Momarsh Hunting Gear
Where were you born and raised and how and when did you discover your love for waterfowl hunting?
McCAULEY
I was a military brat as a kid. I was born in San Antonio, TX. My relatives all lived in the duck rich areas of Katy, TX and southwest LA. So our Christmas and Thanksgiving vacations were really something that I looked forward to as a kid as about all we would do was waterfowl hunt while we were there! Our family moved to Missouri in 1985 and I soon learned that lots of ducks made Missouri their temporary home on their migration to the south
FLYWAY
What was the first duck you ever shot, where did you shoot it, and what kind of gun did you shoot it with?
McCAULEY
The first duck I ever shot was a mallard hen on a small pond in a rice field in Katy, TX. I was 10 years old and believe it or not, it was just my 8 year old brother and I hunting. We had no decoys and of course, did not know how to call. It was as remedial a hunt as they get. We snuck up a ditch to the pond and I shot her where she sat on the water. The exciting part of it was that my brother got sprayed by a skunk while we were sneaking and I was trying to keep him from crying as we got close to the pond! Back then, it was “no holds barred!” We would ride our bikes from my grannies house to the rice fields with our shotguns. It is just unthinkable in todays world of parenting!
FLYWAY
What is one duck you haven't shot but would really like to?
McCAULEY
I have been really fortunate to hunt a lot of places in my life. I would still like to shoot a black scoter someday. Maybe even a King Eider. An interesting aside is that I am likely the only living white man who has killed a Harlequin duck in flight with a rock! I did this back in ’91 in Alaska while living on peanut butter and instant rice. Believe it or not, I ate him and he was good!
FLYWAY
What is your favorite duck (or goose) to hunt and why?
McCAULEY
As boring as it may sound to some, I still like the ol greenhead the best. They respond well to a call and we get to see some whopper herds come to the blocks at times. My favorite duck to shoot is a GWT. My favorite to eat is a BWT. I think the prettiest duck is a wigeon.
FLYWAY
What are a few calls we would find on your lanyard right now?
McCAULEY
The calls that I will be using this fall are RNT’s and Field Provens. RNT has a proven record of success and a great ducky sound that is hard to find. Fields new line of calls are pretty darn impressive and I look forward to letting the birds hear them this fall!
FLYWAY
You have a passion and talent for decoy carving. How did you get started in carving decoys and how time consuming is it? On average, how long does it take you to carve one decoy?
McCAULEY
My good friend and mentor was Jeff Churan from Chilicothe, MO. He got me into it back in 1993 with some solid red cedar bluebill blocks. Lets just say that there is a never ending learning curve on carving and an even bigger one for painting! I carve seasonally as I find time and desire to do it, mainly in spring and summer. I have spent as little as 3-4 hours on a bird and as many as 100 on some commission birds for mold duplication. My favorite birds to carve are ones that are simple gunners that allow the grain to show through. I wash these birds to accentuate the grain and have a medium level of paint.
FLYWAY
What would you say is your favorite decoy to carve, and what is the most difficult and challenging for you to carve?
McCAULEY
My favorite species to carve are wigeons and redheads. From an anatomy standpoint, the first bird or 2 of any species require some study and are difficult because it takes me some time to get how the feather groups should lay on a particular bird. Getting your paint right also requires a little trial and error in the beginning. I have made a few highly detailed original decoys from molding and these of course take a lot of time and patience!
FLYWAY
You can go on a dream hunt with any 3 people, alive or deceased. Who will you be taking, where will you be going, and what will you be hunting for?
McCAULEY
Hopefully this is a hunt that will happen in the near future, but it will need to be a hunt for 4 people. God willing, here in about 6 years, my brother, my father and my 2 boys will be sitting with me on one of our wetlands, all with shotguns in hand and having a ball with willing squadrons of bluewings on a cool, clear September morning!
FLYWAY
When I was a kid I always dreamed of someday becoming a veterinarian, I missed my calling and ended up in the United States Army instead. When did you become a veterinarian and is it as fulfilling and fun as it seems to be? What is the most depressing experience you have had to go through as a
veterinarian?
McCAULEY
I graduated from veterinary school at the University of Missouri in 1995. I have practiced as a large animal vet, a small animal emergency veterinarian and now do mostly dogs and cats at our 2 practices in St. Charles, MO. It is a pretty rewarding career and every day is a new set of faces, problems, challenges and rewards. There are not a whole lot of dull moments! Probably the toughest part of being a veterinarian are the occasions where some people are forced to make descisions about their pets that none of us want to due to financial constraints. One thing that many people don’t think of is that you deal with the public more than you do the pets, so you have to have good communication skills to be a good veterinarian.
FLYWAY
You are the founder of Momarsh. Tell us how it all came to be!
McCAULEY
It is a hobby gone AWOL. Back in the early 90’s a friend of mine and I checked out some boat building books at the library to make some duck canoes. After many years of trial and mainly error, the fatboy line came to be! Our large moist soil units in parts of Missouri are tough to hunt without a marsh boat. They keep you comfortable and hidden and are a useful tool anywhere in the country.
FLYWAY
I am intrigued and fascinated with both the Fat Boy and the Fat Boy DP. How long has it been on the market and what makes it unique and special in your opinion?
McCAULEY
The mold for the original was made in the late 90’s. It is basically a modified HUMMER type design.. The boat is light and easy to hide. The DP came along in 2001. Both boats do the same things, but the DP has a little more room and a square stern and rear deck vs. the originals built in transom. Our blind system is slick. We pride ourselves in building a quality product and the fact that we know all of the in’s and outs of using them because we are in them so many days a year!
FLYWAY
As the founder and president of Momarsh, what would you say has been your biggest accomplishment so far, and has there been any disappointments or challenges for you along the way?
McCAULEY
I would say that the biggest accomplishment is that we are still in business after 12 years and continue to produce products that people from all over the country who hunt all different types of habitats enjoy. It is really neat for me to hear back from customers about how the boat has helped them to become a much more efficient hunter and how it has increased their level of enjoyment afield! Just as with any business, there are challenges and disappointments every year. Molds go bad, shipping damage, etc- it all keeps you on your toes!
FLYWAY
What do you want hunters to know about Momarsh and what should they expect when purchasing boats or equipment and accessories from you?
McCAULEY
I have a new product in the latter stages of development and production forecasting, so hopefully we will have something new for 2011! We make products that we know work because we use them. I don’t make a living off of Momarsh by any means, so for me, customer satisfaction is paramount!
FLYWAY
I am a little late in wishing you a Happy Birthday so Happy Belated Birthday, Ira! Next year for your birthday I will be inviting 3 of your favorite singers or groups to perform for you at your party. Who will I be inviting?
McCAULEY
The belated Johnny Cash, Hank Jr. and Natalie Merchant. That would be a combo, huh?
FLYWAY
Tell us how your involvement with Habitat Flats came to be and how involved are you in the day to day operations of it?
McCAULEY
My brother and Tony Vandemore were looking at additional properties in the areas where we hunt and have ground. I was not too interested in having yet another business or in being a guide again really, so I didn’t pay too much attention to it in the beginning. The wrote a business plan and ideas began to form and they came to Dan Daugherity and I to see if we wanted to join together do something. Habitat Flats was formed and it is really neat that we have so much diversity in the way of hunting opportunity and habitats in a fairly small distance from the lodge! Each partner is still very involved in the business at this point on a daily basis. Each person kind of has their role in the business and we all help each other to get all of the bases covered as issues come along.
FLYWAY
What is your greatest hunting memory? Is there one that stands out above the rest?
McCAULEY
Man, I have so many that are special in their own right! But, the one that currently is paramount in my mind happened on the last day of duck season 2009. I had hunted with clients much of the season and Tony had Field up filming and a crew of shooters to work on the honkers and mallards that were in a spot. I had the family up, my boys were 3 and 5 at the time and it was really cold. I didn’t want to mess up the filming by taking the 5 year old where the boys were, so I made a descision to take my 5 month old pup and Kory (my older son) to a heated pit blind with an ice eater. Hunting had been decent at the blind that week, but not super consistent. Kory did the calling and shot his Red Ryder at numerous flocks of ducks and geese. Sadie, my pup, made all of the retrieves and I kept them in the blind and warm and killed my limit in the process…. It was a really fun couple of hours!
FLYWAY
Have you ever doubled or tripled? If yes, details please!
McCAULEY
I am a decent shot most of the time. Like most people, I have my days where I cant miss and my days where I cant hit my head with my hat. I have had enough misses to have quite a few times where I have killed multiple birds in one shot. I think the most was 6 redheads in one shot- lets say I was in Canada. I have also killed my 4 mallards in 3 shots on a couple of occasions. Another time I remember was a couple of other years ago when Vandemore was with me shooting photos and a large bunch of mallards came in and I needed 3 more. I shot 2 drakes out of a big bunch and saw a hen go down in the back from collateral shot and I thought I was “out of business.” I could not believe it when I walked out there and it happened to be a hen PINTAIL! What were the chances that you would have your collateral duck be an odd one out of several hundred mallards?
FLYWAY
Your favorite movie of all time is.....
McCAULEY
Not a big movie guy, but, American Pie had my type of humor….
FLYWAY
Your favorite meal is.....
McCAULEY
Fresh halibut on the grill with fresh herbs.
FLYWAY
Your favorite book of all time is.....
McCAULEY
The anthology- “The Greatest Hunting Stories Ever Told.”
FLYWAY
You operate Momarsh, you are a veterinarian, you carve decoys, you hunt whenever you can, you help out with Habitat Flats, and you have a family! Seems to me you have alot of spare time on your hands, Ira! (kidding) Honestly, how do you find the time to do all of this?
McCAULEY
It gets tougher all of the time as the boys are getting older. I cant find as much time for carving as I used to. I need to start drinking less beer and getting up before the rest of the family again!!!!
FLYWAY
How can visitors to this website find out more information on Momarsh and everything you have to offer?
McCAULEY
Well, in today’s world there is a website for everything! www.momarsh.com has videos, photos and written descriptions of our business and products. www.habitatflats.com Our outfitting website. Awesome video clips and blog. We also have quite a bit in the way of video on youtube and facebook. Tony and Aaron take some great pics to boot! www.mccauleyanimalclinic.com The website for our veterinary clinics
FLYWAY
I thank you for your time, it was a pleasure! If you ever get to Minnesota I will take you out to a few of my "primetime" honeyholes and we will drop some birds together. Don’t forget to bring the Fat Boy!!
McCAULEY
I would like that! I’ve never hunted Minnesota! Thank you for thinking of me
Minnesota Flyway would like to thank Ira McCauley for taking the time to answer our interview questions.
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