The Ugly Dog Podcast

Fred McAdams and Ben Eilert join the show this week to discuss their perspectives on Kansas bird hunting. Fred moved to Kansas a number of years ago, in large part because of the bird hunting, and Ben is a lifelong resident and local farmer. Ben shares about growing up pheasant hunting, how things have changed, and his perspective on helping things get back to what they used to be. Fred shares his...

Marc Musselman joins the show this week to share how he got his start upland hunting and how a passion for making professional grade audio equipment for musicians led him into the hunter hearing protection market. Marc runs Alclair Outdoors, in addition to Alclair Audio (the music side), where his mission is to make hearing protection part of everyone's regular hunting kit, no different than...

Autumn and Casey Koback join the show this week to detail how they went from a mandate for zero dogs to a house full. The husband and wife team dive into their journey of not joining things to leading a local chapter and how opportunities to help others fuel their passion. They also share how they've fallen in love traveling with friends to chase birds with their dogs. Additionally, they brea...

Ryan Sparks is the Editor of the Quail Forever Journal and a life-long quail hunter. In this episode he shares about his upbringing bird hunting the family farm in Nebraska, why pheasant hunting deserves more credit than Mike gives it, and why he is and always will be a Pointer guy. Ryan also shares his tips for writing from an editor's perspective and takes a dive into why cooking your wild...

Bob St. Pierre joins the show this week to share about his journey with 5 German Shorthairs, including just recently adding a pup this summer. Bob is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and the host of the On The Wing Podcast. He and Mike take a dive into why opening day is so important and meaningful, why Bob finds the Boundary Waters so special,...

Mindy Brown joins the show to share how she grew up with bird dogs following her dad afield to getting her first Weim through an ad in the paper. She discusses her commitment to breeding better Weimaraners with her co-breeder Camille of Timberdoodle Weims and how they make decisions to help the breed move forward. Mindy also shares honestly about the risks we take on when we go afield and how she...

This week's episode features Mike answering questions submitted on our Facebook and Instagram pages. He covers his run with Mack in the NAVHDA Utility Test, things to come with Ugly Dog, goals and dreams ahead, gear folks must have in their hunting vest, and more. He also tells the origin story of Mr. July, how he feels about prepping for next year's NAVHDA Invitational, what he thinks t...

Mike Krantz lives and hunts in southern Minnesota. He is an avid member of the Southern Minnesota NAVHDA chapter, and spearheads a weekly training group in the summer. One thing is for certain, if Mike's around jokes will be told and this episode is no different. Mike shares about transitioning from Weimaraners to a Slovakian rough haired pointer, getting his wife involved in hunting, learnin...

Tamara Champagne is a working dog trainer who has fallen in love with sporting dogs. She recently began the journey with a German Shorthair and now is qualified for next year's NAVHDA Invitational. Tamara and Mike sat down at this year's Invite to share how she got into bird dogs, crossover between working dogs and sporting dogs, maintaining attitude and confidence in dogs, and so much m...

Check out this special bonus episode as a follow up from Episode 22 with Jake & Brooke about their road to the NAVHDA Invitational!  This episode is brought to you by Ugly Dog Hunting Co. Shop now at UglyDogHunting.com . Music used under Creative Commons -Two Step Daisy Duke by Mr. Smith is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License. 

Nick Adair is the host of the Gun Dog It Yourself podcast where he discusses all aspects of gun dog training with his guests. Nick recently came through Minnesota on the way to Montana and we recorded an episode swap. This is the first installment, Mike's chance to interview Nick, and the second, Nick interviewing Mike, will come out in a few weeks. This episode includes Nick's backstory...

Brooke & Jake Bartells are bound for the NAVHDA Invitational with their Epagneul Bretons and this is their story. While Jake has been many times, this is Brooke's first trip handling her first bird dog, Rushie. One she's trained and hunted over from day one, including early wake ups, long-distances traveled, and learning from a long list of mentors. Brooke and Jake also share a few h...

Rhys Haugen is the founder of High Plains Gear , a upland hunting vest company committed to American made materials and manufacturing for all their products. Rhys shares his motivation and journey in starting an upland hunting vest company, how he got started in bird dogs, and his experiences hunting and finding a dog while stationed overseas. Additionally, they discuss how Rhys coupled his experi...

Amanda Ponti dove head first into bird dogs and now there is no looking back. She currently works for Sporting Lead Free and serves on the board of HerUpland. Amanda and Mike discuss her entry into bird dogs, why she chooses to give back so much, why you should consider switching ammo to lead-free options, and how bird hunting inspired a transformational physical fitness journey. This episode is b...

Jerry Havel runs Pineridge Grouse Camp and is a co-founder of Upland Gun Company. Jerry and Mike take a dive into how the ruffed grouse numbers are looking in Minnesota, how he develops a grouse dog, and why folks should consider a side by side from Upland Gun Company. This episode is brought to you by Ugly Dog Hunting Co. Shop now at UglyDogHunting.com . Music used under Creative Commons -Two Ste...

Tyler Webster is the host of the Birds, Booze, and Buds Podcast and we sat down to discuss those exact things. Join Mike and Tyler for a post dinner & drinks conversation that covers the legitimacy of the 28 gauge, getting outside the comfort zone when hunting, choosing the right amount of drive in a dog based on lifestyle on hunting opportunities, and much much more. This episode is brought t...

Erin Kalpin from Rockcreek Kennels joins the show this week. Erin's father, Scott, started Rockcreek almost 30 years ago and Erin has been along for the ride since. She shares how her dad kept her interested all these years, what it was like transitioning from a career outside dogs back into training full time, and how she's raising her own girls to love the dogs and the outdoors. Additi...

Misty Klug is the owner and operator of Muddy Paws Kennel. She has bred German wirehairs for over a decade focusing on temperament and wild bird hunting. We also discuss her training philosophy around pressure and development. Additionally, she shares the importance of trusting your training and how to reduce nerves on test day. This episode is brought to you by Ugly Dog Hunting Co. Shop now at Ug...

Rich Wong is a photographer, vizsla lover, and wild bird hunting fanatic. Rich and I talk his best tips for tailgate photos, how he came into vizslas, and the differences between his 2 dogs thus far. We also talk about puppy development, the downsides to overhandling, and the importance of a bird dogs first season. Lastly, we cover Rich's tips to find sharpies and huns, some great memories of...

Tony Jones has a new book out - The God of Wild Places , and you should order a copy ( The God of Wild Places ). Tony is a former pastor, author, conservationist, speaker, and hunter. In this conversation we talk about writing, changing careers, failure, and pheasant hunting in South Dakota. Tony also brags on his lab, Crosby, and shares why he'd need 2 different breeds of dogs to replace him...

William Bailey is a Texan, a hunter, and a proud owner of a Labrador from Wild Rose Kennel. This conversation is a perfect example of how conversations between friends happen when hunting together. This conversation ranges from losing dogs, choosing joy, William's experience with adopting the Wild Rose Way, leaning into faith and friendship, and much much more. This episode is brought to you...

Rob Seilheimer works in fundraising with the Monarch Joint Venture, a non-profit coalition rooted in getting more pollinators and more quality bird habitat on the landscape. Rob and Mike discuss Rob's new brittany pup, Tag, and how adding a bird dog to the mix changes things, finding friends to share hunting camp with and making attendance a priority, and the importance of non-profits in incr...

Nick Larson is the host of the longstanding Birdshot Podcast and also works with Upland Gun Company. In this episode we cover an incredible range of topics including his advice for hosting a podcast, learning the differences between his two setters, the importance of mentorship in dog training and hunting, and much much more. This episode is brought to you by Ugly Dog Hunting Co. Shop now at UglyD...

Emy Marier is an outdoorswoman who brings her both her nature for analytics and her sense of adventure to everything she does. We discussed her experience in NAHRA, including finding her tribe, the importance of treating a dog fairly in training, and the experience of adding a second dog with a lot more drive. We also discuss her love of 'Prairie Romping' as she calls it, and the traditi...

Angie Coenen runs Hurricane Kennel with her husband, Paul in Southwestern Wisconsin. We discuss how she got her start following her dad through the pheasant fields of Iowa, how she fell into NAVHDA (now serving in a multitude of roles), her journey breeding top notch German Shorthairs, including the hardship that comes with breeding over a decade, and more. This episode is brought to you by Ugly D...