Bird Camp Radio Podcast

This episode of Bird Camp Radio welcomes Brian Vander Maazen, owner and operator of Amaazen Outdoors, professional upland guide, bird dog trainer, and cover dog handler. Brian spends his fall guiding hunters through the grouse and woodcock coverts of northern Wisconsin before heading south to New Mexico each winter to guide wild quail hunts with Santa Fe Guiding Company. While the landscapes and b...

Episode 39 of Bird Camp Radio welcomes James "JC" Smith, a lifelong upland hunter, Ryman-type English Setter breeder, and passionate advocate for preserving the traditions of classic bird dogs. After retiring from a 42-year career in water quality in New York's Finger Lakes region, JC has devoted even more time to the uplands, spending his seasons behind English Setters in pursuit of grouse, woodc...

What does it take to spend a lifetime chasing wild birds behind great dogs? This week on Bird Camp Radio, we sit down with Mike Dziki, a lifelong bird hunter, bird dog breeder, Senior Hunt Test Judge, and Army Ranger veteran whose life has revolved around the uplands for decades. At 64 years old, Mike still spends between 65 and 90 days every season hunting grouse, woodcock, and sharptail across s...

In this episode of Bird Camp Radio, we sit down with Reggie Tokarski, an upland game guide with Sun Catcher Acres Pheasant Outfitter. Reggie spends her days doing what many hunters only see a small part of: walking miles of cover, handling dogs, reading bird behavior, and putting clients on pheasants day after day throughout the season. We dive into what life as a pheasant guide actually looks lik...

This week on Bird Camp Radio, we sit down with South Dakota hunting guide Lucas Koolstra to talk about his journey into the world of upland hunting and guiding. Unlike many bird hunters who grew up in the tradition, Lucas didn't start hunting until he was 18 years old. Since then, he's built a career around helping others experience the excitement of wild birds, spending his falls guiding pheasant...

This week, I’m joined by Samuel Alvarez, a lifelong upland bird hunter, dog man, and passionate advocate for the hunting community. Raised around hunting dogs and bird hunting traditions, Samuel shares how his love for the outdoors was shaped by family, hard-working bird dogs, and countless days spent chasing upland birds alongside his father, son, and close friends. In this episode, we dive into...

Joe Christensen joins the show to talk about the realities of hunting Western upland birds on public land and the process of consistently finding birds where most hunters never look. Based in Utah, Joe has built a reputation for his analytical approach to chasing chukar, Hungarian partridge, grouse, and late-season mountain birds across Utah and Idaho, combining countless miles on the ground with...

Episode 33 of Bird Camp Radio is here, and this week I’m joined by Ryan McCollum, founder of Worldwide Wingshooter and a lifelong upland hunter whose career has taken him across some of the best wild bird country in the world. Ryan grew up chasing wild quail behind English setters and started guiding hunts in Southern Illinois while still in high school. Since then, his path has led him through Me...

Episode 32 of Bird Camp Radio features Josh Riddle, a lifelong upland hunter whose passion for bird dogs and wild birds was built through generations of family tradition. Raised in a home where hunting was more than recreation, Josh grew up chasing pheasants and grouse alongside family, friends, and English Springer Spaniels that have been part of his family since the 1970s. From carrying a shotgu...

Eric Hobbs joins the show to share a hunting journey that started in the mountains of central Idaho and eventually led him across the world to the rolling hills of Tuscany, where one hunt behind English Setters completely changed the way he viewed bird dogs and upland hunting. Raised in a family built around hunting traditions, Eric grew up chasing deer, elk, antelope, and spending cold mornings i...

Episode 30 of Bird Camp Radio brings you a conversation rooted deep in tradition, bird dogs, and the kind of upland hunting that’s built over generations. Reece Chambers joins the show to talk about what it means to truly know your dogs and your birds. Running a string of 10 German Shorthaired Pointers, all from a line he’s carefully maintained over the years, Reece has put in the time to understa...

Episode 29 of Bird Camp Radio brings on Travis Spring, a die-hard upland hunter who’s just as passionate about talking birds as he is chasing them. From breaking down the current landscape of upland bird populations to sharing real, boots-on-the-ground hunting stories, Travis brings a perspective that’s rooted in both experience and genuine love for the game. Alongside his wife, Travis built an up...

Stephen Lochman joins the show, coming out of northern Berks County, Pennsylvania, where hunting isn’t just a hobby, it’s a family tradition passed down through generations. From chasing squirrels and doves as a kid to falling in love with the chaos of flushing ruffed grouse, Stephen’s story is one a lot of us can relate to. What started as hunting anything in season has turned into a true passion...

From the wide-open country of North Dakota to the pheasant fields of South Dakota, Joe Lesmeister’s story is one of rediscovery, hard-earned passion, and a life built around the hunt. Joe grew up on a small cattle farm where hunting started simple: BB guns, gophers, and a single-shot 20 gauge. Like a lot of hunters, life pulled him away for a time, and it wasn’t until his early 30s that everything...

From the swamps of Louisiana to the wide-open fields of Kansas, Alec Hummel’s story is one built on grit, dogs, and an all-in passion for the hunt. In this episode, Alec shares how chasing deer and ducks as a kid eventually led him down a completely different path, the moment a Deutsch Drahthaar entered his life and opened the door to true versatile hunting. That turning point didn’t just change h...

Matt Millbauer spends his fall chasing upland birds across Washington’s Columbia Basin behind his springer spaniels, Bridge and Sophie. A Kennewick native and board member of his local Pheasants Forever chapter, Matt has built his life around bird dogs, conservation, and the upland community. He’s also the host of the Go Flush Yourself podcast, where he highlights flushing dog breeds and the cultu...

In Episode 24 of Bird Camp Radio, we sit down with Colton Cook to talk about how a simple deal with his mom turned into a full-blown career in the bird dog world. At just 11 years old, Colton worked to buy his first Brittany, Missy, along with the e-collars he needed to train her: kicking off a passion that started in northeastern Utah and never slowed down. What began as hunting whenever he could...

In this episode of Bird Camp Radio, we sit down with outdoor writer, photographer, and lifelong hunter Dave Zumbaugh. With both a B.S. and M.S. in Biology, Dave has spent decades immersed in the outdoors and has authored more than 2,000 articles covering hunting, fishing, conservation, and the outdoor lifestyle. Dave has hunted and fished across 32 U.S. states, four Canadian provinces, and seven c...

In Episode 22 of Bird Camp Radio, we sit down with longtime upland hunter Mike Sheffer, a 66-year-old retired bird hunter who has fully committed his life to wild birds, good dogs, and the freedom of the open road. For the past six years, Mike has lived and traveled full-time in a small trailer with his four Epagneul Bretons, chasing seasons and following wild bobwhite quail across the country. Wi...

In Episode 21 of Bird Camp Radio, we sit down with Dean Linne, a lifelong upland hunter whose passion for bird hunting began at just seven years old. Now 55, Dean reflects on nearly five decades in the field: covering everything from his early days chasing upland birds to discovering a deep appreciation for duck hunting with a dog after serving in the military. His journey with working dogs has sh...

In this milestone 20th episode of Bird Camp Radio, we sit down with Jackson Facer from Preston, Idaho: a young handler who has fully immersed his life in bird dogs and upland hunting. What started as a high school hobby has grown into a full-blown lifestyle. Over the past four years, Jackson has dedicated himself to personally training and handling bird dogs, competing in hunt tests and field tria...

In Episode 19 of Bird Camp Radio, I sit down with Matt Middlebrooks: host of The Check-In Station Podcast and a hunter who represents what most of us really are: everyday guys who just love being outside. Matt grew up chasing deer and turkey in Tennessee, with a few duck hunts mixed in along the way. Life moved him around before he eventually settled in Illinois, where he continued pursuing the ga...

This special episode of Bird Camp Radio is a little different than our usual campfire talk. I’m joined by my dad to break down a Texas hog hunt that didn’t go according to plan - not even close. What was advertised as a three-day, semi-guided hog hunt quickly unraveled into a roughly ten-hour ordeal marked by an unresponsive and unreliable guide, poor communication, and conditions that pushed us f...

In this episode of Bird Camp Radio, we sit down with Emanuel Rose: author, outdoorsman, and longtime marketing strategist whose life and work are deeply shaped by time spent in wild places. From towering forests and open trails to the steady rhythm of the ocean, Emanuel shares how nature has become both a teacher and a creative compass. We explore how those experiences inspired his children’s book...

On Episode 17 of the Bird Camp Radio Podcast, we sit down with Dominic Bachman of Bachman Bay Kennels in Utah to talk bird dogs, birds, and a lifetime shaped by hunting and wildlife biology. Raised in a family deeply rooted in the outdoors, Dominic grew up chasing birds across the marshes and uplands of northern Utah alongside his father, Val Bachman, a longtime game warden and wildlife biologist....