Our Sustainability
Animals follow resources—food, shelter, a place to rest—and if they can’t consistently and easily find what they need, they will find someplace else to stop. Five Oaks provides several different types of resource habitats for migratory and wintering waterfowl: moist soil, with herbaceous plants such as crabgrass, toothcup, and smartweed; flooded cropland; green tree reservoirs; and carbohydrate-rich food plots of corn, millet, buckwheat, and milo, which provide fuel on extremely cold days. Think of it as “setting the table”—and rolling out the red carpet, polishing the silverware, fluffing the pillows, and providing a string quartet for ambiance. This is why the mallards and wood ducks return to Five Oaks, and why our guests have an unparalleled experience, season after season.
Our Staff
GEORGE H. DUNKLIN, JR.
Owner, Manager
George grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, not far from Stuttgart—the “Rice and Duck Capital of the World.” He began accompanying his father on hunting trips at the age of eight and shot his first gun at ten—sparking a lifelong passion for the sport of waterfowl hunting. George’s maternal grandfather, Lester A. Black, owned farmland in Arkansas County, which George visited throughout his youth. After college in Memphis, he moved to Arkansas County to farm that land, and he never left it. George’s abiding passion for and dedicated service to conservation led him to become a member of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission from 2005 to 2012 and served as its Chairman from 2011-2012. Additionally, after volunteering since the age of 16, he became president of Ducks Unlimited from 2013-2015. When George was named in 2009 “Budweiser Conservationist of the Year,” he used the accompanying $50,000 grant money to support the Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area, the public lands adjacent to Five Oaks, because he believes in the sanctity of our public areas. George and his wife, Livia, have three grown daughters.
JODY PAGAN
Chief Biologist
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From the age of six, there was no question in Jody’s mind that he wanted to spend the rest of his life around ducks. Raised on a small farm in South Arkansas, Jody earned a degree in biology from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, where he focused on the study of wetlands and waterfowl. He began his decade-long career with the federal government in 1995 at the USFS in Hot Springs as a botanist, going on to serve as a biologist for the USDA-NRCS in Little Rock, Searcy, and Jonesboro. He came to work at Five Oaks in 2005, as general manager and chief biologist of Five Oaks Wildlife Services, a company he created with George Dunklin to help assess, restore, and manage habitat nationwide, based on land-management practices that he perfected at Five Oaks. Since then, he has restored or developed more than 500,000 acres of waterfowl habitat across the country. He is known as one of the top wetland consultants in the country. Jody lives with his family in Stuttgart.
TRACY HASKINS
Operations Manager
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Tracy works closely with George to see that day-to-day activities, hunts, and special events are handled with the exacting professionalism that is a hallmark of the Five Oaks experience. She has lived in Stuttgart all of her life and enjoys hunting and fishing with her family. Tracy has 20 years of experience in healthcare, and four years in customer service, making her a great asset to the team. She loves hearing the stories and memories made after the guests’ hunts.
Our Guides
Bill Free
Guide
In addition to being a manager at Riceland Foods and an avid hunter who has been with Five Oaks for 15 years, Bill is known as the father of the 4-time World Champion Duck Caller Shelby Free. Shelby might even stop by to demonstrate her talent during your visit.
Doug Jacobs
Guide
“Uncle Doug,” as our guests call him, is our senior guide and “social chairman.” He has been with Five Oaks for 33 years, and he loves to meet every guest with a smile and make sure that everyone has a great time. After hunting with Doug, our guests leave as friends.
Mike Jacobs
Guide
A professional guide for more than 30 years, Mike came to us four years ago with a special talent for adapting to changing weather conditions and making sure our guests have a quality hunt no matter what.
Scott Tefteller
Guide
Scott has been a guide with Five Oaks for 20 years, and he enjoys every aspect of it, from scouting hunting locations to escorting our guests to and from the airport—but most especially he looks forward to reconnecting with past guests for another great hunt.
Garrett Williams
Guide
Garrett prides himself on guiding hunters in the safest and most memorable hunt they can recall. An experienced hunter and skilled at adapting to changing conditions, Garrett grew up hunting waterfowl in Southeast Missouri. Garrett’s knowledge of plant science and unique skill set is sure to enhance each guest experience.
Daniel Duke
Guide
Daniel is a three-time (and current) World Cut-down Calling Champion and has over fifteen years of diverse experience in waterfowl hunting. His love for waterfowl, experience in guided hunts, and his perfected calling technique make for a truly unique and elite hunting experience for our guests.
Dr. Johnny Lytle
Guide
Dr. Johnny or “Doc” has been a face around Five Oaks almost since the day Five Oaks started. In addition to being a close friend of George and his family, he is also a partner with George in the Hardley Able Duck Club. John was an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Pine Bluff Arkansas for over three decades and retired at the end of 2015. We are very fortunate to have Doc as a guide for us at Five Oaks.
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