt and he wants to be outdoors. Across the U.S., hunting and fishing has dramatically decreased. It’s up to us as parents and grandparents to continue the future of our sport.”
For the Lawrence family, hunting and conservation are more than a lifestyle. They’re a livelihood.