Duck Season Somewhere

The man, the myth, the legend--the waterfowl podcast godfather and host of The End of the Line Podcast himself--Rocky Leflore pays a long overdue visit and catches up. Rocky's  in-depth interviews with waterfowl hunters culminated in popular, episodic series such as Redemption, The Warden, Becoming Martin, Mondays With Rob, The Innovator, Thunder Rolls, and many more, taking us deep behind the sce...

It's something we know intuitively--waterfowl need water. And they mostly eat seeds, right? But has transforming natural floodplain ecosystems that sustained migratory waterfowl for millenniums into monotypic, agricultural landscapes somehow altered our understanding waterfowl habitat preferences (versus availability), habitat productivity, and essential wetlands complexes? Personal duck hunting e...

"How do I pay Mother Nature to make wild animals instead?" asks Brant McDuff from Brooklyn, New York, who grew up shooting shotguns, didn't start hunting until recently, and is fervently spreading hunting gospel via speaking engagements, hunter's ed courses and a fresh-off-the-press book. Yeah yeah, hunting is conservation. But coming from outside the cradle-to-grave hunting community, Brant bring...

Ricky Mathews is a fearless force of nature when it comes to doing right by Mississippi's treasured wildlife resources and the people, like himself, that enjoy hunting and fishing.  Using what he calls "reporting muscle" to "speak truth to the power," his hugely popular SuperTalk Outdoors radio program oftentimes crashes meteorically through controversial topics, like the ones he describes candidl...

Smart as he may have been, nearly everything ol' Grandad taught about fair chase hunting ethics originated in the late-1800s when yesteryear hunters formed the venerable Boone and Crockett Club. Their forever vision didn't stop there. Backbone of the North America Model of Wildlife Conservation, Boone and Crockett helped set aside millions of acres in perpetuity, brought hunters-as-conservationist...

"I grew up on Andy Griffith and Primo's Truth About Hunting," says Lake Pickle while humbly describing his specifically singular dream job--to be a Primo's cameraman. When opportunity knocked, he opened the door, never looked back. He talks about important influences, encouraging conversations, paying dues, learning the ropes, finding his way in the outdoor industry, experiencing parts of the US m...

Fellow Mississippian, Aaron Carter of Boss Shotshells, and I take it to the plug discussing Arkansas speckledbellied goose hunting, our favorite waterfowl loads and how "compensation science" still influences waterfowl shotshell preferences decades after non-toxic ammo was mandated for waterfowl hunting. Running through our own favored tried-and-true gauges, shot sizes and chokes for ducks and gee...

Whether good years or bad, North American duck hunters probably harvest more ducks annually than the remainder of the world combined. There, I said it. Prove me wrong. This amazing feat is accomplished using science-based management that emphasizes maximum sustained yield and is the world's envy. A duck hunter since childhood, Brad Bortner is former USFWS Chief of Migratory Birds. While his job de...

While America's most populated state is ofentimes characterized by its big blue-city progressive politics, California consistly harvests more ducks than any other state. It's not by accident. Far from it. Founded in 1945, California Waterfowl Association has exerted David-versus-Goliath efforts to improve habitat and wetlands, increase waterfowl production, hunter access and recruitment despite th...

Sifting through random solving-duck-world topics like we duck hunters do is a lot like poking glowing embers around late-night campfires. Hardly anyone better to do that with, either, than Delta Waterfowl 's John Devney. He packs facts, common-sense and, optimism to the party, sharing them like cold pearly pops and brats (or smores for the youngsters).  Prairie conditions, nesting ground updates,...

Heath Hoogerhyde hails from Michigan, but his quests for waterfowl hunting experiences take him far beyond his home state's mitten-shaped borders. Through mostly self hunts, personal contacts and swap hunts, he's amassed an enviably impressive collection of waterfowl species and experiences at a relatively young age. He describes how he got into duck hunting, how and why he began chasing waterfowl...

After enjoying plates of steaming-hot boudin and digging through fresh batches of made-from-hand cane duck and Oiu Caille (spotted goose) calls, long-time friend Dale Bordelon and I move to his front shop to catch up. He walks the walk of bygone South Louisiana times, his entire approach to duck hunting--and life--is that of his ancestors. We talk about food, new calls, and a growing collection of...

Regarded by many as the absolute go-to guy when it comes to empirically describing North America's duck populations, Dr. Todd Arnold is at University of Minnesota, where his research emphasis includes developing waterfowl population models to guide management activities and predict future populations. "Are we killing too many ducks?" I asked repeatedly throughout our conversation. His thoughtful,...

"Northern Alabama is the largest Easter egg hunt in the world," says Shade Murrah in explaining why serious rock hounds are already leaving muddy tracks crack-of-dawn early when conditions are right.  A long-time duck hunter from northern Alabama, Shade describes how the 2 hobbies go hand in hand and takes us on a fascinating, highly detailed dig into collecting indian arrowheads and other artifac...

Dr. Doug Osborne from University of Arkansas Monticello peels off from his research lab to catch us up on duck banding projects and what's being learned about Arkansas mallards. While most duck hunters cherish leg bands on their lanyards, they provide a wealth of invaluable information for monitoring and research. We get into when mallards arrive and depart from Arkansas, seasonal movements, how A...

Wrapping up an epic 3-week stretch hunting ducks and doves in Nayarit, Mexico, Ramsey breaks from shooting white-winged doves to visit with his host, Pocho. Covering a lot of topics to include growing up, living and working in this part of Mexico, favorite eats, hunting areas, duck species, staff, and regional history goes directly to the heart of this authentic Mexico duck hunting destination--be...

Veteran wildlife biologist Cathy Shropshire was integral to black bear reintroductions in Mississippi. As long-time coordinator of Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Program at Mississippi's Museum of National Science, she oversaw cataloguing and studying the state's rare and endangered species, plant and animal communities. But there were some mighty big shoes to fill. She learned about Fannye Cook, o...

Trust me. Amid an increasingly shrinking, more highly fragmented landscape, one-plus-one habitat management equals 3, not 2.  To create larger landscape-level habitat blocks to attract and hold overwintering waterfowl, Osage Basin Wetlands is forging a collaborative approach to educate landowners about the right plants in the right places. And more.  Self-described "weed farmers," founders Jeff Wa...

While putting boots on the ground last season, the authenticity, hunting quality, and surprisingly affordable all-inclusive rates of the new Nayarit Mexico duck hunting combo seemed impressive. But what would client-hunters think?  Accepting weeks worth of reservations, we were fixin' to find out!  Hunters from all walks of life and coast to coast, ranging from experienced travelers to first-timer...

It's all about supply and demand, huh? So in the US, are we killing too many ducks in past seasons? Or producing too few? Discussing continental "duck factory" production is complex, but Ducks Unlimited biologists Scott Stephens and Johannes Walker have the numbers--how many fewer continental mallards exist? What factors influence the US and Canadian prairies' ability to produce ducks? How does US...

  The cat's out of the bag--duck hunting Mazatlan Mexico is lots of fun for both hunters and non-hunters, usually selling out well in advance. But why? What do customers have to say about this so-called "honeymoon duck hunt?" Whether curious about south-of-the-border duck hunting or possibly shopping your next shotgun-in-hand vacation, you (and your non-hunting spouse) will probably enjoy hearing...

Veterinarian Jen Barton was introduced to duck hunting by her husband, who later gifted her a camera, setting her life into a completely new orbit. Whether swinging shotguns or lenses, Jen approaches duck hunting from a quality-versus-quantity perspective. Sharing her California hunting experiences, prefered ducks species for table fare and photography, favorite things about waterfowling, first ma...

Deep South duck hunters, especially, have been saying it for years—ducks are short-stopping way north of historical wintering grounds. The migration is different.  Distribution has changed. But is it true? And if so, how have waterfowl migration and distribution changed, does it differ among species, what are the causes?  Importantly, how might it affect traditional, continental waterfowl conserva...

With 63,000 license holders, it's fair to say that waterfowl hunting is a pretty big deal in Wisconsin! Wisconsin Waterfowl Association was founded decades ago to address waterfowl and habitat conservation at the local level. Executive Director Bruce Ross describes habitat projects that keep them busy, mission-critical partnerships, and the increased importance of Wisconsin waterfowl hunters in an...

Amber English grew up around hunting and guns in Colorado, learning to shoot when she was only 6 years old. While her parents, uncle and aunt all shot competitively, it wasn't until after highschool gymnastics that she began doing so. Now a Captain in the US Army, she humbly describes choosing shotguns over rifles, shooting her way into international skeet shooting competitions, joining the Olypic...