Drake Waterfowl MST Refuge Gloves

Drake Waterfowl MST Refuge Gloves
Description: Constructed with 100% polyester Refuge HS outer fabric and a GORE-TEX 100% waterproof/breathable membrane, the Drake Waterfowl Systems MST Refuge Gloves for men feature a Stay-Put 180 gram fleeceiner and a neoprene cuff for cutting-edge all-weather

Drake Waterfowl
“It’s just a lot of hard work and good ol’ Delta boy common sense,” says Tate Wood, when asked about the success of his duck hunting supply company, Drake Waterfowl Systems. Tate started the company back in 2002, along with co-founder and best friend of more than thirty years, Bobby Windham Jr.

Bobby or Bejae (pronounced “BG”) and Tate were both born and raised in Greenwood, MS. They played football together in middle school and have been friends ever since. “We truly ‘grew-up’ together – experiencing everything boys growing up in the Mississippi Delta do,” says Wood. And, of course, that included duck hunting. “My dad began taking me along with him when I was 3 years old. I remember curling up in the bottom of the boat until the ducks got close and then I’d watch the action, all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed,” Wood tells us of his first hunt.

After college Tate and Bejae’s lives took them in different directions but they always remained in touch and hunted together whenever they could. As fate would have it, in 2001, they found themselves both unemployed. That’s when they started throwing around the idea of starting a business together. Wood tells us, “Having been close friends for thirty years, we knew we could depend on one another and what to expect.” As they discussed options, they kept going back to what they knew and loved best – hunting. Drake Waterfowl was born.

In the beginning, Tate and Bejae hit the road with a decoy bag filled with product samples. At the end of their first selling season, they hired a graphic designer to join the group. “We did everything from answering the phone, to writing orders, to building our own show booth, to taking out the trash. When you start a business, everyone needs to have an ‘all hands on deck’ attitude. We are blessed with this same attitude to this very day,” Wood tells us. He goes on to say, “There’s not a single person in our building that we don’t consider to be ‘good people’ to the core. When you spend that much time together, it helps if you like one another.”