FowlWeather Podcast

Chesapeake Bay is the birthplace of American waterfowling. The bounty…the abundant fish, shellfish, and waterfowl made being a waterman a reality, but the bounty of the bay and its watershed, also made it a place to live and thrive. As populations grew in the Chesapeake watershed so did the pollution and other environmental problems; waterfowl are still abundant in the bay, but are the hay days of...

Situated just off the North Shore of Oneida Lake sits Toad Harbor Taxidermy. We meet with avid duck hunter and taxidermist Matt Colesante. Matt focuses on realism in his mounts, separating his great mounts from just good mounts of others. We sit down w/ Matt, his father Rip, and son Connor, 3 generations of taxidermist and duck hunters, in the shop to talk waterfowl taxidermy, tricks and tips for...

Some are calling it a Godzilla El Niño, a Super El Niño of monster proportions, but will it all unfold as told? In 2015, NASA scientists coined the informal term Godzilla El Niño to describe a weather pattern that massively distorts the jet stream and causes extreme global temperatures. DrMike dives deep into what the coming El Niño means for the summer growing season, duck production, duck migrat...

Coastal North Carolina is rich in waterfowling history and Ed Farley, hailing from the Matamuskeet region exemplifies the NC state motto  Esse Quam Videri,  the motto in Latin reads as genuine, honest, and disciplined, rather than just appearing to be so. Ed Farley, Manager of Conservation Programs for VA, NC, SC, and GA grew up with wetlands and ducks in his blood and followed that tradition into...

Minnesota has seen substantial challenges in keeping wetlands and grass on the landscape for ducks. With this, duck numbers and duck hunter numbers have plummeted. The Living Lake Initiative restores and protects wetlands and shallow lakes in Minnesota and Iowa, focusing on enhancing water quality and habitat for waterfowl in the Prairie Pothole Region. We meet with Jake Chronister of the Living L...

Time to talk turkey tactics. Like duck hunting the calling, the interaction with the bird is what makes turkey hunting more than just shooting. Today, with turkey season closing in the south, going at mid-latitudes, and still yet to open in many places in the north, DrMike talks turkey killin’ tactics. Whether you didn’t get your birds and your season is closed, you are in mid-battle with a bird y...

Mistakes are easy to make, but with lessons learned Ryan DuLaney brings a wealth of information to the FowlWeather Podcast. What are the most common mistakes in waterfowl habitat management and what are the easiest wins to get ducks in front of your blind. With diverse experience managing private lands, Ryan rejoins us to talk lower Miss water woes, failing farms under a crushing economy, mallard...

Policy wizard, John Devney of Delta Waterfowl joins the FowlWeather Podcast for a review of financial woes of our USFWS National Wildlife Refuge system. He defined delayed infrastructure and why our refuges aren’t keeping up. What can be done? Not much if you don’t have funds to keep up with critical wetland infrastructure, don’t have the staff necessary to properly manage duck habitat, and you do...

With ducks moving back north it is time to start thinking about habitat and habitat management for the coming growing season. DrMike hits the hot button habitat decision-matrix for the coming season.  What conditions to create? What foods to grow? and how it all goes down on public v. private lands. Plus, we dive into some prairie conditions updates and what the coming spring and summer will bring...

We meet with Dr. Scott Stephens, Senior Director of Conservation Strategies with Ducks Unlimited. A staunch advocate for wetlands conservation, Scott details the accomplishments made and the challenges ahead to helping sustain ducks and duck habitat across duck country in the USA and Canada. A long-time waterfowler, we dig deep into the weeds with Dr. Stephens about what is needed to make the prai...

For some it was the season of the storm, for others the best season they can remember, others the worst season ever, the winter that has not yet happened. The 3rd year of the FowlWeather Podcast brought us a welcome calming of the fake news by other podcasts, drought but ducks for many, and the corn conversation came to a head. We also recognized once again that weather plays a major role in duck...

In the boot room of camp, Chris Beckman (Beckman Game Calls) and Forrest Carvajal (Pond Creek Duck Calls) talk finding honey holes, social media monsters and heros, BPOP changes, weather, flooded corn, and more, plus your last duck migration forecast of the season – did the ducks move? Find out, all today on the FowlWeather Podcast.

Winter storm Fern bears down on duck country USA and the FowlWeather Podcast team is here with a Special Edition: Weather Alert episode to help your hunt through the storm. Will it makes duck migrate farther south or just a big Duck Shuffle? Will the cold break before the end of January? Who gets the snow and who gets the ice, where are the ducks now and where will they be by late January, all tod...

The FowlWeather Podcast team travels to Arkansas to hunt with Chris Beckman of Beckman Game Calls. Hatchie Coon is a hunt club with history. A sit-down w DrMikeand Chris Beckman at Hatchie Coon Hunting and Fishing Club drills deep down into what makes duck country USA the place to be. There is more to be positive about in duck country USA than social media shows. All that and our exclusive duck mi...

Well-intentioned but missing the mark, we dissect Senator John Kennedy’s Corn Letter to the USFWS. That, a thank you to the FowlWeather Podcast listenership, and your duck migration forecast, all this week on the FowlWeather Podcast.

Join us in Part 2, of Merg Squad 3.0, Bard, Frack and DrMike are joined by deer enthusiast (and duck hunter) Jack...roast duck, goose sausage, and bourbon fueled conversation...maybe more deer than ducks, but always great conversation with good friends.

The Corn Episode Part 2.2 digs deep into the legalities of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and what constitutes baiting when hunting migratory birds with Mike Oropallo lawyer and Partner with Barclay Damon LLP.

We couldn’t do a season without getting together with the Merg Squad. A long, long time ago, just like that movie – in Part 1of Merg Squad 3.0. Bard, Frack, Jack, and DrMike dig into the 2025 drought and ducks, a good “merg” year, but an odd weather year…and snow goose harvest and management.

The Corn Episode Part 2.1 is another exploration into the role of corn in the world of ducks. Joined by Heath Hagy we dig into a pile of corn lingo, habitat management, and what corn means on the landscape for ducks.

The darkest days of the year. Does reverse migration exist?, DrMike says nope. Listen in to get the skinny on the science. That and your migration forecast for the week, all today on the FowlWeather Podcast.

Walt Rhodes joins the FowlWeather Podcast with his invention – ShotSweeper – after the hunt make the next bite safer. An innovative tool that detects non-toxic shot in meat. The first tool to detect non-toxic shot in gamebirds. Everyone has been there, don’t make another trip to the dentist after your next duck dinner. Join us today to hear about ShotSweeper and Walt’s wonderful career as a biolog...

The TRCP mission is to guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish. Haven’t heard of them? Well you will today, from habitat work in the lower Mississippi Valley, to the pothole country where our ducks are raised, to helping provide greater access to hunters and anglers, TRCP’s Director of Private Lands Conservation, Aaron Field, and their Director for the Center of Fisheries and Missi...

The mid-season lull in duck action is a known problem and common conversation across duck country USA. What causes it? And how to combat the lull. That, a Kitchen Conversation teaser with the Merg Squad and our exclusive migration forecast, all today on the FowlWeather Podcast.

The COLD is coming and the FowlWeather Podcast team dives into the numbers to review how snow and ice cover have changed throughout the flyways. We also have MALLARDS ON THE MOVE, where will they peak this week. Also our migration forecast, and some listener Q &A, all today on the FowlWeather Podcast.

The Polar Vortex is primed to unleash the coldest we’ve seen in decades during November and December, but will it all come to be? The atmosphere is primed and DrMike details the howling winds, squalls, Alberta Clippers, noreaster’s, the Jacks Reef Lake Effect, and all that makes ducks move south. Wishing y’all the best of the season and predicting it all the FowlWeather way. Your second instalment...