Often overlooked among mid-continent goose hunters, brant are arguably the most fascinating of all North American geese. Based on his 30+ year career as a waterfowl scientist, Dr. Mark Lindberg joins Dr. Mike Brasher to discuss the life history and ecology of this marvelous species, including taxonomy, distribution, epic migrations, changes in wintering distributions, and foraging ecology. We conclude part 1 with a discussion about “individual heterogeneity” and how some birds are more successfu...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Host Chris Jennings is joined by Jay Anglin, Great Lakes Migration Editor, to talk migration and habitat throughout the region. Anglin provides a state-by-state breakdown of how the hunting was, or is up to this date. A cold weather system next week should shake things up a bit for those states that remain open. He also notes that Canada goose migration has been strong these past few weeks and offered consistent quality hunts for hunters in Indiana and Michigan. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Dec 09, 2022•18 min
Returning guest Colin McNair, Decoy Specialist with Copley Fine Art, joins us in studio to chat about the decoy auction market over the past year and some of the upcoming events happening with Copley. Colin and host, Katie Burke, discuss 2022 highlights including the Shang Wheeler Wood Duck pair and the process of researching these decoys, the resurgence of Nantucket Shorebirds and Sporting Art Paintings, and the future of the first big sale of Pacific Coast decoys and what that will mean for de...
Dec 07, 2022•44 min
With cases of avian flu in wild waterfowl on the rise across, Dr. Mike Brasher and Chris Jennings sit down for a quick update on the latest understanding around the risk to dogs, humans, and other animals. While the overall risk to dogs and humans remains low, experts are highlighting areas of potential concern and advising on steps that hunters can take to further reduce their exposure and risk. www.ducks.org/avianflu www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Dec 05, 2022•22 min
Mobile phones and data applications have transformed every aspect of our daily lives, and this is increasingly extending to migratory bird conservation. Dr. Orin Robinson of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology joins the podcast to discuss eBird – the birdwatching app that has become a worldwide phenomenon – and how it is being used to understand bird migration and improve waterfowl conservation planning. Also discussed are Merlin and BirdCast, two other super cool bird applications. www.ducks.org/DUP...
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr
Professional retriever trainer and SportDOG senior Prostaff member Lyle Steinman joins the show to talk retrievers and e-collars. We also discuss retriever talent evaluation, hunt test vs field trial, and e-collar evolution. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Nov 29, 2022•34 min
Every hunt has its own unique set of challenges, blunders, and highlights that create the perfect conditions for camaraderie, belly laughs, and lifelong memories. This Thanksgiving, the DU Podcast crew invite you to hang out and share our pain as we recall our first waterfowl hunt as a team. www.ducks.org/dupodcast
Nov 23, 2022•35 min
Ducks Unlimited President Chuck Smith shares his volunteer journey from working the door at a DU event to becoming president. He also discusses his plan to lead the organization moving forward. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Nov 22, 2022•18 min
Bill Gibson, Director of Gundogs for Mossy Oak's Game Keeper Kennels, shares his training methodology and discusses the history of the kennel. If you're looking to add a gundog to your family, you won't want to miss this episode. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Nov 21, 2022•25 min
Limited water and fewer hunting opportunities continue to be the story in the California Central Valley, but a recent weather system has improved water supplies and delivered much needed mountain snow. Virginia Getz, DU’s director of conservation programs, offers an update on habitat conditions, waterfowl migration, and hunter success in the Central Valley. We also learn of several National Wildlife Refuges that will be opening for hunting in response to recent rains and new water. www.ducks.org...
Nov 18, 2022•36 min
Trey Reid, Assistant Chief of Communications for Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, discusses Arkansas' upcoming waterfowl season, ongoing Greentree Reservoir conservation efforts, and the WRICE program benefitting waterfowl and making more public land available to hunters in the Natural State. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Nov 17, 2022•44 min
Taking a great photo of your gun dog is priceless. In this episode, professional outdoor photographer Mark Atwater shares his insights on how to capture these picture-perfect moments with your gun dog in and out of the field. We also discuss the golden retriever, its breeding history, and why it holds a special place in Mark's life. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Nov 16, 2022•41 min
Returning guest Ryan Graves joins John Stephens, owner of RNT calls and J. Stephens Calls, to discuss the resurgence of modern call-making, vintage call collecting, and the importance of their personal call-collecting mentors. Stephens also shares his unique story of growing up in one of the most historic waterfowl areas in the country and how that influence shaped his career and his passion for collecting. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Nov 14, 2022•55 min
Across the southern great plains, extreme drought has produced a parched landscape and caused iconic wetlands such as Cheyenne Bottoms to go dry, leaving few options for migrating waterfowl and hunters. Dr. Mark Vrtiska, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Tom Bidrowski, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, join the podcast to discuss how an unseasonably warm fall and now an extended arctic air mass will bring further challenges to waterfowl hunters of their states. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Nov 12, 2022•49 min
As three major weather systems clash in the Upper Midwest, duck hunters clamored to get to their hunting spots. Temperatures went from the mid-60s to single-digit blizzard conditions and trapped many hunters on shorelines and islands throughout the Midwest. Chris Madsen, DU Magazine freelance contributor and author of the feature A Deadly Day for Duck Hunters, shares his insights into the horrific tales of survival many hunters faced as the storm pummeled the region. Madsen discusses safety less...
Nov 11, 2022•45 min
With subfreezing temperatures and wintery weather descending across the Mid-Continent, the 2022 duck season is quickly closing for hunters in the U.S. and Canadian prairies as wetlands freeze and birds make major moves southward. In this episode, Dr. Scott Stephens gives an update on the likely effect of this early November weather system and recaps what was a largely successful hunting season on the prairies. We close with a discussion of Scott’s newfound decoy tactic…the song dog displacement....
Nov 09, 2022•23 min
Dr. Wayne Capooth, the author of “The Golden Age of Waterfowling”, joins us for a journey through the history of Mississippi Delta duck clubs from their origins to their impact on waterfowling in the region. We also discuss the early duck hunting clubs of Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. If you love waterfowling history then this is a show you don't want to miss. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Nov 09, 2022•1 hr
Avian flu is impacting backyard flocks of chickens and turkeys as well as commercial poultry facilities in virtually every state and province in North America. Dr. Julie Lenoch, USDA Wildlife Services, joins Dr. Mike Brasher to discuss the national response to the disease, provide an update on the outbreak, and share guidance to waterfowl hunters on actions we can take to reduce further spread and assist in surveillance monitoring. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Nov 07, 2022•50 min
In part two of this species profile of the white-fronted goose, or specklebelly goose, USGS research ecologist, Dr. Jay Von Bank, wraps up our discussion about “specks.” We talk about spring migration, the rigors of Arctic nesting, population size and growth, the oldest white-front ever documented, patterns of harvest, why specklebellies are such great table fare, and how they have changed the waterfowl hunting landscape. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast...
Nov 04, 2022•49 min
Jay Anglin, Great Lakes Migration Editor for ducks.org, provides a brief hunting and habitat update for the Great Lakes region where stale conditions will soon be changing to more seasonal temperatures. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Nov 03, 2022•15 min
Avian flu is a naturally occurring disease but can cause near 100% mortality in backyard birds and commercial poultry. Wild, free-ranging waterfowl are one of the primary means by which the avian flu virus can spread across long distances. Dr. Julie Lenoch, USDA Wildlife Services, shares guidance to hunters on how we can help reduce the spread into backyard flocks and commercial facilities through proper handling of harvested waterfowl and responsible cleaning of gear. www.ducks.org/DUpodcast...
Nov 03, 2022•9 min
In part one of this species profile of the white-fronted goose, or specklebelly goose, Dr. Jay Von Bank, USGS research ecologist, discusses this increasingly popular species that is providing new opportunities for hunters as they continue to expand their distribution. In this episode, we address whether barring can be used to determine the age or sex of birds; how and why the “speck” distribution has changed; what we’re learning from telemetry studies; and how their diet changes during winter. w...
Nov 02, 2022•54 min
Are you dreading your gun dog’s final waterfowl season or last hunt? Addison Edmonds, founder of Gunner Kennels, and Luke Moore, marketing coordinator for Gunner Kennels, join the DU Podcast to talk about Moore’s 12-year-old black Labrador retriever, “Goose”. Edmonds spent several seasons with his retriever, “Gunner”, thinking it would be his last, and he offers some words of wisdom to Moore who fears this may be Goose’s final run. They also discuss the newest products Gunner Kennels will releas...
Oct 31, 2022•40 min
Do strange and spooky things happen while hunting? Early morning hunts tend to produce some of the wildest stories of the unknown. Host Chris Jennings and guest host Clay Baird, DU senior media director, are joined by Kyle Philson and Cam Hale, hosts of Expanded Perspectives Podcast to discuss the weird, unexplainable, creepy, and unusual experiences hunters have had while in the field. Get ready to have some fun and be spooked by stories of ghosts, bigfoot, and more! Make sure you also check ou...
Oct 28, 2022•1 hr 37 min
Join Host John Gordon as he travels to Houston, Texas; America’s fourth largest city, built on the oil economy. But it’s also home to large wintering duck and goose concentrations on the east and west sides. Hear the differences in both areas with Texas waterfowling historian Rob Sawyer on this DU Podcast edition recorded at Spread Oaks Ranch. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Oct 26, 2022•32 min
Host Chris Jennings is joined by Clay Thompson, SportDOG Brand category manager, and the two discuss various training and dog-related topics. Thompson gets into the details about various uses for a wide range of SportDOG Brand products available to trainers of all types. He also discusses how he has the opportunity to deal with trainers from all over the country to talk product developments, helping to ensure E-collars, dummies, fences, and other products are designed for trainers to be successf...
Oct 24, 2022•42 min
Host Katie Burke introduces a very special guest to the DU Podcast audience, her dad, Dr. Ronal Roberson. Together with host, Mike Brasher, they discuss Dr. Roberson’s journey to becoming a senior ranking DU Volunteer. The journey starts with hunting a kid in the MS Delta, becoming an Area Chairman in a small town in Mississippi, and all the way to serving as a member of the board at the highest levels. The trio discover some of the key elements of what it really means to be a Ducks Unlimited Vo...
Oct 21, 2022•1 hr 18 min
Host Chris Jennings is joined by owner and operator of Bill Byers Hunter Club, Cason Short. Short grew up around the property and shares the legacy left behind by his grandfather and father, one that he now keeps alive. This Hunter, Arkansas-based club was one of the first properties to offer day leases for duck hunters in the 1950s. Short shares the stories behind the property and how he is using it today to assist with conservation and research operations focusing on white-fronted geese. www.d...
Oct 19, 2022•35 min
Host Dr. Mike Brasher is joined by the always popular, Dr. Scott Stephens, Ducks Unlimited Canada in the Boreal and prairie regions. With waterfowl season open since the beginning of September, Stephens has had several opportunities to get afield locally, and has heard from other biologists in Canada regarding conditions. The two discuss habitat conditions in Canada and Stephens offers some insight into the pace of the fall migration in Canada.
Oct 17, 2022•29 min
Hosts Dr. Mike Brasher and Chris Jennings discuss a Ducks Unlimited magazine project – The Ultimate Duck Boat. Jennings shares the process of how the magazine feature came together and why certain accessories were added to the boat. The feature was released in the July/August 2022 Gear Issue and the boat was on the cover. The two talk about how that image was captured by magazine and creative staff. If you’re looking for ideas to add to your duck boat, or build one from scratch, this episode mig...
Oct 14, 2022•37 min
