Duck Hunting and Legacy on the Lower Eastern Shore of Virginia
The McNair family lives in Craddockville, on the lower Eastern Shore of Virginia, where the thin tip of high ground is the exception and vast tidal marshes full of oysters and waterfowl stretch to the horizon. Every fall and winter, the McNairs can be found in the spartina flats setting rigs of decoys to hunt for migrating wild goose and duck. It’s less of a hobby than an art form—father Mark is a world-renowned decoy carver, while son Ian has both followed his father’s footsteps in the carving world and also started his own company, High N’ Dry, that manufactures waders for hunters and watermen.
For Ian, this autumn bounty is a birthright and blessing.
“From the time I started catching crabs and mummichogs off of my parent’s dock as a 5-year-old, harvesting food from the Bay and its surroundings was part of my makeup," he says. "Around the age of 14 or 15, I wanted to take that further, and I started carving decoys alongside my father to use in duck hunts. I made a small rig, and I still remember the first black duck I shot on Thanksgiving morning with one of my best friends, Brian. When I first carved those decoys and shot that black duck 25 years ago, I had little inkling that I would turn those activities into my life's work. I love to carve decoys, hunt, and fish, and I am blessed that I can do all of those things on the Lower Eastern Shore of Virginia for work and play.”
Especially in this year of small holiday gatherings and limited travel, wild duck has been a staple of the McNair table. A bounty offered by the quiet winter marshes, it speaks to home and to the flavors of the Chesapeake better than any fattened turkey. The seared duck recipe the family has developed is a celebration of their love of the region’s famous waterfowl and their passion for pursuing them.
“Hunting and eating birds that you have harvested using gear that you created is one of the true gifts of living here on the Eastern Shore,” says McNair. “Preparing wild game can be difficult, the results can range greatly in quality and care has to be taken from the harvest all the way to the dinner table, but the delicious rewards are well worth the effort.”
Photos Courtesy of Ian McNair
