Delta Waterfowl Hires New Magazine Editor

Illinois native Joe Genzel will lead the organization’s membership publication

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — Delta Waterfowl has hired veteran outdoor communications professional Joe Genzel to edit the organization’s membership magazine.

Genzel will lead a team to produce Delta Waterfowl Magazine, a glossy, award-winning publication produced five times annually as an exclusive benefit delivered to Delta’s members and supporters throughout North America. Delta Waterfowl Magazine strives to entertain and inform while delivering valuable information about Delta’s critical conservation work to serve ducks and duck hunters.

Genzel started his journalism career as a sports reporter for his hometown Illinois newspaper, the Peoria Journal Star, more than 25 years ago. He moved into outdoor magazines a decade later as an associate editor for Gun Dog, Wildfowl, and Petersen’s Hunting. In 2019, Genzel was hired at Outdoor Life and was part of the editorial team that published the final print edition of that historic title. His most recent role was as communications coordinator for Ducks Unlimited’s Great Lakes/Atlantic Region, overseeing the communications needs of biologists, scientists, fundraisers, and volunteers across 21 states.

“We’re delighted to add Joe Genzel’s editing talent and outdoor communications experience to the Delta Waterfowl Magazine staff,” said Mike Sidders, Delta’s vice president of marketing and communications. “He’s an avid, lifelong waterfowl hunter who cares deeply about conservation and the future of duck hunting.”

Genzel grew up hunting mallards and Canada geese on the public waters of the Illinois River Valley, which inspired his passion for waterfowl history and conservation. He is also an avid dog handler, who squirrel hunts and recovers wounded deer with a unique breed, the West Siberian Laika.

“Like Chesapeake Bay, Central Illinois was a historic hub for market hunting and legendary decoy carvers, such as Robert and Catherine Elliston, Charlie Perdew, and many more,” Genzel said. “Peoria Lake once held as many as 300,000 bluebills during the height of the fall migration, but deforestation and siltation have resulted in a considerable loss of duck habitat. Growing up on the Illinois River made me a conservationist because I saw how the disappearance of wetlands and shallow backwaters affected hunting success.”

The only way to receive Delta Waterfowl Magazine is to join The Duck Hunters Organization. If you’re already a member, thank you. If you’re not yet a member, join today by calling 1-888-987-3695 or visiting www.deltawaterfowl.org/memberships.

Delta Waterfowl is The Duck Hunters Organization, a leading conservation group founded in 1911 that uses science-based solutions to produce ducks, conserve prairie wetlands, and secure the future of waterfowl hunting in North America. Visit deltawaterfowl.org.