Title:Waterfowl Hunting Midwest, 1951 REEL ID:L054R001 RUN TIME:0:13:38 FORMAT:16mm motion picture film FILM TYPE:Color Kodak Kodachrome SOUND:Silent (no synchronized sound) Description:This midcentury home movie, titled Wild Fowl Hunter, documents waterfowl hunting trips across the Midwest in October 1951. Shot on 16mm film, the reel offers a candid look at postwar hunting culture, outdoor tradition, and the seasonal rhythms of marshland environments. Handwritten notes inside the original reel can identify several filming locations, including Duck Marsh near Bay City, Houghton Lake, Rice Pond, and scenes of geese hunting near Cairo. The word “Nesters” appears among the notes, likely referencing nesting waterfowl or a specific hunting area encountered during the trip. The footage centers on hunters moving through marshes and lakes, observing and pursuing ducks and geese within wetland landscapes typical of the Upper Midwest. Calm water, reeds, and shoreline vegetation frame the action, emphasizing the patience and quiet observation inherent to waterfowl hunting. The reel reflects a period when home movies frequently documented sporting life alongside family and travel. A title card credits the name Al. Riedel, while the reel can attributes the footage to H. O. Potter, dated October 1951. Together, these details help anchor the film historically and provide valuable provenance for the material. Preserved as a personal hunting record, Wild Fowl Hunter offers an authentic visual document of midcentury American outdoor recreation, capturing both place and practice through analog filmmaking. Tags:1951, October 1951, Midwest, Michigan, Illinois, Bay City Michigan, Houghton Lake, Cairo Illinois, Duck hunting, Goose hunting, Waterfowl hunting, Marshland, Wetlands, Lakes, Rice pond, Nesting birds, Hunters, Outdoor sports, Sporting life, Postwar America, Home movies, 16mm film, Vintage hunting footage, Analog film, Archival footage, Americana, Al Riedel, H. O. Potter
