The Duck Commander Family

by Robertson, Willie

  When Buck Commander finally got off the ground, we were able to build a great spin-off business that complemented Duck Commander. Fortunately, the Lord gave me what I was looking for—guys who were busy with their regular jobs for about eight months out of the year and then off just in time for deer season. Of all things, I found the people I needed in Major League Baseball players. Many major leaguers are avid hunters. I think it takes a lot of patience to be good at both: When you’re riding a two-for-thirty slump, you have to remain patient and focused in order to hit your way out of it. When you’re deer hunting, you might go three or four days without seeing a big buck. But you have to remain patient, knowing that there are some big deer out there.

  Deer-hunting season takes place after the baseball season is over, so many major leaguers spend the off-season in the woods. I firmly believe that God is the one who put me with the folks I needed. My partners make a great living playing baseball in the summer, and they make some great hunting shows in the winter. I was convinced we could make better DVDs than what was already out there. I was also convinced that something as fun as deer hunting should never be portrayed as being something bland. Buck Commander set out to change things.

  The first group of Buckmen included Russ Springer, who is from Alexandria (or Pollock for the locals), Louisiana, and pitched for nine major league teams from 1992 to 2010; David Dellucci, who is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was an outfielder for seven major league clubs from 1997 to 2009; and Mike DeJean, who is also from Baton Rouge and pitched for five MLB teams from 1997 to 2006. It was a coincidence that each of the first Buckmen was from my home state of Louisiana. Maybe it was because Louisiana guys are willing to take crazy chances. Word began spreading through the major leagues that something big was happening in the deer-hunting industry with baseball players, and these guys were the first ones to step up to the plate. Adam LaRoche, who was then a first baseman for the Atlanta Braves, was the next player to join the team, and he brought along Braves third baseman Chipper Jones. Chipper was a good friend of Matt Duff, who pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002, so they joined together.

  Like a baseball roster, there has been some turnover with Buck Commander from season to season. My current partners are some of my closest friends: LaRoche, who is now a first baseman with the Washington Nationals; former major league pitcher Tom “Tombo” Martin; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Ryan Langerhans; and country superstars Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan.

  Ryan grew up hunting deer in Texas and was teammates with Adam in Atlanta. Tombo grew up in the Florida pan-handle and pitched in the majors for thirteen seasons, most recently with the Colorado Rockies in 2007. They are just really super guys who have become good friends to me over the years.

  Adam is really the guy who helped me save Buck Commander and Duck Commander. Dave LaRoche, his father, pitched for the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees during the 1970s and early 1980s. His younger brother, Andy, was a third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Oakland A’s from 2007 to 2011. Adam was born in Orange County, California, but grew up in Fort Scott, Kansas, where there’s some really big whitetail deer. Hunting and fishing have always been in Adam’s blood. He loves being outdoors as much as he loves playing baseball.

  When Adam was a rookie with the Braves in 2004, he lost his lucky Duck Commander hat. You know how baseball players are about their superstitions. Adam had to find a replacement hat. He went to the Duck Commander website and didn’t find one, so he called our headquarters, and Jase answered the phone. Adam told him he was a Major League Baseball player.

  “Huh, I’ve never heard of you,” Jase told Adam. “We don’t sell that hat anymore, but I think I might have one in my closet.”

  A couple of weeks later, Adam received a worn-out, sweat-stained Duck Commander hat from Jase in the mail. I became friends with the Rockies’ first baseman Todd Helton, who is another avid deer hunter, at about the same time Adam called the Duck Commander office. Helton invited me to one of his games against the Braves at Turner Field in Atlanta in September 2005. The Braves had wrapped up their fourteenth consecutive division title the night before. Adam found out I was at the game, and I met him at home plate during batting practice. Not many people can say they met their future business partner at home plate at Turner Field.

  Adam was a big hunter and told me he grew up watching Duck Commander videos. We quickly became friends and started hunting together. I was traveling a lot, getting Buck Commander off the ground, hunting all over the country with my partners and friends, Helton and other fellow Rockies players like Aaron Cook, Danny Ardoin, and Brad Hawpe.

  I will never forget being on a deer hunt in Iowa with Hawpe and Ardoin. We drove through one of the worst snowstorms I have ever seen. We must have seen two hundred cars on the side of the road. You couldn’t even see the exit ramps off the interstate because the snow was so heavy. It was a tense car ride. After finally making it to the camp, I got so sick I had to stay in my room the whole time. We didn’t kill one deer on that trip. That’s when I realized making deer-hunting videos might be a little harder than I thought!

  After Adam was traded to the Pirates in 2007, Korie and I took our kids to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We were walking around the Magic Kingdom when Adam called and told me to meet him in Tampa. He was going to drive from Bradenton, Florida, where the Pirates were having spring training. Adam had a tee time and wanted me to play golf with him. I was always up for an adventure, so I let Korie know I was going. She gave me that classic look I’ve seen many times before, but knew I had to go.

  Korie: We were on family vacation at Disney World with four young kids, literally in the line for Splash Mountain. Willie hates waiting in lines, so I wasn’t really surprised when he jumped at Adam’s offer. I had never met Adam, but I knew that Willie liked him a lot, and they had talked about his being a part of Buck Commander. While the golfing trip would be fun, it could also be an important business meeting for Buck Commander, but really? Forget the fact that I was going to be left alone at Disney World with four kids. He had to get to Tampa and we didn’t have a car! Willie would figure it out, though. He always does, and the kids and I had a great time that day at the park.

  I was wearing running shorts and a T-shirt. I jumped in a cab outside Disney World and told the cabbie to drive to Tampa. The cabbie started looking at his fare chart to figure out how much it was going to cost. “Turn your meter on, son,” I told him. “Let’s get there.”

  “TURN YOUR METER ON, SON,” I TOLD HIM. “LET’S GET THERE.”

  After more than two hours in a cab, it cost me $360 to get to Tampa. Adam was standing outside this super-nice country club waiting for me with the golf pro. “This is your friend?” the pro asked. “We’re going to have to get him some clothes.”

  I dropped another hundred dollars on a collared shirt. But the expenses were well worth it because during dinner, Adam told me he wanted to invest in Buck Commander and become a partner in the company. I was really happy to have him on board, and Buck Commander probably wouldn’t have survived without him. Again, God’s timing is always perfect.

  When we were finished with dinner, Adam broke the news that he couldn’t take me back to Orlando because he had a spring-training game the next morning and had to be at the park very early. He still had a good drive to get back to Bradenton, so I was going to have to figure out how to get back to Korie and the kids. When we couldn’t find a cab to take me back to Disney World, Adam walked up to a hostess at the restaurant and offered her a hundred dollars to take me back to Orlando. He even called Korie and asked her if it was okay for another woman to drive me back.

  Korie: I was just happy Willie was going to make it back. It was getting late, and I was worried he might have to spend the night in Tampa. I told Willie to hurry back and meet us at Epcot. The park was open till one A.M. that night and the kids and I were still going strong.

 
I ended up riding back to Orlando in an old Honda Civic with a waiter and waitress from the restaurant. The car’s radio didn’t even work, so these eighteen- and nineteen-year-old kids were wearing iPods, singing and smoking the entire way. I was sitting in the backseat, wondering how in the world I get into these situations. Fortunately, I arrived at Epcot shortly before midnight and was able to ride Soarin’ with the kids.

  Korie: I was so happy to see Willie. I was carrying Bella, who was asleep in my arms, and pushing Will in a stroller. There were still a few rides we hadn’t gotten to, and John Luke and Sadie weren’t ready to stop. My back was killing me, so when Willie walked up I couldn’t have been more excited. I passed Bella over to him and we closed the park down!

  It ended up being a really great day and set the stage for Buck Commander. It was classic Adam. I think sometimes we do this kind of stuff just so we’ll have a great story to tell. He and I have had some epic adventures. In the early days, Adam and I, along with Langerhans and a few other buddies, got into a massive food/forty-ounce-drink fight outside of a restaurant chain in Texas. Adam was buying drinks at a drive-through window and was throwing them at us in the truck behind them as fast as he could!

  SOMETIMES WE DO THIS KIND OF STUFF JUST SO WE’LL HAVE A GREAT STORY TO TELL.

  Adam is a great friend—he’s like another brother to me. What I’ve learned from Adam, more than anything else, is to have confidence. For Adam, if you can think of it, you can do it. That motto has led to some crazy late-night arguments, where I find myself being the practical one! But I love that he’s a big thinker and that he pushes me to step across that line. Adam is also a great connector. He makes friends and holds on to them. That’s how Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan became involved in Buck Commander. Adam met Jason when he sang the national anthem at a Braves game in 2005. He met Luke the same year, when Adam and a bunch of his teammates went to see him play at a bar in Atlanta. They arrived after the show was over, but Luke came out and played a two-hour set just for them.

  Growing up in the South, Luke and Jason have both always been hunters. Jason grew up in Macon, Georgia, and started pursuing a music career immediately after high school. Luke grew up in Leesburg, Georgia, and is not only a great singer and performer but also an awesome writer. Now Jason and Luke are both producing platinum albums. They’re pretty much as big as you can get in the music industry, and I’m so happy for both of them. Jason has done everything you can do in country music. He’s never afraid to take a chance and do something different. Jason does it his way, and I like that about him. I just recently surprised Luke in Nashville and showed up for his platinum party for Tailgates and Tanlines. In person, Luke is exactly like he is onstage: the life of the party and a blast to be around. He’s also the kind of guy that really cares about his friends and has given me some really great advice as the success of the show has taken off. I don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing I’m actually taking his advice, but I am listening.

  On our deer-hunting trips for our show Buck Commander Protected by Under Armour on Outdoor Channel, Luke and Jason will pull out their guitars while we’re sitting around a campfire. It’s absolutely the most fun part of our time at deer camp. One of my favorite things to do is to see their live shows. Luke and Jason have put on charity concerts in Adam’s hometown of Fort Scott the last few years before we go on our big hunt. It’s great fun having all of our friends there together, enjoying some great music and doing something for the community. Adam and his wife, Jenn, are the kindest, most down-to-earth people you will ever meet. Korie and I are proud to have them as some of our closest friends.

  Both Luke and Jason have pulled me up onstage with them all over the country. Once I took Jason his guitar during the show and knelt down, lifting it up to him with my head bowed. He was cracking up, shaking his head at me as he took it. In Little Rock one night, Luke actually offered me the microphone during a song. It may have been the only time in my life I refused an open mic, but I didn’t know the song and didn’t want to get up there and butcher it. Jason got me up onstage with him recently at Bayou Country Superfest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He asked me what song he was about to play and gave me the hint that it could have been written for my family. My mind was racing, and I sheepishly said “Hicktown.” And, yes, thankfully, it was the right song. I told him next time, he oughtta give me a heads-up when he’s going to call me out in front of fifty thousand people so I make sure I get it right! I still gotta get up with Jason’s deejay, DJ Silver, and perform with him. It’s on my bucket list.

  Once my friend Colt Ford got me onstage at Rabb’s in Ruston, Louisiana, and wanted me to sing a song with him. The only problem was when I got up onstage I had no idea what song he was playing. I danced and tried to fake it. The crowd’s beer intake must have helped me out because I don’t think they even noticed. The funny part is the song was “Dirt Road Anthem,” a song Aldean took to number one later that year. When Colt came and performed in West Monroe a few years later, he called me up again. He handed me a mic and the band started playing the same song. Believe me, I didn’t miss on that one! I sang most of the song from on top of a speaker about four feet in the air. It was a really fun night, for sure.

  My involvement in Buck Commander has allowed me to do some pretty cool things. I go to baseball stadiums across the country to see my buddies play. I even held the finish line in the sausage race at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Earlier this year, I threw out the first pitch at a Louisiana-Monroe baseball game, which was cool to get to do at my alma mater. I was also invited to throw out the first pitch for the Mississippi Braves in Jackson, Mississippi, by my buddy Phillip Wellman, who managed them at the time. Wellman had the most classic confrontation with an umpire ever, when he crawled around the field and threw fake grenades. I pick at him all the time about that, as I’m sure all his other buddies do. He’s an awesome guy.

  I got to take batting practice with the San Angelo Colts in San Angelo, Texas. It’s a small independent team that Tombo was pitching for when he was trying to get himself back in shape to make another run at the majors. I thought I was going to die at that game because it was 112 degrees. I realized how hard those ball players work and what good shape they are in. I had fun though, and I chased the mascot down at the end of the game. I remember thinking, “I hope this is not a girl under the costume.”

  The Atlanta Braves have called me a couple of times. I thought I was going to get to throw out the first pitch at one of their games, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. But the marketing guy asked me to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch. When he said that, I could feel the blood rushing out of my body, and I panicked. The guy kept talking to me, and I finally said, “Wait a second, did you just say sing?”

  Korie told me, “Oh, you can do it. You sing all the time.”

  “Not to forty thousand people!” I told her.

  It was “Field and Reels Outdoorsman Night” at Turner Field, so I seemed like the right choice to sing, I guess. I must have done okay because they asked me back again the next year. After the song was over, I danced on the dugout while they played “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.”

  The Braves brought me back the next year to sing again, and right before the opening pitch, I participated in a closest-to-the-pin golf contest with first baseman Ryan Klesko and infielder Brooks Conrad. Conrad hit his ball within about twelve feet, and Klesko hit his to about fifteen feet from the pin. I stood over my ball and could feel the blood leaving my body. I started thinking about everything that could possibly go wrong. I had a vision of shanking the ball right into the dugout and knocking Braves pitcher Tim Hudson out for the season. Before I started to swing, I told myself, “Whatever you do, don’t miss this ball!” Of course, my hips flew too fast and I pulled the ball. I crushed it to where the Arizona Diamondbacks were warming up—which was nowhere near the pin—and catcher Miguel Montero caught it. That was a little embarrassing, but I thought it could ha
ve been a lot worse.

  I STARTED THINKING ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG.

  One time, I was meeting with my friend Lacey Biles with the National Rifle Association in Washington, DC, and Adam was playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks. I went to the game with him and was on the field for batting practice. Stephen Strasburg was pitching for the Nationals, and I couldn’t wait to see Adam hit against him. I jumped the fence right before the game and was sitting in a section of seats right behind home plate. An usher told me I couldn’t sit there because I didn’t have a ticket. While I was arguing with the usher and trying to explain that my friend Lacey from the NRA was not there yet and had my ticket, Adam took Strasburg deep for a home run. I only saw the ball in the air. I wanted to knock that usher’s teeth out. He told me I had to stand up until my ticket arrived and to not eat the food that came with the ticket. I took some joy in knowing I had already eaten three times. A few innings later, troops of soldiers came to where I was standing. They were going out on the field to be honored. Someone recognized me and invited me to stand with them, which was a huge honor. Adam told me later he looked up and saw me on a JumboTron standing with our troops.

  Conversely, when I was at a Philadelphia Phillies game one time, they threw my face on the JumboTron. I covered my face with a hat when I saw it, thinking it would be funny. Of course, the fans in Philadelphia booed me. “Show your face, you blankedy-blank!” they yelled at me. You gotta love the Philly fans; they booed Santa Claus and they booed me.