Migration Waterfowl

We had limited service & wi-fi in Canada last week but the podcast still went out on time last Thursday morning as usual. Couldn’t get this post to upload then so here it is now.

Five days into our Canada waterfowl trip, and the hunting was good to us.

On this episode, I’ll be bringing you a mid-week update on the trip. We’ve spent the week chasing ducks across the Canadian prairie and have had some incredible hunts. Mallards, pintails, wigeon, gadwall and teal all made their way into the decoys.

I talk about how each hunt came together, what we’ve been seeing during our scouting, the conditions we’ve dealt with, and the decisions that have helped us stay on birds day after day. I also get into some of the highs, the challenges, and those moments that make a waterfowl road trip like this worth all the miles.

Five days. A pile of scouting. Plenty of laughs. And some of the best duck hunting of the season so far.

Join me from Canada for a mid-trip recap from the heart of the duck factory.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-migration-waterfowl-podcast/id1744574500?i=1000792538817

Presented by:
Blue Bird Waterfowl

Also brought to you by these fine partners:
Rig’Em Right
AVES
RetayUSA (OFFICIAL)
frogg toggs
Flight Day Am******on ®
The Duck Hole & Company
Northern Duck Calls

🦆
30 Minute Limit. First Solo Duck Hunt Of The Season. It’s up on the YouTube Channel.

https://youtu.be/gHb4cJPHTXg?si=GA5UFo3pznMEFIcp

Presented by:
Blue Bird Waterfowl

Also brought to you by these fine partners:
Rig’Em Right
AVES
RetayUSA (OFFICIAL)
frogg toggs
Flight Day Am******on ®
The Duck Hole & Company
Northern Duck Calls

Wait until you see and hear what we’ve been up to in Canada this week! What a trip… Mid-week recap podcast drops Thursday morning.

🥵😍🇨🇦

Presented by:
Blue Bird Waterfowl

Also brought to you by these fine partners:
Rig’Em Right
AVES
RetayUSA (OFFICIAL)
frogg toggs
Flight Day Am******on ®
The Duck Hole & Company
Northern Duck Calls

What REALLY makes a mallard migrate? 🦆

On Episode 126 of The Migration Waterfowl Podcast, I’m joined by Cassidy Waldrep Cassidy Waldrep of the Eastern Mallard Project to talk about what researchers are learning by following mallards with GPS transmitters across eastern North America.

We get into migration timing, weather and cold fronts, hunting pressure, stopover and wintering behavior, and some fascinating movements through Pennsylvania and the Atlantic Flyway.

We also tackle the bigger question behind the research: Why have eastern mallard numbers declined, and what are these GPS-tracked birds teaching us about their future?

🎙️ Episode 126 is available now wherever you listen to podcasts. Video version on Spotify.

Presented by:
Blue Bird Waterfowl

Also brought to you by these fine partners:
Rig’Em Right
AVES
RetayUSA (OFFICIAL)
frogg toggs
Flight Day Am******on ®
The Duck Hole & Company
Northern Duck Calls

Wild Table Wednesday: Wild Duck Gumbo

A dark roux, the Cajun trinity, smoky andouille and shrimp make this the kind of bowl that earns a permanent spot in the duck-season rotation.

The important part: cook the wild duck separately. Render the skin, pull the breasts at 130°F, let them rest and slice them over the finished gumbo. You get the depth of a long-simmered gumbo without cooking the duck into gray, tough meat.

This method is adapted from Jeff Benda’s highly rated Wild Game & Fish recipe.

Save it now and break it out when the temperature drops.

New video is up on the YouTube channel!

Elliott Snider ‪Elliott Snider‬ and I headed into a prairie marsh in the Central Flyway for an early-season blue-winged teal hunt. We had an epic scout the day before. The birds were moving, and we filled our two-man limit in under an hour.

Then a cold front rolled across the prairie, bringing an incredible rolling wave cloud with it. Be sure to watch the entire video to see that footage—it was one of the coolest sights of the morning.

If you enjoy the video, please hit those like and subscribe buttons while you are there!

https://youtu.be/NPcNgBTqqqA?si=Re76ruoDr72EARQ2

Presented by:
Blue Bird Waterfowl

Also brought to you by these fine partners:
Rig’Em Right
AVES
RetayUSA (OFFICIAL)
frogg toggs
Flight Day Am******on ®
The Duck Hole & Company
Northern Duck Calls