The Upland Social

Seth Owens is a wildlife and conservation photographer based in central North Dakota, where the prairies and grasslands have shaped both his life and his work. His photography focuses on the wildlife and wide-open landscapes of the Northern Plains, with a particular passion for North American grouse. To date, Seth has photographed 9 of the 12 grouse species found in North America, with plans to co...

Today’s guest is Devin Rice, a Michigan native whose love for the outdoors started early—baiting worm hooks and catching bluegills off his grandpa’s dock at just four years old. Like a lot of folks, the pandemic flipped a switch for Devin, and once he got his first German Shorthaired Pointer, Walker, everything changed. He did the unthinkable—hung up the bow—and became fully obsessed with chasing...

Today’s guest is West Newby. West is an avid upland hunter and bird dog enthusiast who’s been chasing birds since he was 17 years old. He got his start walking the woods for ruffed grouse with friends—no dogs, just miles and grit—which eventually sparked a deep passion for bird dogs and training. Before ever owning his own dog, West immersed himself in the training world, helping others work their...

Keng Yang is a passionate public-land hunter dedicated to chasing pheasants and waterfowl across the prairie with his trusted nine-year-old German Wirehaired Pointer, Kaiya. Starting his hunting journey later in life, Keng quickly found himself fully immersed in the pursuit — driven by a love for wild places, strong bird dogs, and the camaraderie found in the field. Today, he’s constantly explorin...

Justin Madron grew up in the mountains of West Virginia, where the outdoors were part of everyday life. He started hunting deer and bear at a young age, and his earliest introduction to hunting dogs came through hounds. Though grouse were around, they were more of an incidental opportunity than a pursuit. That all changed later in life when he discovered upland hunting and fell in love with it, es...

Today’s guest is Kevin Bauer, the mind behind Furvor, a company born out of a simple moment on the trail. After a hot summer hike left their two dogs, Henry and Ollie, completely worn out, Kevin discovered that adding bone broth to their water and kibble boosted recovery, energy, and mobility. That experience sparked the idea for Furvor—a brand dedicated to bringing the incredible health benefits...

Live from the Ohio pheasant fields, Cameron Berrien and I recap our hunt for some Buckeye Birds. Believe it or not, Ohio does support a huntable amount of wild pheasants. By no means does the state rival the better known western destinations, but the birds are there if you're willing to look for them. Join us as we dive in to our hunt, strategies for Ohio roosters, and more! Topics Covered: ​The s...

Today we're joined by a team that's been restoring native prairies for nearly 40 years. Based in the heart of Iowa, Nicolas Lirio and Kent Boucher of Hoksey Native Seeds continue to carry on the legacy left by the company's founder, Carroll Hoksbergen. Their mission is to produce high quality native grasses and wildflower seeds that help farmers and landowners across the Midwest from I...

Cameron Berrien is a 24-year-old outdoorsman from Goshen, Ohio, where he shares life with his wife, Hannah, and their three dogs—a corgi, a chocolate lab, and a rare Burgos Pointer . With a camera in one hand and a shotgun in the other, Cameron spends most of his days chasing birds, training dogs, and capturing the moments that make it all worthwhile. Passionate about bird hunting, canine photogra...

Garrett Black is an avid upland hunter with a deep passion for pursuing bobwhite quail across the storied landscapes of Florida and Georgia. These fields and pine savannas are some of the most historic and legendary grounds in America for quail hunting, and Garrett has made them his home turf. With a sharp eye for tradition and a love for the dogs, habitat, and heritage that make this pursuit so u...

Today’s guests are two of the driving forces behind the growing upland conservation movement in Canada — Mark Symes and Andrew Lowles, both active leaders with RGS Canada. Mark comes from a diverse entrepreneurial and forestry background and runs his Pudelpointer, Gus in the grouse woods. Andrew is a biologist with experience across forestry, wildlife, and fisheries management, currently overseein...

Today’s guest is Garrett Baker, a lifelong outdoorsman and passionate upland hunter. Garrett grew up in Northcentral Pennsylvania and picked up a shotgun at just 12 years old—heading now into his 26th hunting season. He hunts over American Brittanys, with his two current companions, Lexi and Gracie, carrying on the legacy of his first bird dog, Lou, who shared the field with him for 12 memorable y...

Today’s guest is Nick Martin, the creator of The Iowa Bird Chaser YouTube channel. Nick set out on a unique mission—to harvest a pheasant in all 99 counties across Iowa. Along the way, he’s sharing the journey, the challenges, and the beauty of upland hunting in the Hawkeye State. Through his channel, Nick is not only chasing birds, but also capturing the stories, landscapes, and community that ma...

My guests today are Nick Sherrod and Jake Terry, the owners of Gundog Grind Coffee. But their business is more than just another coffee company—it’s a lifestyle rooted in birds, family, friends, and of course, the dogs that make every hunt memorable. Inspired by mornings in the flooded timber and long days on the prairie, they craft gourmet roasts designed to fuel hunters and outdoorsmen with rich...

Courtney Bastian’s journey into upland hunting began in 2008 when her German Wirehaired Pointer, Briar, placed a pheasant in her hands—a moment that shifted her life toward bird dogs, shotguns, and wild places. At the height of the 2020 pandemic, Courtney launched The Bird Dog Babe Podcast, building community during the challenges of the pandemic and beyond. This endeavor was then the grounds for...

Brian Krebs grew up in Minnesota, where his passion for the outdoors began with pheasant and deer hunting. After college, his pursuits expanded westward, where he fell in love with exploring new country and took up shed hunting. But his roots still lie in the pheasant fields. For more than 25 years, Brian has been dedicated to pheasant habitat conservation. Deeply involved with local Pheasants For...

Richard Westley Wong was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is a dual Canadian-American citizen. He is a food photographer based in Minnesota, where he lives with his wife and two sons. In his free time, he enjoys spending time at the family cabin in Northern Wisconsin, fishing, training bird dogs, running hunt tests, and hunting with his three-year-old Vizsla, Trigger. Topics Covered: ​Hunting with...

Scott Kinnane grew up in Vinton, Iowa, before moving to a small farmhouse in Minnetonka, Minnesota, surrounded by hardwoods and abandoned sand pits. After raising three children in Eden Prairie, he and his wife settled in Bemidji on a 100-acre farm with a mile of Mississippi River shoreline, where they are restoring native prairie and managing their forest. Raised by a single mother with one young...

Today on The Upland Social, we are going to take a different approach. Because the upland community is so awesome, we recently hit 1,000 followers on Instagram. To celebrate, we hosted an "Online Upland Party" where participants could discuss their plans for the upcoming fall. Join us for the party! Topics Covered: ​The subtle beauty of Iowa ​The varied upland game of Kansas ​Recently coming to th...

Jim Burris is a passionate outdoorsman who recently relocated from North Carolina to Wisconsin.  He’s hunted with bird dogs for over 25 years going back to his time grouse hunting the Appalachian hills of West Virginia with his Ryman English Setter.  Currently, he has a pudelpointer named Manu that he travels the country with hunting any upland bird they can find.  He is a lover and collector of r...

Today on the Upland Social, Josh Tatman joins us for some great conversation. A Wyoming resident, Josh is an avid bird hunter, dedicated outdoor writer, and a strong advocate for conservation. With a deep passion for the landscapes and wildlife of the West, he brings a wealth of experience and perspective to the field, both in the uplands and on the page.  Topics covered include: ​Josh’s upbringin...

Mike Neiduski is the owner and operator of Ugly Dog Hunting Company, an online bird dog supply shop, providing serious gear for serious bird hunters and dog trainers. He is a NAVHDA senior judge, published writer, and spends most of his fall traveling across bird country with his wirehair, Nash and shorthair, Mack. Topics covered include: ​Mike's recent venture with Ugly Dog ​Creating a safe envir...

In December 2008, 21-year-old Kyle Kamp weighed 270 pounds and experienced chest pains while opening Christmas presents. That moment sparked a major life change. Over the next year, he lost more than 140 pounds and became deeply invested in understanding nutrition and exercise. Frustrated by conflicting information online, Kyle pursued a degree in Dietetics, completed his residency, and became a R...

Heath Seiner is a self-proclaimed average dude in constant need to escape to wide open spaces. Driven by the hunt, he is ever nudged to explore new landscapes and continuously tinkers with gear to further enable those pursuits. And now with the founding of Hunt Redi upland vests, he equips others to explore those landscapes as well. Topics covered: ​The fun of variances within dog breeds ​His grea...

Jake Bartells and his family reside in Eastern Pennsylvania with his now five French Brittanys. His story is anything but typical in the sense of his now wife, but then high school sweetheart introduced him to bird dogs. The introduction blossomed into a passion for training, testing, and hunting his dogs all over the country. He's a senior judge for the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Associ...