On this episode of the Ducks Unlimited podcast, former NFL player and Super Bowl champion, Derek Wolf, shares his background growing up in Northeast Ohio and his introduction to the outdoors through hunting. Despite the challenges, Derek's stepdad introduced him to hunting and football, shaping his passion for both activities. Tune in to hear more about Derek's unique upbringing, his deep connection to the outdoors, and how these things became integral parts of his life.Watch the Derek Wolfe DU Nation Episode Here!www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

Host Chris Jennings is joined by Rusty Creasey, manager of the Coca Cola Woods in Arkansas, for a discussion about the off season. First, the two discuss the highs and lows of the 2023-2024 season and Creasey provides information on a few oddities he saw throughout the duck season. With water off the property, Creasey is preparing to clean up boat lanes, beaver dams, and a few blow downs that happened in the woods, all before preparing for planting season. Good duck hunting doesn’t just happen, there is typically some well thought out management behind the scenes, and Creasey brings that to the DU Podcast.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

On this episode of the Ducks Unlimited podcast, host Katie Burke interviews John Fandrey, a Wisconsin decoy collector. John shares his introduction to the outdoors as a child, following his father’s passion for duck hunting. John and Katie discuss the many types of decoys in Wisconsin and how the carvers’ styles change throughout the state. Stay tuned to learn more about John’s journey into decoy collecting and Wisconsin decoy carvers.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

Host Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher sit down and discuss the hot topics of discussion for duck and goose hunters this spring. It may be turkey season, but avid duck and goose hunters still want to talk about waterfowl. Brasher provides an in-depth overview of avian flu, Season in Review document, habitat conditions, and a few other bits of must-know information.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

Host Chris Jennings is joined by Jay Anglin, Great Lakes Region Migration Editor for ducks.org to talk about the pace of the light goose migration in 2024. Anglin brings insight into the spring migration across the Mississippi and Central Flyways and offers information he has gathered throughout the entire season. Late January’s mild temperatures sent the spring migration into overdrive, but as the geese pushed further north, they have run into the snowline along the US and Canadian border.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

Lesser scaup are one of several duck species in North America that have experienced long-term population declines, and despite decades of research, the exact cause of this decline remains unclear. Because of its profound importance as a spring stopover site for migrating scaup and other divers, Pool 19 on the Mississippi River has played a crucial role in numerous scientific studies. In this episode, PhD candidate Cheyenne Beach and field assistant extraordinaire Jack Johnson join Dr. Mike Brasher to explain why so many divers show up on Pool 19 each spring; what we hope to learn from long-term banding of scaup, canvasbacks, and redheads; and how an ongoing GPS tracking study is helping understand how the invasive faucet snail may affect scaup health and productivity.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

Dr. Johann Walker, DU’s director of operations for the Great Plains region, joins Dr. Mike Brasher for a mid-March update on the status of drought in the prairies and why we should not expect a rapid turnaround. We also learn about the important conservation that continues, why your support is vital, how sustained investments in science are necessary to identify and adapt to changes across the landscapes, and why at the end of the day personal relationships are what make conservation possible. Lastly, what can be said about the possibility of restrictive seasons in light of declining populations and continuing drought, and what does it mean for our conservation work?www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

The Forbes Biological Station in Havanna, Illinois, is North American’s oldest inland wildlife research station. Over its 130-year history, it has become one of our greatest sources of scientific information for waterfowl ecology and management. In this episode, Dr. Mike Brasher visits with current staff of the Station – Dr. Auriel Fournier, Josh Osborne, and Therin Bradshaw – to celebrate the 130-year anniversary; pay tribute to its pioneering leaders of the name Forbes, Bellrose, Havera, and others; and reflect on the Station’s contributions on topics including wood ducks, migration ecology, aerial surveys, lead poisoning, sanctuary management, wetland management, foraging ecology, and new research on duck foods and the effect of hunting disturbance on bird movements. And hear also what it’s like to flip through the pages of an 84-year-old field notebook of Dr. Frank Bellrose.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

On this episode of the Ducks Unlimited podcast, host Katie Burke continues a series in collaboration with the North American Decoy Collectors Association. The guest, Dave Kneebone, owner of Muddy Water Decoys and a collector, discusses the uniqueness of the association's annual show, highlighting the diverse attendees and the one-of-a-kind room-to-room trading experience. The pair also discusses the unique aspect of Illinois River Style decoys and their influence on carving in the area. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

America’s farmers and ranchers feed and clothe our families and steward our lands. More than ever, they are among DU’s strongest partners in accelerating the pace and scale of conservation. In this episode, Dr. Mike Brasher and Billy Gascoigne, DU’s director of agriculture and strategic partnerships, are joined by Amy Skoczlas-Cole and Jimmy Emmons from Trust In Food, a Farm Journal Initiative, to discuss our organizations’ growing partnership. Learn how new initiatives in regenerative agriculture and ranching being developed in collaboration with DU are helping the bottomline of farmers while improving our environment and helping sustain wildlife.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

Shawn Stahl, producer for RNT-V and Purina Pro Plan Ambassador, joins host Chris Jennings to talk about Stahl’s Labrador retriever, Karl. Stahl’s retriever travels the country with him during waterfowl season, but competed in field trials throughout the summer, giving him a full year-round experience. While not everyone agrees to having a dog that does both, Stahl explains the reasons why he allowed Karl to compete on a national level throughout the off season. The two also dig deeper into field trials and Stahl shares some tips for getting involved and why he felt it was important for his retriever to live in both worlds.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

On the episode of the Ducks Unlimited Podcast, Katie Burke interviews decoy carver, Josh Brewer. Brewer describes his unique journey in the profession from carving and competiting as a kid to a career in family medicine and then finally returning back to carving full time. Together they discuss Brewer’s influences in carving and his evoluntion of a carver. www.ducks.org/DUPodcastwww.joshbrewer.comwww.nadecoycollectors.org

Host Chris Jennings is joined by Matt Harrison, communications specialist for Ducks Unlimited, to discuss improving your social media content. Harrison formerly worked as full-time content creator for several brands and social outlets. His insights into creating content and getting started may help improve your approach to posting hunting content on your social media. The two discus everything from equipment to approaching brands to work with on a regular basis. If you want to improve the way you post social content, give this show a listen.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

First-time guest and recent DU Canada postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Sarah Gutowsky, joins Dr. Mike Brasher for a trip around the world studying birds, leading polar expeditions, and an immersive life in science and conservation. Having visited some of Earth’s most remote and inaccessible locations, including Midway Atoll in the North Pacific, Wrangel Island in the Chukchi Sea, the Kuril Islands and the Sea of Okhotsk, Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island in the South Atlantic, Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, and the New Zealand sub-Antarctic Islands, Sarah brings a view of the wonder and expansiveness of our planet that few possess. What advice does she have for others seeking a similar career, what was it like to meet “Wisdom,” the oldest known wild bird on Earth, was being seasick for 2 consecutive weeks worth the payoff, and what did we learn from her recent research on common eiders and harlequin ducks? See for yourself why we’ve dubbed Sarah our “ornithological badass.”www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

On this episode of the Ducks Unlimited podcast, host John Gordon interviews English Cocker Spaniel specialist Jordan Horak. He shares insights into the these dynamic little dogs capabilities, highlighting their skills both as upland bird flushers and waterfowl retrievers. Learn more about the unique traits and hunting abilities of English Cockers, and flushing dogs in general for those more familiar with the retriever breeds.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

Well, here it is— a look back on what has been referred to as “one of the worst hunting seasons in memory.” Co-hosts Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher are joined by Jim Ronquest, Vice President of Development for Drake Waterfowl, to discuss the season from start to finish, north to south, and east to west. Numerous factors conspired to make the 2023-24 season a challenging one for even the most seasoned hunters, including low breeding populations, El Nino, widespread drought, limited snowfall, record low ice cover, and temperature swings from record warmth to record cold. As one season ends another begins, and the group looks ahead to dry conditions on the prairies and what is needed to turn things around.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

In this episode of the Ducks Unlimited podcast, host Katie Burke visits Grayson Chesser's decoy shop in Virginia. Grayson, a decoy carver and hunting guide, shares his background in hunting and the deep connection his family has with the land. Greyson also describes how the history of the region has influenced his carving and how the relationship with fellow decoy carvers has enriched his life and career.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

A hard freeze followed by rapid warm up and widespread rain made for an interesting and somewhat productive end to the 2023-24 hunting season. Chris Jennings, Katie Burke, and Dr. Mike Brasher look back on the closing weeks of the season and discuss other recent happenings around the waterfowl world. Mike reports on a jam-packed but rejuvenating week with science colleagues at the North American Duck Symposium, status of duckDNA, and future podcast episodes. Chris shares stories from his final weeks, including SHOT show and an unwelcome encounter with snakes in a pit blind in late January, while Katie reports on successful hunts in Mississippi and upcoming podcast recordings and new happenings with the Waterfowling Heritage Center. www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

In this episode of the Ducks Unlimited podcast, host John Gordon sits down with Ray Voigt, former professional retriever trainer and current Purina senior specialist, and Karl Gunzer, Purina Sporting Dog Group Director, discussing all things dogs. They talk about their love for sporting breeds, canine nutrition, training tips, and the Bird Dog Hall of Fame. If you're a dog lover, this episode is a must-listen as they dive into the history and importance of sporting dogs.www.ducks.org/DUPodcast

Dr. Mike Brasher recently joined the crew from Campus Waterfowl for an opportunity to reconnect with his roots, as he shared a soggy morning in the cypress swamp with current and former students of his alma mater, Mississippi State University. This episode, which originally aired on Campus Waterfowl, recaps an exciting ring-neck hunt and shines a spotlight on the passion this group has for waterfowl and wetland conservation through their work on the Mississippi State chapter of Ducks Unlimited. Joining on the podcast were Derek Christians of Campus Waterfowl and Drew Brown and Hunter Yelverton from Mississippi State. The group also discussed duckDNA, the exciting project that is connecting duck hunters with scientists to inform some of today’s most ground-breaking research. www.ducks.org/DUPodcastwww.campuswaterfowl.com