At the age of 23, Hunter Pridgen of Greenwood might seem young to be Mississippi’s regional director for Ducks Unlimited, a job he assumed on April 1.
But consider: Pridgen has been a member of DU since the age of 11, when he first served on his hometown’s chapter committee.
“My dad Stephen Pridgen was a big duck hunter and he took me with him on duck hunts when I was 2 and 3 years old, zipping me up in his insulated coveralls,” Hunter Pridgen said. “When he joined the Greenwood committee, I was 11 and he took me with him and I joined the committee, too.”
After taking a break as a DU volunteer as a high school student, Hunter Pridgen rejoined and led the Mississippi State University’s DU committee to a No. 2 ranking nationally among collegiate chapters.
“I think that is what helped me get this position, the success we achieved at State,” he said. “I got my degree in wildlife biology and then worked for a game ranch in Texas for a year before the Mississippi regional director’s job came open. I applied, got it and started the first of April.”
As regional director, Pridgen will work with 51 committees in Mississippi, and help them with the 63 events they hold on average over a calendar year. Mississippi’s DU membership is currently 8,858.
“This job has many duties, including a role of insuring volunteer recruitment and retention, and also being the regional director of fund raising,” he said. “I will be helping put on events and making sure people know exactly what DU is, what DU does and assuring them that the money they spend is being used by DU to get good work done.
“One thing I think a lot of people don’t know is how much DU has spent in Mississippi, and would be surprised to hear that DU has spent more money in the state than we have raised. Historically, since DU started in 1937, it has put $38 million on the ground in Mississippi for projects on state wildlife management areas, national wildlife refuges and on private lands.”
Pridgen said Mississippi has raised $581,000 dollars net so far this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
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