David Guertin

The hunting apprenticeship David Guertin served as a boy could be considered extreme by today's standards. However, a rigorous outdoors upbringing spent hunting rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, and ducks with his father and uncles has served him well throughout his life.

Guertin's long-ago youth built a foundational love for the outdoors and hunting, instilling a deeply rooted conservation ethic along the way. Now 84 years old, Guertin still fondly recalls his early days hunting near Kankakee, Illinois.

"I started going with my dad and uncles when I was 6, 7, 8 years old and carrying the game. I would carry whatever they shot. Then, it got to a point where I was allowed to carry a .410 single-shot, but open. You couldn't put a shell in it. That was to teach you how to walk and not fall down with a gun. At the end of the day, they'd allow me to put a shell in the gun and shoot a can or something. I finally graduated where I was allowed to shoot the .410 at game."

Guertin was also learning about the importance of habitat. The family hunting grounds included a creek and a slough, which was planted with millet and flooded to attract ducks.

Soon, his coming of age as a bird hunter took a welcome turn—another graduation.

"I was 11 or 12 years old when I got my first shotgun, a Winchester Model 12," Guertin recalled. "That was the gun my dad and uncles had. Back then, you could buy them for $89."

After high school, Guertin earned an engineering degree from the University of Illinois. He moved to Michigan to work for Ford Motor Company, where he ascended to become chief engineer of worldwide design. He retired from Ford in 1996 after more than 30 years with the automaker.

At age 32, Guertin decided to invest in farmland near Reading, Michigan. He continued to acquire land, accumulating more than 600 acres. His working land also served as hunting property for deer and turkeys.

In 2009, Guertin fulfilled a lifelong desire to begin managing his own property for waterfowl.

"I always had this dream of having a place like my dad and brother had in Illinois—in terms of a marshland and a conservation project. We took 15 acres of the farm and put in water control structures and a pump, so we have flooded corn, buckwheat, and millet."

Guertin lovingly dedicated the project to his father, William.

"He's the reason I started duck hunting," Guertin said. "I really love duck hunting. We do a lot of hunting on the farm. We have a lot of turkeys and deer, but duck hunting is my favorite and I'll be doing it until I can't do it anymore."

Naturally, Guertin recognizes the conservation goals he employs on his farm apply throughout North America, which is why he has been a Delta Waterfowl donor for many years. He's also pledged a significant planned gift to continue a legacy of conservation.

"I hope future generations can do what I've done," Guertin said. "The thing I like most about Delta Waterfowl is that there's a lot of research and science. I'm an engineer, so that's real important. I'm concerned about the challenges ahead for the continuation of duck hunting, politically, farming—I'm a farmer so I know the stuff that's going on regarding farm programs. There's a lot we need to keep going, and to study 'Why are we losing this kind of duck?' or 'Why is that population failing?' Delta does the research to find out."

Guertin appreciates Delta's Duck Production programs, too—because everyone wants more ducks.

"As a lifelong duck hunter, Dave Guertin has always been a strong steward of conservation," said Todd Burns, vice president of major gifts for Delta Waterfowl. "We greatly appreciate his leadership and support. When the sun sets on his hunting days, he'll continue to have an impact on waterfowl and waterfowl hunting through his planned gift to Delta Waterfowl."

Guertin has taken a strong interest in helping recruit new waterfowl hunters, aiding Delta to get the organization's University Hunting Program started at nearby Hillsdale College.

"We're losing our young people's interest in outdoors, whether it be hunting or fishing or whatever. They seem to be more interested in internet games and their iPhones, and we need to get them interested in the out of doors," he said. "Duck hunting has been a key part of my life. I look at it and say, 'Boy, other people should be able to do the same kind of thing.' It's been really great for me, and we've got to keep that going. That's why I've donated money to Delta." —Paul Wait