Duck Season Somewhere

EP 552. Last of a Dying Breed: The Lost Art of Punt Gunning (Part 1)

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Banned 107 years ago in the United States pursuant to the Migratory Bird Treat Act of 1918, punt gunning has since persisted in the United Kingdom. It...

EP 551. The Perfect Trigger Pull

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

All the time and effort that goes into putting waterfowl on the strap--travel, scouting, walk-ins decoy placement, calling, early wake ups--all boils ...

EP 550. "Shooting the Raft" and Arkansas Public Land Hunting

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A die-hard Arkansas public land duck hunter since forever, Arkansan call maker Bryce Decker describes the stark realities and absurd challenges of pub...

EP 549. Wildlife Artist a Natural Historian

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

British wildlife artist Terrence Lambert's work has been reproduced in more than 40 publications, selected for many of the world's most prestigious wi...

EP 548. Managing Waterfowl Across the Pond a Very Different Approach

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

"Because the ducks aren't going to let you [overharvest them]," replied Mike Swan matter of factly when asked how there could still possibly be health...

EP 547. Oak Grove Hunting Club, Louisiana

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Following an eventful morning duck hunt in the Louisiana marsh, Ramsey joins General Manager, Mike Baccigalopi and General Manager, Fred Stewart, to d...

EP 546. A Lifetime Hunting Virginia's Eastern Shore

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chicoteague, Virginia's outgoing mayor, Arthur Leonard is a lifelong duck hunter and decoy carver that recalls his family being among the first to inh...

EP 545. The Rifle Project

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For combat veteran Andrew Biggio, who's now on the Boston Police force, a relative's hand-written letter from the WWII Pacific battlefield compelled h...

EP 544. A Classical Decoy Carving Family Tradition in Virginia

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Following a duck hunt along Virginia's Eastern Shore, Ramsey meets with father-son carvers, Ian and Mark McNair, who are committed to crafting wooden ...

EP 543. Making Decoys with "Never Settle" Determination

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With legions of die-hard customers, Dave Smith Decoys have long been regarded as the most realistic and utterly effective decoys available. But who is...

EP 542. They Really Hunt Coots in Louisiana?! And Much More

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Roland Cortez talks about being born and raised duck hunting in South Louisiana's marshes, his earliest influences and introductions, how and why he's...

EP 541. Wild Goose Jack Miner Goes Mainstream

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Miner Bible-verse-inscribed leg bands have long been revered as holy grail momentos among in-the-know waterfowl hunters. Formed in 1904 by a form...

EP 540. The Chesapeake Bay Legends

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Saying that museums tell stories, Chesapeake Bay historian and preservationist, C. John Sullivan, takes us on a personal tour of one of the largest pr...

EP 539. West Virginia Duck Hunt

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"Almost Heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River," go the John Denver lyrics. The iconic song never mentions ducks or duck huntin...

EP 538. Five Generations Island Living

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rob Shaw's ancestors moved to Prince Edward Island 5 generations ago. They've since made their livings and fed their families by seasonally availing t...

EP 537. Prince Edward Island Duck Hunting

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This season's 6-province Canadian part if the tour terminates 8 miles into the Atlantic--as easterly as personally ever been in North America--on the ...

EP 536. Powered by Inukshuk--And Here's Why

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our beloved retrievers are our ride-and-die best friends, but they're also high-performing athletes with singular life missions to recover downed bird...

EP 535. New Brunswick Canada Duck Hunting, Eh?

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A month-and-a-half and 11-plus-thousand miles after starting this year's North American Waterfowl Road Trip finally arrives to new territory, to the l...

EP 534. Moonshine Creek, NB

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Breaking a streak of mishaps, happening by accident onto Moonshine Creek Distillery was pure luck. It was maybe even some kind of divine providence. "...

EP 533. Here Comes Santa Clause--Into the Vault

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Just in time for Christmas--because few if any of us are leaving the blind to elbow our way through crowded shopping malls--Duck Unlimited's David Sch...

EP 532. Mississippi Duck Season Opener Traditions

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Back home for the Mississippi duck season opener, Ramsey meets his 2 favorite hunting buddies, sons Forrest and Duncan. Duck season opener at camp a d...

EP 531. Father-Son Hunting Trip of a Lifetime

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ramsey hears what fathers and sons most enjoyed about their bucket-list hunt in Argentina for ducks, doves, pigeons and more. Their answers might surp...

EP 530. SPECIAL Waterfowl Migration Forecast

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What kind of migration might you expect to see this duck season? FowlWeather Podcast host, Michael Schummer, returns to give us the lowdown on this ye...

EP 529. For Seventy-One Years a Duck Hunter (Part 2)

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

PART 2---For 71 years, Worth Matthewson of Eugene, Oregon, has chased waterfowl and other gamebirds throughout North America and worldwide. A genuine ...

EP 528. For Seventy-One Years a Duck Hunter (Part 1)

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

PART 1---For 71 years, Worth Matthewson of Eugene, Oregon, has chased waterfowl and other gamebirds throughout North America and worldwide. A genuine ...

EP 527. Legendary Coca-Cola Woods and Beyond

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Born-and-raised Arkansas native Rusty Creasey was manager and head guide at legendary Coca-Cola Woods Duck Club for 20 years, continuing the legacy of...

EP 526. Delta Waterfowl Texas

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Regional Director, Ryan Watson gives us a great then-and-now overview of Delta Waterfowl and how they fit in the grand scheme of conservation both loc...

EP 525. There's Something About Sandhill Cranes

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of North America's most unique webless gamebirds, sandhill cranes are oftentimes referred to as "ribeyes of the sky" and included among popular wa...

EP 524. On Delivering First-class Hunting Lodge Hospitality

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You've traveled far away from home for a dream hunt and--all things equal, some days better than others--waterfowl are a constant. It's the everything...

EP 523. Canadian Duck Camp Cooking

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hunting trips are no place to lose a few pounds. To the contrary, you should be ready to loosen your belt, eat like kings, enjoy. Which is exactly why...

EP 522. Manitoba Young Guns

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What's it like growing up a young, avid waterfowler in the north-of-the-border Land of Plenty? How's it similar to the USA--and how's it different? Wh...

EP 521. Honker Hunting Manitoba's Interlake Region

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Located between massive lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba, the fabled Interlakes Region has been an important stop over for migrating Canada geese since for...

EP 520. Pitboss Waterfowl

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Capt. Jeff Coats aka The Pitboss shares decades duck hunting experiences on the Chesapeake Bay, how and why he built a name brand that's become synony...

EP 519. Who's Winning the Klamath Water War?

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

So critical to Pacific Flyway waterfowl was this region that the Lower Klamath NWR was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 as the firs...

EP 518. Deep-Rooted Double Bayou Duck Hunting Traditions

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Located in Chambers County, Texas, the Double Bayou community  has a storied, oftentimes truth-is-stranger-than-fiction past. It was there that Blake...

EP 517. The Dirty Bird North Dakota Waterfowl Hunting Experience

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There's plenty North Dakota waterfowl hunting opportunities for ducks, snows, cacklers, honkers and tundra swans, and depending on what you're chasing...

EP 516. Meet Texas's First Waterfowl Biologist, Charles Stutzenbaker

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a barefoot little boy playing outside in the late-1930s that later duck hunted when rice predominated the coastal Texas landscape, 90-year-old Char...

EP 515. Texas Duck Hunting Desert Paradise with Speck Ops

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

West of San Antonio, where the Chihuahua Desert and Brush County collide it's dry. Real dry. But there exist one of the most unique and best-kept secr...

EP 514. Powder Morning Hunting the North Platte River Nebraska

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hunting western Nebraska is all about the right stuff--the right properties, the right locations, the right people. There's mallards and geese galore,...

EP 513. Duck Camp Dinner Experiences Now Served

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Getting a feel for who people really are is as simple as putting your feet under the right table. Or in the instance of Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois, just...

EP 512. Benelli Shotgun Features and Performance

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Having used Benelli shotguns since the mid-90s because of their utter reliability and superior performance, their continued innovations continue to am...

EP 511. Making Outdoor Dreams Reality

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Grizzly bears, wild sheep, bison, elk, white-tailed bucks, waterfowl--we all have outdoor dreams.  But South Carolina-based Outdoor Dream Foundation ...

EP 510. A South Africa Duck Hunting Safari Remembered

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Following a 2-week, 3-province, 5-lodge, waterfowl-and-upland-gamebirds South Africa duck hunting safari that'll be memorable for many reasons--it's l...

EP 509. All Florida and More

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fifth-generation Florida native Travis Thompson was born-and-raised Florida duck hunting. In the absence of mallards, their mainstays are blue-winged ...

EP 508. Reviving the Craft of Wild Game Cooking

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For Larry White, an interest in cooking began as simply as being around grandmother's kitchen, and while he learned a lot of techniques in the militar...

EP 507. The Maggie Williams, Arkansas Public Land Duck Hunter

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Raised a 4th-generation northeast Arkansas public land duck hunter, Maggie Williams says the first girl her daddy ever even saw in the woods was the 1...

EP 506. Coast-to-Coast Perspectives with Shawn Swearingen

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cutting his teeth in Oregon, Shawn Swearingen--that's spelled like the guy in Deadwood series, he says--migrated to the outskirts of DC, where the hun...

EP 505. Participate in duckDNA to Become Citizen Scientist!!

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Launched last season, duckDNA is an immensely successful citizen-science initiate spear-headed by Ducks Unlimited and University of Texas at El Paso. ...

EP 504. On Cloud 9 in Alberta

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Moving out west with "an anti-hunter from Toronto" to pursue an electrical career was one thing, but the sheer abundance of waterfowl hunting opportun...

EP 503. Father-Son Experiences and Making a Difference

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Father-son team, Jamey and Layne Roberts of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, spend quality time together duck hunting and scouting. It was duck hunting that spark...

EP 502. Increasing Performance: Rob Roberts Custom Gun Works

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of the day, adding ducks to the strap boils down to that final crucial moment---the trigger pull. And having poured ourselves into everythi...

EP 501. Under the Big Tent with Australia Duck Hunting Antis

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

During Australia's duck season "circus," anti-hunters will flare your birds, paddle through your decoys and film your kids, reports Outdoor Life Execu...

EP 500. Best Argentina Duck Hunt?!

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In a place where duck hunts are marketed using every superlative ever invented, "best Argentina duck hunt" may seem exaggerated. It's not. The proof i...

EP 499. Little Riddle Avoiding the Real World at All Cost

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Born and raised hunting and fishing in northeast Mississippi, John Blake Riddle has lived a charmed life. Avoiding "the real world" at all costs, he's...

EP 498. Like a Great Big Ol' Camp Reunion at Delta Waterfowl Expo

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Typical of late-July Baton Rouge, between-thunderstorms humidity visibly hung in the air like a warm, wet blanket. Not that anyone cared. Because walk...

EP 497. Habitat Management Advantages--of All Natural

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"We raise weeds, most folks try to grow corn," says renowned wildlife biologist and Arkansas Waterfowler Hall of Fame, Jody Pagan, who among other thi...

EP 496. Argentina Couples Trip

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ducks, doves, decoying pigeons, perdiz, and optional golden dorado fishing--what's not to love about this Argentina duck hunting combo if you're an ar...

EP 495. PSA: New CDC Rules Affects Importing Your Retriever Back Into US!!

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Public Service Announcement: Guides, outfitters, freelancers--everyone--traveling to hunt outside the United States need to be aware that new Center f...

EP 494. Delta Waterfowl Expo, July 26-28, Baton Rouge

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Late July in the Deep South, it's hotter than hades and teal season is right around the corner. Where better to spend a fun weekend in the among your ...

EP 493. Making Meaningful Wildlife Conservation Happen--The Big Picture

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A since-forever duck hunter himself, Casey Stemler is a hook-and-bullet biologist that spent decades working coast-to-coast throughout the upper echel...

EP 492. Arkansas Still "Duck Capital" ?!

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, Stuttgart, Arkansas was the Rice and Duck Capital of the world, and--for sure--duck hunting traditions remain interwoven into Arkans...

EP 491. Land Man Ronnie Richardson

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A hunter since way back when, Ronnie Richardson explains that it's not about killing, so much as it's about experiencing places. National Land Realty'...

EP 490. Duck Hunter Satisfaction

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"I want the biggest pile of dead ducks over the longest period of time," implies the maximum sustained yield model by which North America's waterfowl ...

EP 489. Important Considerations: Old Dogs and Aging Retrievers

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"Her hips are beautiful and knees look great, but at her age one of the biggest risk is blowing out her ACL like aging athletes do," said veterinarian...

EP 488. Mississippi Delta Supper Club Influences

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For Chef David Crews, growing up in Mississippi's Delta was inspiration enough. He describes how home-cooked meals and a his first part-time job while...

EP 487. Long Point Ontario Diver Hunting

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mallards may be the so-called rockstars of the duck hunting universe, but not if you were born and raised on Long Point, Ontario, where massive diver ...

EP 486. Favoring Historic Arkansas Ecosystems as Waterfowl Habitat?

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Five Oaks Ag Research and Education Center focuses it's habitat management on Arkansas's historic bottomland hardwood forest ecosystems, using the lif...

EP 485. Habitat Management: Emergent Marsh Wetlands Magic (Part 2)

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Now among the scarcest waterfowl habitat in the delta, it was emergent wetland-type habitats that sustained overwintering migratory in their heavily f...

EP 484. Rocky Leflore and The End of The Line Podcast

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The man, the myth, the legend--the waterfowl podcast godfather and host of The End of the Line Podcast himself--Rocky Leflore pays a long overdue visi...

EP 483. Waterfowl Habitat Management: Rethinking "Seed Mentality" (Part 1)

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's something we know intuitively--waterfowl need water. And they mostly eat seeds, right? But has transforming natural floodplain ecosystems that su...

EP 482. The Shotgun Conservationist

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"How do I pay Mother Nature to make wild animals instead?" asks Brant McDuff from Brooklyn, New York, who grew up shooting shotguns, didn't start hunt...

EP 481. Speaking Truth To Power: Bio-political Mississippi Wildlife Management

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ricky Mathews is a fearless force of nature when it comes to doing right by Mississippi's treasured wildlife resources and the people, like himself, t...

EP 480. Boone and Crockett Club: Fair Chase Ethos Then and Now

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Smart as he may have been, nearly everything ol' Grandad taught about fair chase hunting ethics originated in the late-1800s when yesteryear hunters f...

EP 479. Lake Pickle

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"I grew up on Andy Griffith and Primo's Truth About Hunting," says Lake Pickle while humbly describing his specifically singular dream job--to be a Pr...

EP 478. Favored Gauges, Shot Sizes and Chokes for Waterfowl: BOSS Shotshells Updates

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fellow Mississippian, Aaron Carter of Boss Shotshells, and I take it to the plug discussing Arkansas speckledbellied goose hunting, our favorite water...

EP 477. Duck Season by the Numbers: Estimating North America Duck Populations and Harvests

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whether good years or bad, North American duck hunters probably harvest more ducks annually than the remainder of the world combined. There, I said it...

EP 476. California Leads Nation's Duck Harvest Thanks to CWA

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While America's most populated state is ofentimes characterized by its big blue-city progressive politics, California consistly harvests more ducks th...

EP 475. Talking Ducks with Devney

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sifting through random solving-duck-world topics like we duck hunters do is a lot like poking glowing embers around late-night campfires. Hardly anyon...

EP 474. Ducking Roadtrips and Red Ruddy Ducks

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Heath Hoogerhyde hails from Michigan, but his quests for waterfowl hunting experiences take him far beyond his home state's mitten-shaped borders. Thr...

EP 473. Bayou Beast Living

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After enjoying plates of steaming-hot boudin and digging through fresh batches of made-from-hand cane duck and Oiu Caille (spotted goose) calls, long-...

EP 472. Are We Killing Too Many Ducks? Better Understanding Duck Population Management

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Regarded by many as the absolute go-to guy when it comes to empirically describing North America's duck populations, Dr. Todd Arnold is at University ...

EP 471. Alabama Rock Hunter

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"Northern Alabama is the largest Easter egg hunt in the world," says Shade Murrah in explaining why serious rock hounds are already leaving muddy trac...

EP 470. Talking Arkansas Mallards with Dr. Doug Osborne

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Doug Osborne from University of Arkansas Monticello peels off from his research lab to catch us up on duck banding projects and what's being learn...

EP 469. Beyond the Trigger Pulls in Nayarit Mexico

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wrapping up an epic 3-week stretch hunting ducks and doves in Nayarit, Mexico, Ramsey breaks from shooting white-winged doves to visit with his host, ...

EP 468. When Conservation Came to Mississippi

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Veteran wildlife biologist Cathy Shropshire was integral to black bear reintroductions in Mississippi. As long-time coordinator of Mississippi Wildlif...

EP 467. Osage Basin--A Collaborative Approach to Habitat How-To

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trust me. Amid an increasingly shrinking, more highly fragmented landscape, one-plus-one habitat management equals 3, not 2.  To create larger landsc...

EP 466. The NEW Nayarit Mexico Duck Hunt Combo

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While putting boots on the ground last season, the authenticity, hunting quality, and surprisingly affordable all-inclusive rates of the new Nayarit M...

EP 465. US "Duck Factory" Productivity -- How Bad is It?

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's all about supply and demand, huh? So in the US, are we killing too many ducks in past seasons? Or producing too few? Discussing continental "duck...

EP 464. Duck Hunting in Mazatlan Mexico

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

  The cat's out of the bag--duck hunting Mazatlan Mexico is lots of fun for both hunters and non-hunters, usually selling out well in advance. But wh...

EP 463. Full Plume Photo

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Veterinarian Jen Barton was introduced to duck hunting by her husband, who later gifted her a camera, setting her life into a completely new orbit. Wh...

EP 462. How Is Waterfowl Migration and Distribution Changing?

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Deep South duck hunters, especially, have been saying it for years—ducks are short-stopping way north of historical wintering grounds. The migration...

EP 461. Wisconsin Waterfowl

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With 63,000 license holders, it's fair to say that waterfowl hunting is a pretty big deal in Wisconsin! Wisconsin Waterfowl Association was founded de...

EP 460. Going for the Gold

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Amber English grew up around hunting and guns in Colorado, learning to shoot when she was only 6 years old. While her parents, uncle and aunt all shot...

EP 459. 50 Ducks

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anything can happen while duck hunting. Greer Smith probably isn't the only person the get stuck while hunting near Venice, Louisiana, but watching du...

EP 458. Outdoor Life Hunting Stories

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While growing up on a farm in rural Missouri, his dad had predicted he'd become a newspaper reporter. Probably because he intuitively knows the value ...

EP 457. BS'ing with Redbeard Between Roadtrips

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between chasing waterfowl and promoting Voormi, my buddy Ryan Yarnell aka Tex aka Redbeard sees as much of North America through a truck windshield as...

EP 456. How Mallards Experience and Utilize the Landscape

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We all know duck habitat when we see it, but what do ducks "see"--how do our beloved mallards experience and utilize habitats at the landscale level b...

EP 455. Need-To-Know Backyard Conservation and Hunting Topics

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How has hunting changed in the United States since yesteryear--and why? Whether private or public lands, is it as easy to gain access? And how does th...

EP 454. Duckboats Renaissance

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Back in the internet stone ages way before social media platforms, old-school do-it-yourself duck hunters from around the world gathered in online com...

EP 453. Skelly Woods

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"I'd known about it forever," says John Williams, speaking about a large, diamond-in-the-rough bottomland hardwood tract along a river in Oklahoma, "A...