Uphoff first youth to complete Duck Slam this season

LINCOLN, Neb. – As he often does, 15-year-old Jacob Uphoff of Lincoln used a day off from school last fall to go hunting with his dad. That October day, he completed the Nebraska Duck Slam, making him the first youth to do so this season.

Jacob was excited and surprised to hear the news, his father, Blane, said. His accomplishment comes on the back of years of waterfowl hunting experience, he added.

“He’s been going to duck blinds with us since he was 2,” Blane Uphoff said. “We’re always planning for the next hunt.”

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.

To date, 314 hunters – including nine youth – have participated in the challenge. To date, 127 hunters have completed the Duck Slam – 117 Nebraskans and 10 nonresidents.

Jacob persevered despite an “extremely difficult” year for waterfowl hunting, his father said, one in which conditions were often very dry. “One morning he carried our gear in about three quarters of a mile to the marsh, only to find that the marsh was completely dry,” he said. “But we hunted it.”

Jacob also harvested all his birds using a 20-gauge shotgun, adding to his accomplishment, Uphoff said.

Hunters who complete the Slam will receive an official certificate, a Nebraska Duck Slam pin, four tasty meals and Central Flyway bragging rights. Additionally, all hunters who complete the Slam during the 2020-2021 season will be registered to win one of several prizes donated by Ducks Unlimited. A drawing for the grand prize, a Special Edition Ducks Unlimited Winchester SX 4 12-gauge shotgun, will take place Feb. 20 at the Ducks Unlimited State Banquet.

Find more information on the Slam at OutdoorNebraska.org/DuckSlam, and view lands open to public hunting in the Public Access Atlas at OutdoorNebraska.gov/PublicAccessAtlas.