Corey and Kaj Podcast presented by Cedar Run Decoy Company

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson finish the year with one of Corey's "Wrapped" artists from Spotify, Dallas-based artist Jet Trouble.  Jet guides us through his life journey that has led to making music that is both personal and relatable. His testimony of persevering through trials in life that include losing his father to a terminal illness are addressed in his songs and he reveals how...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson sit down in the Cedar Run Decoy Co. studio with Craig Curtis, whose name is synonymous with ducks and conservation in southwest Michigan and beyond. As a long-time regional director for Ducks Unlimited, Craig has extensive knowledge on how conservation is funded, the demographic of Ducks Unlimited members here in Michigan, and what "Ducks" has been able to acc...

Corey travels to the small but mighty town of Wallace, South Dakota to visit with one of the most gifted wildlife artists of our time... this year's duck stamp competition winner Adam Grimm (three time winner) . Adam describes his childhood ambition to pursue art and the guys discuss how difficult it is and what a rarity to be able to have a long and successful career as an artist. Adam'...

Corey Lucas and producer Clayton Beaird sit down in the Cedar Run Decoy Co. studio with the one-and-only Jeff Stanfield, who's notoriety is gained from running a successful waterfowl guide service in Texas and co-hosting one of the top hunting and wilderness podcasts in country, The Big Honker Podcast. He's joined by good friend and avid waterfowler Lucas Belanger. Jeff shares how his up...

Corey Lucas and producer Clayton Beaird sit down in the Cedar Run Decoy Co. studio with Great Lakes boat captain and avid waterfowler Karl Hardesty. Growing up around the Great Lakes, the sight of a freighter on the horizon of the big lakes is not uncommon. Karl steps us through how he built a career steering these ships around the big freshwaters of Lake Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Superior. They...

Corey Lucas and producer Clayton Beaird travel up to northern Michigan with friends Cam Williams of 4SZNS and Logan Webster of Camoretro to chase turkeys, enjoy the northern woods, and talk business. Cam shares about his upbringing and how he found his way to hunting and the origins of his business 4SZNS. He also shares his story from the first morning here in the woods with Clayton. Logan talks a...

Corey Lucas and producer Clayton Beaird sit down in the Cedar Run Decoy Company studio with Jacob Mayo, the owner of General Vintage and cast member of Duck Dynasty The Revival. The fellas spent the past few days turkey hunting with Jacob in northern Michigan and they discuss the crazy travel logistics that led up to the hunt and the excitement that ensued shortly after Jacob's plane landed....

Corey Lucas, Kaj Carlson and producer Clayton Beaird sit down in the Cedar Run Decoy Company studio with combat veteran and motivational speaker Jack Zimmerman. The guys discuss Jack's upbringing and early days of working in construction and the mindset that led him to enlist in the military. Jack "steps" us through the lifestyle and rigors of fighting in the desert and a series of...

Corey Lucas, Kaj Carlson and producer Clayton Beaird sit down in the Cedar Run Decoy Company studio with lawyer Chris Tracy, partner at the law firm of Warner Norcross & Judd. The guys discuss Chris' idyllic childhood in northern Michigan and how that upbringing not only shaped his work ethic but his passion and interest in the outdoors. Chris lays out his path to becoming a lawyer at one...

Corey Lucas, Kaj Carlson and producer Clayton Beaird sit down in the Cedar Run Decoy Company studio with Jordan Erickson, founder and co-owner of Pinnacle Boat Co., specializing in custom fishing and duck boats made right here in southwest Michigan. The guys talked through Jordan's childhood, building the work ethic and necessary experience through various jobs that included working on a golf...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson sit down in the Cedar Run Decoy Company studio with Mike and Ava Larson, a father and daughter that have grown a strong bond through their hunting pursuits and Ava's passion for competitive trap shooting. Hear about Mike's career in serving through the United Way and the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy and how he was able to focus on his true legacy that e...

Corey Lucas and podcast producer Clayton Beaird sit down at a Hampton Inn in Raleigh, North Carolina with Leroy and Jan Martin to hear about a lifetime of events filled with purpose. Leroy and Jan share their stories of adoption, sickness, and literal "crushing" circumstances that have led them to be bold in their faith. We step through their childhood upbringing, hear about the adoption...

Corey Lucas and podcast producer Clayton Beaird sit down in the Cedar Run Decoy Co. studio with Mike and Daniel "Squeak" Bosch to learn more about their inspiring story of overcoming extreme physical obstacles to pursue their passion for turkey hunting. Mike and Daniel share their family's journey of managing an extremely rare genetic disorder, Hurler Syndrome. Despite odds being st...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson sit down in the Cedar Run Lounge with Jason Zimmer lead pastor at North Point Church in Plainwell, Michigan and avid upland hunter. Jason leads a growing church in southwest Michigan where he never stops seeking God's will and that pursuit carries over to his passion for chasing upland birds throughout the United States . We discuss his life's journey and purp...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson sit down in the Cedar Run Lounge with Jack Waterway a retired Michigan state police officer and avid waterfowler. Jack takes us through his life story growing up with humble beginnings in Holland, Michigan to becoming the leader of the drug task force in Allegan, Michigan. We also discuss how a Christ-centered faith has guided him throughout his life. Tons of interestin...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson sit down in the Cedar Run studio with Chris Stewart, conservationist, avid hunter, and host of the YouTube "Prince of Wildlife" series. Chris has an interesting story in that he has navigated a life with parents that are well-known and decorated in the wildlife management community. He's taken what he's learned from his younger years, hanging out wit...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson sit down in the Cedar Run studio with Jason Herbert, author, teacher, and newly crowned Cedar Run Decoy Company staff writer. Jason has an interesting journey into success in the outdoor industry through the tried-and-true method of finding a passion (hunting), getting good at it, and then writing about it... all while pushing past the constraints of modern day educatio...

Corey Lucas and Clayton Beaird sit down in the Cedar Run studio with Logan Webster, the founder and owner of Camoretro. We talked about his journey that's led him to a passion for preserving iconic hunting clothing, and making it available for others. Logan also shares his waterfowling upbringing and the gratitude he has in how his parents developed his interest in travel and hunting. He also...

Corey Lucas swung through Iowa and Illinois on his way back from waterfowling with buddies in North Dakota to spend time with the Stuedemann family at their duck camp on the Upper Mississippi River. Drake (third generation), Dave (second generation), and Don Stuedemann (first generation) join Corey around the table to unpack the history of their duck camp and what it means to them. Don lays out th...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson are back with by Dr. Pete (Philip VanVranken) and Molly VanVranken to discuss Voyager Dog Food Co.  Dr. Pete brings his veterinary expertise to the dog food industry, and we cover a suite of questions about dog injuries, pet care, and food selection. We discuss Voyager Dog Food Company's approach to providing high quality dog food. And in true Corey & Kaj Podca...

Corey Lucas and Clayton Beaird hit the road to the idyllic town of Seneca, Illinois to talk with Drake Stuedemann about the finer things in life... waterfowling tradition and high-end craftsmanship. We talk about how an interest and passion for woodworking and building things as a young child has led Drake down a path to becoming a custom luxury furniture builder. His story is fascinating in that...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson sit down with Heath Hoogerhyde to talk about something seemingly unrelated to waterfowl...supercars. Listen as we connect the two topics as they make up a large part of "Hoogs" life outside of his family. Hoogs Customs specializes in detailing some of the finest cars in the region and beyond. We discuss how the business grew and talk about some of the highligh...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson are joined by Mike Clements and Wally Schalau to talk dog training and the Super Retriever Series.  These guys are working hard to provide an awesome experience for trainers and their dogs to test their retrieving skills at Brandon Cerecke's (BOSS Shotshells) "duck farm" in White Pigeon, Michigan. Mike guides us through the background, agenda, and culture...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson are joined by Jay Hathaway from Vanguard to talk about optics. Jay gives us the skinny on the optics industry, and as usual Corey and Kaj take him down a rabbit hole to talk "the band life" and the reputation punk rock bands have to throwdown, Vanguard's origin story is unique and their dedication to providing quality glass (ie. binoculars, digiscopes, sp...

Corey Lucas and Kaj Carlson are joined by Dr. Pete (Philip VanVranken) and Molly VanVranken to discuss all things dogs. Dr. Pete talks about how he established the Dickman Road Veterinary Clinic, what motivates him to continue to practice vet medicine, and guides us through a laundry list of questions about hunting dog injuries, pet care, food selection, and some interesting "finds" over...