Through the pages of TRADITIONS, we hope to entertain, honor and inform waterfowl hunters from coast to coast, border to border.  We enjoy sharing good hunting stories and some of the best amateur waterfowl photography today, in a reader-friendly, low ad percentage magazine.   We encourage and appreciate contributed manuscripts. All contributors get a byline, their own personal copy of the magazine containing their work, and our undying gratitude. Reading a recent copy prior to submitting will give you a better sense of the kinds of stories we publish. The magazine is not available on newsstands yet. If you have never seen our mag, we encourage you to call for a sample issue.

General info:

  • We cover waterfowl hunting. We do not cover deer or other game and give them 0 space. Please write your article with our whole audience in mind. We have newbies who haven’t shot “at” a duck yet, and grizzled waterfowlers who’ve hunted over 65 seasons. Make sure you have something interesting to say to both of these groups. Our Spirit Guides at TRADITIONS Magazine are Gordon MacQuarrie and Gene Hill. Read either of these authors to see what we aim to offer in TRADITIONS. Go beyond how many birds you killed. Tell a great story. Tell how and where you set your decoys and why, habitat you hunted, history of the area you hunted, human interest points, how you got the birds to work (or why you think they didn’t), and interesting things you saw or that happened on the hunt.
  • Best are SHORT TIGHTLY-WRITTEN ACTION STORIES making a reader feel part of the action and teaching them something useful. A lively 900-1300 word article with action, a little bit of useful how-to, and 1-3 sharp interesting photos is pure gold. We pay modest rates for 3-4 main anchor features per issue; pays on publication. No kill fees. Second North American rights OK.
  • Format & Length:
    • Articles should be  50 – 1,500 words. ALL submitted content is morally and legally assumed to be the author’s own work and legal property.We reserve the right to make minor edits for length, spelling, grammar, and accuracy. We do not materially change most articles aside from minor spelling, etc. Major edits returned to the writer for recast or re-write.
    • Email your article as a Word document (.doc) attachment, OR simply as the text of an email to: duckmagz@gmail.com. Please put ATTN EDITOR in the Subject line.  DO NOT FORMAT YOUR MANUSCRIPT; to do so is cause for automatic rejection. Always include your contact info.

    Photos:

    • Sharpness and interest are MUSTS. “Action” shots ALWAYS preferred. We do not want “bird pile” or tailgate photos. Email 1 to 3 photos IN ORIGINAL FILE SIZE & WITHOUT FILTERS. If we need more than 3, we will ask.
    • Include a suggested caption for each. If you DO NOT have a photo, mark your email NO PHOTOS. We have options. Always include your contact info.
    • “Wild art,” or single photos or sets of photos that do not have an accompanying article, are also welcome. Email with complete caption details: who-what-where-when-how and why. Always include your contact info.

We DO want:

  • Interesting or exciting waterfowl Hunts, How-to/DIY projects, Conservation, Waterfowl Education, Kids or Women in Waterfowling, Freelance and Public Lands Hunting, Shotguns/Ammo (no reloading recipes), Dogs.  We DO allow BRIEF MENTIONS of gear or guide or outfitting services as long as they fit the context of your article.

We DO NOT want:

  • Illegal or thug activities or methods, Hero Worship (including self-worship), PRODUCT PLACEMENTS, fluff, politics, or anything giving off even a faint whiff of free advertising. NO detailed recipes. Manuscripts with the preceding in any form will be rejected with glee.  But to repeaat: BRIEF mentions of brands or models or services are OK provided they fit the context of your article.

Thanks — Gordy Gordon, Editor in Chief, (816) 724-0652  gordy@duckhuntin.com