About us
A PLACE AND A FEELING
What began as a frustration with the quality and construction of hunting clothing quickly evolved into the development of a brand that seeks to understand the wingshooter. We talk about Duck Camp, which could just as easily be called “Fish Camp” or “Quail Ranch,” but it is as much a place to go as it is a feeling.
From the moment we put a kennel in the back of the truck, or check the weather, or sort through last year or last weekend's shells, a feeling grows around that time in the wild. It doesn't matter if you get 80 days a season or 3, if you kill hundreds of birds or none, we all share the same feeling. And it isn't just the time in the field we crave; it's seeing fathers, and sons, and brothers (both blood and built). It's the first cold drink, it's the fire, it's the early start. It's the food, the dogs, the work. The cold, the rain, the wind, the retrieve. The stories, the laughs, the sounds that can only be heard in that special place.
It's even the clean-up. The birds, the bunks, the bikes. Everything, until the locking up and leaving.
To improve your hunting season, we have created what we think is the modern hunting shirt for the modern hunter. After a 1.5 year intensive search, and touching and feeling thousands of fabrics, we have chosen performance materials that are soft and durable. You'll feel the difference in our Lightweight, Midweight, and Heavyweight Wingshooter Shirts.
Tailored for the Bird Hunter
Bird hunters are a unique breed. While not opposed to sitting in a deer stand or glassing for sheep, we crave the camaraderie of a duck blind or the excitement of flushing a covey. We aren’t afraid to take 45-minute boat rides in freezing rain, or walk 10 miles behind a pointing dog, yet we also long for a stiff drink and a nice meal back at the lodge, reminiscing on the day’s fast action. We prefer the action to be a little faster, the volume to be a little louder and the game to be a little smaller - but lots of it!
The fabric was the starting point, but not the only improvement we were hoping to make. Not only are we deeply against the use of polyester in performance clothing, which most hunting apparel brands use, but we also felt that the fit of the shirts we were buying was off. Hunters are some of the most active people out there, so why are all the clothes so baggy through the middle? Duck Camp has created a fit that we think is more in line with our target market of bird hunters. It’s not a slim fit, but it is more tailored through the body. We hope this resonates with bird hunters, who spend a lot of time walking the woods, training their dogs and living active lifestyles.
Happy Hunting!
- Duck Camp Team
Why Duck Camp?
We are devoted to creating premium wingshooting gear that will withstand the test of time out in the field, in the duck blind, or out on the town. We have designed our proprietary Duck Camp camouflage patterns to perform specifically for hunting ducks and birds. Our camo blends old school look and feel with new school technology. We have developed products that are tailored for you, whether you're waterfowl hunting in the early season down south or chasing upland birds in the late season up north.
You won't be seeing Duck Camp products in your nearby Big Box store as we want to sell our products directly to you. This allows us to spend more money on premium fabrics to make the best hunting shirt on the market at a reasonable price for you.
Sim Whatley
Founder
Sim leads overall strategy and product development. He was a Co-Founder in an extremely successful internet company in the Middle East before starting Duck Camp. At age 24, he started Dubizzle, a website in Dubai, and eventually grew the company to over 200 employees operating in the UAE and ten additional countries in the Middle East and North Africa. It is now the UAE’s #1 online classified website – the ‘Craigslist’ of that part of the world. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, but now living in Austin, TX, Sim realized what he missed most about living in the U.S. was his time in the outdoors and his passion for hunting and fishing. He does as much as his loving wife and mother of their three children will allow him to do.
Marshall Coover
Partner | Finance & Operations
Marshall is from Corpus Christi, Texas, and grew up hunting birds and fly fishing with his Dad. He got his undergraduate degree and MBA from the University of Texas, as well as his law degree from Texas Tech University. Marshall serves as General Counsel for the company in addition to his other responsibilities. He lives in west Austin with his wife, three kids and their four chickens. Marshall might not come off as the most hardcore duck hunter at the Camp, but don’t be fooled - he’ll fold some waterfowl…with a 20-guage, nonetheless!
James Elledge
Partner | Sales & Marketing
James is from Birmingham, Alabama, and has lived in Austin for 7 years. He was the 8th employee at Deep Eddy Vodka and had a wild ride building that brand as the National Director of Field Marketing. After 5 years at Deep Eddy, he carried on in the startup world with a company called Mighty Swell as their Director of Marketing. James volunteers with Ducks Unlimited and that's how he originally linked up with Sim. He loves to hunt ducks, dove, quail, pheasants - really any game bird - with his 4-year-old Yellow Lab gun dog, Sadie. Sadie is extremely proud of her position as HR Director at Duck Camp, and she comes to the office every day to keep the rest of the team in check.
Jill Zeimann
Director of Product | E-commerce
Jill grew up in Forest City, Iowa, but now lives in Austin, TX. She brings great value to the team through her experience at YETI Coolers and Brownell Firearms. She was on the forefront of YETI’s expansion and led their digital marketing and customer service operation teams. Jill has carried over that industry specific skill set to Duck Camp where she manages the website and customer service. You can catch Jill fishing, boating, kayaking and putting her Jeep Wrangler through the wringer off-road.