Driftwood Outdoors Podcast

Happy 4th of July! Brandon Butler and Nathan “Shags” McLeod sit down with the guys at Doolittle Trailer Mfg., Inc including Ryan Werdehausen (Owner/CEO), Mike McPeak (Sales Manager), James Dial (Sales rep), Crappie Craig Hansen(Sales rep) and Garrett Bradley (Marketing specialist). 

Doolittle Trailer Manufacturing came together in 1978 as a small, family owned business building utility trailers in the state of Missouri. Over 40 years later, Doolittle is still owned and run by the same family. The family has grown but so has our business. Doolittle Trailer Mfg. is now one of the premier trailer manufacturers in the United States. With over 100 dealers nationwide, we are on the grow, on the move, and always “Tougher Than The Rest”. 

Topics Discussed: Gators in Missouri lakes, duck hunting, fishing for armadillos, history of the company, Alaska, stinky fish challenge, hunting out west, crappie fishing, customization of trailers, mystery bait bucket and more.   

For more information:
Doolittle Website
Doolittle Facebook
Doolittle Instagram
Crappie Craig Hansen Fishing Video

Special thanks to:
Living The Dream Outdoor Properties
Superior Foam Insulation LLC
Doolittle Trailers
Scenic Rivers Taxidermy

Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:
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Instagram

Email:
[email protected]

Brandon Butler and Nathan "Shags" McLeod interview Brett Dufur, author of Endless River and The Complete Katy Trail Guidebook.

Brett Dufur, a Kansas City-born writer, is renowned for his guidebooks to Missouri's Katy Trail and Rock Island Trail, the state's two longest rails-to-trails projects.  His guidebooks have been popular for more than 30 years, providing valuable insights into Missouri's rivers, trails and outdoor adventures.

Topics Discussed:  Endless River book of poetry, changing of seasons, Missouri River, defining poets and poetry, Monarch Butterflies and the flight, balancing art and manual labor, Katy Trail Guide Book, Rock Island Trail, mystery bait bucket and more.

For More Information:
Brett's Books - Pebble Publishing

Special thanks to:
Living The Dream Outdoor Properties
Superior Foam Insulation LLC
Doolittle Trailers
Scenic Rivers Taxidermy

Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:
Facebook
Instagram

Email:
[email protected]

Brandon Butler interviews "The Forever Fiance" Savannah Light and Lauren "Big Fish" Plunkett while Shags is back home in Oregon.

Topics Discussed:  High School and College fishing, Bull Trout, Northern Pike, Retrieving Freedom, favorite fishing spots and outdoor activities, fishing tournaments, mental health, Taneycomo, Driftwood Acres, hunting, saving turtles, sobriety, and more.

For More Information:
Driftwood Outdoors

Special thanks to:
Living The Dream Outdoor Properties
Superior Foam Insulation LLC
Doolittle Trailers
Scenic Rivers Taxidermy

Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:
Facebook
Instagram

Email:
[email protected]

With Shags on vacation back in Oregon, Brandon Butler catches up with the original Driftwood Outdoors Unpaid Prostaffer - Paddle Don.  The two cover fishing for Father's Day, traveling to fish small waters, and discuss the release of Brandon's moose hunting film:  SHIRAS.

Special thanks to:
Living The Dream Outdoor Properties
Superior Foam Insulation LLC
Doolittle Trailers
Scenic Rivers Taxidermy

Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:
Facebook
Instagram

Email:
[email protected]

Brandon Butler and Nathan “Shags” McLeod interview Brad Kovach, founder of Terrain Magazine and Shawn Donnelly, "the new guy" at Terrain Magazine at MOC in Cape Girardeau.

Launched in 2014, Terrain is a nonprofit publication devoted to growing outdoor recreation in St. Louis and the Great Middle West.  They deliver a free print publication, online content, community events, and partnerships with leading outdoor organizations.

Topics Discussed:  The inspiration and creation of the magazine, the Initiative Petition, Gateway Outdoor Expo, River City Foundation, past adventures, future goals, bucket list activities, Trail of Tears, Rock Island Trail, positive impacts of trails, the Naked Bike Ride, mystery bait bucket and more.

For More Information:
Terrain Magazine

Special thanks to:
Living The Dream Outdoor Properties
Superior Foam Insulation LLC
Doolittle Trailers
Scenic Rivers Taxidermy

Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:
Facebook
Instagram

Email:
[email protected]

Brandon Butler and Nathan “Shags” McLeod interview Tom Westhoff of the Missouri Trapping Association and Tyler Schwartz, Executive Director of Conservation Federation of Missouri at MOC in Cape Girardeau.

Since its creation in 1958, the Missouri Trappers Association has been dedicated to the preservation of the heritage and skills of trapping as well as the conservation and utilization of all natural resources of our state and our nation.

Topics Discussed:  Cape Girardeau experience, historic downtown, trapping industry issues, relocation of raccoons, turkey population, how to start trapping, clinics, bidding on fur, types of furs, future of trapping, ruffed grouse restoration updates, mystery bait bucket and more.

For More Information:
Missouri Trappers Association

Special thanks to:
Living The Dream Outdoor Properties
Superior Foam Insulation LLC
Doolittle Trailers
Scenic Rivers Taxidermy

Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:
Facebook
Instagram

Email:
[email protected]

Brandon Butler and Nathan "Shags" McLeod celebrate 30 years of the Missouri Outdoor Communicators with some of the original members: Bobby "Bobfather" Whitehead, John Neporadny, Darrell Taylor, Kenny Kieser, Bill Cooper, and Larry Whiteley.

MOC Mission:  The Missouri Outdoor Communicators' mission is to advance knowledge of natural resources and related recreational pursuits, to improve MOC members' communication skills, to promote outdoor communications, to encourage appropriate use and conservation of natural resources and to mentor the next generation of outdoor communicators.

Topics Discussed:  Cape Girardeau, sightseeing, MCD Nature Center, two-headed snake, LOZ fishing, fishing tournaments, MOC relationships and awards, Missouri Mafia, MOC presidencies, writing advice and how to write tight, Joel Vance, changes in writing and media industry, Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, early days of Bass Pro Shop, technology and Chat GPT, mystery bait bucket and more.

For More Information:
Missouri Outdoor Communicators

Special thanks to:
Living The Dream Outdoor Properties
Superior Foam Insulation LLC
Doolittle Trailers
Scenic Rivers Taxidermy

Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:
Facebook
Instagram

Email:
[email protected]

Brandon Butler and Nathan “Shags” McLeod interview Brian Flowers, Regional Education Supervisor with MDC and Joe Brown, Nature School Lead Teacher with Columbia Public Schools.

The Boone County Nature School will help children connect with nature in new and exciting ways, engage in unique and meaningful cross-curricular learning opportunities, develop proficiency in various outdoor skills, and be inspired to create lasting change in their community by participating in a sustainability project.

Topics Discussed:  Turkey numbers, turkey hunting, Yellowstone National Park, Nature School creation and planning, outdoors focused curriculum, thoughtful programming, experienced teachers, favorite field trips, mystery bait bucket and more.

For More Information:
Boone County Nature School

Special thanks to:
Living The Dream Outdoor Properties
Superior Foam Insulation LLC
Doolittle Trailers
Scenic Rivers Taxidermy

Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:
Facebook
Instagram

Email:
[email protected]

Brandon Butler and Nathan "Shags" McLeod interview newly appointed Jason Sumners, the new Director of MDC, for a casual, informational discussion about the future of Missouri conservation.

“I am excited and humbled by this opportunity the Commission has entrusted me with and the conservation team I get to work with across the state and country.  The Missouri outdoors have defined my personal and professional life, so getting to serve in this capacity and continue to tackle the ever-evolving challenges in conservation is an exciting endeavor.”  Jason Sumner

Topics Discussed:  His career progression, the interview process of becoming the new director, technology in hunting, turkey hunting, bats, world records, harvest rates of paddlefish, Conservation Q & A's, the future of the department, state conservation next steps, mystery bait bucket and more.

For More Information:
MDC Press Release

Special thanks to:
Living The Dream Outdoor Properties
Superior Foam Insulation LLC
Doolittle Trailers
Scenic Rivers Taxidermy

Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:
Facebook
Instagram

Email:
[email protected]

Brandon Butler and Lauren "Big Fish" Plunkett interview Kevin Morlock, owner and operator of Indigo Guide Service.

Indigo Guide Service has offered guided fishing trips on West Michigan’s rivers for over twenty years.

These rivers include the Pere Marquette River, Manistee, White, and Muskegon, where they target trout, steelhead, and salmon.  They've also guided the flats of Beaver Island in the summer for over fifteen years, fishing for carp, smallmouth bass, and pike.

Topics Discussed:  Pere Marquette, chuck-n-duck fishing, Steelhead trout, walking across Spain with his wife, Spanish cuisine, culture, topography, and wildlife, building a lifestyle of no regrets, taking chances, unplugging from the news, upcoming adventures, mystery bait bucket and more.

For More Information:
Indigo Guide Service

Special thanks to:
Living The Dream Outdoor Properties
Superior Foam Insulation LLC
Doolittle Trailers
Scenic Rivers Taxidermy

Connect with Driftwood Outdoors:
Facebook
Instagram

Email:
[email protected]