Ducks Unlimited Podcast

Kevin Kraai, Waterfowl Program Leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department joins the podcast to discuss the history of the Texas Mid-winter Waterfowl Survey and results from the most recent survey in January 2020. We learn about the numerous ecoregions and important waterfowl habitats across the state of Texas and converse about notable observations in duck and goose abundance from the survey. The 2020 survey revealed the 3rd highest state-wide estimate for dabbling ducks since 1997. www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Host Chris Jennings is joined by Jay Anglin, Great Lakes migration editor for ducks.org. Anglin brings to light some interesting observations by hunters throughout the region, including an influx of white-fronted geese and light geese into southern Illinois and Indiana. www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Dr. Mike Brasher is joined by Amelia Raquel, DU Biologist from California, for a discussion about waterfowl habitats and conservation in Southern Oregon and Northeastern California, also known as SONEC. Although an arid landscape, wetland habitats provided in the SONEC region are continentally some of the most important for fall and spring migrating waterfowl. Listen in for an introduction to DU conservation efforts in the region. www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Dr. Mike Schummer, SUNY-ESF, rejoins the show with host Dr. Mike Brasher to provide a late season update on prevailing weather patterns in the eastern U.S. and how these have influenced waterfowl migration since the outbreak of cold weather in November. We wade into a discussion about large-scale atmospheric patterns that affect weather across the U.S. with a specific focus on the “polar vortex.” The show concludes with advice on how hunters can adapt their strategies in the face of weather patterns that aren’t conducive to strong bird movements. www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Host Christ Jennings is joined by John Pollmann, Ducks Unlimited freelance contributor, to discuss the best practices to plan and execute a youth hunt. Pollmann goes into detail regarding his Sept/Oct feature from DU Magazine and talks about his personal experiences hunting with his young son. www.ducks.org/dupodcast

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Dr. Rocky Rockwell and learn about the lasting effects of hyperabundant snow geese on Arctic habitats and their potential for recovery. We then discuss other interesting research at La Perouse Bay including goose productivity, drones, bear ecology, sea ice, and the genetic analysis of bear poop. We conclude with sage advice from Dr. Rockwell about learning from and working with the animals and the people around us. www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Light goose populations in North America have grown exponentially since the 1960s. The famed goose colony at La Perouse Bay, Manitoba, became the epicenter for studying this explosive growth and its damaging effects on Arctic ecosystems. In this episode, Dr. Mike Brasher is joined by special guests Drs. Rocky Rockwell and Tom Moorman to discuss the emergence of this issue, along with other topics including the evolution of white and blue phases of snow geese and their increasing hybridization. www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Widely considered the most successful wildlife conservation plan on the planet, for over 30 years the North American Waterfowl Management Plan has set the bar for effective and relevant partner-based conservation of an internationally shared resource. Hosts Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher are joined by Dale Humburg for a discussion about the evolution and legacy of the NAWMP. www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Former DU Chief Scientist, Dale Humburg, joins hosts Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher to discuss the history and significance of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) in shaping international waterfowl conservation as we know it today. Ambitious in scale and intent, the NAWMP was signed in 1986 and immediately created a bold new vision for waterfowl conservation in North America. www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Houston Havens, Waterfowl Program Coordinator for Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, joins Dr. Mike Brasher and Chris Jennings to discuss results from Mississippi’s December aerial waterfowl surveys. Listen in to learn about the history of Mississippi’s survey effort, the latest on duck numbers in the state, and what biologists are saying about the effects of 2019’s prolonged summer flooding on waterfowl habitat conditions this winter.www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Mike Casazza rejoins the show to continue our discussion about cutting edge radio telemetry and its importance to waterfowl science. Specific topics on this episode include new estimates of waterfowl flight speed and why this is important, unexpected movements and behaviors of waterfowl, and what a hunter should do if they harvest a bird outfitted with a transmitter.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Since its introduction to wildlife research in the mid-20th century, radio telemetry has enabled scientists and conservationists to understand waterfowl behaviors and ecology at levels previously not imagined. In this episode, co-hosts Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher are joined by Research Biologist Mike Casazza to learn about the history, advancements, capabilities, and unique insights obtained from modern-day radio telemetry. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Previously published (Ep. 9 – 10) Host Dr. Mike Brasher discusses interesting research being done on urban mallards and the role they play in hunter harvest with Dr. Ben O’Neal. O’Neal serves as a wildlife ecology professor at Franklin College just south of Indianapolis and is studying the impacts of urban mallards in relation to harvest opportunities for hunters near metro areas. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

In this episode we bring you updates on mid-December waterfowl numbers and habitat conditions in Missouri and Illinois. Friends of the show, Frank Nelson and Aaron Yetter, explain that ice is prevalent and duck numbers continue to decline across much of their respective states. Hardy mallards, geese, and a few straggling pintails and gadwalls are holding out on rivers and other big waters as the year 2019 nears its end. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Mark Biddlecomb, DU director of operations for the Western Region, joins the podcast and shares information about DU’s Sacramento office, along with some of the unique conservation challenges faced in the Pacific Flyway. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Host Chris Jennings is joined by Dan Wrinn, DU national director of government affairs, to discuss DU’s D.C. office and the importance of policy work for wetlands conservation and waterfowl hunting. Craig LeShack, DU director of conservation operations, joins in on the conversation to explain how DU implements NAWCA. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

DU Regional Biologist from the San Joaquin Valley in Central California, Matt Kaminski, joins the show to discuss a multitude of topics, including a description of DU’s conservation efforts in the California Central Valley, an update on waterfowl migration in the region, and insights on West Coast weather patterns that influence duck movements. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Scott Leysath, DU Magazine cooking columnist, talks about some of his favorite non-waterfowl recipes. Venison, quail, etc. Get some tips on cooking wildgame, even non-waterfowl species. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Jamie Rader, director of conservation programs in DU’s South Atlantic Field Office, joins host Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher to discuss the region. Rader provides great information regarding specific projects and habitat efforts in the South Atlantic Region. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Dr. Vanessa Harriman, Ducks Unlimited Canada, joins us again to share the rest of the story about how flea infestations affect nest success of snow and Ross’s geese. We also discuss what this might mean for population dynamics of goose colonies and explore a few other questions about this curious phenomenon. Have an itch for knowledge? We try to scratch it on this episode.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

In this episode, host Dr. Mike Brasher is joined by Dr. Vanessa Harriman, Ducks Unlimited Canada, to discuss the curious case of flea infestations in nests of snow and Ross’s geese. We learn about their discovery, prevalence, the hazards of studying them, and what leads a person to study fleas in the first place. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Luke Naylor, Arkansas waterfowl program coordinator for Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, joins hosts Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher to talk about Arkansas November Aerial Survey, Arkansas duck season, and current habitat. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Jay Anglin, WF360 Great Lakes Region migration editor, joins host Chris Jennings for a quick discussion regarding the current hunting conditions in the Great Lakes Region. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Jamie Rader, DU’s director of conservation programs in the South Atlantic Region, joins host Chris Jennings for a quick update on habitat and hunting in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Hosts Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher discuss waterfowl mating systems and how behavior changes related to mating and courtship directly impact hunting as the season progresses. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Host Dr. Mike Brasher talks with Dr. Drew Fowler, Wisconsin DNR, to explore the question of whether the birds we shoot over decoys have lower body condition than those in the larger population, and if so, why that might be. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Host Chris Jennings is joined by Scott Leysath, DU Magazine cooking columnist, and the pair talk about sides. Leysath brings some unique sides to the forefront and discusses his favorite side dishes when serving wild game. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Hosts Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher debunk the myth of the northern, or “red leg” mallard, and discuss an interesting taxonomic issue related to a North American waterfowl species. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Celebrity Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois joins host Chris Jennings and shares his go-to approach to preparing and cooking ducks for those who may not otherwise try a wild game dish. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Our Thanksgiving show, plucked from the DU Magazine archives (Nov/Dec 2007), is a humorous story about the idiosyncrasies of waterfowl hunters. "Duck Blind Intervention" written by Doug Larson and narrated by Tom Gallagher.www.ducks.org/dupodcast

On this special episode, we go out west to hear from DU’s Manager of Conservation Programs for Montana, Bob Sanders. Recorded during an ongoing blizzard in that state, Bob shares insights and experiences regarding this year’s duck and goose migration and habitat conditions in Montana. Although many of the less hardy species have departed the state, mallards and geese remain on the big rivers.www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Dr. Ray Alisauskas, Research Scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, joins us again to discuss nesting ecology of snow and Ross’s geese and the types of data collected annually to estimate production. We conclude by discussing observations of goose production during the 2019 breeding season and what hunters might expect this winter. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Larry Reynolds, Waterfowl Program Manager for Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries, makes a return visit to the show to update their November waterfowl surveys. Larry shares that duck and goose numbers in the northern part of the state are above the long-term average for this time of year. We also learn about apparently good hunter success at Catahoula Lake during the East Zone opener.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

World-renowned snow goose ecologist Dr. Ray Alisauskas joins the show to educate us about snow and Ross’s goose nesting colonies across the Arctic and sub-Arctic. We also discuss the long-term ecological studies conducted at these sites and the challenges of working in this environment. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Missouri Dept. of Conservation (MDC) recently completed their mid-November waterfowl surveys. Frank Nelson, MDC wetland ecologist, joins the show to discuss their surveys and what they are observing on managed wetland complexes in Missouri. Join us as we hear about current waterfowl, habitat, and weather conditions in Missouri and the frequently changing dynamics of wintering waterfowl. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Scott Leysath, DU Magazine cooking columnist joins host, Chris Jennings to discuss cooking whole ducks. Leysath provides some very valuable insights as to why you shouldn’t cook your ducks whole. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Hosts Dr. Mike Brasher and Chris Jennings are joined by Dr. Mark Lindberg, professor at University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology to discuss the ramifications of band targeting and how targeting banded birds can have repercussions on the data. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Hosts Dr. Mike Brasher and Chris Jennings are joined by Dr. Mark Lindberg, professor at University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology to discuss the ways hunters play a vital role in citizen-science programs. Banding, HIP, and other various programs are supported by hunters, and are crucial to waterfowl science. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Hosts Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher talk Boreal Forest with Dr. Fritz Reid, director of conservation programs for the Boreal and Arctic for Ducks Unlimited. Reid explains some of the unique aspects to conservation efforts in the Boreal, including partners and difficulty in even getting there. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Scott Leysath, DU Magazine cooking columnist joins host Chris Jennings to talk more waterfowl recipes. The two specifically talk about brines and how to best prepare your ducks and geese. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

In this episode, Aaron Yetter, Waterfowl Ecologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, shares results and observations from their most recent aerial waterfowl survey. The combination of cold weather and open hunting seasons helped push up mallard numbers, while other species were variable from the previous survey. https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Dr. Drew Fowler from Wisconsin DNR joins the shows to give a quick update on migration conditions in Wisconsin. We learn that smaller wetlands are now frozen, but open water still remains in rivers and larger water bodies. A few ducks and healthy numbers of geese remain for the chasing! https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Hosts Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher talk Boreal Forest with Dr. Fritz Reid, director of conservation programs for the Boreal and Arctic for Ducks Unlimited. Reid details his role and brings to light the importance of Boreal habitats for waterfowl and other birds. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois rejoins host Chris Jennings on the show to talk about his best day duck hunting. Bourgeois describes a day in the south Louisiana marshes, the birds, and the meal shared after the hunt. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

DU Chief Scientist Dr. Tom Moorman joins host Chris Jennings to discuss how and why ducks and geese learn. These conditioned behaviors such as being able to identify decoys, spinning-wing decoys and sensing danger are a part of waterfowl’s ability to survive. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Scott Leysath, DU Magazine cooking columnist joins host Chris Jennings on this episode to share his five favorite waterfowl recipes. A few of these recipes may surprise you. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Dr. Mike Brasher is joined by special guests Larry Reynolds, Waterfowl Program Manager for Louisiana Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Dr. Tom Moorman, DU Chief Scientist, to discuss the results from the November aerial waterfowl survey in coastal Louisiana. Listen in to learn about the survey and what it revealed for waterfowl abundance and habitat conditions in advance of the coming cold fronts. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Scott Leysath, DU Magazine cooking columnist joins host Chris Jennings and shares his story about how he become a well-known wild game chef. Leysath also explains his number one rule for cooking waterfowl. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

With winter weather immanent across the Great Lakes, host Chris Jennings brings Jay Anglin, DU’s Great Lakes Region migration editor on the show to discuss what he is seeing and hearing in Indiana and Michigan. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast

Host Dr. Mike Brasher brings in Dr. Mike Schummer to explain his current project of a weekly duck migration forecast. Schummer is the Roosevelt Waterfowl Ecologist at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.https://www.ducks.org/dupodcast