Duck Season Somewhere

Eight-two year-young Phil Stanton cut his teenaged duck hunting teeth hunting among salty, yesteryear watermen that braved Massachusetts's rocky coast for seaducks, quandy and coots, as they were colloquially referred. Eider ducks have predominated his entire life since. His incredibly colorful then-versus-now stories about eiders, hunters, techniques and gear; about oil-spill rehabilitation attem...

Following an action-packed week shooting ducks, doves, decoying pigeons and catching golden dorado, Ramsey gathers round the supper table to hear what guests will most remember about their week at La Paz. He then visits with world famous hostess, Martha Martha. Their answers might surprise you. Then again, maybe not! Whether curious about hunting south of the equator or choosing your next destinat...

When you come to a fork in the road, take it. Today's conversation proves the point. John Odell was Arizona's Migratory Game Bird Coordinator when, 20 years into his career, he abruptly moved to Buenos Aires to pursue culinary arts. But he's now cooking up way more than "meat over fire!" While many people--myself included--have believed that overharvest inevitably resulted in the near-total collap...

Justin Mueller grew up on a central Minnesota dairy farm and recalls the time his mother broke out a map to figure out where his first videography assignment was taking him (in Iowa). He's since seen lots of hunting world through the lens! Following a couple weeks working together, Ramsey meets with Mueller to hear how Argentina as viewed through a camera lens compared to his own over-the-shotgun...

Argentina's Parana River Delta is second only to the Amazon River in size. But as viewed from a floating duck camp located tens of miles from even the nearest dirt road, you'd hardly know the difference--wild, unspoiled marsh stretching to the horizon in all directions. And ducks. Lots of them. Accessing such remoteness requires an hour-and-a-half boat ride, but accommodations, services and hospit...

This Argentina duck hunting combo has been a long-time client favorite, but besides hot-barrel action for ducks, doves, and decoying wild pigeons, what makes it really stand out? We 5 hunters brought our non-hunting spouses along, too.  Fun-filled vacation for everyone? Tune in to hear how you really can have your cake and eat it too!   Related Links: La Paz Argentina Duck Hunting Combo Wingshooti...

American evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton is host of the 6-part PBS documentary Human Footprint. He recounts some of the most interesting, funny and surprising experiences--like running down a river wearing a helmet and covered in fish slime.  We wonder why some folks seem so disconnected from nature and who humans should be as a species. Check out Human Footprint on PBS, details below...

"Making turtle soup," is how today's guest, Douglas Spale from Kansas City describes a round-about conversation of topics like the one we enjoy in today's episode. Though he grew up hunting along Nebraska's Platte River, a move to Chicago gave him the bug for travel hunting throughout the United States with a couple retriever and bird dog sidekicks, mixing it up on public land, and sharing his sto...

Argentina's ongoing drought is the worse since 1901, and in a landscape predominated by ephemeral wetlands, that's a really big deal. Unless you've got a foolproof plan. Gathered before a roaring fire in a newly renovated, 1800s-era estancia, Ramsey joins the Argentina Duck Hunt Giveaway Contest Winner, first-time and long-time guests--and the outfitter that always makes it happen--to hear their p...

Hunting generates gazillions of dollars for wildlife conservation, and everyone in society benefits from wildlife conservation, right? Then why are anti-hunting organizations reinventing the world-envied North American Model by removing crucial hunting-related funding from wildlife management?! Just who the f-bomb are these groups, how are they replacing hard science with social science, how are t...

Falconry, an ancient sport dating back thousands of years, has been called the Sport of Kings. Casey Everett's passion for falconry started humbly while observing manned hawks hunting squirrels during a homeschooling field trip. In a captivating exploration of this fascinating sport, Everett delves into the tight-knit falconry culture. He discusses selecting different bird species based on their p...

There's just something about snow geese---and what better way to muster through scorching hot summer days than talking about cooler weather while watching white birds spinning overhead?! Full-time waterfowl outfitter Mat Schauer of Northern Skies Outfitters hunts snow geese in Saskatchewan during the fall and spring, chasing them down their entire flyway and back again.  Schaur and Ramsey compare...

These are interesting--and challenging--times.  Especially for northern pintails and us duck hunters that hold these sprig-tailed, chocolate-headed beauties in high regard. On the one hand, science now demonstrates unequivocally that a 3-pintail bag limit will not affect pintail populations---and might be forthcoming in upcoming seasons!  On the other hand, the continental pintail population is pe...

Like many others, Nick Johnson began waterfowl hunting with his dad, soon becoming the most skilled caller in the blind. And like many others, as he grew older he wanted to experience more of North America's waterfowling than was available in his home state. Determined to create opportunities for himself, he hatched a plan. Now a guide for Prairie Limits Outfitters, he's also developed the instruc...

"Wildlife dies without a sound; the only voice is yours," says retired US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Rich Grosz in reference to soul-shaping life lessons gleaned as a child while patrolling with his dad, who was himself a larger-than-life federal game warden.  Knowing in grade school he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, Grosz's federal law enforcement career ran the thin gre...

Delta Waterfowl's John Devney and Ramsey run through a flurry of interesting waterfowl-related topics.  Now-versus-then habitat conditions, pintail productivity, an ever-changing landscape, predator communities, and much more are covered. Boom or bust? It's all about more ducks, right?     Podcast Sponsors : BOSS Shotshells https://bossshotshells.com/ Benelli Shotguns https://www.benelliusa.com/sh...

Evolutionary biologist turned film producer Nate Dappen describes "Human Footprint," an upcoming 6-part documentary, as a profound exploration of how humans shape the planet and what it reveals about our collective identity. As the documentary delves into human impact, it raises questions about the role of waterfowl hunting in today's world and how the experience of duck hunting may influence non-...

"Storm is threatening my life today. If I don't get some shelter. ooh yeah I'm gonna fade away" sing The Rolling Stones. But regards duck hunting success, does sanctuary help or hurt? Opinions vary from opening refuges to hunting or closing refuges up north to just moving sanctuary boundaries seasonally. What are your thoughts?!  Based on research projects he's been involved with during his career...

Whether hunting as a freelancer hunter or with an outfitter,  Manitoba's new waterfowl hunting regulations affects all foreign resident hunters intending to hunt waterfowl there.  The recent announcement that foreign residents are now required to draw for 7-day waterfowl hunting permits exploded in controversy, with fingers pointing blame and casting suspicions in many directions. But the reasonin...

"Times have changed and I'd not be able to do it again," says Ryan Graves in speaking of his impressive antique duck call and duck hunting memorabilia collection. What started as a childhood hobby buying duck calls--because they were cheap--has grown up into an expertise that takes him neck deep into waterfowl's nostalgic past, and throughout modern-day United States with other call collecting ass...

From a Mississippi hilltop overlooking Gator Point Kennel's incredible technical pond and proven training grounds, Ramsey and long-time retriever trainer Alan Sandifer visit on the tailgate while resurrected-from-the-ashes Char Dawg pants quietly at their feet. Sandifer tells about how and why he got into professional training, describing what makes good retrievers, how retrievers all have differe...

From a 1.1 million peak in the late-1990s, the Great Lakes mallard population has declined to about 700 thousand. Meanwhile, there's been increased genetic infusion of game farm mallards that don't necessarily migrate as do wild-originated mallards. That could be a good thing for Great Lakes hunters, right? Or not? As part of a major study to determine why mallard populations are declining in the...

In his legendary book Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals & People in America , Dan Flores spins an incredible, historically-based yarn about North America's amazing wildlife resource from inception until now. Today we discuss unimaginably abundant fur, feather and flesh commodities the likes of which humanity had never before--nor since--ever witnessed, how and why that resource was so quic...

Urban sprawl exists a half-hour drive away. But Greg Harkins's lifestyle is embodied by hand-crafting wooden rockers from personally selected, start-to-finish milled red oaks from the swamp behind his Madison County, Mississippi, home. They're intended to last generations. And do. His shop is a half-century-old pole barn rife with antlers, chickens, raw lumber and various other natural materials n...

"No one in Manhattan is ever further than 30 feet from a rat," explains Richard Reynolds, a long-time associate of the Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society, or R.A.T.S. for short. And in New York City's legendary rat abundance, Reynolds and associates find huge recreational opportunities--hunting Norwegian rats with savvy 8-dog packs. Reynolds colorfully describes how and where rats are hunted, strat...