With the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Tradeshow canceled for 2021, the DU Podcast is excited to be able to introduce a new waterfowling product to the market with Benelli USA. George Thompson, director of product management for Benelli USA, joins Chris Jennings to discuss the new Super Black Eagle 3 (3-inch & 20-gauge), along with other new guns for 2021. Experience a SHOT Show product launch, without attending the show. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast If you have questions for George Thompson, or f...
Jan 20, 2021•39 min
In this concluding episode about the implementation of Adaptive Harvest Management, Dr. Jim Nichols and Dr. Mike Brasher discuss the importance of population data, band returns, and harvest estimates in AHM mechanics. This episode wraps up with a reflection on 25 years of liberal regulations, the legacy and influence of AHM beyond waterfowl management, where it ranks in the history of waterfowl management, and thoughts on why it has withstood the test of time. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Jan 19, 2021•38 min
Is duck harvest mortality additive or compensatory? Is duck production strongly or weakly density dependent? Which habitat features most influence duck production? And how are optimal duck harvest regulations selected in the face of this imperfect knowledge? The DU Podcast is again thankful to be joined by Dr. Jim Nichols, retired senior scientist and Adaptive Harvest Management expert, to dig deeper into the workings of AHM and how annual duck regulations are selected. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Jan 18, 2021•35 min
As regular duck seasons wind down, Jay Anglin, Great Lakes Region migration editor, joins the show to talk about weather, habitat, and late-season goose hunting opportunities. Anglin and host Chris Jennings discuss solid Canada goose numbers throughout Illinois, Indiana, southern Michigan, and Ohio. The pair preview an early glimpse of light goose opportunities as well. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommendations or questions. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Jan 16, 2021•22 min
Luke Naylor, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission waterfowl program coordinator, joins host Chris Jennings to discuss the current state of habitat and hunting conditions in the Natural State. Naylor recently finished tabulating the mid-winter aerial survey and the pair discuss numbers and potential causes for the end results. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommendations or questions. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Jan 15, 2021•32 min
Dr. Jim Nichols rejoins the DU Podcast to share stories about early champions of Adaptive Harvest Management and how they promoted it as a better way of setting harvest regulations, with unexpected support resulting from unusual political maneuverings in the mid-90s. Dr. Nicholas and Dr. Mike Brasher also begin discussing key components of AHM, including harvest management objectives and regulatory packages, with a goal of demystifying some of the “black box” of AHM. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Jan 15, 2021•39 min
Concern for waterfowl populations and frustration with the status quo of duck harvest management in the late 80s stimulated new ideas for setting annual regulations and learning about their effects. Dr. Jim Nichols, retired senior scientist from Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and one of the godfathers of Adaptive Harvest Management, joins the DU Podcast to introduce waterfowl harvest dynamics, adaptive management, and the regulatory atmosphere that ultimately produced AHM. www.ducks.org/DUPod...
Jan 14, 2021•44 min
With the 2020-21 duck season winding down, we look ahead at how spring wetland conditions may be shaping up. Dr. Scott Stephens, DU Canada’s director of regional operations for prairies and boreal, rejoins the DU Podcast to discuss conditions needed to produce abundant spring wetlands and provides an update on where we currently stand. Lingering drought from 2020, poor frost seal, and sparse winter snow across much of the Canadian prairies create a grim forecast at this stage. www.ducks.org/DUPo...
Jan 13, 2021•24 min
The ideas of “fair” and “equitable” in harvest distribution have been a challenging undercurrent for regulatory decisions over the years. Dale Humburg and Ken Babcock join the DU Podcast one last time to discuss zones and splits, “shortstopping” in geese, the frustration it caused, and how managers tried to adapt. Also discussed are lead poisoning, non-toxic shot regulations, and the birth of Adaptive Harvest Management, each of which brought their own need for adaptation. www.ducks.org/DUPodcas...
Jan 12, 2021•1 hr 4 min
The 1970s and 80s brought a flurry of activity, including early teal seasons, stabilized regulations, foundational analyses of compensatory vs. additive mortality, new views on harvest management, and the most important development for waterfowl management in at least 50 years – the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Repeat guests Ken Babcock and Dale Humburg rejoin the DU Podcast to continue a discussion about the history of waterfowl harvest management. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Jan 11, 2021•44 min
Dr. Tom Moorman, former DU Chief Scientist, shares in-depth information about certain aquatic vegetation ducks prefer over others. Host Chris Jennings and Moorman discuss species-specific food preferences and how duck and goose hunters can find, and identify, these natural food sources. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommendations or questions. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Jan 08, 2021•38 min
Kyle Spragens and Brandon Reishus rejoin Dr. Mike Brasher to expand their discussion about harvest management for Canada and Cackling geese in Oregon and Washington. Today’s discussion focuses on Dusky Canada Geese and how harvest regulations are crafted to protect them from harvest without undue risks and burdens for hunters and other regional stakeholders. Brandon and Kyle also dispel misconceptions about subsistence harvest and whether the Dusky is endangered. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Jan 07, 2021•55 min
Kyle Spragens, waterfowl section manager for Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, and Brandon Reishus, migratory game bird coordinator for Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, join the DU Podcast to discuss the 7 subspecies of white-cheeked geese found in the Pacific northwest. Topics covered include population status, historical and current distributions, causes for recent changes in abundance and distribution, and how these 7 subspecies influence harvest regulations. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Jan 06, 2021•42 min
Kelly Warren, DU regional biologist in western Oregon, joins Dr. Mike Brasher for an introduction to geese and goose hunting in the Pacific Northwest. We learn about the 7 subspecies of white-cheeked geese, including the dusky Canada goose for which harvest is not allowed, goose identification tests, and harvest challenges surrounding these sub-species. We also discuss white-fronts, snows, and how conservation efforts by DU and state and federal partners benefit these species www.ducks.org/DUPod...
Jan 05, 2021•34 min
Building from earlier discussions in episodes 41, 42, and 43, Dr. Mike Brasher visits with John Vradenburg, USFWS supervisory biologist for the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex to get an update on the alarmingly low waterfowl numbers, habitat conditions, and difficult hunting in the Klamath Basin. John concludes on an optimistic tone by discussing some of the positive work underway and opportunities for future wetland and waterfowl improvements in the region. www.ducks.org/DUpodcas...
Jan 04, 2021•47 min
Threats of a closed season in the Mississippi Flyway in 1968 led to intense disagreement, restrictive regulations, and amplified the challenges of managing the resource while considering the interests of people. Collectively, these times generated solid foundations for future progress. Dr. Mike Brasher is rejoined by Ken Babcock and Dale Humburg to discuss these topics, while also introducing an elegant alternative regulation system that began in the 1960s– the Point System. www.ducks.org/DUPodc...
Dec 30, 2020•42 min
With growing band recoveries and a newly implemented Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, waterfowl managers in the 1950s sought a more science-based understanding of population dynamics and harvest regulations. The 1960s brought plummeting waterfowl populations, reductions in harvest limits, declining hunter numbers, and shifts in waterfowl distribution. On this episode, Dr. Mike Brasher discusses these important changes and concerning times with Dale Humburg and Ken Babcock. www.ducks.org/D...
Dec 29, 2020•39 min
Facing difficult hunting conditions in the early portions of the season, Richard talks about how he used certain techniques to overcome stale ducks. He discusses how he uses footage from Higdon Outdoors TV to help him find discrepancies in his decoy spreads and hides. He also hints at some new Higdon products for 2021. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommendations or questions. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Dec 28, 2020•35 min
The DU Podcast is joined by Dr. Andy Raedeke, migratory game bird coordinator for Missouri Department of Conservation, for a Christmas week update on habitat conditions, waterfowl numbers, and hunting reports from the show-me state. It’s a message similar to that shared by other states and waterfowl hunters, but hope remains for a minor Christmas gift or perhaps a change in the long-term forecast. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommendations or questions. www.duck...
Dec 24, 2020•24 min
The DU Podcast is excited to welcome Brandon Reishus, migratory game bird coordinator for Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife, and Kyle Spragens, waterfowl section manager for Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife, for a quick update on migration status, habitat conditions, and hunter success from their respective states. A bout of favorable weather may be on the horizon, just in time for a welcome Christmas change. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommendations or ques...
Dec 24, 2020•23 min
World War II brought global upheaval in the 1940s and caused a redirection of national priorities and placed a temporary pause on regulatory and conservation momentum of the 1930s. After the war, returning veterans became the pioneers in waterfowl management and led to a new era of scientific discovery, regulatory creativity, and a growing need for state and federal coordination via Flyways. The DU Podcast continues its discussion with Ken Babcock and Dale Humburg. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Dec 23, 2020•43 min
Into the 1920s, the Federal government endured growing pains in its new-found regulatory responsibilities for waterfowl harvest. Then, the 1930s brought a Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and catalysts for conservation, eventually producing the Duck Stamp Act, National Wildlife Refuge expansions, Pittman-Robertson Act, and organizations such as DU. Dr. Mike Brasher resumes his discussion with Ken Babcock and Dale Humburg about the history of waterfowl harvest management. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Dec 22, 2020•40 min
Weather is one of many variables that play heavily into a decoy strategy. John Pollmann, Ducks Unlimited magazine freelance contributor, talks with Chris Jennings about several odd weather situations where an outside-the-box tactic may work. Pollmann shares details of a past, popular article he wrote about the topic and the two go into great lengths discussing these helpful strategies. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommendations or questions. www.ducks.org/DUPodc...
Dec 21, 2020•30 min
Jay Anglin, WF360 Great Lakes Migration editor, joins the DU Podcast to give an overview of the hunting and habitat in several key Great Lakes states. Anglin, like many hunters, points out the lack of weather throughout the region, but is optimistic about late-season opportunities in all states. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommendations or questions. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Dec 18, 2020•22 min
As the mercury dips, keep a close eye on your retriever. Mike Stewart, owner of Wildrose Kennels, joins host Chris Jennings for a cold-weather retriever care discussion. Ice, snow, extremely cold winds can have an impact on your dog, and Stewart points out several things to look for when hunting in wintry conditions. He also talks about some other topics like cold-tail, retriever blind bags, hypothermia, and feeding regimens. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommend...
Dec 17, 2020•25 min
Following legal challenges to early attempts at Federal protection of migratory birds, policy makers and conservation leaders sought alternative avenues for establishing Federal jurisdiction. Dale Humburg and Ken Babcock rejoin Dr. Mike Brasher to discuss the Migratory Bird Treaty Act becoming law in 1918, its role in a landmark Supreme Court case, and its emergence as the foundation for regulated waterfowl harvest and migratory bird management. Please subscribe, rate, and review the DU Podcast ...
Dec 16, 2020•27 min
At the turn of the 19th Century, market hunting and unregulated harvest was taking a toll on waterfowl and other migratory birds. Growing concern produced the first attempts at federal regulation of migratory birds. In part 1 of the DU Podcast’s series on the history of waterfowl harvest management, Dale Humburg, former DU chief scientist, and Ken Babcock, former DU senior director of regional operations, discuss these early days and the resistance to federal intervention. Please subscribe, rate...
Dec 15, 2020•35 min
John Pollmann, DU magazine freelance contributor, rejoins the DU Podcast to talk decoy strategies with Chris Jennings. The two go through a magazine feature Pollmann wrote, detailing how to create the simplest, most effective decoy spread possible. The two talk about the varying habitats where these unique spreads are used and how other hunters can recreate the scenarios in their hunting areas. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org with recommendations or questions. www.ducks.o...
Dec 14, 2020•27 min
The Ducks Unlimited Podcast is joined by Aaron Yetter, waterfowl ecologist from the Forbes Biological Station, for an early December report on habitat conditions and duck numbers in the Illinois and Mississippi River Valleys. After a brief freeze that concentrated ducks for the previous survey, wetlands have thawed, spreading ducks across the landscape. Duck numbers are down and habitats remain dry, which has made for challenging outings in the 2020 waterfowl season. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Dec 12, 2020•21 min
DU President Doug Schoenrock joins host Chris Jennings to discuss DU events, conservation, and even chat about Schoenrock’s recent hunts. Schoenrock provides an update on fall event successes, in-person and digital, and talks about a specific new DU-member benefit, DU Sportsman Protection Plan. He shares his Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays message for all DU supporters and how excited he is to forge into 2021 for wetlands conservation. Contact the DU Podcast via email at DUPodcast@ducks.org w...
Dec 11, 2020•25 min
