Captain Brian Rhodes operates a full time waterfowl guide service in Rhode Island that specializes in sea duck hunting. Additionally Brian is part owner of the Swampers video series that annually produces a “duckumentary” film based around Brian’s previous season. Brian is also a member of the Avery® Pro-Staff.

How did the Swampers start out?

Brian: Myself, my bro and a couple of buddies all hunted together and thought that many of the hunting videos on the market were staged or fake…not real, as most of the hunts took place on leases, ranches and were guided. Most were basically commercials and trying to sell something. We took it upon ourselves to make a DIY video.

Who came up with the name The Swampers? And what is a swamper?

Brian: I guess I came up with the name. A swamper is another word for a swamp yankee, which is what people from urban areas of New England used to call farmers from Southern New England. It’s like someone calling someone a Hill Billy. I always think of a swamper as an old, miserable, ornery, guy who lives in the woods and hates pretty much every thing.

Today who are The Swampers?

Brian: Me, my bro - Ryan Rhodes, Smeezo (Ryan Smith) and my friend Bill Stahl from Upstate New York. Bill is the guy who got us into sea duck hunting in the beginning.

How many videos do The Swampers have?

Brian: Five. Our first two were VHS and mainly goose hunting. Our last three are DVDs and are more focused around sea duck hunting, which is the niche we’ve fallen into. The VHS videos are no longer in circulation, but we still have all three of the DVDs for sale on our website. We had a great response from the sea duck hunting segments because there are only so many places you can do it and a lot of guys from the central part of the country have never seen an eider or scoter, so its different.

Do you do the editing yourself or do you send the raw video out to someone?

Brian: I use Gnarly Bay Productions. I just drop off the film and these guys put it all together. They lay things out and then get my opinion on what is cool and what isn’t. I know these guys from high school and they are film makers, not hunters, so they make more of a documentary film, than a typical all killing hunting movie. They actually do a lot of traveling to film and produce a lot of movies.

What can someone who watches your video expect?

Brian: More of a duckumentary than a video about killing. Our videos take you through our season from our point of view.

How long have you been guiding? And how did you start out?

Brian: I just finished my third year of guiding full time. It all started due to phone calls and emails I received from guys who had seen one of our videos, asking if I guided. I got tired of telling them no and started the business.

What do you like about being a sea duck guide?

Brian: Guys who want to sea duck hunt are hard core and they are coming to hunt with me with a purpose, which is typically to harvest an eider or maybe a scoter. A lot of guys who have hunted with me, have never seen an eider until they bag their first, some have never even seen the ocean and the seals and whales that pop up from time to time. These things are things I take for granted, having grown up around the Atlantic Coast. Being a part of their experience is awesome.

How do you hunt eider? What kind of equipment/methods do you use to successfully target sea ducks?

Brian: I use a twenty-one foot TBD (The Duck Boat), which is built in Maine and designed for big water hunting and perfect for sea ducks. I have a 140 Suzuki motor and can hunt four guys. I run my decoys on long lines or gang rigs, whatever you want to call them and run 45-50 decoys in my spread. You always have to remember that we are in the ocean and some times we are hunting in up to sixty feet of water, so you need to watch the weather and make sure you are safe. Weather can hinder a hunt, especially in January you really need to pick your days. As a back up, we have a large bay off Rhode Island that we can usually get out in and hunt divers or brant, when we can’t get out far enough for sea ducks. A layout boat can also be an effective way to get sea ducks, but you have to have the right conditions.

Besides eider, what other waterfowl do you guide for or might someone get on a hunt with you?

Brian: We’ve shot black ducks and even Canada geese while hunting sea ducks, the thing about Rhode Island is that we don’t have as many eider as Maine or as many scoter as Maryland, but what we do have is variety. You can shoot both here, as well as all sorts of divers, Canada geese and brant. Our typical bag on the ocean is primarily eider, followed by black scoter, then surf scoter and brant.

Do you guide for anything besides waterfowl? Or anywhere outside of Rhode Island?

Brian: No, I just don’t have the land or time to. My family does have a camp in Maine where I go to hunt deer and I hunt turkey in the spring, but I don’t guide for them. I have guided for puddle ducks in Alaska in September of 2007 and will be guiding in November-December 2008 for my good friend and fellow Avery® Pro-Staffer, Tim Bouchard’s business, Alaska Wildfowl Adventures. Tim has expanded his guide business in Valdez and hired me to work for him this coming fall, before my season gets rolling. Harliquins and barrows goldeneye are what a lot of guys head there for.

How do you like Pro-Staffing for Avery Outdoors®? And what types of things do you do for them?

Brian: I like it a lot. I hooked up with Avery® through my videos which then turned into a spot on their pro-staff. I’ve made a lot of new friends through my association with Avery®. The people involved are very passionate, have drive, professional and a little bit crazy like me. Most plan their lives around waterfowling. We worked together on my fifth video, which they also sponsored. I also do shows, like the Waterfowl Weekend, at the Cabelas in East Hartford, CT.

Has being associated with Avery® helped your guide service or video sales?

Brian: Yeah, I think so. It’s a two way street, I promote them and at the same time, they help me promote myself, which helps my business. Being active on Avery’s ®forum or any of the forums is also a big help. I post pictures and get good responses and the Internet is just so current. The Internet has really made the World smaller.

What do you do in the “off season” when you aren’t guiding or filming for your next video?

Brian: I commercial fish. I have a 23’ fishing boat and fin fish and also do a little lobster fishing. I rod and reel for some fish, but use fish pots, which are similar to lobster traps for most of my fishing.

Outside of Rhode Island, where have you hunted waterfowl? Which of those places you’ve traveled was your favorite?

Brian: I’ve hunted Alaska, Maine, New York, Connecticut, Maryland and Missouri.  My favorite… I don’t know… I guess you have to say Alaska. It’s a place that you have to go to, if you are into fishing or hunting.

What species or locations are on your list to hunt?

Brian: I need to get south, Texas or maybe Mexico. To complete my check list of the waterfowl species in North America, I still need a cinnamon teal, red head, and the tree ducks. I’ve been lucky enough to already get a king eider, not a good mature one, but I got one.