LINCOLN, Neb. – A 9-year-old novice shooter from Broken Bow is the first youth to complete a Nebraska Duck Slam.
Cooper Loughran may be a beginning shooter, but he has been hanging out in the blind with his dad, Matt, since he was an infant.
“As a dad, hunting is about teaching him things I didn’t know at 9 years old,” Matt Loughran said. “I love helping him and guiding him through his hunting career. He’s asking lots of questions, learning, and we get to hang out outdoors.”
The Nebraska Duck Slam challenges hunters to harvest a teal (blue-winged or green-winged) of either sex, as well as drakes of three other species: an American wigeon, a mallard and a northern pintail. All ducks must be harvested in Nebraska, and hunters must upload a photo of each harvest at OutdoorNebraska.org/DuckSlam.
Cooper completed his Duck Slam on Oct. 12. To date, 198 hunters – including seven youth – have participated in the challenge. Seventeen hunters have completed the Duck Slam – 16 Nebraskans and a South Dakotan.
“Cooper is so proud of his harvests,” his father said. “He understands there is more to it than shooting. We have eaten everything he has harvested; he understands the importance of that.”
Hunters who complete the Slam will receive a certificate, a Nebraska Duck Slam pin, four tasty meals and bragging rights. Additionally, all hunters who complete the Slam during the 2019-2020 season will be registered to win one of several prizes donated by Ducks Unlimited. A drawing for the grand prize, a Benelli Super Black Eagle 3, will take place at the Ducks Unlimited State Banquet on Feb. 22, 2020.
More information on waterfowl hunting is available at OutdoorNebraska.org/DuckSlam. View lands open to public hunting in the Public Access Atlas at OutdoorNebraska.gov/PublicAccessAtlas.
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