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, one of her predecessors that single-handedly ensured creation of a state agency now known as...

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 Watt and Josh Cussamanio discuss habitat how-to, managing water for ducks, what they've learned...

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-timers, describe their off-the-beaten-path, south-of-the-border Nayarit Mexico duck and dove hunting...

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 habitat aceage compare to Canada? How dry is it, and how might this impact waterfowl...

  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 what folks say about the hunting, species, local foods, lodging and other things to do. See...

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 magazine cover shot, Jen also describes growing up in middle-of-nowhere Illinois and introduces me...

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 conservation efforts—and duck hunting as we know it?! Armed with recent research findings (some based on...

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 ever-changing landscape.    Related Links: Wisconsin Waterfowl Association wisducks.org   ...

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 Team, winning the gold (where she set a new Olympic record, by the way) and preparing to do it...

Anything can happen while duck hunting. Greer Smith probably isn't the only person the get stuck while hunting near Venice, Louisiana, but watching ducks fly overhead and wondering where they'd originated sent his life into a new orbit. "There's a growing need for awareness," says Greer, who grew up duck hunting in Georgia. Quitting his day job and putting plans into motion, he started 50 Ducks in hopes that he can spark an interest in waterfowl conservation among school children and the...

While growing up on a farm in rural Missouri, his dad had predicted he'd become a newspaper reporter. Probably because he intuitively knows the value of a story. Sure enough, Andrew McKean's colorful career eventually took him to Outdoor Life, where as the long-time hunting and conservation editor, he's drilled into issues that affect wildlife, wildlands, and people. An incredible storyteller, McKean dives headlong into memorable hunting trips, like the time he recovered legendary Jim...

Between chasing waterfowl and promoting Voormi, my buddy Ryan Yarnell aka Tex aka Redbeard sees as much of North America through a truck windshield as I do each year. Every now again our paths cross and we even get to hunt ducks together. In between roadtrips, Yarnell and I catch up, talking about Voormi's new bibs and rain jacket, this past US duck season, driving the highways and byways, our hunting retrievers, snow geese, and duck hunting West Virginia. You know, pretty much the same...

We all know duck habitat when we see it, but what do ducks "see"--how do our beloved mallards experience and utilize habitats at the landscale level before, during and after hunting season? Could understanding this make us more productive hunters, better habitat managers and long-time conservationsists? Nick Masto (that's Masto) is a duck hunter and recently completed his PhD at Tennessee Tech using the latest technologies. We do a deep dive into mallard habitat preferences on the wintering...

How has hunting changed in the United States since yesteryear--and why? Whether private or public lands, is it as easy to gain access? And how does the increasingly non-hunting public view hunters and hunting? Award-winning writer, public speaker and recurring FOX News guest, Gabriella Hoffman and I race through a list of ongoing need-to-know topics from right here in our back yard: roadkill legislation, banning hunting dog events, how the famously publicized Hollywood Buck influences public...

Back in the internet stone ages way before social media platforms, old-school do-it-yourself duck hunters from around the world gathered in online communities known as duck hunting chatrooms--sharing local traditions, exchanging ideas, swapping hunts.  It was almost like discovering fire! Decades later, Duckboats.net still exists and is thriving like a most-popular Smalltown, USA coffeeshop. "The best duck boats stand out at the boat ramp but vanish in the marsh," says duckboat.net founder...

"I'd known about it forever," says John Williams, speaking about a large, diamond-in-the-rough bottomland hardwood tract along a river in Oklahoma, "And dreamed of owning something like it one day." He cut his teeth duck hunting Oklahoma public lands and followed his father's footsteps into realty, forging his way into recreational properties before it was really even a thing. That dream property finally came for sell. He's since spent decades learning the property, developing it into the...

Is it true that "man is seldom content to witness nature...he must posess it?" What is it about beautiful feathers that so obsesses some of us? Truth is truly stranger than fiction, and some stories you couldn't contrive in a lifetime's worth of imagination. Kirk Wallace Johnson's The Feather Thief is prime example--a child prodigy flutist becomes a world-champion salmon fly tier, breaks into British Natural History Museum, stealing hundreds of rare bird skins worth millions of dollars in the...

Rare in terms of the extremely small geograpic area they can be hunted relative to earth--and trust me, it's one helluva long trip just getting there from here--Cape Barren geese are also regarded as among the world's largest goose species in the world. While the coals for lambchops are getting hot, our Tasmanian bucket-list host, Rockjaw, talks about growing up on remote Flynder's Island; Cape Barren Goose habits, agricultural conflicts and hunting techniques, ways to eat 'em; and about...

After a mallards-galore Kansas timber hunt--and I'm talking mallard flocks spilling over the treetops like tossed dice into the coffee-colored opening surrounded by thick ice--Carter's Big Island father-son team, Roy and Drake, and I visit about their singular 74-day objective: to put fluttering greenheads in front of client guns. It doesn't happen by accident either. It's all about location, location, location and an unwavering, year-round commitent. Covering topics to include the season...

Form or function? Because long before waterfowl hunting clothing became a conspicuous corporate camo fashion statement, generations of savvy duck killers chose practical, earth-toned natural materials that kept them warm, dry and concealed while lasting generations. And because history repeats itself, it seems that the entire hunting industry is suddenly trending from latest-greatest patterns to good old-fashioned solids again. Except for Tom Beckbe.  They remained loyal to old school...

Five minutes isn't much time. But 300 seconds probably seems like an eternity when your life depends on it happening. A duck hunter from Minnesota, Jack Zimmerman joined the Army to serve his country. Returning with no legs and damged arms after stepping on an IED, he has no regrets. Shaping himself into the best new version possible, he encourages others to do likewise through his actions-speak-louder-than-words approach to life. He continues waterfowl hunting with an appreciation like never...

After a thousand-plus wears, Voormi's High-E Hoodie and other products like the 2-pocket hoodie and base layers, have become essential, must-pack staples while waterfowl hunting worldwide.  Highlighting the many reasons that I now love and rely on Voormi gear, founder Butch English does dives deep into the substrate-driven functionality, meaningful design and purposeful innovativeness of their core technology.  At the heart of it all? Yep. A duck hunter from Missouri that knew from experience...

In December's "Where the Hell are the Mallards" (EP 434), Dr. Michael Schummer described waning migrations of "Halloween mallards," that subset of North American mallards that fly to their southern overwintering haunts in mid- to late-October regardless of wintry temps and snow cover. He promised to climb down that rabbit hole with Dr. Phil Lavretsky if given the chance. Today, Drrs. Shummer and Lavretsky go deep into that briar patch! See, while it's easy to explain weak migrations in the...

"All I knew is that nobody was going to outwork me," says Mojo founder Terry Denmon in describing his abrupt departure from federal government employment decades ago to become an engineering consultant that did not yet even have one single client. Many years later, a new fangled decoy concept dropped into his lap and while it'd be easy to say that the rest is history, it wouldn't tell the entire story. Today's episode is more about working hard, thinking outside the box and never quitting...