DU's Logan Nevins and I talk about Michigan waterfowl hunting, public land duck hunting here versus there, Memphis barbecue and more before jumping Into the Vault. Wow! From hard to find collectible shotguns and once-in-a-lifetime Terry Redlin original artwork to ready-to-hunt duck boats and antique decoys, Logan takes us on an amazing tour. My advice? Just buy it for your wife's Christmas gift--it's the thought that counts!
Retreating from fast-paced, frenetic Seattle to tranquil Olympic Peninsula settings seemed the perfect escape even though their friends thought they were crazy. And there was just one question--how in the heck would they make a living? Now decades later, Captain Dave and Tiffany Drewry recount building a life and the hugely successful Peninsula Sportsman guide service in their Washington State Pacific paradise, describing unique island culture, nearby Port Townsend, sea duck species, hunting tec...
Learned during a recent visit the Washington State leads the nation in oyster production--and I love oysters, ate them the entire week! Hama Hama Oysters has been operating for 6 generations. Over a huge sampler of oysters, clams and mussels, Adam James describes his family's history in oyster and timber production, telling how the two go hand in hand. He explains what it takes to produce great crops, the surprising origins of his bivalved crops, why there's an oyster renaissance underway throug...
Washington State's waterfowl resources are extremely diverse, and managing a full suite of dabblers, divers, seaducks and geese is a daunting task to say the least. The recent closure of the Harlequin duck season in Washington was extremely controversial. Washington State was for many years the only place in the continental United States that harlequin ducks could still be harvested. Prized by collectors as special trophies, it was a pretty big deal. Kyle Spragens is Washington State's waterfowl...
Should waterfowl hunting guides and outfitters have licensing requirements? Is the waterfowl guiding industry really the Wild West?Should there be some form of professional oversight to weed out the worse from the best? What might those minimal requirements be? And how might a professional outfitter society benefit hunting, local and client hunters, habitat and waterfowl resources? Alberta Professional Outfitter Society's Corey Jarvis, Jeana Schuurman and Rob Reynolds answer these questions and ...
A 7th-generation Baytown Texan, Shannon Tompkins was an outdoor journalist that highlighted Texas hunting and fishing for over 40 years. He recalls growing up duck hunting, describing his mentors and LeFour’s Model 12; places like the sprawling Barrow’s Ranch during its heyday, the infamous cardiac pond, Los Patos; bygone times like when Texas was the foremost US snow goose hunting destination. A self-described dinosaur in today’s duck hunting world, Tompkins cites several instances of "shifting...
What won't our beloved retrievers do for us? To-the-horizon, full-blast retrieves across wide open fields or across frigid waters to recover downed waterfowl seem their singular life missive. Our ride-or-die duck hunting partners will do absolutely anything to live up to our expectations, requiring they be high-performance athletes instead of just pets. When Char Dawg's professional trainer, Alan Sandifer, made the switch to Inukshuk Professional Dog Food, we did, too. Rocket-fuel results were i...
For 20 years, Rob Reynolds and his wife Lori have operated Ranchland Outfitters. Their reputation for delivering best-of-best Alberta waterfowl hunting experiences is unrivaled. But why? Rob describes the random events leading him into this business, his family's deep-seated roots in Alberta, how and why he's amassed hunting from Alberta's boreal forest clear down to the US border, what the waterfowl hunting's like in September-October and---get this--what its like in mid-December when hunting m...
"When Jake scouts, he always finds a great hunt. Always," says Northern Skies Outfitters Matt Schauer. Visiting between incredible fall hunts, he introduces me to a couple of his top goose guides, Jake Slimp and Jeremy Bolanbarker--who were inducted to the business at an extremely young age. How'd they find their way into a year-round waterfowl guiding gig, what do they like most about it, and what's their secrets for producing happy clients day in and day out? Real goose guide stuff. Enjoy. Rel...
Hailing from the Red River valley that forms the boundary between Texas and Oklahoma and only about an hour-and-a-half from downtown Dallas, Dakota Stowers is a long-time waterfowl guide. And when he's not guiding waterfowl hunts in Oklahoma? He guides deer, turkeys, wild hogs and doves. He and his wife, Summer, talk about getting into the business, lessons learned from an old outfitter mentor, what it takes to run a successful year-round business. Good stuff. Related Link: Waterfowl Hunt Oklaho...
"Find a job that interferes with your real life, not the other way around," someone once told Isaiah Bateel. And he did just that. He's now traveled through 50 states and several counties doing the things that matter most--hunting, fishing, hiking. Talking about how and why he crafted his lifestyle, he talks about some of his hunting and fishing adventures and shares his fairly unique take on the social media. MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Sponsors: MOJO Outdoors Benelli Shotguns BOSS Sho...
Navigating giant ships was not only a dream come true for John Dunaway, it was destiny. His family had done similarly for generations. An avid Texas wing shooter and creative story teller, Dunaway puts on his pilot's hat today, recalling high seas adventures to include middle-of-nowhere wildlife, dangerous pirates, storms, being stuck in countries due to crazy circumstances, cargo escorts, and other things seen, experienced. Ships ahoy! MOJO’s Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Sponsors: MOJO Outdoor...
The sky overhead is filled with more decoying snow geese than stars, birds are cleaned, scouting's completed and it'll soon be time to start dinner. For Tekton Game Calls maker, Joey D'Amico and world champ decoy carver, Luke Costilow, it's just another day in paradise. They brought their full-time regular jobs along with them to Saskatchewan, too. They describe all that goes into guiding geese and ducks on the prairies and why they'd have it no other way. Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Sponsors:...
Mornings turn into seasons turn into years, and before we know it our entire hunting lifetime--the best of times spent with family, friends and retrievers--is in our wake. I've never been one to journal hunting experiences. Until now. The new Huntproof app makes it way too simple to document harvests, species, retrieves, weather conditions, scouting reports, photos, to generate season summaries and to share with friends. Heck, it even uses my hunting data to predict where I should hunt based on ...
For a week we crawled up Andes Mountains switchback trails and along Pacific Ocean estuaries while duck hunting in Peru, but were it not for our tour guides Raneiri and Dwight, it'd have ended right there. More than just a duck hunt, these two amazing young men were our cultural interpreters among indigenous high-altitude shepherd families, exhibition bullfights and cockfights, newly discovered ruins, and roadside alpaca skinnings and beachside cafes. In today's episode, they offer perspectives ...
The oldest waterfowl decoys on earth were discovered in the Pacific Flyway. There are century-plus-years-old hunting clubs, and pit blind hunting may have even originated there. Bull hunting was borrowed from a traditional Mexican trick of the trade for filling up the commercial meat wagon quickly—all those gold rushers had to eat after all. Then came the goose patrols. Former US presidents broke personal records. Hollywood A-listers and famous athletes, business people from far and wide, market...
On October 19, 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd was inarguably the greatest rock band touring the USA and played what was their final concert in Greenville, South Carolina. While enroute to Baton Rouge on October 20th, their plane crashed in the remote southwest Mississippi woodlands, killing 6 passengers to include frontman Ronny Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup vocalist Cassie Gaines. Decades later, their classic southern rock ballads are remembered worldwide - and everyone has a favorite Skyn...
In 1899, the Tarpon Club in gulf-coastal Texas was the most expensive, expansive and exclusive club in the world, its membership dubbed the "First Four Hundred Sportsman of America," whose combined wealth reached into the hundred-millions. Or so said E.H.R. "Ned" Green, the one-legged, prostitute-loving son of the richest woman in the world. Texas historian Rob Sawyer describes the Tarpon Club and other exploits of one of the wealthiest and most accomplished historical American figures you've ne...
We only thought we'd seen and done a lot together until videographer, Jake Latendresse and I went duck hunting in Peru. From nearly 16,000 feet high into the Andes Mountains for a handful of mountain waterfowl species found nowhere else on earth to along the Pacific Ocean at sea-level duck for cinnamon teal and white-cheeked pintail, every day was an absolute stand-alone adventure. But the incredible duck hunting was itself only the spear tip. It was the complete cultural immersion into ways of ...
On October 17, 2007, the hammer finally came down on young Sam Necaise, who believed himself bulletproof. It came in the form of "every green game warden truck in the state of Mississippi and guys wearing FBI jackets." Swinging that big hammer was Kennie Prince, lead undercover investigator of Operation Stoned Duck. Necaise and Prince each recall that fateful day from their own perspectives. And while the good guys won and Necaise was incarcerated for his crimes, the story was not over. Far from...
It was right here--this exact location--in downtown Houston that I found smoke-infused religion. Purveyor of real Texas barbecue and former world-champ, Grant Pinkerton, and I visit at Pinkerton's Barbecue, running through the finer points of beef versus pork ribs, brisket, whole hog cooking, world championship cook-offs and starting them young. Just in time for the upcoming season, he details tried-and-true, smoked-to-perfection methods, swapping favorite recipes for ducks, geese, doves and sid...
Since arriving to Texas from Europe 4 generations ago, Slade Schiurring's family has produced rice on Texas's fabled Garwood Prairie. Waterfowl, too! It was his grandfather who returned from the Second World War and began leveeing the 3S Ranch property specifically for waterfowl. Slade describes his family's long-standing commitments to both rice farming and to waterfowl conservation, telling how they each go hand in hand; how both have changed drastically. As the past meteorically collides with...
Sam Necaise grew up deer hunting in south Mississippi with his dad. In many ways, his younger days remind me of my own. Maybe similar to yours, too. But big bucks were pretty tough to come by where he grew up--unless you knew a place where few people hunted. Because it was posted. And maybe folks willing to break a few little laws are willing to break bigger and more. Maybe the lines even start getting blurry. And maybe some folks even relish an outlaw reputation. Until the hammer falls. This is...
"It effects lives. Like tumbling dominoes, it affects relationships," says Gene Campbell about the fateful event. Y'all know my friend, Gene Campbell of Oyster Bayou Hunting Club in southeastern Texas. From past episodes, y'all have come to know him as a since-forever duck hunter (personally and professionally), a staunch conservationist, avid birder, nature observer and self-taught waterfowl habitat expert. But on December 13, 1986, he was met by agents at the boat ramp, handcuffed in front of ...
September road-tripping through Southeast Texas during teal season means bs'ing with my long-time friend and onliest non-bourbon-drinking buddy, call maker Joe Briscoe. Never knowing where it'll go but plowing full steam ahead anyways, we catch up following a couple eventful days shooting blue-winged teal together! Podcast Sponsors: Benelli Shotguns https://www.benelliusa.com/shotguns/waterfowl-shotguns BOSS Shotshells https://bossshotshells.com/ Ducks Unlimited https://www.ducks.org Flash Back ...
Kennie Prince lurked deep beneath the surface, operating deep undercover, penetrating nefarious poaching rings that illegally ransacked wildlife resources--migratory game birds, paddle fish, furbearers, deer, you name it--for profit, usually, or just plain fun. For 15 years he was just another outlaw, somehow maintaining his cover despite numerous headline busts. Prince talks about growing up and getting into wildlife law enforcement, detailing some of the big stings leading up to "Operation Sto...
"It's a true moment of discovery in waterfowl science," says Michael Brasher, DU Senior Waterfowl Scientist. And the program relies on North American hunter-conservationist participation. Brasher and waterfowl geneticist Phil Lavretsky explain the purpose of the new duckDNA program, how to apply (see link below) , and how the data is collected simply. Via leg band recoveries, hunter harvest reporting and parts collections, North American hunters have long participated in waterfowl conservation. ...
A sign reads, "Rule Number 1: No tales told on this islands shall be repeated on the mainland!" The Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum in Leland, Mississippi, is a huge repository of stories from throughout the state. The Mississippi Outdoors Hall of Fame is located there. You don't have to be from Mississippi to recognize some of the legendary names represented. Billy Johnson explains why he thinks Mississippians have influenced the entire US hunting industry, and what makes folks candidates....
It doesn't happen by accident. A lot goes into making a successful, season-long blue-winged teal hunt like this reality. Today, Steve Biggers of Rocky Creek Retrievers Team Waterfowl explains the inner workings and introduces team members Marcus Lagrange, Tracey Andreas, Joey Hanks and Len Vaughn. In describing the 16-day Texas blue-winged teal season from their varied perspectives, you'll understand why so many hunters migrate to this destination to hunt blue-winged "rice rockets," and what the...
"I want to interview you," it was stated while we were elbow deep into world-class Memphis BBQ. Continuing he said, "On your podcast, I mean. Because maybe some listeners don't know who you are, where you come from, what you really do." And so it came to pass that waterfowl historian Dr. Wayne Capooth put Ramsey Russell in the hot seat usually reserved for our esteemed guests. Podcast Sponsors: Benelli Shotguns https://www.benelliusa.com/shotguns/waterfowl-shotguns BOSS Shotshells https://bosssh...
