John Dobbs Jr

Like all duck hunters, John Dobbs Jr. relishes whirring wings overhead, raspy calls coaxing and quacking, and, of course, every one of those early morning "take 'em" moments.

Dobbs, who owns the famous Arkansas duck club known as Coca Cola Woods, wrings every ounce of enjoyment from his waterfowl hunting adventures. The hunt begins long before he dons his waders and tosses out decoys.

"I would say actually hunting ducks is 20% of the entire experience," Dobbs said. "We do all sorts of things at Coca Cola Woods to add to the experience, but the most important thing is the relationships you develop around the dinner table the night before a hunt. The common values people share around the dinner table are priceless."

The chief executive officer of Dobbs Equity Partners - a family business in Memphis, Tennessee, that owns car dealerships and auto parts, auto insurance, and health companies - Dobbs started hunting early in life.

"My father introduced me to hunting when I was a young boy," he said. "My father didn't love hunting, but he really loved the companionship and the chance to bond with his son."

Dobbs forged valuable memories with his father in the duck blind, experiences that still guide his life today. Along the way, duck hunting became a huge part of his endeavors.

"I decided I really enjoyed the outdoors and wanted to experience more of it," Dobbs said. "I learned to blow a duck call and joined a club over in Arkansas called Greasy Slough. I really grew to love it."

Dobbs purchased Coca Cola Woods in 2009. The 1,065-acre property just east of McCrory, Arkansas, features a large swath of seasonally flooded green timber. The property got its name because the original people who developed it in 1937 also owned the local Coca-Cola bottling company.

"Buying Coca Cola Woods cemented my relationship with waterfowl," Dobbs said. "It created a feeling - a love for waterfowl hunting and the companionship and friendships you develop from it. I designed the club experience so my family would love to come to it. We have many nights where the husbands, wives, and kids are all there together. We'll sit down for dinner at 7 p.m. and not get up from the table until 11 p.m. That is priceless. There's never been a bad night before a duck hunt. People have so much fun."

One pre-hunt ritual Dobbs instituted at the club is what he calls "a nightly cocktail cruise," where guests are escorted to watch droves of ducks leave the woods at sunset. The spectacle of thousands of mallards never disappoints.

"It's just awesome," Dobbs said. "No matter how many times people come to the duck club, it's one of their favorite things to do."

Recognizing that strong duck populations are integral to the experience at Coca Cola Woods and for duck hunters everywhere, Dobbs values conservation. When he heard about Delta Waterfowl, he immediately saw a chance to make an impact.

"Predator Management attracted me to Delta," Dobbs said. "The idea that you can control predators and create more ducks is the most important thing to me. We learned that you could quantify what it takes to produce a duck. As a businessman, I like to know what that cost is because I can know that I've given back to duck hunting what I've taken away. Sometimes, when you give to organizations, your money goes into a black hole, and you don't really know what's happening with it. With Delta Waterfowl, you're confident the money is going to programs that are putting ducks back."

Dobbs joined Delta Waterfowl's Board of Directors in May 2013. He serves as chair of Delta's Nominating and Governance committee, which brings in new prospective board members and oversees efficiency of board functions.

For the past eight years, he's also been a major sponsor of Delta's Mid-South chapter in Memphis, including the donation of hunts at Coca Cola Woods.

"I got involved in sponsoring the event here in Memphis because I want more people to value Delta Waterfowl," Dobbs said. "We provide a type of duck hunting that few people get to experience, and that's ducks landing in the flooded timber. People here are passionate about duck hunting because they recognize how almost spiritual that experience is of standing next to a tree in flooded timber and having ducks literally swim around your feet. People here love, love, love duck hunting."

Jeffrey Howell, vice president of major gifts, said Dobbs has greatly enhanced Delta through his service on the board of directors.

"He's brought huge financial support to Delta by promoting the organization to his friends and colleagues," Howell said. "And his sponsorship of the Memphis chapter-one of Delta's largest fundraising events-has been incredible."

As a leader and conservation-minded duck hunter, Dobbs continues to do his part to make sure strong fall flights of waterfowl will thrill hunters throughout North America for generations to come.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of our organization and what we've done," Dobbs said. "We've attracted so many great people to Delta. We have one of the best boards in North America. The relationships I've built from it I could never replace. I'm grateful to Delta Waterfowl for what it's brought to me, and I'm hopeful that I've brought a little to Delta Waterfowl." -Paul Wait