Louisiana Hunting Legend: The Duck Commander

Dreams provide vision and touch generations. When one follows a dream they provide hope. Dreamers are trailblazers. One such dreamer calls Louisiana home. He had a vision and made it come true through hard work and passion. That man is Phil Robertson, The Duck Commander.

"It isn't often a person can live a dream, but Phil Robertson, aka The Duck Commander, has proven it is possible with vision, hard work, helping hands, and an unshakable faith in the Almighty." (quote taken from The Duck Commander website.)

Louisiana is known as the Sportsman's Paradise for many reasons including hunting, fishing, boating, and so much more. It is an outdoor lover's dream. The state is full of rivers, bayous, lakes and sloughs. Hunting and fishing are a way of life.

North Louisiana is home to hunting legend Phil Robertson (aka The Duck Commander). Phil Robertson grew up in Vivian, Louisiana where he enjoyed hunting and fishing with his brothers. A tradition that he has passed on to his own children.

In 1972, Phil Robertson set out to make a duck call that actually sounded like a duck -- The Duck Commander call. According to The Duck Commander website, he wanted to make a call for the "duck killers". Read his entire bio here.

Visit the Official Duck Commander website for shirts, caps, DVDs, posters, and of course duck calls. There are calls for the beginner or the pro. These calls are made by hunters for people who are serious about calling ducks. They are serious calls for serious hunters.

In addition to the merchandise, the Duck Commander website offers hunting advice and information on all of The Duckmen.

There are also some GREAT recipes to try including "DUCK AND DRESSING". (Editor's note: Saw this recipe on one of the DVDs and tried it. This is the only dressing that we will have now. It is delicious!!!!)

In the off season, Phil Robertson is available for speaking engagements. He likes to discuss the orders from headquarters and the most important message about his "unshakable faith in the Almighty".

On July 4th the Outdoor Channel will show a reality show featuring The Duck Commander and The Duckmen. The trailer is great!

If you are into deer hunting, join Will Robertson and the Buckmen for Buck Commander. Buck Commander has several DVDs and merchandise.




YouTube Videos







Articles about The Duck Commander
The Duck Commandments ESPN Article

The Duck Commandments

Watch The Duck Commander on July 4th at 9:30 a.m. on The Outdoor Channel. Reality TV like you've never seen it before.

Photo Credit: courtesy of Duck Commander; photos may NOT be reproduced or distributed with out their permission. Both photos are copyright of Duck Commander.

Tradition, honesty, integrity, hard-work, determination, following a dream.

Vexcon: The Exterminators

Who thought that watching someone kill ants, wrangle gators, rescue racoons and opossums, and getting other pesky animals would be entertaining? Not only is The Exterminators entertaining, but it is also educational. Billy Bretherton takes pest control to a new level. In fact, i think the producers of the show missed the mark on naming this show because Billy and Vexcon are animal and vermon friendly pest removers, there's very little actual "exterminating" going on.

What I like about the show, other than the Bretherton family and their antics, is the fact that it makes Louisiana look good. The photographers, writers and Bretherton family have shown how beautiful North Louisiana and the surrounding areas are. It is refreshing to see Louisiana portrayed on national television so well.

Now back to the show...you must check it out! If you are from the Shreveport-Bossier area, you'll see things and maybe even people or businesses that are familiar. The family dynamics and drama appear to be real.

Billy's techniques and dress seem somewhat unconventional but I love it. I'm not going to spoil it for you but he has a very unique sense of style. One of the great things about the show is that through all of the family drama, you know that they love one another and are trying to do the best they can in working and running a family business. It sometimes gets messy.

I can tell you because I am a Louisiana native, that the people are real, the places he visits are real and the animals and dangers that he faces are real.

Another thing that I love about the show is that he uses humane traps and methods for trapping animals and tries to relocate them when necessary. He also uses natural, organic methods to get rid of nasty pests such as wasps, roaches, fire ants, and mice. He also explains what he is going to do in every episode.

These first two videos are from when Vexcon appeared on Dirty Jobs. The others are from The Exterminators. Following the videos are several links to different sites about The Exterminators including show schedule. You can watch full episodes on A&E website. I'm hooked!














The Exterminators on Facebook

A&E TV The Exterminators
Can watch full episodes of the show. Also interviews of Billy.
Read Bios on the family; view photos, play "'possum toss'em", order merchandise and visit the message boards.


Listing of episodes and next US airings of The Exterminators


Vexcon Inc.

Louisiana Trekker Business Spotlight: Caney Ridge Roasters

In the heart of Toledo Bend Country there is a place where the coffee bean is celebrated. It is a coffee lover's paradise. To the folks at Caney Ridge Roasters, coffee is both an art and a science. They believe that coffee tastes best when it is fresh roasted.

The love of coffee is what motivates the folks at Caney Ridge Roasters to produce a high quality, great-tasting coffee. There are medium and dark blends as well as dessert coffees. The coffee is slow roasted in small batches in order to provide the freshest product to their customers.

In addition to coffee, the shop has a great collection of Louisiana items, teas, chocolate covered expresso beans, bean mixes from "The Bean Queen", local honey, foods unique to the area and many more unique items.

Forget about those coffee shops that are thousands of miles away, give Caney Ridge Roasters a call and get your coffee from a Louisiana coffee expert! Fresh, gourmet coffee is just a click or call away. Great tasting, fresh coffee, friendly service and fast delivery, that's what you can expect from Caney Ridge Roasters.

To order visit their website at www.caneyridgeroasters.com or call 318-256-2400 or 877-645-4438. If you are going to be in the Toledo Bend area, drop by and visit the shop.


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Look here Recipes from "The Bean Queen".

Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, A Louisiana Restaurant

One of the missions of this blog is to highlight events, people and places in Louisiana, more specifically North Louisiana. Although Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers began in South Louisiana, there are quite a few restaurants in North Louisiana. The food is great! The reason that I chose to highlight this restaurant first is that it is a story of following your dreams and making them a reality. It is the true story of how determination and hard work turned one man's crazy dream into a very, very successful restaurant.

First of all, I remember the first time that I saw Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in Shreveport, Louisiana...I remember thinking that a restaurant that only sells chicken fingers would never stay in business. Boy, was I wrong. In fact, the restaurant is so successful in Shreveport that they opened another location and I heard a rumor that there will be one opening in Bossier as well. Chicken fingers, ah yes, chicken fingers. They are delicious. It has to be one of my all-time favorite restaurants.

There's something about the way the chicken fingers are cooked that makes them so scrumptious. You have to dip them in the special, secret Cane's sauce. Make sure you order extra so you don't run out. The meal comes with coleslaw, toast, fries, chicken fingers, sauce, and a drink. Their lemonade and sweet tea are good. My huband likes to dip his fries and bread in the sauce and my son loves the coleslaw.

According to the Raising Cane's website, it all started when founder, Todd Graves, wanted to open a restaurant. His idea was a restaurant that only served chicken fingers. He was fresh out of school, unemployed, had no money but had a passion.

He went through the proper channels of making a business plan, going to banks and private investors and asking for help. Everywhere he went, he was turned down. Graves was not about to let go of his dream so he set out for the west coast in search of employment. He took a job working very long hours at a refinery and saved his money. It was while he was out in Los Angeles that he met a man named "Wild Bill" who told him that he could make money by working on fishing boats in Alaska. So off he went to work on a salmon boat working 20 hour days.

The rest as they say is history. Armed with his hard-earned money, Graves moved back home to Baton Rouge and this time was able to convince investors to help him make his dream come true. The first restaurant opened just outside of the gates of the LSU campus in 1996. Now, there are Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers restaurants all over the country. It is a true story about how passion can turn a dream into a reality.

Another reason that I like Todd Graves' story is that he could have gone anywhere in the country to start his business but he chose to come home to Louisiana and start it here. Graves also supports Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) and there have been community food drives. He believes in giving back to the community and helping others.

So the next time you see the big red and white Cane's logo stop by and try it. Our favorite is the "Caniac" with sweet tea. It's sooooooo goooood!!

In North Louisiana you can find Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers restaurants in Shreveport, Ruston, West Monroe, Monroe and Alexandria.

Support Louisiana businesses, products and restaurants. When you get the chance, choose Louisiana products over others it benefits all of us.

Source: Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers website.