Jim Bebo

Jim Bebo is on a dual quest: He's striving to make up for lost time in the duck blind while working to make sure there are always ducks to hunt in North America.

A native of Crystal, Minnesota, Bebo was not raised in a family that hunts. His initial exposure to waterfowl hunting occurred during his college years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, when he joined a group of buddies in a duck blind. Looking back now, Bebo finds irony in his first taste of waterfowling.

"I didn't like duck hunting initially because we didn't get any ducks," Bebo said with a chuckle. "Then, after college, I was building businesses, so I didn't have much time for duck hunting."

A driven young man, Bebo poured his energy and effort into his career as the founder and chief executive officer of ACI Asphalt and Concrete Inc. Through business acquaintances and friends, Bebo took up pheasant hunting in his early 30s and found time to hunt a few wood ducks near his northern Minnesota cabin.

While his success and enjoyment of duck hunting grew, Bebo attributes his true epiphany as a duck hunter to a black Labrador retriever.

"Having a good dog was a game-changer for me," Bebo said, recalling a memorable, extremely long retrieve that his Lab, Willy, made on a winged mallard at the Delta Marsh in Manitoba. "He was a world-class retriever. He was just one of those amazing dogs. He really helped me get into it."

Bebo's evolution into the all-encompassing life of a gonzo waterfowl hunter reached a new peak in 2018 when he bought the Palisade Flats Hunt Club, a 3,600-acre club on the Mississippi River in north-central Minnesota.

During the process of buying the club, Bebo met Steve Gilbertson, another ardent waterfowl hunter and conservation supporter. In turn, Gilbertson introduced Bebo to Dennis Anderson, a longtime Delta board member.

Bebo has supported conservation for decades but, until recently, he didn't know much about Delta.

"I started researching Delta and read about Delta's Predator Management, and it made sense to me," Bebo said. "I'm a very data-driven person, and the numbers on Predator Management are verified. I also saw it in action, and I've seen a measurable difference in the number of duck broods."

Bebo understands that the loss of native grassland and wetland habitat, along with an increase in the number of duck-nest predators on the prairie breeding grounds, spells trouble.

"The grass ratio went down, while the skunk ratio went up," he pointed out. "We manage deer and everything else, so why wouldn't we manage predators to even out the score for ducks? We'll never get back to the way it was, so we have to even out the cards a little for ducks."

Delta development director Brian MacGregor met with Bebo to detail Delta's Million Duck Campaign, a transformational $250 million plan to add 1 million ducks to every fall flight-forever.

"I asked myself, 'What can I do that will have meaning for something I love?' Delta's Million Duck Campaign spoke to me, so I'm investing in ducks with Delta," Bebo said. "The ducks need help. Nothing changes until somebody does something. A lot of people talk, but not many people put their money where their mouth is."

Bebo recently made a substantial financial gift to MDC. With his commitment, Bebo joins Delta's Million Duck Council, a group of conservation leaders who have pledged or contributed at least $1 million to the Million Duck Campaign.

"Jim Bebo is a great new supporter of Delta who has a passion for ducks and duck hunters," MacGregor said. "He's focused on what is best for waterfowl conservation and hunting through this incredible gift to the Million Duck Campaign and his personal commitment to running Palisade Flats."

Mostly, Bebo wants to enjoy more autumn days in a duck blind. Like every waterfowl hunter, he wants to make sure there are plenty of ducks over his decoys - and over yours, too.

"The goal for my gift is to add ducks to the migration," Bebo said. "We need to get the message out about Delta and the Million Duck Campaign. I want to spread the word, and I'm committed to helping out." -Paul Wait