Collage of duck stamps. U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceSHARE
Every year, many of the country’s best wildlife artists compete to have their painting selected as the official artwork for the Federal Duck Stamp. But starting this year, if they want to take home the blue ribbon, they have some new criteria to meet.
This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services announced that, beginning in 2020, the duck-stamp contest will include a “permanent theme of celebrating our waterfowl hunting heritage” and that it will be “mandatory that each entry include an appropriate waterfowl hunting scene and/or accessory.
In other words: Expect to see 870s, decoys, Labs, blinds, Bottomland, and happy hunters featured on the duck stamp for years to come.
“Duck Stamps have been one of America’s most effective conservation tool for over 80 years,” said Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. “Showcasing the heritage of waterfowl hunting in Duck Stamps recognizes the importance of sportsmen and women to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.”
Aurelia Skipwith, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, added that: “Waterfowl hunters are the epitome of conservationists, as their purchase of Duck Stamps has enabled the conservation of millions of acres of wetland habitat. These wetlands provide places for a wide diversity of wildlife to thrive, while creating significant economic stimulus for rural communities. We honor that astonishing legacy, and what better way to do that than through the Duck Stamp itself.”
For many waterfowl hunters, the day they purchase a federal duck stamp each year marks the unofficial beginning to the duck and goose hunting seasons. Since 1934, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Duck Stamp Act, hunters have had to purchase an annual Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp—better known to sportsmen simply as a duck stamp—and in doing so have helped raise $1.1 billion, which has funded the protection for more than 6 million acres of waterfowl habitat.
We can hardly wait to see what the first winning duck stamp that features this celebration of hunting heritage looks like. Till then, we went through the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s virtual museum of duck stamps and selected these past winners.
1. Mallards By Jay N. “Ding” Darling – 1934-1935
This is the first ever duck stamp. A total of 635,001 were sold. Cartoonist and conservationist Jay N. “Ding” Darling, came up with the idea of using stamps to raise money for wetlands. From 1934 to 1936 he was chief of the Biological Survey, a precursor to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
2. White-Fronted Geese by Walter A. Weber – 1944-1945
A total of 1,487,021 duck stamps were sold in the season of 1944 to 1945. The artist of this stamp, Walter A. Weber, was a staff illustrator for the National Park Service and also worked with the National Geographic Society. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
3. Gadwalls by Maynard Reese – 1951-1952
This black and white wash tempera drawing of Gadwalls taking off from the water was Reese’s second duck stamp. In 1948 he won with a drawing of buffleheads. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
4. Harlequin Ducks by John H. Dick – 1952-1953
A year after gadwalls were featured on the stamp, John H. Dick won with this epic drawing of two harlequins flying over rough seas. Dick was a world traveler, photographer, and illustrated several books on wild birds. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
5. Ring-Necked Ducks by Harvey Dean Sandstrom – 1954-1955
A picture that any waterfowler would appreciate, this drawing of two ring-necks diving towards the water was created by illustrator Harvey Dean Sandstrom. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
6. Common Mergansers by Edward J. Bierly – 1956-1957
This stamp features two American mergansers flying low on a calm day. You can barely see the wingtip of the second bird reflecting off of the water. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
7. Mallard by Maynard Reese – 1959-1960
This was the first stamp to be printed with multiple colors and it was a third win for Maynard Reece, who was the first artist to have his work selected for the duck stamp three times. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
8. Mallards by Edward A. Morris – 1961-1962
For 1961 Morris of Portland Oregon submitted this watercolor painting of a mallard hen taking cover with a brood and won. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
9. Brant by Edward J. Bierly – 1963-1964
If anyone has ever called to a raft of brant sitting just off a rocky coastline, they’ll understand this scene of two birds coming in for a landing. This was Bierly’s second duck stamp. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
10. Canvasbacks by Ron Jenkins – 1965-1966
Jenkins was living in Montana when he painted this picture of three drake canvasbacks. He was working as a freelance artist and art teacher at the time. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
11. Steller’s Eiders by Lee LeBlanc – 1973-1974
LeBlanc was a former Disney cartoonist and an MGM Studios executive. Later in life, he became a freelance artist. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
12. Green-Winged Teal by Ken Michaelson – 1979-1980
Michaelson of California painted this up-close and personal portrait of two green-winged teal. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
13. Fulvous Whistling Duck by Burton E. Moore, Jr. – 1986-1987
Along with creating the painting for this duck stamp, freelance artist and conservationist, Burton E. Moore, Jr, has exhibited his work in many museums across the country. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
14. Redheads by Arthur G. Anderson – 1987-1988
This image of redheads decoying low on the water is an ideal view from the inside of any duck blind. Aside from waterfowl, Anderson likes to paint a variety of animals that live near his home in Onalaska Wisconsin. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
15. Surf Scoters by Wilhelm Goebel – 1996-1997
Two surf scoters fly past the Barnegat lighthouse in New Jersey over a body of water steeped in the history of waterfowl hunting. Goebel began submitting his work for consideration when he was 18 years old and 17 years later he finally got his painting on a duck stamp. His work has been featured on many state wildlife stamps including those of New Jersey, Illinois, and Delaware. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
16. Canada Goose by Robert Hautman – 1997-1998
Along with his two brothers, Hautman is the third member of his family to win a Federal Duck Stamp Contest—which he did with this canada goose standing by the side of a lake in Minnesota. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
17. Greater Scaups by James Hautman – 1999-2000
Before winning in 1999 James Hautman, Robert Hautman’s brother, became one of the youngest winners of a Federal Duck Stamp Contest in 1990. He also won in 1995 with a mallard that received a perfect score, and with this painting of two scaups, which also received a perfect score of 25. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
18. Canvasbacks by Adam Grimm – 2014-2015
Adam Grimm of Ohio has won several state duck stamp contests, and he is a two-time Federal Duck Stamp artist. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
19. Ruddy Ducks by Jennifer Miller – 2015-2016
Self-taught artist Jennifer Miller created the painting of two ruddy ducks for this stamp. She also has painted several book covers and enjoys making sculpture. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
20. Mallards by Robert Hautman – 2018-2019
This was Hautman’s third win and it received a perfect score of 25 from a panel of five judges. Like “Ding” Darling’s original stamp, it shows two mallards in mid-flight. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
Matthew Every has been with Field & Stream since 2019, when he joined the team as the Associate Online Editor for both F&S and Outdoor Life. Before that, he worked as a hunting guide and wrote about his adventures in his free time. Every has lived all over the country, but calls New York’s Catskill Mountains home.
